Former Fort Hamilton High School principal Dr. Alice Farkouh dies

Dr. Alice Farkouh.
Photo courtesy of Fort Hamilton High School Association

BAY RIDGE — Former Fort Hamilton High School (FHHS) Principal Dr. Alice Farkouh died Jan. 1.

She was 86 and is survived by her three children and grandchildren. Her husband Charles died in 2010.

Dr. Alice Farkouh’s Fort Hamilton High School graduation photo in 1957.
Photo courtesy of Fort Hamilton High School Association

Farkouh graduated from FHHS in 1957 and got her BA in Mathematics at New York University. She began her teaching career at Port Richmond High School in Staten Island before becoming the math chairperson at Prospect Heights High School.

She served as the FHHS principal from 1989-1999.

“Dr. Farkouh was more than just an administrator,” wrote the FHHS Alumni Association on Facebook. “She was a visionary leader who saw the highest star in every student who walked our halls. During her tenure, she transformed the landscape of the Fort, overseeing a period of incredible growth and modernization.”

They added that while principal, she championed milestones for the school, such as the construction of the Thomas F. Greene Natatorium, the establishment of the Army Jr. ROTC Program and the Marching Regiment, and the creation of the first courtroom and the Culinary Arts classroom.

She also redesigned the Honors Academy Program, supervised the building of the school’s swimming pool and formed its football team, hiring Coach Vince Laino, who helped bring attention to the school.

Dean Paravalos president Board of Trustees, Dr. Alice Farkouh and Katherine Tsamasiros in 2015.
Eagle Urban Media file photo

Afterwards, Farkouh worked at other Brooklyn schools before becoming principal at A. Fantis Parochial School. She wrote a memoir in 2010 called “Never Say You Can’t: Memoirs of a Lebanese-Syrian American Educator.”

She retired from being principal in 2015 and then taught at College of Staten Island.

“Whatever class I teach or whenever I mentor the teachers, I tell them, ‘Never say you can’t do something,’” she told the Brooklyn Eagle in 2015. “By saying you can’t do something, you can’t do it.”

Farkouh wrote a book called “Never Say You Can’t: Memoirs of a Lebanese-Syrian American Educator.”
Photo: Cedars Publishing

She also talked about her time at FHHS.

“They were going to make Fort Hamilton a trade school,” she said. “This was the school that I adored. I said, ‘No, we’re going to do something different.’ The faculty was excellent and if [they weren’t] excellent, I vacated them.”

Founder of the FHHS Alumni Association David Whitebook told this paper that she always showed her love for the school.

“I served as her assistant principal at Fort Hamilton from 1990 to 1997, and she always put the interests of the school, the community and the students first,” he said. “She was also very much a teacher’s principal in that she was really loved by them because she was very considerate of the staff. Everyone admired her. She was really loved by the students and faculty.”

“In her own words to the class of 1994, she reminded us that no one should discourage you or tell you that you can’t do it,’” FHHS Alumni Association posted. “She believed that self-esteem and pride in one’s school and city were the keys to a meaningful life.”

A wake was held at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church on Jan. 4, from 3 to 7 p.m. The following day, the funeral took place at the church at 10 a.m.