On 15 January 2026, we lost Andrée Medawar—affectionately known as Dédé—one of its most devoted contributors to the Carlton Hotel archive collection at UMAM D&R.

During the final months of her life, Andrée was deeply involved in contributing and completing the Carlton Hotel collection. In this short yet intense period, she shared stories, memories, artefacts, and documents that were essential to reconstructing the social history of the Carlton Hotel. Some of her recollections were luminous, others painful, but all were offered with honesty, tenderness, and an unwavering attachment to her family.

Our meetings took place in Ajaltoun, her village and hometown; in Beirut, in her apartment; and at times, in the hospital. Wherever we met, Andrée was fully present, sincere, generous, and deeply aware of the responsibility she carried as the last bearer of this story after the death of her brother Joseph in January 2025.

Small in stature, she bore with quiet strength the responsibility of safeguarding a legacy she knew needed to endure beyond the hotel’s destruction. Through Andrée’s contribution, the Carlton Hotel’s story exists in the archive not as a closed chapter, but as a shared social memory. 

At UMAM D&R, we believe that preserving such stories is a collective responsibility. By safeguarding this collection, we resist the forces of oblivion that too often silence the social histories and lived experiences of Lebanese citizens.

The Carlton Hotel collection, and the works it inspires, are dedicated to the hotel’s founders; Andrée’s grandparents Youssef and Leila; Nicolas and Yvette, her parents; Antoine, her uncle, all comprising a generation committed to the hotel’s stewardship. They are also dedicated to Andrée, and her brothers Joseph and Charles, remembered both for their contributions to the life of the hotel and for the poignancy of their untimely passing. 

Thank you, Andrée, for your generosity, your trust, and your friendship, which made this possible.