Honorary Members

On the Designation of Honorary Membership

Article III E of the UWC Constitution states that an invitation to Honorary Membership may be extended at the discretion of the Board. An Honorary Member is a Member who has contributed in an exceptional way to the Club and/or community; a Member who has given “extensive, effective service” to the Club, for example sustained willingness and actual participation as a speaker, resource source, Board Member, Officer, Editor, Club Representative, and/or organizer of activities for or with the wider community for at least eighteen months.

Among those named as Honorary Members over the last 30 years or so are beloved Members who some of you may recall but who are no longer with us: Elsie Rivero Haedo, Charlotte Hartingh, Marianne Breitbart, Germaine Bosch, Selma Agopovitch, Lotte Mayer, Idell Blum and Carin Gil.

Current Honorary Members

Shaké Balian had been our only current Honorary Member for a few years. She is also a Life Member. In the middle of 2020, the Board decided to name a new Honorary Member and in accordance with established protocol invited the Membership to propose candidates. A brief bio was then drawn up for the proposed candidates, and Board Members voted anonymously on their choice. The then current President, Mona Makramalla, announced at the November 2020 virtual luncheon, the election of Patricia Caviezel to Honorary Membership.

Shaké Balian

Shaké Balian was born in Bucharest, Romania. Her family had to flee from the invaded Armenia before Shaké was born and then from communism in Romania in 1948 when Shaké was a very young child. They reached Argentina and soon settled in Buenos Aires, bringing the rest of the family over a year later.

Shaké was educated at Belgrano Girls’ School and went on to study piano at Scaramuzza Conservatory and obtained her Piano Teacher’s Diploma. The school connection was what brought her to the UWC. Long after she graduated, a former headmistress, Miss Anne Smith – a UWC member - was celebrating her 80th birthday and suggested that Shaké might enjoy being a part of the University Women’s Club. Under Anne Smith’s encouragement Shaké joined the UWC when Shirley Tanco was President in 1987 and since then she has been an important part of the Club.

Shaké has been on almost every single Committee and served every position in the UWC apart from Vice-President. At the very first meeting she attended she signed up for Study Groups – where incidentally she still is today!

Shaké also served in Hospitality, Program and of course as President in 1993. Together with her dear departed friend Selma Agopovitch, she set up the Writers’ Workshop in 1993, which is still going strong 31 years later. During those years, the UWC published two booklets with short stories and poems written by members of the Writers’ Workshop.

The other activity that Shaké initiated in the UWC is Spanish through Experience, mainly because in the ‘90s there were so many expats who did not speak Spanish fluently and Shaké was teaching Piano, English and Spanish at the time . Shaké would organize trips to places such as the Museo de Arte Decorativo and provide the expats with handouts containing exercises to practice their Spanish. Shake’s dear friend Frida Chepelinsky joined her in leading the activity for quite a few years. These days most UWC members do speak Spanish. It is the one UWC activity, offering mainly talks and outings, that is in Spanish.

Patricia Caviezel

Patricia was born in the USA and after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo she spent two years teaching in the USA before arriving in Argentina and beginning her 30-year teaching career in Buenos Aires. In 1995 she gained an MA in Education from Buffalo State College.

In 1987 and 1988 Patricia was sent by the Lincoln School to the Gateway Writing Project at the University of Missouri - St. Louis and the University of California at Berkley, respectively, where she received training in how to teach computer writing. She then spent two years giving classes to teachers to introduce them to writing on the computer in Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay. As Adjunct Professor for the University of California at Northridge Patricia also gave evening classes for adults in Buenos Aires. Patricia is also a very talented artist.

Patricia became a member in 1977, returned to teaching in 1978 until her retirement in 2005 and re-joined the UWC in 2006. She has been an extremely active member of the club ever since: she has been Chair of Publicity, Chair of the Communications Committee since 2014, Chair of the Archives Committee since 2015 (and member since 2006), has participated regularly in the annual Art Show, took over the design and publication of the Bulletin in 2009 and was twice voted President (2010 and 2011).

Patricia’s positive attitude and gift for interpersonal relations have contributed greatly to the friendly atmosphere within the club. She has always been on hand when help was needed and has contributed in innumerable ways to a wide range of UWC activities. On the Board she has been and remains an invaluable asset, providing sage and well-founded advice, opinions and ideas.