AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: www.agbu.org
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
  
AGBU MARKS THE LOSS OF A TOWERING FIGURE IN GENOCIDE STUDIES: VAHAKN DADRIAN
          
A brilliant intellectual and prolific scholar, researcher, and author, Vahakn 
Dadrian is among those rare historians who himself will go down in Armenian 
history as a seminal figure in Genocide Studies. His passing on August 3, 2019 
gives multiple generations pause to reflect on a remarkable life and career 
that raised the bar on public discourse on genocide in general and the Armenian 
Genocide in particular. 

"Vahakn Dadrian is a name synonymous with credibility," remarked AGBU President 
Berge Setrakian, "He commanded the respect of academicians, politicians, and 
students alike, and was considered a pre-eminent authority on Armenian history. 
His powers of analysis and clarity of thought helped bring the Armenian 
Genocide out of the shadows and legitimized its claim as the first genocide of 
the 20th century. His teachings, publications, appearances at global symposia 
have laid a solid foundation for new generations pursuing genocide studies. 
That old adage, 'the pen is mightier than the sword' rings never truer than in 
describing the impact of Vahakn Dadrian's work in advancing the cause of the 
Armenian people."

Dadrian was born in Constantinople in 1926 and studied in Europe and the United 
States. Though a mathematician and sociologist by way of education, it was his 
passion for Armenian history that led him on a journey in pursuit of truth that 
has been credited with numerous awards, among them: the Movses Khorenatisi 
Medal (1998), the John Marshall Law School 100th Anniversary Lifetime 
Achievement medal (2000) the Veritas Gold Medal of Harvard University (2001), 
the International Association of Genocide Scholars Lifetime Achievement Award 
(2005), the U.S. Congress Medal of Esteem for Scholarship (2005); the St. Sahag 
and St. Mesrob Medal and Encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of 
All Armenians (2005),  and the President of the Republic Prize Gold Medal of 
Armenia (2009).
  
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
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www.agbu.org.