Nadia, tu es une personne inoubliable!

A few months ago I attended a preview of a play about epidemics that a friend, Matthew Maguire, who in addition to being a playwright is also an actor, director and is in charge of drama at Fordham University. He is a repeat Obie winner. In an extended monologue he made a reference to SARS. This immediately brought to mind the story -vintage Nadia- about how, when the epidemic broke out during her time at WHO, she insisted on adding the redundant "severe" to the provisional name, on the grounds that the WHO couldn't possibly lead a campaign against a disease named after an unprintable part of the human body. Matthew picked it up and incorporated it into the script. Nadia's many New York friends might be interested to know that the play, titled "Instinct," is currently being performed at the Lion, 410 West 42nd St. I had the pleasure of coaching Matthew as to the correct pronounciation of Nadia's surname. I'll be seeing it tonight. I wept for a month when Nadia left us. She had a wonderful, wry sense of humour. I think she would have been delighted to be immortalized this way. To all, my best -- Alvaro de Soto

Dear Nadia,
We laughed a lot in Kosovo, sometimes we argued, we shivered in the cold. I was looking forward to working with you again and was so pleased to have gotten to know you in Pristina. I think of you constantly, the professionalism and the humour you brought to your work and our work together. All of us are proud to have known you, I wish I had gotten to know you much better. You are still an inspiration.
- Peter Kessler

Dear Nadia, will always remain in our thoughts and prayers. May God bless her soul and those who lost their lives in that tragic event eight years ago in Baghdad in the service of peace.
Fayza Aboulnaga,
Minister for Planning and International Cooperation, but most importantly Nadia's friend.

Our memories of Nadia are many from our days in NYC, but the most vivid is the day we sat around her place and watched Sadat and Begin sign the peace treaty.

We will always remember.