Saud al-Faisal ’64

Saud died July 9, 2015, at age 75. He was born in the Saudi city of Ta’if and came to Princeton from the Hun School, where he honed the  soccer skills he brought to Princeton.

He was the world’s longest-serving foreign minister and was a central figure in all of the monumental changes in the Middle East from the ’70s to the present. He helped mediate the end to a civil war in Lebanon and dealt with Palestinian uprisings against Israel in 1987 and 2000.

Gerry Parsky, a classmate who played soccer with Saud and worked closely with him later in life as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury, wrote: “Saud was instrumental in the alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United States. He was often referred to as the quiet diplomat who was respected by everyone in the U.S. government.” Gerry also noted that he had dinner with Saud in Los Angeles two weeks before he died and much of the discussion was about Princeton. “Saud regretted that he did not study harder, but was grateful for the first-rate education he received,” Gerry said.

Saud is survived by three sons, including Khalid al-Faisal ’94, and three daughters.