Sami Suleiman Matar ’94

Sami died April 16, 2026, in New York City, surrounded by his loving family. 

Originally from Lebanon, Sami grew up in Kuwait, where he graduated from the American School. At Princeton, Sami attended the orientation session for international students. In a single week he formed friendships that lasted decades. Friends remember his musician’s hands, delicate and deliberate, from his years of playing the violin, and his uncanny knack for knowing exactly when they needed a beer or a walk or just an empathetic ear. During those few hours when Sami resisted the E-Quad’s siren song while majoring in civil engineering, he walked the campus, his ever-smiling eyes often hidden behind his beloved Nikon camera. 

After Princeton, he received a master’s in structural engineering from Cornell. He joined LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, where his more than 30-year career drove some of the firm’s most complex projects, including Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, the Lodha World Towers in Mumbai, and Hermitage Plaza in Paris. He was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the City of New York for his advisory work following 9/11. 

Sami survived by his wife, Andrea, and their son, Alex. He will be remembered by his classmates for his quiet generosity and ready kindness.