A New York state professor who was stabbed to death is being remembered in the Bay State for reaching out to other cultures. NewsCenter 5’s Pam Cross reported Tuesday that Shrewsbury native Richard Antoun was a well known Binghamton University professor, who was described as the kind of man always looking for peaceful solutions. “He was very much interested in conflict resolution at the local level and started out with this village in Jordan,” Antoun’s sister, Linda Miller, said. Antoun lived in the Middle East for many years. He taught about it and wrote a half dozen books. The Massachusetts native was killed Friday on the campus of Binghamton University, where he was an anthropology professor. Police said the 77-year-old was stabbed repeatedly by a graduate student he was helping with his thesis on the Middle East. Abdulsalam al-Zahrani, a Saudi national, is charged in connection with Antoun’s death. Police searched his apartment, where roommates said al-Zahrani was confrontational and unstable. The professor’s sister and brother-in-law have heard from people around the world expressing shock. “He lived there for a year with the people, and when you think of living with the people every day and getting to know them on a personal level then your attitudes toward the region and the people is very different,” Miller said. His family wants him to be remembered for his work around the globe, his generous spirit and his love of all things Red Sox.
