Sarah Sayad Paz

Sarah was one of the first Assyrian-Americans born in the United States. She attended Kinzie Grammar School in Chicago and later Waller High School and then went on to Crain Junior College and Wright Junior College.

Just as she turned 20 years of age, in 1930 Sarah married Francisco Xavier Paz and from this marriage were born Frank X. Paz Jr. and Laura Paz. She worked all her life, first for the Live Savers Company for 20 years, then she worked as the executive secretary for the Newberry Avenue Center in the famous Maxwell Street district. Later she was employed by the Chicago Public School for 30 years and after her retirement she worked for the United Way of Chicago until the age of 80.

In 1967 Sarah and her colleagues formed the Assyrian Language and Culture School at Northeastern University in Chicago. Although born in the United States, she spoke fluent Assyrian and learned to read and write it as well. She eventually became a teacher in the school and helped to found a second school and briefly became its directice.

Sarah volunteered her time as secretary to both Mar. Gewargis (St. George) Assyrian Church of the East and the Assyrian Evangelical Covenant Church in Chicago. Throughout her life she had supported many Assyrian Charitable causes i.e. helping Assyrian refugees throughout the world. Shortly before her death she had been a teacher to Assyrian Immigrants in Chicago, helping them fulfill their U.S. citizenship requirements. At the time of her death, she was an active supporter of the Assyrian Universal Alliance, specifically the AshurBanipal Library.

In 9182 Sarah advocated for the rights of senior citizens when she delivered a speech before the House of Representatives Senate Committee on the Aging in Washington, D.C. She appeared on all major U.S. television stations when she spoke at the Representative Claude Pepper's Committee agains the practice of mandatory retirement. With the efforts of this committee, this practice was soon lifted.

Sarah also lived for several years in the famous "Hull House" the first social service settlement for immigrants to the United States from Iran. She was also an active member of the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs.

In addition, Sarah was an writer and a journalist. She was a reported for the Assyrian Star magazine for many years, in a column called "Chicago Calling". She was also the American correspondent for the Assyrian newspaper "Ator", published for many years in Tehran, Iran. Sarah has written numerous articles published throughout the world, including "The First Assyrian Museum in Chicago, 190-1975", "Five New Brides Come to America", "On to Ellis Island 1909", "The Assyrians in Chicago (The Assyrian Heritage Museum Magazine, Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation, Chicago, March 1998) and many other publications.

In 1991 she authored her book "Boona, the Little Assyrian Boy" to introduce the traditions and culture of the Assyrian people. This book was printed by the Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation's Ashur Banipal Library, and reprinted in 1998. Because "Boona" was so enthusiastically received, in 1994 she authored "Folk Tales and Stories of the Assyrians", an example of the genre and oral history in which Sarah took two years to write, meeting with elderly Assyrians from different countries in the Middle East and recording their stories on audio tape.

Sarah Sayad Paz passed away in Chicago on October 26, 1998.