Malaka Finco

Malaka Soliman Malouf Attia Finco was lovingly nicknamed her father’s “American Girl” because of her fascination with American culture, freedom, fashion, cinema, and way of life. Born in Tanta, Egypt, a city in the Nile Delta between Cairo and Alexandria, she was one of seven children raised by open-minded Coptic Christian parents who valued faith, discipline, and education. Her brothers attended private French schools, while Malaka and her sisters were educated in British schools.

Her name, Malaka, means “Queen” in Arabic—a fitting reflection of the confidence, beauty, and grace she carried throughout her life.

As a young girl, Malaka dreamed of coming to America. That dream became reality in 1956 when, while studying at the American University in Cairo, she earned the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Tufts University in Boston. During her years in Cairo, she discovered what would become both her profession and her calling: teaching kindergarten. Her voyage to America aboard the Queen Mary marked the beginning of a remarkable journey—one few young Egyptian women of her generation could have imagined.

Near the completion of her studies at Tufts, her plans took an unexpected turn when she met a handsome, blue-eyed Italian scholar on a train bound for Pennsylvania. Aldo Finco, a doctoral student at Boston University, proposed after only three dates. Although he was not her only suitor, as Malaka often joked, he was certainly the smartest.

Following a beautiful traditional wedding in Cairo at the historic Mena House overlooking the Pyramids, Malaka and Aldo returned to Boston. There, she taught at the Harvard Preschool, engaged in formal debates about the political tensions surrounding the Suez Canal, volunteered at the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children and the Jewish Community Center.

In 1964, when their son John reached kindergarten age, the family moved to Florence, Italy, for several years, where Aldo completed his Ph.D. at the University of Florence. Malaka flourished during this La Dolce Vita chapter of her life, embracing the city’s winding stone streets, vibrant markets, rich traditions, fashion, cuisine, art, and architecture. The beauty of Renaissance Italy and its culture of craftsmanship profoundly influenced her own creativity, expressed through her sewing, cooking, love of fashion, and even the occasional Italian phrase woven into her beautiful Egyptian accent.

In 1968, the family moved to Lubbock, Texas, after Aldo accepted a faculty position at what was then Texas Technological College. Malaka and Aldo quickly fell in love with the region, its people, and the university that would become the center of their family’s life. Malaka became a founding member of the Texas Tech Faculty Wives International Club and later taught Arabic in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, where Aldo would serve for 37 years. In 1977, Aldo was knighted by the President of Italy in recognition of his contributions to his native country.

Malaka found another calling in sharing her homeland with future generations. Through a lecture series she developed for Lubbock elementary and middle school students, she transported young audiences to Egypt. Dressed in traditional Egyptian gowns and jewelry, she vividly described family life, customs, history, politics, economics, and the contrasts between ancient and modern Egypt. She understood her unique ability to engage and educate, while imparting a lesson she deeply believed in: never take freedom for granted. She knew that only someone who had lived both worlds could tell that story in such a meaningful way.

Malaka will be remembered for her sincerity, curiosity, directness, and quick wit. She shared wisdom through beautiful Egyptian sayings that remain treasured by those who loved her. Most importantly, she taught her family “to pray, to be grateful for our blessings, to love, to forgive, to respect, to share, and to do good for others.”

She is survived by her son, John Finco and wife Marla of Dallas; her daughter, Carla Moran and husband Brad of Lubbock; and her beloved granddaughters, Dr. Malaka Grace Finco and husband Tyler Johnson; Ava Moran and Ella Moran; and many loved nieces and nephews in Australia, Canada, France, Egypt, and Lebanon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Aldo Finco Memorial Scholarship at Texas Tech University at https://give.ttu.edu/Finco or PO Box 450025, Lubbock, Texas 79409-5025.