PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND SAYS GOODBYE TO BELOVED TRAILBLAZER ALBERT GAYZAGIAN
Watertown TAB & Press
Jan 26, 2010
Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind
Albert Gayzagian, 80, died Jan. 18, 2010. Here he is on the Perkins
School for the Blind with a Braille reader and his sight dog.
By Perkins School for the Blind Wicked Local Watertown
Posted Jan 26, 2010 @ 06:54 PM WATERTOWN –
tion/x985824204/Perkins-School-for-the-Blind-says- goodbye-to-beloved-trailblazer-Albert-Gayzagian
L ast Monday morning, distinguished Watertown resident Albert
Gayzagian,80, died. He was an alumnus of Perkins School for the
Blind and Watertown High School, a Perkins trustee since 1976, alumni
association leader, and mentor to the school leadership.
Perkins President Steven Rothstein said of Gayzagian, "A great friend,
Al was a remarkable trailblazer. He was a role model for so many others
and created opportunities for many in our society. Al was talking about
adaptive technology more than a decade ago, and until just recently,
he was still advising Perkins Products on new developments."
Al is survived by his children, Cindy and Michael.
Al attended Perkins from 1931 through the eighth grade, then
transferred and earned a diploma from Watertown High School. A Phi
Beta Kappa at Harvard, he obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s in
English. He tried in vain to get a job commensurate with his skills and
talents, and then sought any job at all. Three years after graduating
from Harvard, Al applied for work at John Hancock Insurance. They
gave him a job transcribing Dictaphone tapes.
In 39 years at John Hancock, he rose from typist to senior financial
officer. In a 2008 Forbes.com article, Al noted, "Here I was, the
Harvard grad, graduating with honors, and the best I could do was
an entry-level typist… Some people figured that’s demeaning. In
one sense maybe it is. But I figured, if I could get in the door,
I could show them what I could do." He retired in 1991.
Al and his late wife Betty, also a Perkins alumna, became the first
Massachusetts blind couple to adopt a sighted child. They adopted two
children, Cindy and Michael, both African- American, and they had to
take the State of Massachusetts to court to do it.
Al wrote books on computers, received numerous awards, and held
leadership roles in many civic organizations.
Classmates and colleagues recall Al’s spunk, independence and jovial
nature. When Al became president of the Perkins Alumni Association,
it was he who persuaded the school’s director to allow a cocktail
party during the annual alumni weekend – a first!
Besides being a valued executive leader in his professional life,
Al never tired in his leadership on behalf of the blindness community.
Not only did he serve Perkins in many ways, but he was also member
of the boards of MAB (formerly Mass Association for the Blind) and
National Braille Press and was active in the Bay State Council of
the Blind. He served Watertown in many capacities as well in his
involvement in other civic organizations.
Al fought a brave battle and maintained his positive spirit through
the past months of medical challenges.
During a recent visit from Perkins staffers at the Wingate at Brighton
Rehab Center, Al told tales of his school days and revisited memories
of skating on Perkins Pond. Just last April he shared the following
anecdote: "The pond was a place that gave us such a sense of freedom
whether in the boat or on the frozen water. It was a great time to
enhance my skating skills, though it never would have bothered Bobby
Orr. It’s almost an iconic kind of thing. People have to believe that
the kids [who are blind] can handle this kind of stuff."
The wake and the memorial service was held at his church, Armenian
Memorial Church, on Jan. 21.