Ben Ali Bio
Mahaboob Ben Ali drew his first breath on June 13th, 1927. As the firstborn child of seven, Ben brought great joy to his loving parents, Haidar and Khateijah Ali. Yet, they could hardly have imagined back then the magnificent accomplishments their son would achieve before his final ascendance on October 7th, 2009.
Even in his youth, Ben exhibited all the signs of a leader. He considered himself to be a professional photographer at 12 years of age, and he had many satisfied customers who paid him 12 cents per photo for the shots he took with his box camera. Working at weddings and also taking portraits, the young entrepreneur was greatly admired by his younger brothers Anwar, Raouf, and Haroon, as well as by his younger sisters Salima, Phirosa, and Fatima.
Ben began his education at the Canadian Mission School, and then attended Saint Mary’s College, a prominent high school in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Had he been Catholic, his entrance to St. Mary’s would have been automatic, but as a Muslim, Ben was required to take an entrance exam which he easily passed. While attending school, his deep religious convictions led him to become the Secretary of the Mahiudeen Young Men’s Muslim League. He was also a member of the Himalayan Debating Society, a private club that helped him to hone his debating skills.
After graduating from high school, Ben passed the exam that qualified him for a civil service position in the Treasury Building Tax Office, where he worked for one year. He then joined the Cadet Corp, but he soon realized that he wanted to leave Trinidad to travel overseas to America in pursuit of his dreams. So, in 1945, Ben boarded the SS Marine Tiger en route to the United States. The journey was not an easy one, however, as he contracted measles on the ship and ended up in quarantine on Ellis Island. Still, he remained undaunted.
The University of Scranton in Pennsylvania was Ben’s next stop. He enrolled and attended classes there, but ended up transferring to the University of Nebraska. He worked his way through school doing odd jobs like mopping floors and washing dishes for $10 per week. His interest in Optometry led him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he studied at the Pennsylvania School of Optometry for a year, at which point he realized that this field didn’t interest him as much as he had hoped. So, he relocated to Washington, D.C. where he earned his Bachelors of Science degree at Howard University.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Ben went on to the Howard University College of Dentistry, but he soon faced a challenging turning point: he fell down an elevator shaft and broke his back. The healing process took months of pain and discomfort, and afterwards Ben was unable to continue dental school. Thus began his foray into the business world. Unafraid and still determined to succeed, Ben was willing to do whatever it would take. He drove a taxicab. He passed the real estate exam and sold real estate. He saved his money with the intention of opening his own business.
Ben’s first serious business venture was Ali’s Oriental Gifts, a little gift shop he opened downtown on G Street. He started off well, but his marketing expertise got the best of him when he advertised a product and received more orders than his manufacturer could fulfill in a timely manner. So, he found himself issuing refunds for hundreds of orders and decided that he needed to sell a product over which he had more control. His mind was full of great ideas, and he had a complete vision of the life he wanted. He also knew that he would share his future success with someone very special, so his search for the perfect business coincided with his search for the perfect life partner. He soon met the love of his life, Virginia Rollins, at the Industrial Bank of Washington on 11th and U, and from that point on everything just felt right.
In 1958, Ben rented a pool hall that had previously been the Minnehaha Theater, an old silent movie house. He could envision his dream starting to take shape, and on August 22nd Ben’s Chili Bowl became a reality. He and Virginia worked side by side from the inception of Ben’s, and they made their union official by getting married less than two months later on October 10th.
The young couple worked tirelessly for many years, but in staying true to Ben’s philosophy of life, they played hard in addition to working hard. Ben was a member of the Maharajas, an exclusive social club. He later joined the famous Century Club. Yet many of his most enjoyable moments were spent with his Seven Aces, a private club consisting of his best friends. The men would play cards all night long once a month while Virginia and the other wives would chat upstairs – and a different couple would host each month. Horse racing was also one of Ben’s favorite pastimes – for him, this was the “sport of kings,” and he also enjoyed dog races in Florida and camel races in Dubai.
Ben was a member of the DC Chamber of Commerce as well as the Shaw Business & Professional Association. In addition to running the Chili Bowl quite successfully, he chose to branch out into other areas. He worked as a stockbroker for R. Barouk and Co. In 1970, he trained with Success Motivation Institute in Waco, Texas in order to better teach the skills of success to others. Ben had always been a natural teacher and motivator, so SMI gave him even more tools to share his knowledge. He founded Ben Ali and Associates, and was soon given a contract to teach Success Motivation at Andrews Air Force Base.
Ben loved sharing his knowledge with everyone, especially his family and friends. He would often teach groups of nieces and nephews, and his children, Haidar, Kamal, and Nizam were all very well immersed in dad’s favorites like Think and Grow Rich. They would listen to success tapes in the car on Sunday family trips to their condo in Ocean City, MD or to their boat in Annapolis, the Ginny R, which was named after Virginia. The couple’s devotion to each other grew stronger and stronger throughout their 51 years of marriage.
Ben truly loved to travel and considered himself a citizen of the world. Over the years he spent considerable time in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Miami, and Trinidad. He loved the ocean, and has taken his family on many cruises. Over the years, he and Virginia have traveled extensively, visiting such exotic destinations as Egypt, India, Greece, Turkey, Alaska, Singapore, Israel, Dubai, and many other countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean. His religious pilgrimage to Mecca earned him the title of Haji and reinforced his lifelong dedication to Islam. Ben is often thought of as a great businessman, but he was also a devoted husband, a dedicated father, a trusted teacher, and a lifelong friend to those who knew him well. He could certainly be cantankerous, but beneath his occasionally gruff exterior was a heart of pure gold, and everyone knew it.
Ben Ali leaves behind a great legacy. Ben’s Chili Bowl has impacted the Washington, D.C. area and beyond with its excellent food, and even more with the inherent sense of family and community that has been created there. Honors and accolades abound for Ben’s wonderful accomplishments, and in addition to having a street named after him in Trinidad, the alley next to the Chili Bowl is officially named Ben Ali Way. He has given to everyone he knows, and his work has been a gift to many who have never met him. He has made significant donations to mosques in Trinidad, Nevada, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., as well as many other charities and causes. Ben’s life was truly rich, filled with adventure and love, and his wonderful work will continue to touch lives for generations to come.
Ben is survived by his loving and devoted wife Virginia, his children Haidar, Kamal, and Nizam, and his grandchildren Jaleel, Suraya, and Tariq. He also leaves his sisters Phirosa and Fatima, his brother Raouf, and a host of nieces and nephews, plus various cousins, and countless very close friends.