Obit: George Sarkis Kurkjian

The Times (London)
May 19, 2005, Thursday

George Sarkis Kurkjian, OBE, businessman, was born July 30, 1928. He
died on April 21, 2005, aged 76.

George Kurkjian was one of Britain’s most respected Armenians. A
businessman and the director of several charities, he was also the
senior layman of the Armenian Church in Great Britain, and in that
capacity he acted as adviser to several Archbishops of Canterbury.

George Sarkis Kurkjian was born in Cairo and moved to Britain when he
was 3. He was educated at Oundle and took his BA and MA at Trinity
College, Dublin. He became, with his brother John, a partner in the
family firm, S N Kurkjian, which trades in commodities.

In 1982 he inherited his father’s responsibility for managing the
external bank account of the Holy See of the Armenian Church. He
also became president of the board of trustees of St Sarkis Church,
Kensington.

He was appointed OBE in 1986 for services to the City of London. He
set up Aid Armenia, a relief organisation to help the victims of the
earthquake in Armenia in 1988. For his work in this and other charities
concerned with Armenia he received numerous awards, including the Order
of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, with diamonds (the highest order of
the Armenian Church), the Cross of Saint Augustine, bestowed by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, and an honorary doctorate
from Trinity in 1991.