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Albany Times Union , NY
Dec 10 2011
Armenian memorial site is consecrated in Troy park
Monument to 1915-17 victims, a 5-year project, will be installed next year
TROY - The scent of burning incense hung over Riverfront Park Friday
afternoon as a brief service was held to consecrate the Armenian
Heritage Monument.
The monument will recall "the sacred memory of the Armenian people
murdered by the Ottoman Turks," said the Rev. Vincent Kumjian,
referring to the killings of Armenians from 1915 to 1917.
More than five years have been spent working to develop the monument.
Now, the granite memorial will be erected in 2012 after the city
finishes renovating the park along the Hudson River.
The city's Armenian roots are strong, said Mayor Harry Tutunjian,
whose father, Nazar Tutunjian, arrived in Troy from Armenia in 1963.
"Troy was the home of the second Armenian church in the country,"
Tutunjian said.
"Armenians came to Troy in the late 1800s. Our families were scattered
all over the world," the mayor said. "Troy became a home to many of
our people."
Many of the Armenian immigrants settled in the city's Beman Park and
Hillside neighborhoods.
I'm proud of my heritage and prouder still of my father's sacrifice
which embodies the determination of the Armenian people to this day."
About 418 people of Armenian descent live in Troy, according to the
recently released 2006-10 American Community Survey Five-year
Estimates. An estimated 447,580 people of Armenian descent live in the
United States.
Tutunjian pointed out that many Armenian-Americans have built
businesses and gone to success in the U.S. Richard Hartunian, U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District of New York, was among the crowd of
about 50 people who attended the ceremony.
The Rev. Bedros Shetilian and the Rev. Stepanos Doudoukjian sang
prayers and blessed the site at the north end of the park.
About $15,000 has been raised so far the monument project, said Ara
Altounian, Past Commander of the Knights of Vartan and co-chair of the
Monument Committee.
The Knights of Vartan is an Armenian fraternal service organization,
while the Daughters of Vartan is an associated group.
Altounian said the committee and the service organizations have worked
hard on the monument project for the last five years.
Troy is fitting site for the monument, Altounian said, as it welcomed
Armenians with jobs.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Armenian-memorial-site-is-consecrated-in-Troy-park-2393509.php
Dec 10 2011
Armenian memorial site is consecrated in Troy park
Monument to 1915-17 victims, a 5-year project, will be installed next year
TROY - The scent of burning incense hung over Riverfront Park Friday
afternoon as a brief service was held to consecrate the Armenian
Heritage Monument.
The monument will recall "the sacred memory of the Armenian people
murdered by the Ottoman Turks," said the Rev. Vincent Kumjian,
referring to the killings of Armenians from 1915 to 1917.
More than five years have been spent working to develop the monument.
Now, the granite memorial will be erected in 2012 after the city
finishes renovating the park along the Hudson River.
The city's Armenian roots are strong, said Mayor Harry Tutunjian,
whose father, Nazar Tutunjian, arrived in Troy from Armenia in 1963.
"Troy was the home of the second Armenian church in the country,"
Tutunjian said.
"Armenians came to Troy in the late 1800s. Our families were scattered
all over the world," the mayor said. "Troy became a home to many of
our people."
Many of the Armenian immigrants settled in the city's Beman Park and
Hillside neighborhoods.
I'm proud of my heritage and prouder still of my father's sacrifice
which embodies the determination of the Armenian people to this day."
About 418 people of Armenian descent live in Troy, according to the
recently released 2006-10 American Community Survey Five-year
Estimates. An estimated 447,580 people of Armenian descent live in the
United States.
Tutunjian pointed out that many Armenian-Americans have built
businesses and gone to success in the U.S. Richard Hartunian, U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District of New York, was among the crowd of
about 50 people who attended the ceremony.
The Rev. Bedros Shetilian and the Rev. Stepanos Doudoukjian sang
prayers and blessed the site at the north end of the park.
About $15,000 has been raised so far the monument project, said Ara
Altounian, Past Commander of the Knights of Vartan and co-chair of the
Monument Committee.
The Knights of Vartan is an Armenian fraternal service organization,
while the Daughters of Vartan is an associated group.
Altounian said the committee and the service organizations have worked
hard on the monument project for the last five years.
Troy is fitting site for the monument, Altounian said, as it welcomed
Armenians with jobs.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Armenian-memorial-site-is-consecrated-in-Troy-park-2393509.php