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    Emil Lazarian
  • 7 years ago
    • Categories: 2018

Letter to the Editor of Salt Lake Tribune: Jon Huntsman Sr. provided much succor for Armenia and Armenians

Salt Lake Tribune , UT
Feb 10 2018
 
 
 
 
FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2015, file photo, shows Jon Huntsman, Sr., during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City. Utah billionaire and philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. has died. Huntsman's assistant Pam Bailey confirmed he died Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Salt Lake City. He was 80. Bailey declined to name a cause of death. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Armenians in Utah and around the world lost a great friend in Jon Huntsman Sr. He was one of the first non-Armenians to reach out to Armenia after the devastating earthquake in 1988 which killed up to 45,000 people and caused 500,000 to become homeless.

Even though he could have very easily donated money to help the rescue efforts, he decided to spend millions of dollars to build a cement factory instead to provide much needed jobs and materials for the survivors to build better and sturdier homes.

His commitment to help the Armenians didn’t stop there. Because he knew Armenia’s survival after the Soviet Union break-up would depend on her population’s knowledge of international business concepts, he sponsored hundreds of college age students from Armenia to come to Logan to attend USU to study economics, agriculture and international trade.

Mr. Huntsman, the Armenian community of Utah and around the world thanks you. May you Rest In Peace!

Ohannes Megerdichian, Sandy

 
Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS