Doris Sofie Fischer-Kamel
Doris Sofie Fischer-Kamel passed away on May 5, 2006 after a valiant battle with an aggressive brain tumor. It is hard believe that a person with such high spirit and sense of humor could have had such a traumatic childhood. She was born in Hagen Germany on December 11, 1934. Together with her mother and her little sister they survived heavy bombing during World War II. They were bombed out several times and trapped in a cellar below a collapsed building. Her mother found an axe and broke through the wall. Doris remembered how fighters strafed her while she was carrying her sister and running to reach a shelter. She became severely ill. At the hospital Doris was given up for dead and placed in a bathroom to save a hospital bed. She recovered and regained her health. Doris grew up to love foreign languages and literature. She became an employee of the German Foreign Office and traveled to several countries. It was in London in 1957 that she met her husband Hussein and they were married in Germany in 1964. In 1967 Hussein accepted a position at the University of Arizona and they moved to Tucson. At the University of Arizona Doris had the opportunity to further her education and obtained a B.A. degree in oriental studies with honors in 1981. She went on and received a master's degree in 1987 for which she researched the history of midwifery in the middle ages. She was a member of Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi. Doris spoke six languages: German English French Spanish Arabic and Farsi. We honor Doris for her many accomplishments both personally and academically. She lived life fully and was an inspiration to all. She enriched the lives of all who knew her through her kindness and laughter. Her family and friends will remember Doris for her strength optimism high spirit and love of life.