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NEWS RELEASE
Armenian International Women's Association
65 Main St., #3A
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: 781/926-0171
URL: www.aiwa-net.org
March 26, 2004
Contact: Barbara Merguerian, 781/237-6858 or [email protected]
Ara Ghazarians, 781/646-3090 or [email protected]
Tribute to an Exceptional Armenian Woman, Diana Apcar, on April 18
Boston, MA - As history stands witness, the Armenian women have played
an influential role in the affairs of their nation. They have made
significant contributions to the cultural and civil life of Armenia
and their communities in the diaspora. On Sunday, April 18, Armenian
organizations will join together in celebrating the life and legacy of
an Armenian woman of exceptional qualities and international stature:
Diana Agabeg Apcar, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia
(1918-1920) to Japan.
Apcar is perhaps best remembered today for her powerfully
written political prose (books, pamphlets, and articles) that
attracted international attention to the plight of the Armenian people
and pressured the progressive nations of the world to respond. She is
also a heroine to the many Armenian refugees from the Armenian
Genocide and upheavals of World War I who escaped across Siberia to
Vladivostock, Russia, and then on the Yokohama, Japan, where they
became beneficiaries of her generous support. Not only did Apcar
provide food and lodging for countless refugees, but she also made the
necessary arrangements for their immigration to safe havens,
particularly the United States.
The program on April 18, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Armenian
Cultural Foundation in Arlington, will feature the opening of an
exhibit dedicated to Diana A. Apcar and designed to highlight the
events of her remarkable life and her outstanding achievements, within
the context of the historic times in which she lived. Sponsored by the
Armenian International Women's Association, in celebration of Women's
History Month, and by the Armenian Cultural Foundation, in cooperation
with Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives and the Armenian
Library and Museum of America, the exhibit will be on display through
July 18.
Fate destined Diana Agabeg Apcar, as it has many generations of
Armenians, to be born outside their ancestral homeland. Diana was born
in Rangoon, Burma (present day Myanmar) on October 12, 1859. Her
father, Hovhannes Agabeg, was a first generation Indian Armenian,
having migrated there as a young boy with his parents from New Julfa,
Iran. Her mother Avet was from the large and prominent family of
Tadeos Avetum, formerly of Shiraz, another historic Iranian
city. Diana grew up in Calcutta, where she received her education in a
convent school and mastered the English language. She also spoke
Armenian, Hindustani, and Japanese. Diana married Apcar Michael Apcar
in Hong Kong in 1888 or 1889. Michael's family also had roots in New
Julfa, Iran, one of the descendants of the prominent house of Apcar,
whose preeminent son Arratoon (1779-1863) founded Apcar and Company as
early as 1819. Initially established in Bombay, the company later
moved to Calcutta and expanded its operations to South Asia and the
Far East. Apcar and Company's activities included shipping,
import/export enterprises, and rice farming in the Dutch East
Indies. By the mid-1840s, the Apcar fleet plied the Calcutta, Penang,
Singapore, and China routes.
Following their honeymoon to Japan, newly weds Diana and
Michael Apcar decided in 1891 to settle in Yokohama, where Michael
established A. M. Apcar and Company, an import-export firm. After the
sudden death of her husband in 1906, Diana assumed the heavy burden of
running her husband's business while raising her three children.
Initially Diana Apcar began writing by writing fiction. Her
first book, Susan, was published in Kobe in 1892, followed by Home
Stories of the War, dedicated to the Japanese people. The second
decade of the 20th century was the most productive period of her
literary output, when she wrote eight more books, including: The Truth
about the Armenian Massacres (1910), Betrayed Armenia (1910), and The
Peace Problem (1912), all published in Yokohama and the subject of
"rave reviews" in such American periodicals as the St. Louis Post
Dispatch, Chicago News, and Buffalo News. These were followed by The
Great Evil (1914) and On the Cross of Europe's Imperialism, Armenia
Crucified (1918). Her articles appeared in several English-language
periodicals in Japan, Europe, and the United States, among them
Armenia (later New Armenia), the Japan Gazette, and the Far East.
Becoming a champion of the oppressed and their causes, Apcar
wrote extensively about the condition of the Armenians in the Ottoman
Turkish Empire in an effort to raise the world's consciousness,
emphasizing on the moral duty of the West to save the Armenian nation,
the "Little Ally" during the First World War, from total
annihilation. She was particularly critical of the behind-the-scenes
machinations of the Great Powers, whom she found responsible for the
calamities that befell her people.
In 1920, largely through her efforts, Japan became one of the
first nations to recognize the independence of the Armenian
republic. For her courage and dedication to the cause of her people
and heritage, and especially "for defending the interests of the
newly-born Fatherland, and mitigating the conditions of our
compatriots," Apcar was appointed Honorary Consul from the Republic of
Armenia to Japan. This appointment, although short-lived, made her the
first Armenian woman diplomat, and probably first woman ever appointed
to a diplomatic post in modern times.
The new title and position added to Diana Apcar's prominence
and stature. She corresponded with several international figures,
among them President Woodrow Wilson. She was in contact with
international humanitarians such as James L. Barton, secretary of the
foreign department of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions; David Starr Jordan, director of the World Peace Foundation
and president of the World Peace Congress; and Arthur G.. Symonds,
Secretary of the Balkan Committee -- to name a few. She participated
in the fundraising campaigns of Near East Relief.
Apcar's faith in her people and the Armenian church was
boundless. Her correspondence clearly reveals her longing for the
Armenian Church after living for so many years in Japan: "There is not
a church like the Armenian church with her vibrant spirit and
consoling prayer, not even one which can have gratifying feeling of
the Armenian liturgy," she wrote. It was her destiny to live out her
full life in Japan, without an opportunity to visit her homeland. As
soon as Michael, her only surviving son, came of age, Diana Apcar was
only too glad to hand over to him the reigns of the Apcar business, so
that she could devote herself to her intellectual and benevolent
pursuits. During the Japanese earthquake in 1923, her home and most of
her papers and possessions were destroyed, but she and her family
members survived without serious injury. Rebuilding home and business,
the family continued its activities in Yokohama. Diana Apcar died on
July 10, 1937, and is buried in the Foreigners Cemetery of Yokohama
next to her husband.
Cooperating in the preparation of this exhibit are the many
members of the Apcar family now living in the United States, including
two surviving grandchildren, Lucille Apcar of Mariposa and Katherine
Berberian of Santa Cruz, California, and descendents of the Galstaun
family.
In addition to the exhibit opening, the April 18 tribute, which
is open to the public free of charge, will include a book reception
marking the release of From the Book of One Thousand Tales, by Diana
Apcar, written in late 1920s, recently discovered, edited, and
published by her granddaughter Lucille Apcar, who will be present on
this occasion. Further information is available by contacting the
Armenian Cultural Foundation at 781/646-3090
([email protected]) or AIWA at 617/926-0171
([email protected]).
Armenian International Women's Association
65 Main St., #3A
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: 781/926-0171
URL: www.aiwa-net.org
March 26, 2004
Contact: Barbara Merguerian, 781/237-6858 or [email protected]
Ara Ghazarians, 781/646-3090 or [email protected]
Tribute to an Exceptional Armenian Woman, Diana Apcar, on April 18
Boston, MA - As history stands witness, the Armenian women have played
an influential role in the affairs of their nation. They have made
significant contributions to the cultural and civil life of Armenia
and their communities in the diaspora. On Sunday, April 18, Armenian
organizations will join together in celebrating the life and legacy of
an Armenian woman of exceptional qualities and international stature:
Diana Agabeg Apcar, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia
(1918-1920) to Japan.
Apcar is perhaps best remembered today for her powerfully
written political prose (books, pamphlets, and articles) that
attracted international attention to the plight of the Armenian people
and pressured the progressive nations of the world to respond. She is
also a heroine to the many Armenian refugees from the Armenian
Genocide and upheavals of World War I who escaped across Siberia to
Vladivostock, Russia, and then on the Yokohama, Japan, where they
became beneficiaries of her generous support. Not only did Apcar
provide food and lodging for countless refugees, but she also made the
necessary arrangements for their immigration to safe havens,
particularly the United States.
The program on April 18, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Armenian
Cultural Foundation in Arlington, will feature the opening of an
exhibit dedicated to Diana A. Apcar and designed to highlight the
events of her remarkable life and her outstanding achievements, within
the context of the historic times in which she lived. Sponsored by the
Armenian International Women's Association, in celebration of Women's
History Month, and by the Armenian Cultural Foundation, in cooperation
with Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives and the Armenian
Library and Museum of America, the exhibit will be on display through
July 18.
Fate destined Diana Agabeg Apcar, as it has many generations of
Armenians, to be born outside their ancestral homeland. Diana was born
in Rangoon, Burma (present day Myanmar) on October 12, 1859. Her
father, Hovhannes Agabeg, was a first generation Indian Armenian,
having migrated there as a young boy with his parents from New Julfa,
Iran. Her mother Avet was from the large and prominent family of
Tadeos Avetum, formerly of Shiraz, another historic Iranian
city. Diana grew up in Calcutta, where she received her education in a
convent school and mastered the English language. She also spoke
Armenian, Hindustani, and Japanese. Diana married Apcar Michael Apcar
in Hong Kong in 1888 or 1889. Michael's family also had roots in New
Julfa, Iran, one of the descendants of the prominent house of Apcar,
whose preeminent son Arratoon (1779-1863) founded Apcar and Company as
early as 1819. Initially established in Bombay, the company later
moved to Calcutta and expanded its operations to South Asia and the
Far East. Apcar and Company's activities included shipping,
import/export enterprises, and rice farming in the Dutch East
Indies. By the mid-1840s, the Apcar fleet plied the Calcutta, Penang,
Singapore, and China routes.
Following their honeymoon to Japan, newly weds Diana and
Michael Apcar decided in 1891 to settle in Yokohama, where Michael
established A. M. Apcar and Company, an import-export firm. After the
sudden death of her husband in 1906, Diana assumed the heavy burden of
running her husband's business while raising her three children.
Initially Diana Apcar began writing by writing fiction. Her
first book, Susan, was published in Kobe in 1892, followed by Home
Stories of the War, dedicated to the Japanese people. The second
decade of the 20th century was the most productive period of her
literary output, when she wrote eight more books, including: The Truth
about the Armenian Massacres (1910), Betrayed Armenia (1910), and The
Peace Problem (1912), all published in Yokohama and the subject of
"rave reviews" in such American periodicals as the St. Louis Post
Dispatch, Chicago News, and Buffalo News. These were followed by The
Great Evil (1914) and On the Cross of Europe's Imperialism, Armenia
Crucified (1918). Her articles appeared in several English-language
periodicals in Japan, Europe, and the United States, among them
Armenia (later New Armenia), the Japan Gazette, and the Far East.
Becoming a champion of the oppressed and their causes, Apcar
wrote extensively about the condition of the Armenians in the Ottoman
Turkish Empire in an effort to raise the world's consciousness,
emphasizing on the moral duty of the West to save the Armenian nation,
the "Little Ally" during the First World War, from total
annihilation. She was particularly critical of the behind-the-scenes
machinations of the Great Powers, whom she found responsible for the
calamities that befell her people.
In 1920, largely through her efforts, Japan became one of the
first nations to recognize the independence of the Armenian
republic. For her courage and dedication to the cause of her people
and heritage, and especially "for defending the interests of the
newly-born Fatherland, and mitigating the conditions of our
compatriots," Apcar was appointed Honorary Consul from the Republic of
Armenia to Japan. This appointment, although short-lived, made her the
first Armenian woman diplomat, and probably first woman ever appointed
to a diplomatic post in modern times.
The new title and position added to Diana Apcar's prominence
and stature. She corresponded with several international figures,
among them President Woodrow Wilson. She was in contact with
international humanitarians such as James L. Barton, secretary of the
foreign department of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions; David Starr Jordan, director of the World Peace Foundation
and president of the World Peace Congress; and Arthur G.. Symonds,
Secretary of the Balkan Committee -- to name a few. She participated
in the fundraising campaigns of Near East Relief.
Apcar's faith in her people and the Armenian church was
boundless. Her correspondence clearly reveals her longing for the
Armenian Church after living for so many years in Japan: "There is not
a church like the Armenian church with her vibrant spirit and
consoling prayer, not even one which can have gratifying feeling of
the Armenian liturgy," she wrote. It was her destiny to live out her
full life in Japan, without an opportunity to visit her homeland. As
soon as Michael, her only surviving son, came of age, Diana Apcar was
only too glad to hand over to him the reigns of the Apcar business, so
that she could devote herself to her intellectual and benevolent
pursuits. During the Japanese earthquake in 1923, her home and most of
her papers and possessions were destroyed, but she and her family
members survived without serious injury. Rebuilding home and business,
the family continued its activities in Yokohama. Diana Apcar died on
July 10, 1937, and is buried in the Foreigners Cemetery of Yokohama
next to her husband.
Cooperating in the preparation of this exhibit are the many
members of the Apcar family now living in the United States, including
two surviving grandchildren, Lucille Apcar of Mariposa and Katherine
Berberian of Santa Cruz, California, and descendents of the Galstaun
family.
In addition to the exhibit opening, the April 18 tribute, which
is open to the public free of charge, will include a book reception
marking the release of From the Book of One Thousand Tales, by Diana
Apcar, written in late 1920s, recently discovered, edited, and
published by her granddaughter Lucille Apcar, who will be present on
this occasion. Further information is available by contacting the
Armenian Cultural Foundation at 781/646-3090
([email protected]) or AIWA at 617/926-0171
([email protected]).