Think Foreward

Legends never die. Come celebrate the 100th birthday of the ‘Dr.’.
Sunday April 19, 2009 at UCLA Faculty Center. For tickets & info. Visit:
//www.dabirifoundation.org/event/

If you grew up in Iran, chances are you know of the highly prestigious Alborz High School. For almost a century, Alborz was the premier secondary school for boys in Iran. Its place in the shaping of Iran's intellectual elite compares with that of Eton in England and Phillips Academy Andover in the United States. For almost 35 years, the Alborz name was synonymous with the name of Mohammad-Ali Modjtahedi, the legendary principal who headed the school from 1944 until the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

For thousands of his students, Dr. Modjtahedi was simply known as the “Dr.” who was born on September 22, 1908, in small town of Lahijan, Iran near the Caspian Sea and died in Nice, France on July 1, 1997. He would have been 100 years now.

During his tenure, Dr. Modjtahedi supervised the education of more than ten thousand boys, many of whom went on to some of the world's best colleges and universities. His graduates made up the core of Iran's post-War young elite, filling almost every position of power and influence in universities, corporations, and the government. And for every one of those men, he had been a towering figure in their youth, at once revered and feared. Though in his lifetime he held other, seemingly more prestigious positions, as founder of Aryamehr University (now Sharif) and president of several others, in none was he as proud and content as he was as the principal of Alborz High School.

His biggest achievement at Alborz was revamping the admissions process to ensure entrance to the best and most talented, regardless of the applicant's family connections and income. He handpicked the brightest teachers, many university instructors with graduate degrees, creating one of the best teaching faculties in the country. He also made sure the school was equipped with best lab and science material possible; finally, he rebuilt the campus itself, adding a new library and a new dormitory for students from the provinces.

His students remember him for his unshakable devotion to excellence, which he demanded of himself and of them, and to their welfare, which he guarded even at risk to himself.  At the time of his death in 1997, his former students were spread far and wide, in Iran and across the globe. With their world impacted by the revolution, what bound
these men of different classes, religions, achievements, and political views was
their love of Alborz High School and this spiritual father.

Dr.’s message to his students: Progress of any country is highly influenced by education of its youth; Value each other’s opinion and put in use your collective talent pool; A prosper society flourishes from its keen focus on justice. 

Legends never die. join us to celebrate the 100th birthday of the ‘Dr.’.
Sunday April 19, 2009 at UCLA Faculty Center. For tickets & info. Visit:
//www.dabirifoundation.org/event/