Dad’s renovated store in St. Paul in 1935. The family lived on the second floor.

I am often asked why the Lebanese would pick the Island and why most would end up operating a business. I often ask myself the same question. Although I have never been to Lebanon, those who have lived there or visited the country, are always impressed with the climate and the beauty of the land. It is often referred to as the gateway, and the Paris, of the Middle East. So why would anyone want to leave? A little knowledge and understanding of the country might help. Lebanon's location has always been important strategically as well as commercially. Many invaders passed through it over the centuries on their conquests such as the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Arabs and the Turks. However, they were never able to control Mount Lebanon, which served as a refuge for the ethnic and religious minorities, and which became, in time, the nucleus of the modern Lebanese state.

Lebanon was formerly known as Phoenicia. The Phoenicians were great traders throughout the Mediterranean and travelled as far north as Cornwall in England in search of copper and iron ore. Trading posts were established, some of which eventually grew up into great cities. There was no central government and these cities became independent states, often controlled by powerful families who were in conflict with one another over trade.

Around 1850, when the Ottoman Turks regained authority over Lebanon, living conditions became unbearable for many and the Lebanese people became prisoners in their homeland. There was no religious freedom, men were separated from their