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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 30; July 28, 2007
Community:
1. ‘HYE Fusion’ Jazz Concert at ALMA
By Andy Turpin
2. Al Donigian Was One of a Kind
By Tom Vartabedian
3. Pontiactzis Give ‘Welcome Back, Joe’ Luncheon for Dr. Kevorkian
By Betty Apigian Kessel
4. Journalism 101: How to Survive a Day of Interviews on the Hill
By Dzovak Kazandjian
5. Midwest Junior Summer Olympics: Expectations Exceeded
***
1. ‘HYE Fusion’ Jazz Concert at ALMA
By Andy Turpin
WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-On July 20, the Armenian Library and Museum of
America (ALMA) presented a jazz concert titled "HYE Fusion." Players
included Harry Bedrossian (keyboard), Malcolm Barsamian (guitar, oud,
alto sax) and Charles Dermenjian (percussion).
An unconventional and creative detour from the musical repertoire that
usually accompanies traditional Armenian instrumental playing, many of
the songs were well-known jazz standards from the 1950s and 60s such as
"The Girl From Ipanema" (Tom Jobim; V. Moraes), made famous by singer
Astrud Gilberto; "My Funny Valentine" (R. Rodgers; L. Hart) made famous
by Chet Baker; and in particular a haunting opening version of "Black
Orpheus" (Luiz Bonfa).
"Black Orpheus" was wildly popular when it first appeared in the 1959
film of the same name that portrayed the classical story of Orpheus and
Eurydice set in favella Brazil. The song and film single handedly
catapulted the rise of samba culture in the U.S. and has become a cult
pop icon piece ever since. Played within an Armenian scheme, the
instruments and song melded to form an otherworldly mix of melancholic
sensuality the likes of which were resounding and memorable.
The most notable piece of the evening, however, was a rendition of Dave
Brubeck’s legendary hit "Take Five." Bedrossion said: "It’s the old
‘Take Five’ which was actually first played as a tune while the
musicians were on their break from normal playing, but we added four
[measures]. So it’s ‘Take Five plus Four.’"
Played on the oud, the song takes on a whole new vibrancy and direction
of its own and is almost unrecognizable to the listener if not cognizant
to the title. But it overflowed with a newfound mystique that could only
have been coaxed when fused with the oud’s elicited eastern melodies and
rifts.
Also worth mention was a song composed by the musicians themselves. The
song, titled "Bulgarian Bebop," received an enthusiastic reaction from
the audience.
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2. Al Donigian Was One of a Kind
By Tom Vartabedian
No, this isn’t another story about John Baronian and his passion for
Tufts University, not that he doesn’t deserve another feather in his
cap. After all, any guy who has an athletic complex named after him and
has attracted scores of Armenian-Americans to his campus deserves
continued applause. Instead, this is a piece about John’s best friend.
Wherever you saw Baronian, you would usually find Al Donigian, whether
it was some gridiron dinner, baseball reception, AYF Olympics, even
Armenia.
The two did take a trip there together last September and it couldn’t
have happened at a better time. Al Donigian recently died of heart
failure while vacationing with Baronian on Cape Cod.
While in Armenia, Donigian was able to meet the young girl he had
sponsored for years, making sure she had a good education and decent
clothes on her back. Up to this point, they had corresponded by mail.
"He made it a point to seek her out and lit up like a Christmas tree
when they met," recalled Baronian. "This was always Al’s dream."
I would catch them at a lecture or a picnic, a dance or concert. When
one coughed, the other sneezed.
Due to Baronian’s frail health, Al was always at his beckoning call.
Whenever he needed a lift, Donigian was always on stand-by, like a true
sentinel. Together, they were attached like Laurel & Hardy, Abbott &
Costello, Martin & Lewis. One without the other would usually pose an
obvious question to Baronian: Where’s Al? One would never entertain a
thought that another valet had intervened, much less a trip to the bar
for a cocktail.
"He was like a brother to me," Baronian tearfully said. "I lost my best
friend. People like Al are rare indeed. He was always full of favors and
went out of his way to make people happy in his quiet, yet humble
manner."
The two were spending a weekend at the Cape with Baronian’s sister. Al
hadn’t been feeling all that well lately and his amigo was concerned. He
invited Donigian, figuring the rest would do him good.
They shared a grand time together, just like always, engaged in their
own conversation. Plans were discussed to attend this year’s AYF
Olympics in New Jersey. As always, Al would drive and John would sit
shotgun.
No matter where they went, it was Baronian who would attract the
audience by virtue of his popularity and Donigian who usually stayed in
the background. When it came time to move elsewhere, on came Donigian to
lend a hand. When it came time to depart the Cape, the two were seated
in a car ready to roll, hoping to beat the traffic home. John told Al to
hold up a bit while he went back inside to take care of some business.
He returned a couple minutes later and told Al to start the engine.
Donigian didn’t respond, his head slumped over the back seat.
"You okay, Al? What’s wrong, Al?" His worst fear suddenly hit home and
Baronian broke down, next to his best friend. It wasn’t supposed to be
like this between permanent buddies.
They called 911, an ambulance arrived, and Donigian was pronounced dead
at the hospital as everyone gasped with disbelief.
One would hardly think that in this moment of anguish and bereavement,
there might be a glimmer of relief.
But there was-and Baronian knew exactly what his friend might be
thinking as he took God’s hand.
With all the strength this octogenarian could muster, he said, "If Al
was going to die, he couldn’t have picked a better time or place."
"What if we had left a few minutes earlier and he was driving on the
road? What if he rammed the car into another and killed someone, perhaps
a child? I could have been at death’s door, too. He had no cancer and
went peacefully."
Al Donigian’s funeral was just the way he would have requested,
surrounded by his Masonic Order and his Armenian friends, led by John
Baronian. They came to pay their last respects to a man who never made
headlines, never gave speeches, never looked for fanfare.
As the Good Book says, "Everyone has two kinds of friends, those who are
around when you need them-and those who are around when they need you."
In Al Donigian’s case, he was the best friend anyone could have-a friend
indeed. Just ask John Baronian.
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3. Pontiactzis Give ‘Welcome Back, Joe’ Luncheon for Dr. Kevorkian
By Betty Apigian Kessel
A loyal band of Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s friends from the old neighborhood
in Pontiac, Mich., looked forward to July 11 with great anticipation.
Twenty-seven Armenians who lived near the eastside area of the famous
now unlicensed pathologist met at The Sign of the Beef Carver in Royal
Oak, Mich., to express their happiness at his newfound freedom and to
regale him with stories of their friendship growing up on streets with
the names of Ferry Ave., Prospect, Midway, Jessie, Sanford and Wilson
Ave.
The back room of the restaurant was like a clannish gathering of Hyes
more like a family reunion of Keghetzis, Sepastztis, Vanetzis, all first
generation Armenian-Americans born here of the survivors of the 1915
Armenian genocide. When asked if that black era in Turkish history, the
genocide, had any effect on his eventual involvement in assisted
suicide, Dr. Kevorkian responded with an emphatic, "No, and I have been
asked that question many times!"
We swarmed around him showering our old neighborhood buddy with hugs and
kisses. He was his usual self, attired in a three-piece light blue
summer suit with that same down to earth congenial personality. If you
were looking for signs of bitterness, you would be disappointed. We all
know Jack is our home grown genius, perhaps a bit eccentric, but it was
big time stuff for one of us to be the first to graduate from the
University of Michigan back in those halcyon days of youth. Who would be
the lucky Armenian girl to marry the young doctor? No one. Jack has
remained a bachelor but says he sometimes regrets not having children.
Alice Mavian piped up, "I brought you some sarma, Jack." He jokingly
replied, "How do you know I eat sarma, you know I am very finicky." I
was seated two seats from Jack and took special notice at what his
dining selections were. I spotted roast beef sandwich au jus, baked
potato, raw vegetables, and a green salad. The bread was put aside and
he commented, "I use no dressings or sauces. I eat each item one at a
time." I didn’t see anyone turn down the generous pieces of triple
chocolate cake that became dessert. Yummm.
Dr. Kevorkian on the Armenian language and press
He spoke to us openly and at length. Parole restrictions forbade him
from addressing certain subjects. One of the most interesting comments
he made was that he taught himself over a period of several months to
read the Armenian language paper. His father, Baron Levon, was an avid
subscriber to the Hairenik Daily. Dr. Kevorkian asked, "How many here
read Armenian?" Very few hands were raised. "Every Armenian household
should subscribe to at least one Armenian language newspaper in order to
preserve our nationality. What can save you? The language! Do the right
thing, learn proper Armenian. The presses must stay alive." Bravo Jack!
I felt free at that point to pipe up and say we can’t even get people to
subscribe to an English language paper! His heart and mind are in the
right place.
Dr. Kevorkian: "If you want to be Armenian, you’ve got to learn the
language otherwise you’re going to be lost."
Armenians should not be fearful
He continued, "There is nothing you cannot do. You are capable of doing
anything!" One thing an Armenian should never do is be fearful. We’re
cowards compared to what our parents went through." He talked of the
obstacles that religion has presented to mankind and how he knows
Armenians are proud of declaring they were the first to accept
Christianity as a state religion. He is for stem-cell research. He has
no regrets whatsoever over the path he followed.
He lamented that Wilson Elementary was torn down and that our old
beautiful Tudor design high school was replaced with a modern
monstrosity. "All my schools are gone." And believe me, we had the best.
He recited what the Ninth Amendment was and explained its promise to
Americans about their freedom. He warned us about what Thomas Jefferson
said, that people will become so busy chasing money, they will not
notice their freedoms being eroded and gradually removed. Jack referred
to those who do so as "tyrants and would-be kings." He wrote a book in
prison called The Ninth Amendment, available on the internet at
He considers this his most important book to date.
Everyone in this group calls him "Joe," and Rose Gerjekian explained
that when his father Baron Levon would call for Jack to come home he
would say, "Dzo, oor es?" All the odar neighbors thought he was saying
"Joe" so the nickname stuck.
Zaven Melkonian chided Jack about how as young boys they played war
games together, going as far as designing maps and emblems for the two
warring sides. And how, "He got livid if we invaded his territory and
captured him, and he always had to be the general." Dr. Kevorkian
quipped, "How is that for megalomania?" The same wonderful sense of
humor.
Other Kevorkian comments: "I tried to make a harpsichord without plans
using an aluminum frame but learned a lesson. I pulled the strings too
tight and bent the frame. So I ordered one from New York. Everything I
do is self-taught. I personally do not like opera. I once made a huge
slide rule thinking it could be more precise. That didn’t work either.
I’ve seen a lot of quacks in medicine… I told friends who to see and
who not to see. That’s good advice."
Accompanying Jack to the luncheon was good friend and ally Mrs. Ruth
Holmes, whose husband and family have remained by Jack’s side from the
beginning till now. Upon seeing the roomful of friends that day, tears
were visible in her eyes out of happiness for her friend. The group gave
her a round of applause for her loyalty and support. She is taking
memorabilia of Jack’s to the Armenian Library and Museum of America
(ALMA).
Special thanks for this event to Mrs. Margaret Stephanian and Mrs. Sally
Kabodian who stayed in touch with Mrs. Holmes and arranged the
gathering. The late Zorob Kabodian should be remembered for initiating a
letter writing campaign to the Michigan governor pleading for Jack’s
early release due to health issues. Sally provided an Armenian gift pack
of choreg, khalka, pistachios, nuts, and candies for the object of her
late husband’s efforts.
Margaret, Sally, Vannig Godoshian and I met several weeks before Jack’s
release with a film producer who spent the day interviewing them and
gathering their personal memories of the doctor. At that time, it was
decided that friends would eventually be meeting with the famous doctor,
who began his life in a small American city that gave safe harbor to our
immigrant parents. It’s a bond all Pontiactzis share forever.
Welcome home, Jack. "Dzo, oor es?" no more.
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4. Journalism 101: How to Survive a Day of Interviews on the Hill
By Dzovak Kazandjian
In the last installment of Dzovak’s Journal, I wrote that week 4 had
been the most fascinating time I had spent, thus far, in Washington D.C.
The "Leo Sarkisian" interns had the opportunity to attend a roundtable
discussion with Freshman Democrats Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Rep.
Zach Space (D-Ohio) and find out the typical day in the life of a Member
of Congress. The Representatives discussed their daily tasks and took
questions to better paint a picture of the challenges facing newly
elected Representatives.
As great as that was, this week turned out to be even better. I actually
had a first hand look at the typical jammed-pack agenda Members of
Congress have to constantly juggle-prime example being their ability to
make time for a quick video interview before reaching the House floor to
cast their votes.
I accompanied "Armenian Weekly" newspaper editor Khatchig Mouradian on a
series of video interviews with some of the lead sponsors of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106). It was great opportunity to
find out exactly how a journalist operates on Capitol Hill, and where
media-ethnic or otherwise-fits into their schedule. I followed Mouradian
as he questioned three House Members: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Rep.
Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) (my own Congressman) and Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).
The first interview with Rep. Schiff went without interruption since it
was conducted first thing in the morning, just as the Congressman
arrived to his office. I was responsible of setting up and videotaping
the interview and ensuring that we got a strong product for broadcast
purposes.
Our second interview was actually scheduled with Rep. Anna Eshoo
(D-Calif.). Here is where I got a real feel for how fluid schedules are
on Capitol Hill. We were first set to meet at 1:30 p.m. Her press
secretary called and explained that votes were scheduled for that time
and pushed the rendezvous to 2:30 p.m., only to find out that an
amendment that the Congresswoman had initiated was under attack by
Republican opponents, keeping her on the floor well late into the
afternoon. I had really wanted to meet Rep. Eshoo, who is the only
Member of Congress of Armenian descent, but it will have to be postponed
to a slower legislative day.
We arrived at Rep. Sherman’s office at 3:00pm with plenty of time to set
up a nice background for our interview, only to find that 45 minutes of
votes were called and a leisurely 15-minute interview would have to be
conducted in 5, no make that 3 minutes. The name of the game is
adaptability, with Mouradian condensing 10 questions into 4 and getting
the message out to our viewers.
The last interview ended up even more rushed, as all the day’s votes had
pushed Rep. Pallone’s schedule hopelessly late. But Rep. Pallone always
has time to discuss Armenian American concerns and at 5:45 p.m. we did a
five-minute update about the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106).
Following Mouradian was great exposure into a line of work that I would
eventually like to get into. It also really showed how flexible you have
to be as a journalist if you are working on stories regarding Capitol
Hill. Time is your greatest enemy on the Hill, with schedules turning on
a dime based on votes and all sorts of crises. As frustrating or
difficult as it is at times, it’s also really exhilarating and
definitely something I would like to pursue.
—————————————– ————————————————– ——–
5. Midwest Junior Summer Olympics: Expectations Exceeded
One could say that the Armenian community in Racine is practiced at
throwing regional events. After all, this tiny chapter, with a mere 13
members on its combined Junior/Senior roster, executed an extremely
successful Senior Olympic games (the first in the chapter’s history) in
Milwaukee only nine short months ago. For such a small community,
nestled in a town of 85,000, the expectations were high for their
Midwest Junior Summer Olympics. Where these expectations were not met,
they were exceeded.
The weekend began on Friday night, July 13th with a surprise Junior
activity, a game of capture the flag, complete with water balloons. The
juniors were split into Red, Blue, and Orange teams, each team given a
flag of the corresponding color to defend. Their mission was to capture
the other team’s flags and to unite the yerakooyn, while avoiding being
hit by a water balloon. Nearby in the St. Hagop Armenian Church hall,
parents and Alumni enjoyed heaps of basturma, string cheese, dzyloogs,
hammous, khadayef, pakhlava and more at the Alumni Reception. The
highlight of the night was the raffling off of a bottle of Armenian
Brandy. After three rounds of capture the flag, the juniors were treated
to pizza and soda, before heading to bed to rest up for the day ahead.
The following morning, 60 athletes from the four Midwestern chapters
(Detroit, Chicago, Racine, and Granite City) converged on Hammes field
in Racine for a day of athletic competition, good food, and the family
atmosphere exemplified by the region’s close-knit Armenian community.
Juniors battled injuries and fatigue, glaring sun and stiff wind, urged
on by their coaches and the cheers from parents in the bleachers.
Running and throwing events continued until noon, when opening
ceremonies were held, with speeches by Unger Zohrab Khaligian from the
ARF "Marzbed" gomideh, Ungerouhi Sona Mikaelian from the host Racine AYF
chapter, Ungerouhi Sara Mikaelian from the ARS "Soseh" chapter, Unger
Aram Hovagimian from Central Executive, and Hayr Taniel Garabedian of
the community parish. The games concluded later that afternoon, and
after a medal ceremony, everyone returned to their houses and hotel
rooms to change for the evening’s dance.
Shaking off the weariness of the day, the juniors and their parents
danced into the night, serenaded by the music of the Mideast Band. The
Racine parents provided food, including Danish Kringle, the signature
pastry of the town (available to order online at
). The band took a break at 10pm for the
presentation of chapter specific awards by the Chicago and Detroit
chapters, and for the announcement of the final chapter standings and
the Olympic high scorers by Phil Nigon from AYF Central Junior Council.
After each chapter danced together in celebration, the crowd slowly
thinned out, with eyelids heavy after an eventful and extremely
successful day of events. With another Midwest Junior Olympics in the
books, one thing is for certain: Come next year, Chicago will have a
tough act to follow.
Individual Awards:
The Uncle Herman Award
Presented by the Detroit "Kopernik Tandourjian" chapter, this award
honors the memory of Uncle Herman Torigian, a leader in the Detroit
Armenian community. It is given each year at Junior Summer Olympics to
two juniors, one older (14-16) and one younger (10-13). This year, the
recipients were Ara Markarian and Alex Zazaian.
The Tina Peltekian Award
Presented by the Chicago "Ararat" chapter, this award was established in
memory of Tina Peltekian, who at the age of 11 decided to run in
Olympics despite being stricken with cancer. The winner is chosen based
on sportsmanship and the will to win, two characteristics exemplified by
Tamar Alexanian, who overcame injuries to her knees to run in this
year’s games and won three silver medals.
Final Chapter Standings:
1st Place: Detroit "Kopernik Tandourjian" 196 points
2nd Place: Chicago "Ararat" 163 points
3rd Place: Granite City "Antranig" 25 points
4th Place: Racine "Armen Garo" 2 points
High Scorers:
Younger Girls: Nareneh Safarian (Chicago) and Taleen Shahrigian
(Detroit) 13 points
Younger Boys: Garin Bedian (Chicago) and Haig Changelian (Detroit) 15
points
Older Girls: Sara Dilanjian (Chicago) and Christa Khatcherian (Chicago)
15 points
Older Boys: Alan Dilanjian (Chicago) 15 points