Dr. Eddie Koury was a brilliant chemical engineer, entrepreneur, and mentor whose life embodied the highest ideals of academic excellence, innovation, and community service. A proud alumnus of Queen’s Royal College (QRC), where he attended from 1977 to 1984, Eddie Koury distinguished himself as class valedictorian, having earned a prestigious National Scholarship for his outstanding performance in the General Cambridge Certificate Advanced Level Examinations. After a brief one-year sojourn as a laboratory assistant at Arima Senior Comprehensive School, Dr. Koury pursued higher education at Queens’ College, Cambridge University, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering. His academic journey continued at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he read for and was awarded the Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1996. His doctoral research on “Drag Reduction by Polymer Solutions in Riblet Pipes” gained noteworthy international recognition along with presentations across the United States and Europe.
Upon returning to Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Koury initially worked in the oil industry with BP Amoco and had a foray in academia as a part-time lecturer in the Engineering Department at the University of the West Indies. Demonstrating a commitment to community development, Dr. Koury volunteered as a tutor at a local high school in Mayaro. In 2002, he founded ISKO Enterprises Ltd., where he developed and manufactured a line of household cleaning agents, successfully exporting to other Caribbean countries. His entrepreneurial spirit was matched by his dedication to mentorship, serving as a recruiter for MIT and guiding aspiring students towards opportunities in higher education.
Eddie married Anya Laquis in July 1999 and had two children, James in 2001 and Annie in 2004.
Dr. Koury’s life was untimely oppressed out of this world in 2005. Despite his loss, his life’s work endures through the Dr. Eddie Koury Memorial Award, established by his family in 2005. This annual award honours the most improved Chemistry student between the 4th and 5th form levels at QRC, with recipients attending the National Youth Science Camp in West Virginia, USA. To date, nineteen students have been facilitated by this initiative, reflecting Dr. Koury’s abiding influence on youth and education.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association is exceedingly gratified to recognise Hall of Honour Inductee the late Dr. Eddie Koury, whose remarkable strides in academia, industry, and mentorship embody the Royalian spirit of excellence and service. His transcending influence persists to rouse current and future generations of QRC alumni to pursue their aspirations with integrity, innovation, and a commitment to community upliftment.