Khatoune Srabian Pakradouni, Biographic Notes

Khatoune Srabian Pakradouni was born in Damascus, Syria in 1932.  She graduated from the local Armenian elementary school in 1946.  That year, her father Haig Srabian moved the entire family from Damascus to Beirut, Lebanon, so Khatoune could pursue her secondary education.  In 1952, Khatoune graduated high school from the Hamazkayin Nshan Palandjian Djemaran. From 1953 to 1955, she pursued Hamazkayin’s Armenian Studies program.  Years later, when she was 52 years old, Khatoune resumed her formal education when she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Cal State LA in 1985.  The following year, she received her California State Teaching Credential (K-12).

After graduating, Khatoune worked at Djemaran for the next nine years.  For seven years she was the personal secretary for Simon Vratzian, who was the Principal of Djemaran and had been the last prime minister of the Republic of Armenia.  In those years, Khatoune was also the school’s librarian.  For the next two years, Khatoune taught elementary and middle school at Djemaran.

In 1956, Khatoune Srabian married Kristapor Pakradouni.  They moved to the United States in 1964, where they raised their three children – Sevag, Viken and Nairi.

In 1968, Khatoune began teaching at the recently founded Armenian Mesrobian School.  “Deegin” as she was known to all her students, taught at Mesrobian for 34 years until her retirement.  Over those years, Khatoune taught Armenian language, literature, history and Hye Tad to middle and high school students.

Throughout her life, Ungerouhi Khatoune has been an active member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society, and, of course, the Armenian Relief Society.

When Khatoune was 12 years old, she joined the newly founded “Ardzvigs” of the Syrian Armenian Red Cross and gave her oath to the Armenian Relief Society.  In 1975, she joined the ARS “Nayiri” Chapter in Montebello, California.  Over the next 50 years, she served the ARS at every level – as a member, on the chapter executive, on the Regional Executive and on the world-wide Central Executive.  If teaching was Khatoune’s vocation, the ARS was her avocation and brought her equal joy.

From 1980 to 1986, Ungerouhi Khatoune was a member of the ARS Central Executive.  During those years, she participated in the movement to change the ARS structure and By-Laws to establish the Armenian Relief Society Western Region. From 1990 to 1992, Ungerouhi Khatoune served on the ARS Western Regional Executive as its Treasurer.  She also served two terms as Chairwoman of the Montebello Nayiri Chapter, during which time the chapter purchased the site of its pre-school, which continues to function to this day.  Ungerouhi Khatoune has attended many regional and world-wide ARS conventions.  She has also served on numerous local and regional committees.  To this day, she participates in the Western Region’s By-Laws Committee.

Over the past ten years, Ungerouhi Khatoune has been especially happy to see an influx of younger Ungerouhis in the ARS and to work with them to pass on her love of the Armenian people and the Armenian Relief Society.