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Provenance
Labib Boutros collection was donated to Notre Dame University Libraries in 2017 by his son Elias Boutros (Senior Officer, Student Activities at NDU).

Access Restrictions
The collection can be used within the premises of the Special Collections Department, Mariam and Youssef Library, Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU), Zouk Mosbeh.

Access
The collection is open for research under the supervision of the Special Collections staff members.

Ownership & Copyright
© 2017 Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU). Digital reproductions are provided for private study, scholarship and research use only and may not be downloaded for use in electronic or print publications (including web sites), exhibitions, or broadcasts, without permission of the copyright owner.

Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Identification of item, Labib Boutros Collection, Box number, Folder number, Item number, Special Collections, Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU), Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon.

Compiled by
Finding aid written by Zeina Fahed, Special Collections, Assistant Specialist and Antoinette Kattoura, Librarian, Head, Special Collections.

Labib Boutros is a Lebanese sports commentator, journalist, author and professor of Sport and Physical Education. He was born in Beirut in 1935 and received his early education at Lycée Franco-Libanais (Beirut). He joined the school of physical education for teachers “Ecole Normale d'Instituteurs” where he graduated in 1955. At that time he was appointed as an instructor of physical education in the schools of the Ministry of National Education.

Labib Boutros travelled abroad to pursue his studies in Physical Education. He studied Sports and Physical Education in Switzerland and then specialized in swimming at the National Institute of Sports in Paris that trains elite athletes. He also received a coaching certification from the French Swimming Federation.

Labib Boutros represented Lebanon in the Arab games between 1952 and 1957. He competed in a wide range of sporting activities especially in swimming, basketball, volleyball, and track and field. He won many national championships and set many new records.

In 1955, Labib Boutros started a new phase in his career as a sports journalist. After 1957, he became a member of the Lebanese Federation and a coach for the Lebanese swimming league for schools. He also served as a referee in football, basketball, swimming and diving.

In 1961, he went on to become a sports commentator and broadcaster on the national television. He presented weekly sports programs on TeleLiban “نشرة الأحد” as well as many live sports news.

Labib Boutros garnered numerous honors and awards. In 1968, he participated to the “First Olympic Press Competition” and won the silver medal for covering the Olympic Games in Mexico. In recognition of his efforts, the President of the Republic of Lebanon awarded him the National Order of the Cedar (1986) and the Lebanese Order of Merit (1970).

Labib Boutros earned his master’s degree as well as his Ph.D. in Physical Education from Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany in 1973. Accordingly, he became the first Lebanese to hold this high degree in Sports and Physical Education.

Labib Boutros was appointed as Director of the Physical Education Department at AUB in 1974 where he established a new academic program in Physical Education. Furthermore, he started lecturing in Sports Journalism and in Public Relations at the Lebanese University, Faculty of Information and Documentation. He also served as Supervisor of the Department of Physical Education and Sports at Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU), Zouk Mosbeh from 1992 till 1997.

Labib Boutros published many books including Phoenician sports (1974), Education and physical education in Greece (v.1, 1979 and v.2, 1980)هي الرياضة , نشوء الآلهة: أبطال الرياضة في الميتولوجيا الفينيقية واعتمادها في بلاد الاغريق . He also published دليل الرياضي, an encyclopedic series of sports (24 volumes). Some of his sports research was also published in the Olympic Committee Review

Labib Boutros was married to Gladys Sabbagha and had three children Elias, Mireille and Carla. He passed away on July 2, 1998, of a heart attack at the age of 63.

The papers of Labib Boutros (1935-1998) extend from 1949-1997, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1960-1997. The collection focuses on the personal and professional life of Dr. Boutros as a sportsman, writer, sport commentator and broadcaster. The papers consist chiefly of correspondence, notes and drafts, biographical material, scrapbooks, photographs, clippings, sound recordings, books, videos and memorabilia. Also included are legislative papers of the sport associations established by Labib Boutros such as the Lebanese Academy for Sport & Art Talents and Promosport Foundation.

Labib Boutros collection consists of thirteen series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Scrapbooks, Correspondence, Writings, Legislative papers, Subject Files, Stamps Collection, Printed Matter, Photographs, Press Clippings, Memorabilia & Personal Objects, Audio Visual Collection.

The Personal Papers series, 1949-1997, is divided into two subseries: Biographical Materials and Family Materials. The Biographical Materials subseries comprises personal materials pertaining to Dr. Boutros including curriculum vitae, copy of passport, single civil status record, autobiographical scrapbook, financial papers, statements, prizes, certificates, diplomas, school copybooks and music notebooks. The Family Materials subseries contains personal papers related to his brother Adel, his son Elias and his daughter Karla.

The Professional Papers series, 1962-1997, comprises the major portion of Dr. Boutros papers. The series contains several subseries and parts that reflect Dr. Boutros’ various professional pursuits and activities, such as Director of the Physical Education Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lecturer at the Lebanese University (UL), Supervisor of the Physical Education and Sports Department at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU)-Zouk Mosbeh, as well as founder and president of many sports organizations. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, minutes of meetings, legislation, notices, bills, expense reports, newsletters, bylaws, programs, decrees, contract agreements, statements, memos, lectures, syllabi, student attendance sheets, exams schedule, course notes, course handouts, correspondences, invoices, and invitations.

The Scrapbooks series consists of 10 scrapbooks compiled by Dr. Boutros dating from 1948 till 1997. The scrapbooks collection is primarily composed of newspaper clippings selected from various newspapers and magazines in Arabic, English, French and Greek. Also included are illustrations, score records, stamps and maps. The Scrapbooks collection focuses on the Olympic Games as well as on the FIFA World Cup. It documents the Lebanese participation in local and international sport games and the results of those games. Scrapbook 2 consists of newspaper clippings of articles in Arabic written by Dr. Boutros on Sports and Physical Education, in addition to other clippings documenting his career and performance.

The Correspondence series, dating from 1967-1997, contains incoming and outgoing letters, relates primarily to Boutros’ professional matters, although some items pertain to his personal interests and activities. The Correspondence series consists of two subseries Outgoing and Incoming correspondence.

The Writings series, 1966-1995, includes manuscripts and typewritten drafts of books, reports, poems, speech, book chapters, notes, television transcripts, lectures, press articles and books as well as writings of others. The collection also includes Dr. Boutros books available at NDU Libraries in Arabic, English and German. The series is organized into three subseries: Writings by Labib Boutros, Writings by Others and Books.

The Legislative papers series, 1962-1997, comprises decrees endorsed by the Lebanese Government and the Ministry of National Education regarding youth and sports associations in Lebanon. The papers also include decrees published in the Lebanese Official Gazette related to sports and physical education.

Subject Files series, addresses a wide range of topics related to sport. It consists mainly of book excerpts, newspaper clippings, reference lists, printed materials, illustrations and negatives for printing along with useful annotations. Material for this series was most likely accumulated by Dr. Boutros for research purposes. The series consists of 3 subject files arranged by subject: Ancient Roman Sports, Phoenician Sports, The Pan Arab Games, 1997.

The Stamps Collection series consists of 3 albums collected by Dr. Boutros. The series includes stamps related to Lebanon and to other countries; in addition to a group of notable sports postage stamps. The stamps collection is arranged as received from the collector.

The Printed Matter series features a large mixture of various printed matter including brochures, images of Lebanon, booklets and maps. The series also includes bound and unbound volumes of journals collected by Dr. Boutros.

The Photographs series, contains approximately 345 black and white, and color print photographs in various sizes. The photographs series also includes a selection of vintage photographic slides designed to be projected onto screen, in addition to a number of digital photos and negatives. Noteworthy subjects include portraits of Dr. Boutros, shots of players, coaches, and official people in sports, as well as action shots of games and sports events. Moreover, the collection encompasses some shots of archeological sites. The collection is organized according to its original order which is subject-based and then arranged chronologically except for a collection of black and white photos which is grouped together. Undated photos are located at the end of the collection. Some of the photos are available in both print and digital format and others are only available in digital content.

The Press Clippings series includes newspaper articles written by Dr. Boutros on sports and physical education. The series includes also miscellaneous clippings collected by Dr. Boutros concerning subjects of his interest as well as various newspaper clippings concerning his career in English, French and Arabic. Press clippings are arranged in folders sorted by alphabetical order and an index of articles is maintained in excel workbooks.

The Memorabilia & Personal Objects series contains artifacts that Dr. Boutros received from the numerous honors and awards bestowed on him during his lifetime. The series includes awards like the National Order of the Cedar (1986) and the Lebanese Order of Merit (1970) given to Dr. Boutros by the President of the Lebanese Republic. The series also includes other artifacts such as personal possessions like pens, pins and medals.

The final series in the collection, the Audio Visual Collection includes audio recording tapes by Dr. Boutros and others, and films documenting the radio and television programs of sports created and presented by Dr. Boutros on the national television (TéléLiban). The audio-visual recordings are still in the conversion process. Audiovisual materials will be described in more detail in an upcoming version of this finding aid.

The collection is arranged in thirteen series:

1.   Personal Papers, 1949-1997
2.  Professional Papers, 1962-1997
3.   Scrapbooks, 1948- circa1997
4.  Correspondence, 1967-1997, undated
5.  Writings, 1966-1995
6.   Legislative papers, 1962-1997
7.  Subject Files, 1973-1997, undated
8.  Stamps Collection, undated
9.   Printed Matter, 1899-1995
10. Photographs, 1953-1997
11. Press Clippings, 1924-1998
12. Memorabilia & Personal Objects, 1981-1996, undated
13. Audio Visual Collection

The series are arranged in boxes by folders. Sometimes cross-references are found with the correspondence to other documents within the collection.