Runways In the Desert

The Challenge and Adventure of

Building Airports in Saudi Arabia

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Navigating the Culture and Shifting Sands

in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran

By George & Lou  Hext

AKA Deward & Louella Hext

“I didn’t see that coming” became a common phrase for George and me. We had left behind a fairly predictable life in Phoenix and moved to Saudi Arabia to an unpredictable life of constant change.  It started with a phone call from Bechtel Corporation with a job offer to help design and build a new airport in Riyadh.

During the 1970s oil boom, Saudi Arabia was modernizing their country, building airports, hospitals, universities, and roads. George had years of experience managing and expanding airports (Atlanta, Oakland, Portland, and Phoenix). He was also a pilot and a former control tower operator.

Over a period of five years, George helped design and build three airports (Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam), each of which was on several square miles of desert land that lacked infrastructure, water, adequate equipment, and supplies. He faced many challenges: working with diverse nationalities, communication issues, adhering to strict Muslim culture (daily prayers, Ramadan, etc.), plus the lack of Western workplace practices, such as planning, punctuality, and follow-through.

As Christians (Southern Baptists), we gave up our freedom to worship publicly or to share our faith – the penalty for proselytizing in Saudi Arabia was severe if caught and convicted. Adjusting to Friday as the Sabbath and Saturday through Wednesday as the regular workweek was a challenge.

I (Lou) am a Yankee and grew up on a dairy farm with four brothers, where I developed my spirited and friendly personality. Living in the Saudi Muslim culture required me, a woman, to be docile, and submissive – which was new for me. I quickly learned (sometimes the hard way) to be submissive when prudent or necessary.

I obeyed the rules and restrictions specific to women, which complicated our lives. I wasn’t allowed to drive a car or be alone in public, and had to follow the strict dress code. The Bechtel advisor said, “Don’t do anything that draws attention to yourself,”  which made me uneasy about the religious police. I had many “oops” incidents – most were accidental, beginning with my arrival at the Jeddah airport.

My name, Lou, was often a conversation starter - it was usually the British who made the witty comments.  My name sounded like loo, a common term for the toilet or bathroom.  One kid scowled at me and said, “Yuck, your name means toilet!”

The Bechtel advisor alerted me that life might be boring. How could life be boring? I was living on an airport construction site in Saudi Arabia, hearing conversation about the challenges and successes and having the privilege of George taking me on private tours to see the progress being made. Of the four terminals at the Jeddah airport, the two most interesting were the Royal Terminal and the Hajj Terminal.

I stayed busy. I played my accordion with a 26-piece orchestra in the musical Cabaret, gave many piano performances, taught piano lessons to international students, and participated in kids’ summer camps. We traveled often: business trips, R&R and annual home leaves. we added 21 countries to our passports. 

Note:  To be continued.