PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (E.)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 12, 2006
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IN MEMORIAM: HAIG ROY DADOURIAN
The Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America was deeply saddened by
the passing of Haig R. Dadourian on September 5, 2006. Among his many
distinguished services to the Armenian Church, Mr. Dadourian served for the
past nine years as chairman of the Diocesan Council, the highest
deliberative body of the Diocese.
What follows is the text of the eulogy delivered by Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, the Diocesan Primate, during the funeral service at St. Vartan
Armenian Cathedral, in New York City, on Monday, September 11, 2006.
* * *
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show his works by his good
life, in the humility of wisdom.. For where jealousy and selfish ambition
exist, there will be disorder and every evil work. But the wisdom from
above is first pure, then peaceable. It is gentle, and open to reason; full
of mercy and good fruits; without uncertainty or insincerity. The harvest
of righteousness is sown in peace, by those who make peace. (James 3:13,
16-18)
These words written by the Apostle James, the Brother of our Lord Jesus
Christ, have deep meaning for us today. We have gathered to pay our final
respects to an admired leader of our church; a dear friend; a beloved
brother; an irreplaceable husband, father and grandfather. And we are
keenly aware that when any man passes from this earth, his worldly
achievements–even when these are rare and impressive–seem of secondary
importance, and we are left with the question: What does this soul leave
behind?
For a man like Haig Dadourian, the answer is not hard to see. He was a man
of wisdom. A man of unselfish devotion. Above all, a man of peace. These
are the things we will remember when we think of him. These are the things
that inspired love in the hearts of his family–that made him a worthy
example to his fellow men. They are qualities of the human heart, soul, and
mind that God calls us to emulate.
Haig Dadourian was a true Christian throughout his life: a man who took
seriously the human obligation to walk humbly in the path of God. His days
on this good earth were spent helping others, dreaming of what could be, and
focusing his talents on realizing those dreams. In doing so, he became one
of the few individuals whose actions reach out beyond their immediate
circle, to affect the greater community, and lay a foundation for its
future.
Haig’s generation was perhaps the first that could truly be termed,
"Armenian-Americans." These were the people who, like Haig, were born and
bred in this great country; who felt fully native to its culture; who shared
America’s great ambitions, and felt duty-bound to serve it honorably. This
was the generation that built on the foundations laid by their immigrant
parents; whose members went to the best schools, became substantial figures
in the society at large, and brought a sense of grand aspiration to
everything they did. And the Armenian community reaped the benefit of these
movers and shakers.
As I said, Haig Dadourian was a member of this generation–and indeed, he
was, in the deepest sense, its most exemplary member, who reflected its
finest virtues, and realized its best possibilities. But he and his
brothers were also deeply influenced by the generation of their parents,
especially the figure of their father, Dadour Dadourian. Dadour was truly a
larger-than-life figure. His force of personality, his strength of
conviction, his ambitious vision for our church and community–these left an
indelible mark on everyone who met him. He left a profound legacy, and it
is not too much to say that our church would be very different today were it
not for this extraordinary man.
I should immediately add that the father’s most important legacy was that he
instilled his passion for the Armenian Church in his sons: most notably in
Haig and his elder brother, Alex. They would go on to become genuine
leaders of our church–not only for their home parishes in Bayside, New
York, and Livingston, New Jersey, but for the Armenian Church of America as
a whole.
Haig himself received a distinguished education, and as a businessman he was
second to none, heading with his brother the family business, and running
the family foundation. But from an early age–and especially in these later
years–it was the church that captured Haig’s imagination, and became the
focus of his creative efforts. As a young man he relished singing in the
church choir, and thereafter he kept the Armenian Divine Liturgy very close
to his heart. At the St. Mary parish in Livingston, he led the parish
council and served as a Diocesan delegate. He was also a teacher–and not
only of the younger generation, but a teacher to his peers as well.
In the last twenty years, Haig became more and more involved with the
leadership of the Diocese as a whole, becoming elected to the Diocesan
Council and serving for the past nine years as its chairman. As a leader at
this highest level, Haig was always eager to explore new ideas; he was
welcoming and even encouraging of different perspectives. He was also
resolute when it came time to make a decision. In his generosity, Haig was
willing to dispense advice, expertise, his valuable time–as well as the
financial resources of a great family–whenever called upon. As a personal
beneficiary of Haig’s counsel throughout my term as Primate, I am profoundly
grateful to have enjoyed the guidance, and shared the friendship, of such a
thoughtful, warm-hearted man.
Everyone who knew Haig could see that he was a leader of imagination and
vision. But I hope that people will always remember him as a man of
profound faith. That faith was the foundation of everything he accomplished
in life. I was impressed, over the many years of our friendship, that Haig
would always acknowledge the presence of God in his life–and in the world.
He felt strongly that the eyes of God were on each of us–that we were not
anonymous, aimless creatures, but rather the children of a Heavenly Father:
obligated to Him, and given an individual purpose to fulfill in this world.
To his credit, Haig never felt that this God-given purpose was a burden;
quite the opposite, he seemed to feel liberated and empowered by it, to give
of himself, to give to others, and to aspire to the higher things of life.
Hand-in-hand with his devotion to God was the pride Haig took in his
Armenian heritage. It gave him strength to realize what it meant to be a
son of the Armenian people: to have one’s roots in a distant and sometimes
troubled past; yet to be committed to a future of great light and hope and
optimism. As with other important parts of Haig’s life, his heritage was
something he wanted to share with others: with the community of fellow
Armenian-Americans; with his friends and colleagues in American society; and
first and foremost, with his own children.
As you would expect, his family-life was precious to Haig, and seeing the
love he felt for them, and the love he received in return, was beautiful to
behold. He married Astrid in 1958, and nearly 50 years later, they still
seem such a wonderful couple, so perfectly matched in their minds, hearts,
and souls. Together they raised three beautiful daughters–Leslie, Jeanine,
and Melanie–each with her own shining virtues; each of whom has upheld the
family legacy with honor, and love.
Haig also felt a powerful bond to his brothers. I was most familiar with
the relationship between Haig and his elder brother Alex, and I can say–as
a brother myself–that a rare and noble connection existed between them. It
is a fact of human existence that often, within a family, siblings can feel
a kind of rivalry between them. But not so, with the Dadourian brothers. I
have never seen even a hint of jealousy or competition between them. To the
contrary, Alex and Haig were always supportive and encouraging of each
other; deeply proud of each other’s accomplishments; eager to praise the
excellence of the other. Their relationship perfectly embodied the words of
Scripture (Ps 133): "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell
in unity!. For there the Lord has commanded His blessing: Life for
evermore."
Of course, love may be immortal; but life–on this earth–comes to its
natural end. And so it was for Haig. These last two years, and especially
these final weeks, were difficult ones–more for Haig’s family, perhaps,
than for himself. It was my privilege to spend time with that family
throughout this period, and especially during these last weeks. What I
observed in the Dadourian family was courage, grace, love, and above all,
faith in the greater designs of God. And I think that all the family would
agree that the one who set the tone for this attitude was Haig himself. He
was not the kind of man to retreat into despair–even in these most trying
circumstances–and he fought, with grace and dignity, to the end. I was
with him ten days before he died, when it had become clear that these would
be his final days. Yet even then, Haig’s thoughts were only for others: for
family and loved ones, and for the church, which he regretted he would no
longer be able to serve.
Certainly, it is true that we will never again feel the presence of Haig’s
personality, enjoy his gentle smile or hear his warm laughter. The Armenian
Church has lost a beloved and irreplaceable son. And yet it is also true
that Haig’s service to our Lord has not ended. Because the example he held
up for others to see cannot end. I am taken by the fact that today’s
date–September 11th–has acquired a distinct and ominous meaning for our
generation. Five years ago today, this city witnessed an evil of enormous
proportions, performed by men whose only motivation was to hate and destroy.
It makes our gathering today all the more significant, I feel. For Haig
Dadourian was a man whose very life exemplified another way: a different
vision for mankind–a "wisdom from above." The fact that there are men like
Haig Dadourian among us redeems the tragedies and iniquities of the world,
and gives us a reason to defend life and its blessings against the darkness.
In the words of St. James: "The harvest of righteousness is sown in peace,
by those who make peace."
To Haig’s dear wife, Astrid; to his children Leslie, Jeanine, Melanie and
their families; to his grandchildren Aram, Steven, Matthew, and Nina; to his
brothers and family members; to his friends, colleagues and all his loved
ones, I extend my deepest prayers of sympathy and hope. May God be with you
all; and may our Almighty Creator keep Haig Dadourian in His holy presence,
until we are all re-united in God’s eternal kingdom. Amen.
–9/12/06