TUCKTUCK, KHALID (1938-)

Born in Haifa in 1938, eye surgeon, sculptor, painter, and philanthropist. Educated at the Ramallah Friends School, graduated ahead of his class in 1955. That year, he travelled to California via boat in the United States. There, he received his Associates in Science at Chaffey College and then his Bachelor’s in Science at San Diego State University in 1959. Thereafter, in 1961, he continued his education in medicine at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He graduated with a degree in medicine in 1967-8. Also, he pursued higher education (ophthalmology specialization) in the year 1972 at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London, England. In addition, he pursued more specialized education in eye laser surgery at its early years of development in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, in London, and in Stockholm, Sweden in the 1980s and 1990s. In the volatile period of the first and second Intifada, he went on numerous missions to help patients in need of emergency medical services from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Throughout his tenure at the Saint John Eye Hospital from 1970 to his retirement in 2005, he served as the hospitals’ Vice President and Chief Surgeon. At the time, he held a private clinic in Jerusalem where he served his patients after hospital hours. It is imperative to mention that he served his patients at a philanthropic way – sometimes not even charging his patients. Furthermore, he sculpted and painted many artifacts on display in Jerusalem and elseward. Furthermore, He received many notable awards thorough his career, most notably The Order of St. John in 2002, where he was graciously honored as a Commander (Brother) by Her Majesty the Queen. Since 2014, he has been enjoying his retirement with his spouse and three children in the United States.