In Fawzia's words - Memoriam for Prof. Elizabeth Fernea

Fawzia Braine on January 13, 2011 at 10:57 am said:

Dear Family members of Late Professor Elizabeth Fernea

It is with deep regret that I read about Professor Fernea’s passing away.

I had the privilege of being in her class in 1987, when I was an undegraduate student at U.T. Austin. My memories still go back to the days in her class when a young student challenged her, and her reaction was a tender smile and listening to him with such grace and patience.

This helps me when I face my class today teaching at a University in Hong Kong and to know how much we can learn from such an eminent and gracious person.

In 1998, I was browsing through the shelves at Chinese University in Hong Kong and came across her book, “Guests of the Sheik” written about her life in Iraq Having taught in the Middle East – Oman, I could relate to what she experienced about the women in the Arab world. I was so excited and wanted to write to her. I wish I had.

Dear Professor Fernea, I wish I had written to her to tell her what a Dear person she was and how she has influenced me in my life. She has been in my thoughts in all these many years and just two days ago I searched for her name in the U.T. website to write to her. It was then I learned that she had passed away. I was very saddened when I read her obituary.

Before it is too late I want to let her family know what impact she has had on my life. I will long remember her. It has been 24 years since she touched my life. Dear Professor Fernea, she truly did care- a precious gem.

May she rest in eternal Peace.

Memorial at Pondside

Fawzia's 67th birthday will be on August 6.

Fawzia Braine Memorial Award - Third Year

The Hong Kong Association for Applied Linguistics (HAAL) is pleased to announce that this year (2014-15), Mr. Kevin Yung Wai Ho, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong, received the Fawzia Braine Memorial Award. It was unanimously decided by the selection panel that Mr Yung’s paper, entitled “Learning English in the shadows: Understanding Chinese learners’ experiences of private tutoring” (2014, TESOL Quarterly), touches on an intriguing topic and contributes new knowledge to English language education especially in Hong Kong.

With Prof. Carmen Lee, President of HAAL, at the award ceremony on 28 May, 2015

Financial Aid - In Fawzia's Memory

Fathima Shaziya

Miss Shaziya, a Malay student from Hambantota, in Sri Lanka's deep south, has been selected to enter the University in Jaffna, in the far north, for a degree in Physical Science. At school, she studied in the Tamil medium, hence Jaffna.

She appealed for financial assistance to the Rupee Fund, which supports Malay students. In her appeal, she stated that her father was struggling to support her her because he only did "odd labor jobs". At the request of the Malay Fund, Rs. 25,000 was awarded in Fawzia's memory to Miss Shaziya to support her studies.

For a female student from a modest background in Hambantota to enter university in the sciences is a rare accomplishment. Miss Shaziya plans to major in Mathematics and follow an Honors degree. We wish her all the best.

Muslim prayers at Raddolugama

Muslim prayers were recited in Fawzia's memory at the home of her sister Shirley Mahamoor, her daughter and son-in-law Travis, located at Raddolugama. Their home is barely 100 meters from Fawzia's grave. Her brother Hamlin and other close relatives also attended.

I am with Thai aunty, Fawzia's late mother's younger sister, the lat survivor of her mother's family. She and Fawzia were close. 

Asleep in the Passenger Seat

Fawzia's Third Anniversary

St. Joseph's Chapel at the Elders Home

Fr. Harold holding mass

Dinal Samaranayake making a scripture reading

Some relatives who attended

Some elders at lunch. 150 in all, both men and women.

On January 24, a memorial mass was conducted by Fr. Harold at the lovely chapel of the St. Joseph's Home for Elders at Lansigama, Marawila. About 20 relatives attended, along with some nuns and elders from the home.

Later, we joined the nuns for lunch.