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  • Diocesan Chairman passes away

    PRESS OFFICE
    Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
    630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
    Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
    Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Website: www.armenianchurch.net

    September 7, 2006
    ___________________

    DIOCESE LOSES LEADER WITH DEATH OF HAIG DADOURIAN

    It is with sorrow that the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
    (Eastern) announces the passing of Haig Dadourian, a long-time leader and
    life-long friend of the Armenian community.

    Dadourian, 69, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 5, 2006, in his
    home after a two-year battle with brain cancer. His wife Astrid was by his
    side.

    "I have lost a personal friend and the Armenian community has lost a great
    leader," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese.
    "He exemplifies a passion for the church, a special passion which began
    generations ago, a passion passed to him by his father, the late Dadour
    Dadourian. He loved the Armenian Church with his entire soul and worked
    diligently to strengthen and further its mission into this new century."

    "We will all miss his steady leadership, his invigorating ideas, and his
    personal warmth," the Primate continued. "And I will miss his friendship
    dearly."

    Dadourian, director of the Dadourian Export Corporation, served as a member
    of the Diocesan Council since 1993. He served first as treasurer and since
    1997 has been its chairman.

    "Haig Dadourian gave of his life for the good of the Armenian Church and its
    people," wrote His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
    All Armenians, in a letter of condolence to the Eastern Diocese highlighting
    Dadourian's work renovating churches, rebuilding national institutions, and
    helping educate young Armenians. "With his death we have lost a very good
    friend of the Armenian Church."

    On the Diocesan Council he served as a public face of the Diocese, meeting
    with parishioners and clergy to outline plans and create new programs. He
    also attended countless meetings, events, and services as a representative
    of the Eastern Diocese.

    During the Diocesan Assembly in 2000, he was one of the first to offer his
    personal support to the development of a Diocesan camp and retreat center,
    which resulted in the purchase of the Ararat Center in Greenville, NY.

    In November 2000, he was one of a handful of Armenian Church leaders to
    participate in a service with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican during which
    the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator were transferred to Holy
    Etchmiadzin.

    "We feel very strongly about the Armenian Church," Dadourian said during the
    2001 launch of the Diocese's Spiritual Leadership Fund. "It's probably the
    most important institution for the Armenian community -- throughout the
    world and right here in America."

    SERVING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY

    Along with his position on the Diocesan Council, Dadourian served on the
    Diocesan Board of Trustees; the Board of Directors of the Armenian Church
    Endowment Fund (ACEF), which oversees the investment of a $75 million
    portfolio of invested endowments; a member of the Board of Directors for the
    Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), the Diocesan-affiliated international aid
    organization; and as member of the Board of Directors for the St. Nersess
    Armenian Seminary of New Rochelle, NY.

    He was also a devoted parishioner, serving as a Diocesan Delegate and parish
    council member of the St. Mary Church of Livingston, NJ, as well as the
    assistant choir director of the parish.

    In 1998, Dadourian was presented with the St. Gregory the Illuminator Medal,
    the highest award bestowed by the church on the laity, by His Holiness
    Karekin I, of blessed memory, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
    Armenians, during celebrations of the Diocese's centennial.

    In 2004, he was presented with the Ellis Island Medal, which recognizes the
    contribution of immigrants and their descendents to the success of American
    society.

    For all of his efforts to strengthen the Armenian Church and bring life to
    the Armenian community, the Eastern Diocese presented him with the "Armenian
    of the Year" award during the Diocesan Assembly in 2005. It was an award he
    shared with his brother, Alex, who remains an active leader in the
    community.

    "Let me take a moment to tell you something about my brother," Alex said
    during the banquet honoring him and his brother. "He epitomizes love for
    the church. Those that don't know him do not realize that he really loves
    what he does for the church."

    Haig Dadourian is survived by his wife, Astrid, and three daughters Dr. and
    Mrs. Joseph and Leslie Barmakian, Mr. and Mrs. Manoug and Jeanine Hovsepian,
    and Mr. and Mrs. Yervant and Melanie Gulian. He is also survived by his two
    brothers, Alex and Peter.

    FUNERAL SERVICES

    A wake service for Haig Dadourian will be held at New York City's St. Vartan
    Cathedral visiting hours from 5 to 8 p.m. with the wake service at 7 p.m. on
    Sunday, September 10, 2006. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian will officiate
    during funeral services at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, September 11, 2006.

    -- 9/7/06

    E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
    Events section of the Eastern Diocese's website, www.armenianchurch.net.

    PHOTO CAPTION (1): Haig Dadourian, chairman of the Diocesan Council, passed
    away Tuesday, September 5, 2006.

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