Lowell Sun, MA –
June 19 2005
In Stone, a Tribute to So Many Lost
Armenians dedicate memorial on 90th anniversary of genocide
By JENNIFER AMY MYERS, Sun Staff
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, center, primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), leads the blessing of
the Armenian Martyrs Memorial at St. Vartanantz Armenian Church
yesterday. With him, from left, are Deacons Bruce Kayajanian, Ara
Jeknavoirian and Richard Juknavorian. SUN / HOWARD MARTIN
CHELMSFORD — Thomas Magarian was born into a family of 10. Before he
reached preschool age, only he, his brother and two sisters remained.
His parents and other siblings were among the 1.5 million Armenians
systematically massacred by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire between
1915 and 1923.
“I was only about 3 or 4 years old and I remember that we were made
to march the complete area of the camp,” said Magarian, now 91 and
the only living survivor of the Armenian genocide in the area. “The
older children took care of the younger in the orphanage in Beirut
where we were.”
Magarian was among more than 200 parishioners who gathered at St.
Vartanantz Armenian Church yesterday for the dedication of the
Armenian Martyrs Memorial, in conjunction with the 90th anniversary
of the genocide.
The funds to build the granite monument, which honors those killed
during the genocide, were donated by William Hausrath of Wakefield,
in honor of his late wife, Agnes Manoogian Hausrath.
The red, brick groundwork that leads up to and surrounds the monument
is in the shape of a cross. The monument itself consists of three
granite slabs: one tall and dark gray, symbolizing the men killed
in the genocide, a smaller rose-colored stone in honor of the women
killed, and a small, light-gray slab in honor of the children killed.
Eight granite benches ring the monument, seven of them donated by
families of survivors, their family names prominently displayed on the
front of each bench. The eighth bench is reserved for the “unknown:
those known only to God.”
“I’m not Armenian myself, but I knew from what I heard from her and
her family that the genocide was the most significant event of their
lifetime and for generations afterward,” Hausrath said.
“This is something that I’ve wanted to see here for years,” George
Simonian, chairman of the Memorials Committee, said. “All I needed
was a godfather like Bill Hausrath to come along.”
“This has really been a labor of love, a great deal of my family
members perished in the genocide, and this is a fitting memorial,”
he said.
Simonian said he is angry that the Turkish government, to this day,
refuses to acknowledge that the Armenian genocide took place.
“For 90 years these people have been in a state of denial,” he said.
“My mother saw her grandparents thrown overboard by Turkish soldiers.
How do you define “alleged” to her? She knew it happened — she
saw it.”
The parish was honored to have Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), in attendance.
Barsamian, born in Arapkir, Turkey, presides over St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral in New York City. He said his life was greatly influenced
by his grandmother, a survivor of the genocide.
“She was 18 years old and a newly married bride and she was three
months pregnant,” he said. “One night, Turkish soldiers came and
took all of the men of the family, leaving her with her mother and
mother-in-law.”
“There she was, this young bride with hope for the future, when
suddenly the world was black,” Barsamian said. “But, she went ahead
and gave birth to my father, who never knew his father.”
He added that he was amazed by his grandmother’s strength and faith,
and the fact that she did not hold any ill feelings towards the Turks.
“She was an amazing woman, so strong,” he recalled. “I never saw any
bitterness in her, even when she spoke about what happened and she
never held any bad feelings against the Turks.”
Barsamian said he believes the Turkish government has failed to
recognize the genocide for two reasons.
“First of all, it is difficult, psychologically, for the Turks to
admit that their grandfathers were killers,” he said. “Secondly,
they are worried that the Armenians will want more than recognition
and may make a claim on their land.”
However, he does see hope in the region, as the topic, once forbidden
to be spoken about in Turkey, is being discussed on television
and radio.
“In order to resolve the problems, we need to put the issues on the
table, even if it is difficult,” he said.
Following the elaborate dedication and blessing of the monument,
parishioners stepped up to the large, granite structure, placing on
it red and white carnations in memory of their fallen ancestors.