Dr. Mahmoud Hessabi   Dr. Mahmoud Hesabi, son of Abbas Hesabi “Mo’ez al-Saltaneh”, was born in Tehran, 1903 / 1282 (solar year). Professor Mahmoud Hessabi was from the Central Iranian city of Tafresh. His family moved to the Lebanese capital Beirut in 1907 looking for a better life. They were facing financial hardship. The young Mahmoud started his primary education in French missionaries school. During the time He learnt Quran by his mother before the age of 7 and then Hafiz’s Book of Poetry and Sa’di’s Gulistan and Bustan. His Studies in high school coincided with the commencement of the First World War. He went to the American College of Beirut, graduating with a bachelor's degree of Art and Science at the young age of 17. He continued his studies in Civil Engineering and as a graduate was later admitted to the famous "Ecole Surperieure d'Electricite" in Paris & graduated in 1925 obtaining his degree in Electrical Engineering. He continued his research in Physics on "Sensitivity of Photoelectric Cells" and received his PhD in physics at the age of 25. Totally he got 8 degrees (BA, MA, and Ph.D.) on literature, civil engineer, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, biology, electrical engineer, mine engineer and physic Ph.D. with first level, just during seven years. Professor Hessabi held various important scientific and cultural positions. He also founded many cultural and scientific centres in Iran, such as: the Civil Engineering School and the Teacher's College in 1928, the first Iranian Meteorological Station in 1931, the first private hospital named "Goharshad" after his mother, in 1933, Tehran University and its Faculty of Science in 1934, the Telecommunication Centre of Assad Abad in Hamadan in 1959, The Geophysical Centre of Tehran University in 1961, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the Iranian Music Society the Academy of Iranian Literature. His other cultural and scientific services include the first survey of Iranian coastal road-map at Persian Gulf, setting the Iranian time in 1932, Writing Tehran University's charter, acting as the dean of Technical Faculty of Tehran University over the periods 1942-1948 and 1951-1957,  heading the delegation for dispossession of British Petroleum Company, First General Manager of National Iranian Oil Company, acting as Minister of Education from 1951 to 1952, writing the charter for Iranian Standard Institute in 1954 Iranian representative in United Nation's Scientific Subcommittee of Peaceful Use of Outer Space from 1960 to 1967. He continued lecturing at University for 3 working generations of students and professor. He had a good command of French, English, German and Arabic languages and he also Knew Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Pahlavi, Avesta, Turkish and Italian, which he used for his etymological studies. 25 research papers, articles and books have been put to print by Hessabi. Some of his works are:  Sensitiveness of photoelectric cells (in French), Our way (in French), Iranian Names (in Persian), “Physical Eyes” for physic students, and several essays on England, French and America physic magazines, about the structure of basic elements of Atom. His theory of " Infinitely Extended Particles" is well known among world scientists. He was a member of Atomic Institution Council of Chicago. The medal of "Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur" was awarded to him in 1965. Hessabi was also a student of Albert Einstein, and during his years of scientific research he had meeting and discussion with many great scientists such as Schrodinger, Bohr, Fermi, Dirac, & Bohr. During the Congress of "60 Years of physics in Iran" the services rendered by him were deeply appreciated and he was entitled " Father of Modern Physics of Iran". Hessabi died on 3 rd of September 1992 while under medical care at Geneva Cardiac Hospital. He was buried in Tafresh, according to his wish.

© 2001 By: Mohammad H. Ansari