Assad Meymandi, M.D.

Dr. Assad Meymandi, a philanthropist whose generosity helped advance the cultural life of Raleigh and North Carolina for more than a quarter century, died early on the morning of May 10 after a lengthy illness.

He was 89 (1 day shy of 90).

A psychiatrist who also held doctorates in philosophy and biochemistry, Meymandi endowed the Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh — named for his mother, Kobra Meymandi — that has been home to the N.C. Symphony since 2001, created chairs in several fields of study at the University of North Carolina, and funded a gallery in honor of his father, Farajollah Meymandi, at the N.C. Museum of Art.

Meymandi was born in 1934, the last of nine children, to a family in Kerman, Iran that believed in education and the arts. He recalled reading and writing from the age of 3, and his parents encouraged their children to pursue lives of the mind. His brothers and sisters became accomplished in the sciences and the arts, and Meymandi’s own ambitions brought him to the United States in 1955 for college and then medical school at George Washington University. A senior professor convinced him to become a surgeon, but he found the work uninspiring. Psychiatry was different, allowing him, he felt, to use more of his spiritual and intellectual resources, and he loved it. He moved his young family to Stancil Street on Dix Hill in 1963 for his residency at Dorothea Dix Hospital.

After residency at Dix, he moved to Fayetteville where he integrated into the wonderful community and raised his family with wife Patricia Schmidt Meymandi. After practicing for nearly 25 years in Fayetteville, Meymandi found his place in the Capital City, where he immersed himself in the cultural life of the city and then worked to enhance it, from his donation for the symphony hall to a large gift for the development of Dix Park. His gifts, and his influence, spanned decades, and came in a variety of causes.

Though he was well known for some of his larger gifts, Meymandi also funded youth concerts, scholarships, and often the anonymous benefactor for charities in need of assistance.

But philanthropy was not the whole of his life.

A small-framed, intense man with Old School manners (he kissed the hands of women and bowed to new acquaintances), Meymandi could stop and chat with strangers he met on his daily five- and six-mile walks along the Greenways near his Marlowe Road home, talking about politics, North Carolina history, religion, certainly art and music. He focused his eyes on those with whom he was talking, whether they were shining under his broad-brimmed walking hat or intensely locked on a guest in his private box at Meymandi Concert Hall. His guests, personally invited in formal notes by Meymandi himself, were quickly disabused of any thought that the doctor was interested mainly in the social gathering at the concert. No matter the show, he sat in his seat on the second level of the symphony hall, in the spot nearest the stage, and leaned slightly toward the orchestra, taking in every note — literally. Often he’d discuss the nuances of a composition or the gifts of a soloist.

And the doctor was forever the doctor. Friends who possessed multiple degrees of their own — Meymandi was drawn to academics, philosophers and other physicians — were often amazed at Meymandi’s state-of-the-art knowledge of the latest developments in medical treatments — or the fresh analysis of a literary classic.

Though his broad knowledge of a multitude of subjects might have seemed intimidating to some, family and close friends would speak most warmly and happily of Meymandi’s grace and generosity of spirit. Consider a Meymandi table at dinner. He would often assume control of the conversation, but not by boasting of his own knowledge or accomplishments, but by singling out the achievements of his companions:

“I met your father on one of my walks, and now I make it a point to go and see him every day.”

“I heard that you were offered a job in Chicago last week. I am happy that you are staying here with us.”

“I saw your granddaughter play in a youth concert last week. She is so beautiful and brilliant.”

"I would dearly cherish a chance to walk with you one day and just get to know you better, because I so admire your sense of humor.”

Those kinds of comments, often signed off as Meymandi grew older with, “I love you,” endeared him to people in a genuine way, exclusive of his powerful intellect and gilded academic and professional resume.

Meymandi’s gentility was never more evident than in the time after his wife, Emily Burrage Welles Meymandi, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Assad had so enjoyed his globe-trotting life with her and then it simply ended. He resisted putting her in a care facility, resigning from most of his board memberships and focusing on caring for her himself. He reluctantly made the decision that she needed more intense care than he could provide on his own, but friends could see his pain during the latter part of her illness and her death.

Meymandi was close to his three sons and daughter, and to his grandchildren. They brought him great comfort as he faced the challenge of old age.

He was a man who, for all his material success and satisfaction at having shaped his adopted hometown through generous endorsement of worthwhile cultural projects and institutions, valued most his relationships with his family and friends.

“I love you” he said so often to so many. And he meant it — he really did. God bless you.

Assad is survived by his daughter Sheba (Carolina) and sons Chris, Eric, and Spencer (Kim). Also surviving are his grandchildren in whom he took great delight: Zander, Jake, Luke, Holden, Maggie, Vincent, and Gus. He is also survived by his brother Javad Meimandi and friend and companion Terry Thompson. Assad was pre-deceased by wives Patricia Schmidt Meymandi and Emily Burrage Welles Meymandi.

A service will take place at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh on Thursday, May 23 at 2pm. The family will receive friends following the service, at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the memorial contributions may be made to Christ Church, 120 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601; the North Carolina Symphony, 3700 Glenwood Avenue, Ste. 130, Raleigh, North Carolina 27612; Dix Park Conservancy, P.O. Box 28575, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611; or North Carolina Museum of Art, 4630 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh, NC 27699.

Services provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.