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HAIG MERIAN, 92; WWII POW PRESERVED ARMENIAN CULTURE
By Gil Bliss
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/02/22/haig_merian_92_wwii_pow_preserved_armenian_culture/
Feb 22 2011
MA
Many immigrant groups in the United States strive mightily to
preserve their cultural heritage, but few do so as fervently as
Armenian-Americans who escaped the attempted annihilation of their
people.
Haig Merian ~W a POW during World War II who became displaced,
wandered through Europe, and ended up in the Boston area with a new
wife and a new life ~W embodied the Armenian story.
Mr. Merian was a champion of Armenian culture through his church
and also organized dancing and singing groups that kept the old
ways alive. The Newton Highlands resident died Feb. 1 at his home,
following a period of declining health. He was 92.
His story was similar to many postwar accounts. Homeless and devoid
of family, he made it to Ellis Island in New York to begin life anew.
He reflected the strong desire of Armenian-Americans to keep alive
a culture that has survived numerous attempts to bring about its
extinction.
~SArmenia has always been at the crossroads of different cultures
and different empires, whether it be the Hittites, Greeks, Romans,
Persians, or Arabs,~R~R said Father Antranig Baljian, pastor of St.
Stephen~Rs Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown. ~SIt is located in
a very desirable area, and many invading hordes have come and gone.~R~R
The Turkish Ottoman Empire made several attempts to wipe out the
native population, most famously through a period of genocide from
1915 until about 1922, Baljian said.
~SMany people were forced to flee that area,~R~R settling outside
their homeland, including in the United States; and Watertown became
a Boston-area destination for many, Baljian said.
Mr. Merian was born in Tzovinar, Armenia, attended the University of
Yerevan, and taught elementary school until he was drafted by the
Soviet Army. He served as a captain during World War II and spent
three years in a German POW camp before being liberated.
While in that army, he exercised his interest in music and dance,
performing with the Red Army Red-Bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of
the USSR.
After wandering France and Belgium, suffering from starvation and
typhoid fever, Mr. Merian was taken in by an Armenian family in
Belgium. He learned the rudiments of rug weaving there and pursued
the trade after he entered the United States in 1946.
According to Armenia historian Roger Hagopian of Lexington, Soviet
soldiers had to sign a statement promising to commit suicide if
captured and Mr. Merian lived in fear of Soviet authorities learning
he was alive and persecuting family members who were still in Armenia.
As a result, Mr. Merian never contacted his family until the country
achieved independence from the Soviet Union. He returned with his wife
in 1992 to find that all his family had died, except two sisters. When
he died earlier this month, Mr. Merian was the last of nine siblings
~SHe always feared the Soviets were looking for him and in the
beginning, he didn~Rt feel safe until he left New York City and came
to Boston, then Watertown,~R~R Hagopian said.
Both Mr. Merian~Rs and Hagopian~Rs families came from Van, a city that
was legendary among Armenians for its stiff resistance to takeover.
~SHaig was thankful for his life and opportunity to live here,~R~R
said Hagopian, who has created documentary films about the Armenian
experience in America. ~SThese people really know what freedom
means.~R~R
Mr. Merian was described as a pillar of the local Armenian community.
He was a founder of the Watertown church and cofounded a popular
singing and dancing troupe that appeared at the New York World~Rs
Fair in the 1960s.
~SHe had varied interests and his faith really kept him going,~R~R
said Hagopian. At the center of his life was his family.
His daughter Sonya of Framingham said her father was ~San extremely
intelligent man who gave 150 percent to his family. He was highly
disciplined and organized and that got him through all the traumas
in his early life.~R~R
~SEach holiday we would gather together, and he always carried on a
tradition of offering a toast at the meal, ~QMay we always remain as
one,~R ~R~R she recalled.
That spirit carried over into the dance troupe, said Markar Markarian
of Belmont. ~SWe wanted to help Armenian dance and music not die out
and it was in your blood; you couldn~Rt just stop and say, ~QForget
about it.~R ~R~R Even now, at 87, she said, ~Sthe music gets to me
and I get up on the dance floor.~R~R
Baljian said, ~SBecause of people like [Mr. Merian], who kept the
spirit alive, our culture has been preserved and promoted for the
following generations.~R~R
When Mr. Merian first came to the Boston area, he worked for Paine
Furniture, but soon took his knowledge of rugs and started Merian
Carpet Service, where he was a favorite of Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey
and did all the rug work for that organization.
His son, Daniel of Framingham, runs the business, sales, installation,
repair, and cleaning, but his father still helped out after retirement.
Dan said his father instilled the importance of family in his
children. ~SHe didn~Rt have his family here, so he really appreciated
and cherished the family he created in America.~R~R
His daughter Susan Bécam of Newton said he never wanted to talk
about the war, and her mother would recall Mr. Merian waking up with
nightmares for many years.
~SHe loved to sing and dance because in his native Armenia, he was
surrounded by that,~R~R she said. ~SAt our New Year~Rs dinner last
month, he again emphasized the importance of family, saying that ~Qwe
are all together and you have to take care of each other.~R ~R~R
Mr. Merian had earned a 50-year Veterans Medal from the Masons, for
whom he was master of the Norumbega Lodge for several years and a
member of the Scottish Rite. He was also a member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, a group that supported an independent
Armenia.
Besides his daughters Sonya and Susan and his son, Daniel, Mr. Merian
leaves his daughter Diane of Newton; six grandchildren; and many
nieces and nephews. His wife of 60 years, the former Alice Sarafian,
died in 2008.
Services have been held.
From: A. Papazian
By Gil Bliss
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/02/22/haig_merian_92_wwii_pow_preserved_armenian_culture/
Feb 22 2011
MA
Many immigrant groups in the United States strive mightily to
preserve their cultural heritage, but few do so as fervently as
Armenian-Americans who escaped the attempted annihilation of their
people.
Haig Merian ~W a POW during World War II who became displaced,
wandered through Europe, and ended up in the Boston area with a new
wife and a new life ~W embodied the Armenian story.
Mr. Merian was a champion of Armenian culture through his church
and also organized dancing and singing groups that kept the old
ways alive. The Newton Highlands resident died Feb. 1 at his home,
following a period of declining health. He was 92.
His story was similar to many postwar accounts. Homeless and devoid
of family, he made it to Ellis Island in New York to begin life anew.
He reflected the strong desire of Armenian-Americans to keep alive
a culture that has survived numerous attempts to bring about its
extinction.
~SArmenia has always been at the crossroads of different cultures
and different empires, whether it be the Hittites, Greeks, Romans,
Persians, or Arabs,~R~R said Father Antranig Baljian, pastor of St.
Stephen~Rs Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown. ~SIt is located in
a very desirable area, and many invading hordes have come and gone.~R~R
The Turkish Ottoman Empire made several attempts to wipe out the
native population, most famously through a period of genocide from
1915 until about 1922, Baljian said.
~SMany people were forced to flee that area,~R~R settling outside
their homeland, including in the United States; and Watertown became
a Boston-area destination for many, Baljian said.
Mr. Merian was born in Tzovinar, Armenia, attended the University of
Yerevan, and taught elementary school until he was drafted by the
Soviet Army. He served as a captain during World War II and spent
three years in a German POW camp before being liberated.
While in that army, he exercised his interest in music and dance,
performing with the Red Army Red-Bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of
the USSR.
After wandering France and Belgium, suffering from starvation and
typhoid fever, Mr. Merian was taken in by an Armenian family in
Belgium. He learned the rudiments of rug weaving there and pursued
the trade after he entered the United States in 1946.
According to Armenia historian Roger Hagopian of Lexington, Soviet
soldiers had to sign a statement promising to commit suicide if
captured and Mr. Merian lived in fear of Soviet authorities learning
he was alive and persecuting family members who were still in Armenia.
As a result, Mr. Merian never contacted his family until the country
achieved independence from the Soviet Union. He returned with his wife
in 1992 to find that all his family had died, except two sisters. When
he died earlier this month, Mr. Merian was the last of nine siblings
~SHe always feared the Soviets were looking for him and in the
beginning, he didn~Rt feel safe until he left New York City and came
to Boston, then Watertown,~R~R Hagopian said.
Both Mr. Merian~Rs and Hagopian~Rs families came from Van, a city that
was legendary among Armenians for its stiff resistance to takeover.
~SHaig was thankful for his life and opportunity to live here,~R~R
said Hagopian, who has created documentary films about the Armenian
experience in America. ~SThese people really know what freedom
means.~R~R
Mr. Merian was described as a pillar of the local Armenian community.
He was a founder of the Watertown church and cofounded a popular
singing and dancing troupe that appeared at the New York World~Rs
Fair in the 1960s.
~SHe had varied interests and his faith really kept him going,~R~R
said Hagopian. At the center of his life was his family.
His daughter Sonya of Framingham said her father was ~San extremely
intelligent man who gave 150 percent to his family. He was highly
disciplined and organized and that got him through all the traumas
in his early life.~R~R
~SEach holiday we would gather together, and he always carried on a
tradition of offering a toast at the meal, ~QMay we always remain as
one,~R ~R~R she recalled.
That spirit carried over into the dance troupe, said Markar Markarian
of Belmont. ~SWe wanted to help Armenian dance and music not die out
and it was in your blood; you couldn~Rt just stop and say, ~QForget
about it.~R ~R~R Even now, at 87, she said, ~Sthe music gets to me
and I get up on the dance floor.~R~R
Baljian said, ~SBecause of people like [Mr. Merian], who kept the
spirit alive, our culture has been preserved and promoted for the
following generations.~R~R
When Mr. Merian first came to the Boston area, he worked for Paine
Furniture, but soon took his knowledge of rugs and started Merian
Carpet Service, where he was a favorite of Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey
and did all the rug work for that organization.
His son, Daniel of Framingham, runs the business, sales, installation,
repair, and cleaning, but his father still helped out after retirement.
Dan said his father instilled the importance of family in his
children. ~SHe didn~Rt have his family here, so he really appreciated
and cherished the family he created in America.~R~R
His daughter Susan Bécam of Newton said he never wanted to talk
about the war, and her mother would recall Mr. Merian waking up with
nightmares for many years.
~SHe loved to sing and dance because in his native Armenia, he was
surrounded by that,~R~R she said. ~SAt our New Year~Rs dinner last
month, he again emphasized the importance of family, saying that ~Qwe
are all together and you have to take care of each other.~R ~R~R
Mr. Merian had earned a 50-year Veterans Medal from the Masons, for
whom he was master of the Norumbega Lodge for several years and a
member of the Scottish Rite. He was also a member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, a group that supported an independent
Armenia.
Besides his daughters Sonya and Susan and his son, Daniel, Mr. Merian
leaves his daughter Diane of Newton; six grandchildren; and many
nieces and nephews. His wife of 60 years, the former Alice Sarafian,
died in 2008.
Services have been held.
From: A. Papazian