By Iman Sadri
September 16, 2024
Roudabeh Pakpour was recently laid to rest in Sacramento this month. She battled dementia for the past few years, an affliction that came about swiftly. Roudabeh Joon, as she was affectionately called by her students was a very important and special figure in my life. She was my Farsi teacher from age 8 until 14. From third grade until early high school Wednesday afternoons were spent at Roudabeh Joon’s house.
Starting out with first grade Farsi class, with the basics, Baba Ab Dad, Maman Naan Dad. Then gradually getting up to fifth grade Farsi level reading, albeit when I was in the eighth grade in the American school system. Roudebeh Joon was a patient teacher who was very prolific in the Farsi language. Her articulation was poetic and her prose, Farrokhzad-esque. She was a magnificent instructor to learn from due to her mastery of the Farsi language.
In Iran prior to the revolution, Roudabeh had reached the academic pinnacle of becoming high school principal at a young age. Her administrative talents propelled her to the heights of academic leadership while she was in her 30’s. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution she emigrated to the U.S. with her late husband and two children. I shared a special, closer relationship with Roudabeh due to the fact that she worked at my elementary school. At Del Paso Manor elementary school Roudebeh served as a yard duty during recess and lunch time. A position she was significantly over-qualified for, a reality familiar for Iranian Americans recently moving to the States.
Roudabeh Joon would pick me up after school on Wednesdays and take me directly to her home in Fair Oaks for Farsi class. Her hospitality equalled her compassion, as she served a refreshing Sekanjabin, Shabateh Aloo or Sharbet-Beh. In class, the hour together was rigorous and growth oriented. At home self study lessons were provided, which would be reviewed the following week. Her patience and meticulous method of speaking, with no wasted words pushed me to show up prepared.
In the late 80’s and the 90’s Shabeh-Sher poetry night were held at Sacramento State University. On year I recited Ferdowsi’s Mayzar Moori Keh Daneh Kesht hast. میازار موری که دانه کش اس – a staple poem read by all her students. In later years I recited a few other longer Ferdowsi poems during Shabeh-Sher nights, thanks to the tutelage of Roudabeh Joon.
At her home I came to meet several life long friends who were also her students. Customarily, her lessons were individualistic. However, on occasion there was another student in attendance. One of whom was my friend Foad, who became a close friend in later years. Roudabeh was always kind and patient with each lesson. Through repetition and also help with my parents at home, I was able to progress and finish fifth grade Farsi. I made it to the first month of sixth grade level by the time I started high school.
Roudabeh Joon’s legacy is profound in the Sacramento area. She was Farsi instructor to hundreds of Iranian American kids over the years. In Iran, she was a teacher and administrator to thousands of students. It is an irony that memory loss afflicted this beloved teacher, who was an encyclopedia of literary knowledge. Roudabeh’s passing reflects on the fragility and temporary nature of life. Her life may have ended but Roudabeh Pakpour’s memory and legacy endures.
Countless Persian Americans in the Sacramento who are now adults who can read and write in Farsi have her to thank. In addition, Farsi being taught to the children of her students is also part of her enduring legacy. In many ways, Farsi being preserved among her students helps keep the language in the culture, nearly 45 years removed from the Iranian Revolution. Roudabeh Joon’s life impacted an immense number of Iranian Americans and their families. She was beloved by all who knew her and the memories of the countless hours spent at her home are an indelible part of my childhood.
I have gone on to write two books in English and also learn Spanish to fluency – a credit given to Roudabeh for helping strengthen my aptitude of language arts. Roudabeh’s command of the Farsi language also bears a reminder of how significant her life. She shared with the world her gift of language and as a result in America, Farsi lives on in Northern California and beyond.
Everyone lives, however, few lives are as impactful as the life lived and output given by Roudabeh Pakpour.
