AAA MOURNS LOSS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SURVIVOR
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 25 2006
WATERTOWN, MA, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. As Armenians
everywhere mark the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
the Armenian Assembly of America was saddened to learn that Armine
Dedekian, a survivor of those horrific crimes, passed away April 19 in
her Watertown, Massachusetts home. Dedekian was 93 years old. “The
Armenian Assembly mourns the loss of Armine Dedekian and wishes
to express its sincere condolences to her family members and loved
ones,” said Assembly Board of Trustees Counselor and Vice Chair Robert
A. Kaloosdian. “In her memory, we reaffirm our commitment to educate
the world about the Armenian Genocide and help create a better future
for all humanity.” Armine Dedekian, nee Kailian, was born in Banderma,
in the province of Bursa, Western Turkey. That same year, her father
was murdered and Dedekian and her young mother fled to Tekirdagh,
near Constantinople. Unfortunately, the family was not safe there
as the Turks soon forced them from their homes and onto an arduous
journey through the Syrian Desert. Dedekian and her mother reached
Sham, Syria but were separated soon after and Dedekian was raised by
family members. In 1929, Dedekian, at the age of 14, reunited with her
mother in Ellis Island and later settled with her in Massachusetts. She
married Sarkis Dedekian and together they raised two children. During
her lifetime, Dedekian helped raise awareness of the attempted
annihilation of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government. She
discussed her family’s tragic experiences with the national media,
including the Boston Globe, in an effort to draw national attention to
the crimes. She was also actively involved with the Armenian Relief
Society, the Armenian Renaissance Association and Saint Stephen’s
Armenian Apostolic Church. Recently Dedekian became an amicus curiae
(“friend of the court”) along with the Armenian Assembly of America and
seven other individuals in the case of Griswold, et al., vs. Driscoll
et. al., filed in the United States District Court for the District of
Massachusetts. She participated in the amicus curiae brief for she felt
that the case was a denialist tactic by the plaintiffs which included
the Assembly of Turkish American Association and others who referred to
the Armenian Genocide as controversial in their Complaint. Kaloosdian
says that Dedekian was among the last remaining genocide survivors
in the greater Boston community. He recalled her excitement to take
part in the federal case and added that her passing, at this time,
has created renewed focus on her extraordinary life and memory.