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WELL-KNOWN PHILANTHROPIST GERARD L. CAFESJIAN DIES AT THE AGE OF 88
http://times.am/?p=32232&l=en
Today - 11:42
Armenian-American well-known philanthropist Gerard Leon Cafesjian
dies at the age of 88.
Mr. Cafesjian was born April 26, 1925 in the Bensonhurst neighborhood
of Brooklyn, New York. His parents had come to the United States
preceding the Armenian Genocide by the Turks.
After amphibious training, he served as a sailor in WWII aboard J.P.
Morgan's yacht, the Corsair III, built in 1895 and renamed the
USS Oceanographer. The ship did extensive survey work in and around
Guadalcanal and other Solomon Islands in 1943 and 1944. He also served
aboard the USS Andres (DE45), a destroyer escort for convoys from the
United States to North Africa in late 1944 and 1945. When he returned
after the war he married Cleo Thomas, a nurse he met during the war.
Mr. Cafesjian earned a degree in economics from Hunter College , and
a doctorate of jurisprudence from St. John's University Law School ,
both in five and a half years. He is a member of the New York Bar
Association.
Mr. Cafesjian retired from West Publishing when it was sold to
Thompson Publishing in 1996. As he said publicly, he felt his destiny
was to help the country of Armenia, which had gained its independence
after hundreds of years of subjugation under various rulers. The time
and circumstances and confluence of resources would help him make a
difference for the country. After attending to his family needs, Mr.
Cafesjian established the Cafesjian Family Foundation. Through that
Foundation he devoted more than $128 million to various Armenian
projects. His investments included the private Armenia and ArmNews
television stations, the Cascade financial services group, real
estate and a renewable energy company, all eventually sold. Any
profits generated were re-invested in Armenia for further development.
Mr. Cafesjian completely renovated the Cascade site in downtown
Yerevan, Armenia. As of early 2000s, it was an unfinished and crumbling
Soviet structure of epic proportions on a hillside.
Following a major reconstruction, the Cascade became the site of the
Cafesjian Center for the Arts that opened in 2009. The Museum enjoys
a world-class sculpture garden with works by Fernando Botero, Lynn
Chadwick, Barry Flannigan, Francois-Xavier Lalanne and Jaume Plensa,
among others. Admission is free and it is now the most prominent
meeting place in Armenia. Over one million people have visited the
Center since its opening.
From: A. Papazian
http://times.am/?p=32232&l=en
Today - 11:42
Armenian-American well-known philanthropist Gerard Leon Cafesjian
dies at the age of 88.
Mr. Cafesjian was born April 26, 1925 in the Bensonhurst neighborhood
of Brooklyn, New York. His parents had come to the United States
preceding the Armenian Genocide by the Turks.
After amphibious training, he served as a sailor in WWII aboard J.P.
Morgan's yacht, the Corsair III, built in 1895 and renamed the
USS Oceanographer. The ship did extensive survey work in and around
Guadalcanal and other Solomon Islands in 1943 and 1944. He also served
aboard the USS Andres (DE45), a destroyer escort for convoys from the
United States to North Africa in late 1944 and 1945. When he returned
after the war he married Cleo Thomas, a nurse he met during the war.
Mr. Cafesjian earned a degree in economics from Hunter College , and
a doctorate of jurisprudence from St. John's University Law School ,
both in five and a half years. He is a member of the New York Bar
Association.
Mr. Cafesjian retired from West Publishing when it was sold to
Thompson Publishing in 1996. As he said publicly, he felt his destiny
was to help the country of Armenia, which had gained its independence
after hundreds of years of subjugation under various rulers. The time
and circumstances and confluence of resources would help him make a
difference for the country. After attending to his family needs, Mr.
Cafesjian established the Cafesjian Family Foundation. Through that
Foundation he devoted more than $128 million to various Armenian
projects. His investments included the private Armenia and ArmNews
television stations, the Cascade financial services group, real
estate and a renewable energy company, all eventually sold. Any
profits generated were re-invested in Armenia for further development.
Mr. Cafesjian completely renovated the Cascade site in downtown
Yerevan, Armenia. As of early 2000s, it was an unfinished and crumbling
Soviet structure of epic proportions on a hillside.
Following a major reconstruction, the Cascade became the site of the
Cafesjian Center for the Arts that opened in 2009. The Museum enjoys
a world-class sculpture garden with works by Fernando Botero, Lynn
Chadwick, Barry Flannigan, Francois-Xavier Lalanne and Jaume Plensa,
among others. Admission is free and it is now the most prominent
meeting place in Armenia. Over one million people have visited the
Center since its opening.
From: A. Papazian