Khalaf Al Habtoor hosted a delegation from the city of Jacksonville, Illinois in Dubai, from December 16 to 22, 2010. The group included former US congressman, the honourable Paul Findley and Illinois College’s 13th President Axel D. Steuer. Mr Al Habtoor and Mr Findley have been firm friends for many years and they discussed the establishment of a leadership centre at Illinois College when they met. Mr Khalaf is funding the centre and it will bear his name. It will be located in an historic building, known as Crampton Hall, which is currently undergoing major renovations.
Congressman Findley is donating a number of important papers from almost 40 years of public service, as well as personal items from around the world, furniture, and Lincoln artefacts, to the Khalaf Al Habtoor Leadership centre. Paul Findley, who was first elected in 1961, served 11 terms in Congress. He attended Illinois College and is a member of the Phi Alpha Literary Society. A frequent critic of US foreign policy in relation to Israel, he is also a published author. In 1985, Findley wrote the best-selling book They dare to speak out: People and institutions confront Israel’s lobby. “Congressman Findley is a great man, and I am honoured to call him my friend. I am pleased to receive him and President Steuer and their families in my home the UAE and return a little of the generousity they showed when I last visited Illinois College and Jacksonville,” Mr Al Habtoor said.