John Nasseff

John was born on the West Side of St. Paul, Minnesota on February 21, 1924, one of seven children of immigrant parents from Lebanon. He has two sons, Mickey and Arthur, three granddaughters and four great-grandchildren. He has 16 nieces & nephews and several grandnieces and nephews. John has a strong faith and great love for his family and heritage. Every December he hosts a Nasseff family Christmas party and invites every family member so the family will continue to have strong ties and great memories while they preserve their heritage together.

Early in life, John learned the importance of hard work. During World War II he served in the Army Corps of Engineers in the South Pacific. After the war, he worked unloading boxcars for West Publishing Company. Fifty years late, in 1996, John retired from West Publishing Company as Vice President of Engineering and Development.

He has been recognized here and aboard for his care and concern for others. John has helped many people. John Nasseff is a life-long resident of St. Paul and a distinguished philanthropist to many local, national and international appeals.

Award Received

1972           * Outstanding Service to the city of St. Paul, MN Award

1996           * City of St. Paul: Outstanding Community Service Award
* Ramsey County: Outstanding Community Service Award

1999           * Received an audience with General Emile Lahoud, President    of the Lebanese Republic and was honored with a recognition plaque and a medal for his efforts there.

* Had an audience with the Patriot in Lebanon and received special recognition.

* Recipient of the United Hospital Foundation’s “Service to   Humanity” Award.

2001           * Community Service Award: St. Paul Fire Safety. John supplied several thermal imaging cameras for the St. Paul First Department to aid the firefighters in their work. As a result of this generous contribution it has been documented that lives were saved almost immediately after the cameras were received.

2005           * John has been named to receive the Minnesota Health Award at the Diabetes Art Gala on April 9, 2005.

 

Contribution Made:

  • Funded a kitchen renovation for St. Anne’s Church in Somerset, WI
  • John honored his mother, Zmorrod Chiha, by building a medical and dental clinic located in her home village of Bane, Lebanon.
  • Major donor of the new state of the art Rochester Art center.
  • Multimillion dollar donor to build St. Maron’s Church, rectory, and Cedars Hall (complex) in Minneapolis, MN. Cedars Hall was dedicated to honor the memory of his parents.
  • Multimillion dollar donor to John Nasseff Heart Hospital in St. Paul, MN.
  • Multimillion dollar donor to build the Johnn Nasseff Neuroscience Institute in St. Paul, MN.
  • Donated $1 million pipe organ for St. Louis Church located in St. Paul, MN.
  • Donated $2 million to fund a senior professorship chair at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
  • Donor to Minnesota Friends of the Orphans.
    • Major donor to endowment fund.
    • Assisted in funding surgical unit in Honduras.
    • Assisted in funding a hospital in Haiti.
    • Built girls dormitory in Mexico.

 

Notes:

John has a soft spot for immigrants. While at West Publishing, John made it a point to hire immigrants of all nationalities, especially Hmong people. John has assisted immigrants from Albania, Vietnam, and the Philippines to start businesses of their own. John has contributed financially to help feed and cloth the orphans of Thailand and also built a school in Thailand.

John never forgets his heritage or the sacrifices his parents to come to the United States of America not knowing how to read or write in their own native tongue. He visits his beloved Lebanon and continually gives to the poor in his mother’s village. His contributions are numerous; His kind deeds and good too many to elaborate.

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