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Richard Hovannisian receives Narekatsi Medal

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  • Richard Hovannisian receives Narekatsi Medal

    Friends of UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies
    Contact: Ani Aivazian
    Tel: 818-621-8116
    Email: [email protected]


    Richard Hovannisian receives Narekatsi Medal
    Banquet and award ceremony marked by delightful surprises


    Los Angeles, March 23, 2013 - On the evening of Saturday, March 16,
    Professor Richard Hovannisian was honored with the Narekatsi Medal of
    Achievement, conferred on him by the Friends of UCLA Armenian Language
    and Culture Studies. The award presentation took place during the
    Friends' 11th annual banquet, held at the Armenian Society of Los
    Angeles Hall, in Glendale, California.

    Over 300 guests, representing a cross section of the Armenian community,
    attended the jubilant event, which celebrated the life and
    accomplishments of Richard Hovannisian as a teacher, historian, author,
    and human-rights activist.

    The banquet featured a rich and multifaceted program. Remarks delivered
    by a distinguished roster of speakers, comprising scholars and community
    leaders, were interspersed with the screening of two short documentaries
    as well as musical performances. In addition, the honoree and guests
    were treated to a number of wonderful surprises, all of which made the
    celebration all the more memorable.

    Dignitaries and prominent community members in attendance included
    Archbishop Hovnan Derderian; the Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian,
    representing Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian; several representatives
    of the Armenian Educational Foundation, among them the current
    president, Hermineh Pakhanians; and Ara Khachatourian, editor of the
    English edition of Asbarez.

    The event kicked off with a cocktail reception and book exhibit in the
    hall's foyer, where numerous works penned by Richard Hovannisian were
    on display.

    As dinner started, welcome remarks were delivered by Banquet co-chairs
    Ani Aivazian and Hilda Fidanian. Their addresses were followed by the
    opening remarks of Alice Petrossian, the evening's Mistress of
    Ceremonies, and Dr. Hasmig Baran, president of the Friends of UCLA
    Armenian Language and Culture Studies. The speakers reflected on the
    Friends' longstanding tradition of honoring extraordinary Armenian
    individuals with the Narekatsi Medal, and underscored the pan-Armenian
    significance of Professor Hovannisian's manifold accomplishments.

    Many of those accomplishments were touched upon in a video documentary,
    titled My Professor Hovannisian Moment, which was shown while guests
    enjoyed dinner. The humorous, highly engaging documentary, produced by
    Ara Soghomonian, featured a fast-paced succession of testimonials by
    former students of the honoree.

    Next to take the podium was the evening's keynote speaker, Professor
    S. Peter Cowe, head of UCLA's Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies. In
    a riveting speech that contextualized the evolution of Armenian history
    as a field of study in American academia, initially against the
    backdrops of superpower politics and intracommunity partisanship, Cowe
    described Hovannisian's crucial role in not only the establishment of
    Armenian Studies as an academic discipline in the US, but its growth as
    a dynamic, globally relevant hub for scholarly discourse and political
    action alike.

    `=46rom the outset, Richard Hovannisian understood that the challenge
    before him was not for the fainthearted, but for those fortified with
    the proper formation, intellectual conviction, stamina, and discernment
    to perceive where the real struggle lies and not to be sidetracked by
    minutiae,' Cowe said.

    `Moreover, Hovannisian knew the challenge could not be settled by one
    individual, however gifted, but by the creation of new institutions.
    Much of his activity reflects this point of view: his research
    publications, his desire to mentor a new generation of scholars, his
    concern for collegiality and the creation of a professional society, his
    awareness of how essential it was for such an incipient field to enter
    the mainstream by producing textbooks, and, finally, his realization
    that for Armenian Studies to establish itself and thrive required
    university positions to be endowed to ensure they, too, would become
    institutions and endure in perpetuity - as we have just witnessed in
    the generational transition of the AEF chair at UCLA from Hovannisian to
    Aslanian. This also highlights Hovannisian's leadership qualities, as
    well as the farsightedness of the donors who recognized the impact their
    action would have and the dividends it would continue to reap long after
    the chair's foundation.'

    Cowe's address was followed by the screening of a second video
    documentary, A Tribute to Professor Richard Hovannisian, produced by the
    honoree's daughter, Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian. Featuring rare footage
    of Hovannisian's diverse scholarly and political activities through
    several decades, the video encapsulated his life story while
    illustrating his far-reaching activism in the fight against Genocide
    denial.

    The second half of the banquet's program had no shortage of colorful
    moments, often registering a powerful emotional resonance. It featured a
    congratulatory message from Professor David Myers of UCLA; violin
    performances by Mari Haig; a poignant speech by Armen Hovannisian, the
    honoree's son, who recounted personal reminiscences as he presented
    `Hovannisian the Man;' and a fascinating onstage interview between
    Richard Hovannisian and Ara Khachatourian, editor of the English edition
    of Asbarez.

    One of the evening's most delightful surprises came in the form of a
    lively family tribute, as Hovannisian's two young granddaughters took
    the stage, nearly stealing the show. The girls spoke lovingly of their
    illustrious grandfather, sprinkling their talk with humorous comments
    and touching recollections.

    As the banquet's culminating segment drew close, Professor Emeritus
    Speros Vryonis, Jr. of UCLA introduced the honoree. In his remarks,
    Vryonis touched on certain political aspects and power struggles
    inherent in American academia, and praised Richard Hovannisian for his
    central role in the evolution and burgeoning of the Armenian Studies
    program at UCLA despite enormous challenges.

    At this, and to the standing ovation of the audience, Richard
    Hovannisian was invited to the stage, where Dr. Hasmig Baran, flanked by
    members of the Friends' Board members, formally presented the
    Narekatsi Medal to the honoree.

    In addition to conferring the medal on Hovannisian, the Friends' Board
    members had no less than three surprises for the honoree. First, he was
    presented with a dossier of congratulatory letters from academic
    colleagues in Armenia. Second, he was given a dossier of letters from
    former students; on hand for this presentation were the honoree's
    formers students, Professors Vahram Shemmassian (CSUN), Levon Marashlian
    (GCC), Dr. Garabet Moumdjian, and Dr. George Kooshian. And third, he was
    presented with a large photograph of himself signed by current UCLA
    students. The latter presentation was made by Armenian Studies graduate
    student Ara Soghomonian. Also on stage were Soghomonian's
    contemporaries in the Armenian Studies Program Shushan Karapetian, Danny
    Fittante, Xi Yang, and Ceyda Tinmaz; Sona Tajiryan from the History
    Program; Lilit Keshishian from Comparative Literature; and Anoush Suni
    from Anthropology.

    The presentations were followed by an impassioned acceptance speech.
    After thanking the Armenian community, and the Friends in particular,
    for honoring him with the Narekatsi Medal, Hovannisian praised them for
    their steadfast support of the Armenian Studies Program at UCLA. He
    concluded his remarks by reiterating his abiding hope that a new cadre
    of students and scholars will continue to build on the successes of the
    program, through teaching, research, and political activism.

    The program drew to a close with a toast to the honoree. Once again
    taking the stage, Professor Cowe delivered a charming finishing touch,
    to the joy and amazement of the guests: he invited them to retrieve and
    open the bottle of cognac tucked discreetly within the centerpiece of
    each table, and drink to Hovannisian's health. Everyone obliged.

    Cowe also announced two major milestones pertaining to the Armenian
    Studies program at UCLA: as a result of a joint application to the Dream
    Fund by the UCLA Department of Music and the Naraketsi Chair, he stated,
    Vatsche Barsoumian has been engaged as a visiting professor in Armenian
    Music and will be teaching courses over the next two years; and
    recently, Cowe continued, a Research Program in Armenian Archaeology and
    Ethnography was established as a permanent component of the Cotsen
    Institute in Archaeology at UCLA, and Prof. Grigor Areshian has been

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