ARMEN HOVNANIAN: SODA JERK ROSE TO DRUGSTORE EXEC
By Stan Donaldson
Free Press Staff Writer
Detroit Free Press, MI
June 5 2006
Armen Hovnanian
It didn’t take long for Armen Hovnanian to know what he wanted to do
with his life.
At 13, while working as a soda jerk at a Detroit pharmacy in the 1940s,
he told his parents and siblings his dream of becoming a pharmacist.
Later, as a student at Central High School in Detroit, he worked
in a pharmacy after school to learn the ropes of the business. He
used that knowledge to become a leader in one of Michigan’s largest
drugstore chains during the 1970s.
“I always thought he was a brilliant man,” said his sister, Mary
Keoleian of Farmington Hills.
Mr. Hovnanian of Farmington Hills died Friday at Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak of emphysema. He was 76.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Mr. Hovnanian’s family moved to Detroit while
he was an infant.
After graduating high school in 1947, he attended the Detroit Institute
of Technology and graduated in 1951 with a pharmacy degree.
A short time later, he was drafted into the Army and served during
World War II for two years as a lab technician.
Mr. Hovnanian met his wife, Suzanne, while working for the Cunningham
Drugstore chain. They were married 33 years.
He was promoted to executive vice president of the company in 1971 and
was responsible for sales. He helped the store develop the concept
of a one-stop drugstore, which sold pharmacy items along with other
merchandise. He worked for the company for nearly 30 years.
He loved classical music and was a Detroit Tigers baseball fan.
In addition to his wife and sister, Mr. Hovnanian is survived by a son,
Michael; and two sisters.
A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. today at St. John’s Armenian
Church, 22001 Northwestern Highway, Southfield.