Impact Stories

“Charles loved Lebanon,” remembers Chinyeh Hostler. “Whenever anyone asked him to name his favorite country of the more than 170 he had visited, he always said Lebanon.” Ambassador Charles Hostler (1919-2014) also loved AUB. An AUB alumnus (MA ’55) and long-time member of the International Advisory Council, he had a deep appreciation of the role that the university had played in his life, in Lebanon, and in the region.

Charles lived an extraordinary life, which he wrote about in his memoir, Soldier to Ambassador: D-day Normandy Landing To The Persian Gulf War – A Memoir Odyssey. Charles and Chinyeh worked together on his memoir, which was published by San Diego State University in 2003. It includes stories of his long and distinguished career as a soldier, diplomat, businessman, author, professor, and philanthropist – including his time in Lebanon. Hostler spent a total of nine years in Lebanon –on three tours of duty. “He was always eager to live in Lebanon,” says Chinyeh.

Although he earned many accolades from the US and nine foreign countries and was enormously successful, Charles was a modest and frugal man. “He saved money whenever he could and made wise investments so that he could support the causes he believed in, mainly AUB,” remembers Chinyeh. He made a transformative gift to the university to establish the Charles Hostler Student Center, a five-building facility that includes an Olympic-size swimming pool and a renovated track and field, which was dedicated in May 2007. At that ceremony, Charles described the student center as “a fulfilment of my longtime dream.” Chinyeh explains, “Charles made plans early in his life to include AUB in his will.  President John Waterbury and I convinced him to make a gift to AUB during his lifetime so he could see the impact that it would have.”

Chinyeh, who came to the US from Taiwan at the age of 25 to pursue higher education, is herself a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. She is an especially generous supporter of her alma mater San Diego State University (SDSU), which is home to the Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs and the Charles Hostler Hall. She has also continued her late husband’s support for AUB, establishing the Chinyeh Hostler Endowed Scholarship. Chinyeh’s ambition is to establish an academic collaboration between AUB and SDSU to enhance both cultures and to promote peace through understanding.

Chinyeh has also made a charitable bequest to AUB and is a member of the AUB Clock Tower Society, which was established to recognize and thank donors who have instituted a planned gift or included AUB in their estate plans. “I want to support Charles’ legacy and also the important work that AUB is doing to promote better understanding between the Arab world and the United States,” she explains.

“I had the privilege of knowing Charles and working with him and Chinyeh on their transformative gift to establish a state-of the-art student center on lower campus,” says VP for Advancement and Business Development Imad B. Baalbaki. “It is a privilege to continue the relationship with Chinyeh. We are deeply grateful and humbled by her support for our students and our university.”