Elizabeth Boosahda was born in Worcester, MA on August 15, 1926, the child of Kalil and Nazira (Mishalanie) Boosahda. She was a graduate of Commerce High School and Becker College and a member of Saint George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester. She worked as an Administrative Assistant in Boston and Florida, but eventually settled back in Worcester.
She was a world traveler who visited nearly 100 countries. She was also a community activist and independent scholar. Her book, Arab-American Faces and Voices. The Origins of an Immigrant Community (University of Texas Press, 2003) focuses on the Arabs who immigrated to Worcester in the late 19th and early 20th century and is the only book-length study of the community published to date.
She passed away in Worcester on October 24, 2017.
