Vera Beaudin Saeedpour
Encyclopedia
Vera Beaudin Saeedpour was an American
researcher and scholar who specialized in the study of Kurdish people
. She founded the Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
, the first library and museum in the United States dedicated to the subject. The foundation is located in the Prospect Heights
neighborhood of Brooklyn
in New York City
.
on March 27, 1930, to Jewish immigrants from Russia. Her father sold scrap metal and rags for a living. She grew up in the only Jewish family in the town. At age 17, she eloped with Marcel Beaudin and moved to Brooklyn
, where she worked at a bakery. She later spent eight years working as an assistant to New York City
real estate developer Seymour Durst
. The couple had four sons, Marc, Paul, Adam and Jeb, and one daughter, Rebecca. Their marriage ended in divorce.
At age 40 she enrolled at the University of Vermont
, where she earned a bachelor's degree
in sociology
and a masters degree
in philosophy
. After her divorce from Beaudin, she enrolled at Teachers College, Columbia University
, where she earned a Ph.D. in 1976.
While at Columbia, she moved to an apartment in Harlem
. When her home was robbed, she called out to a man in an apartment across the street to ask if he had witnessed the burglary
. That man, Homayoun Saeedpour, a 26-year-old Kurd from Sanandaj
, later rang her doorbell and offered cake and flowers. They married soon after.
to treat his leukemia
, her husband's doctor refused to treat him, believing that he was Persian
.
They were married 5 years. Following her husband's death, in 1986, Saeedpour opened the Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
with a library in her Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
brownstone. The museum, opened in 1988, was the first museum with a focus on the Kurds in the United States. The library currently contains more than 2,000 texts in Kurdish
and other languages, as well as Kurdish artifacts, art, costumes and maps.
Saeedpour also edited the International Journal of Kurdish Studies
as part of the Kurdish Program she established together with anthropologists at Harvard University
and Cultural Survival
. Before the Gulf War
, Saeedpour also organized a speaking tour for Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani
, later to become President of Iraq
.
A resident of Fort Plain, New York
, Saeedpour died at age 80 of a heart attack
on May 30, 2010, in Schenectady, New York
. She is survived by her five children and two grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
researcher and scholar who specialized in the study of Kurdish people
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
. She founded the Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America, also known as Kurdish Library and Museum, is a cultural organization based in Brooklyn, New York. It collects items related to Kurdish culture, literature and history. Its library contains around 2,000 volumes on Kurdish-related subjects...
, the first library and museum in the United States dedicated to the subject. The foundation is located in the Prospect Heights
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in the northwest of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The traditional boundaries are Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway to the south, and Washington Avenue to the east...
neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early life
Saeedpour was born Vera Marion Fine in Barre, VermontBarre, Vermont
Barre, Vermont can refer to:*Barre , Vermont*Barre , Vermont...
on March 27, 1930, to Jewish immigrants from Russia. Her father sold scrap metal and rags for a living. She grew up in the only Jewish family in the town. At age 17, she eloped with Marcel Beaudin and moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, where she worked at a bakery. She later spent eight years working as an assistant to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
real estate developer Seymour Durst
Seymour Durst
Seymour B. Durst was a New York real estate investor and developer. He was also a philanthropist and the inventor of the National Debt Clock....
. The couple had four sons, Marc, Paul, Adam and Jeb, and one daughter, Rebecca. Their marriage ended in divorce.
At age 40 she enrolled at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, where she earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and a masters degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. After her divorce from Beaudin, she enrolled at Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
, where she earned a Ph.D. in 1976.
While at Columbia, she moved to an apartment in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. When her home was robbed, she called out to a man in an apartment across the street to ask if he had witnessed the burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
. That man, Homayoun Saeedpour, a 26-year-old Kurd from Sanandaj
Sanandaj
Sanandaj , also Romanized as Senneh and Sinneh) is a city in and the capital of Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 311,446, in 81,380 families....
, later rang her doorbell and offered cake and flowers. They married soon after.
Kurdish interest
After her marriage to Saeedpour, Vera developed an interest in the plight of the Kurdish people. She was unfamiliar with the Kurds and their history when she first met her husband, but a decade later she felt she got to "know the Kurds better than any Westerner living". At one point, in need of a bone marrow transplantBone marrow transplant
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cell or blood, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or umbilical cord blood...
to treat his leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, her husband's doctor refused to treat him, believing that he was Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
.
They were married 5 years. Following her husband's death, in 1986, Saeedpour opened the Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America
Kurdish Heritage Foundation of America, also known as Kurdish Library and Museum, is a cultural organization based in Brooklyn, New York. It collects items related to Kurdish culture, literature and history. Its library contains around 2,000 volumes on Kurdish-related subjects...
with a library in her Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in the northwest of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The traditional boundaries are Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway to the south, and Washington Avenue to the east...
brownstone. The museum, opened in 1988, was the first museum with a focus on the Kurds in the United States. The library currently contains more than 2,000 texts in Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
and other languages, as well as Kurdish artifacts, art, costumes and maps.
Saeedpour also edited the International Journal of Kurdish Studies
International Journal of Kurdish Studies
The International Journal of Kurdish Studies is an academic journal published by the Kurdish Library, and was edited by Vera Beaudin Saeedpour. It publishes scholarly articles about Kurdish culture, literature, and history. It was founded in 1986 as Kurdish Times before getting its current title...
as part of the Kurdish Program she established together with anthropologists at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples. Their stated mandate is to promote the rights, voices and visions, of indigenous people. For 37 years, Cultural Survival has partnered with...
. Before the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, Saeedpour also organized a speaking tour for Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
, later to become President of Iraq
President of Iraq
The President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
.
A resident of Fort Plain, New York
Fort Plain, New York
Fort Plain is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,288. The village is named after a fort built during the American Revolution....
, Saeedpour died at age 80 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on May 30, 2010, in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. She is survived by her five children and two grandchildren.