Oct. 5, 2001 Sp14 Contact: Sarah Maxwell Director of Media Relations 507.646.4183 Carleton College Emeritus Spanish Professor Antonio Obaid Dies Northfield, Minn.—Antonio H. "Tony" Obaid, Carleton College professor emeritus of Spanish, died on Monday, Oct. 1. He was 84, and had been a resident of Tucson, Ariz., since 1995. Born in Rancagua, Chile, in 1917, Obaid attended the University of Chile at Santiago, and was awarded a Kellogg Foundation Scholarship to Carleton, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1941. Obaid joined the Carleton faculty in 1942 as instructor in Spanish, and earned his master’s degree at the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Obaid served in the U.S. Navy in the hospital corps from 1944 until 1946, when he returned to his teaching position at Carleton. In 1946, Obaid introduced the study of the Russian language at Carleton, and taught it until his recommendation to have it taught on a regular basis was adopted. Obaid was an authority on Latin American social and political problems, and he was a strong advocate in the introduction of the Latin American studies program at Carleton. He spoke a total of seven languages, and co-authored a book, "An Alliance for Progress: The Challenge and the Problem." He was a member of the Modern Language Association and the American Association of University Professors. He married Dorothy Peterson in 1948, and together, they provided Carleton with a combined 84 years of service. She served as secretary to five Carleton presidents, associate editor and class news notes editor of the Carleton College Voice, and secretary to the Board of Trustees. Their son, Steve, was born in 1950. Tony and Dorothy established an endowment fund to be used for beautification of Carleton’s campus. The income from the fund is used for the preservation of the present beauty of the campus, and for the purchase of new trees, shrubs and flowers. In 1991, Obaid was presented with an exceptional service award, given by Carleton College and the Carleton Alumni Association. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25 at Skinner Memorial Chapel at Carleton College. Obaid is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Steve Obaid and Camilla Madson, 4404 Philbrook Lane, Edina, Minn., 55424, and two grandchildren, Nathan and Karin. The family asks that memorial gifts be given to the Tony and Dorothy Peterson Obaid Campus Beautification Fund of Carleton College. # # # #