'Many great deeds:' Dr. Assad Meymandi, philanthropist who built Raleigh into national center for fine art, has died

A great Raleigh philanthropist who devoted his life to helping others and transforming our capital city into a national center for fine arts, literature, music and theater has passed away at age 89.

If you've seen great art in Raleigh, you probably owe at least some of that experience to Dr. Assad Meymandi. His name appears on the Meymandi Concert Hall that serves the North Carolina Symphony, as well as the Meymandi Exhibition Gallery in the North Carolina Museum of Art.

"We know of many great deeds that Dr. Assad Meymandi has done for this community," said Larry Wheeler, former director for the NC Museum of Art. He spoke when Meymandi was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in 2012.

"What makes him special is his heart. He believes so passionately in the causes that he supports," he added.

Meymandi grew up in Iran in what Wheeler described as a distinguished family. His father was a physician to Iranian royalty. However, when politics began to turn in Iran, the family left the county and ultimately ended up in North Carolina – where Meymandi would serve in the mental health community as a psychiatrist, and eventually a philanthropist.

"He cares deeply about our community. He cares deeply about people," said Wheeler. "He believes that Raleigh and the Triangle are destined to be a great national center for the arts."

Meymandi moved to Raleigh in the early 1960s. Decades later, he would join the city's Hall of Fame. He also earned the North Carolina Award, the state's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to the fine arts.

According to the North Carolina Medical Society, Meymandi "has helped transform Raleigh into a center for art, music, literature and learning."

While the concert hall and exhibition hall both bear his last name, he actually named them in honor of his mother and father.

Meymandi has also supported arts and education in Iran, where he funded a symphony hall, school, public library and new homes for families impacted by an earthquake.

According to the NCMS, his one remaining dream was the build an opera house as a home for the N.C. Opera on the grounds of the former Dix Hospital, where he began his career half a century ago. He pledged funding toward converting the land into Dix Park.

A service will take place at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh on Thursday, May 23 at 2 p.m. The family will receive friends following the service, at the church.Memorial information can be found here.