Raised in France amongst the Jesuits, René Chamussy studied different subjects along which philosophy, theology and Literature. It is actually to pursue his education in his last subject that he moved to Lebanon however, although he hasn’t left the country since, he changed his mind and decided to focus on sociology. In the 80’s he teaches at the school of translators and interprets of the USJ. He then leaves teaching aside, takes up administrative management.

Our philanthropist had been the general manager of Nicolas Sursock Museum from 1960 to 1966, and she founded the Association for the Protection of Sites and Old Residences (APSAD) which name still resonates today in the Lebanese cultural sphere. Founded in 1960, the association was headed by Lady Cochrane until 2002. After the Civil War, the association became very important because of the extreme necessity of maintaining a heritage partly destroyed. It was also about preserving Beirut's architectural treasures in the face of a new obsession, that of reconstruction.

Born in Beirut in 1926, Ghassan Tueni is the son of Gebran Tueni, Al-Nahar newspaper founder. Tueini studied at the American University of Beirut, then, at Harvard University in the United States. At the age of 22, he took the helm of the independent newspaper Al-Nahar, founded in 1933. Ghassan's father might have affected his son's choices. He was free-mason, appointed as an ambassador then Minister of Education before the independence in 1943. According to Ghassan Tueni, his father was a free man, and his love of freedom belongs now to his heritage.