Raouf Halaby, Arkadelphia
A native of Jerusalem, Palestine, Raouf J. Halaby was born in 1945 to Christian Palestinian parents. He lived in West Jerusalem until 1959, and moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where he lived until August 1965. A 1968 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, Halaby earned a doctorate in English from East Texas State University. He has presented scholarly papers at regional, national and international conferences, and is the author of numerous publications that have appeared in professional journals, including The Smithsonian Institution Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and The United States Information Services.
In 1992 Halaby traveled to Rome, Italy, to study Art History, a decision that saw him emigrate from literature to art. He served for eight years as chairman of the Visual Arts Department at OBU, and is currently in his 34th year of teaching at his alma mater. He holds a dual appointment as Professor of English and Art. At age 56 Halaby began studying sculpture under Mac Hornecker, an endeavor which has directed him to sculpture, a third career to which he hopes to devote his retirement years.
Halaby's works have been exhibited in solo and juried group shows regionally and nationally, including Washington, DC. He has won several awards for his sculptures and was commissioned to make a sculpture for the David McCallum Memorial Garden. Cascading Moons and Orion Awakening Eos are currently on loan to Henderson State University and Ouachita.
