Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY MOURNS LOSS OF LEADING ARMENIAN ISSUES SUPPORTER
SARKIS ACOPIAN
Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly deeply mourns the loss of Sarkis
Acopian, a longtime supporter and respected leader within the Armenian
community, who passed away on January 18 in Easton, Pennsylvania.
"Mr. Acopian was a distinguished community leader and we will always
remember and admire him for his commitment and dedication to Armenia,
especially his generous assistance during the Assembly’s earthquake
relief efforts in the late 1980s," said Board of Trustees Chairman
Hirair Hovnanian. "We extend our condolences to his family."
Following the devastating earthquake in 1988, Acopian donated over $1
million towards to the Assembly’s earthquake relief efforts. The
following year, he led an Assembly delegation to Armenia aboard his
corporate plane to discuss earthquake rehabilitation efforts. The
delegation, which included then Board of Directors Chairman Jirair
Haratunian and Board Members Robert A. Kaloosdian and Milton Gelenian,
conferred with government officials and health and immigration officials
to determine, among other things, the scope of post-earthquake medical
needs. The group also toured the future site of the Assembly’s housing
construction factory in Gyumri, which was established to provide
construction materials for housing units and public facilities in the
earthquake zone.
The Assembly delegation was also the first Diaspora group to meet with
the leaders of the Karabakh Committee, whose members eventually became
part of Nagorno Karabakh’s first government.
Acopian was a very modest and civic-minded individual who believed in
giving back to society. In addition to the Assembly, he made numerous
donations to national and international causes including, The Acopian
Engineering Center at Lafayette College, the Acopian Center for
Conservation Learning at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Acopian Center
for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College.
In his ancestral home, Acopian built the St. Hagop Armenian Church in
Gyumri in honor of his granddaughter Ani. A second church, St. Mesrob,
is currently under construction in Erebuni. Acopian also endowed the
environmental education program at the American University of Armenia
and assembled a team of ornithologists in Armenia and the U.S. to work
towards publishing a field guide on the birds of Armenia. The book,
entitled "A Field Guide to Birds of Armenia," was published in 1997 in
hopes of introducing the newly independent former Soviet republic to the
idea of environmental conservation.
His sense of gratitude to his adopted country also played a major part
in the construction of the St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in
Charlotte, North Carolina in memory of his mother, Dr. Arax Acopian. In
the nation’s capital, Acopian gave the single largest personal donation
for the construction of the World War II Memorial with a gift of $1
million. He also made a major gift to the Clark University
Kaloosdian/Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies and History.
Acopian’s family members also share his commitment to Armenia and
Armenian-American issues. His son Jeff and his wife Helen were among the
first participants of the Assembly’s Mission to Armenia. Their nephew,
Alex Karapetian, carried on his family’s commitment to the Armenian
cause by serving as the Assembly’s Grassroots Assistant Director in
Washington. Earlier Karapetian participated in the Terjenian-Thomas
Assembly Internship Program at the encouragement of the Acopian family.
Born in Tabriz, Iran in 1926, Acopian came to the United States in 1945
to study engineering at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. After earning
his degree, he designed and manufactured the first ever solar radio
which eventually led him to establish Acopian Technical Company, a
successful power supply business which continues to operate in his
hometown and Melbourne, Florida.
Acopian is survived by his wife of 59 years, Bobbye; two sons: Greg and
his wife Karen, and Jeff and his wife Helen; six grandchildren and two
great grandchildren. He is also survived by a younger sister Mariam
Bradley of Plainview, NY and predeceased by his parents Dr. Grigor and
Dr. Arax Acopian and by a sister, Eleanora Ordjanian of Flushing, New
York.
Funeral services will be held at noon on Friday, January 26th at St.
Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City followed by a graveside
service at 11:30 am on Saturday, January 27 at Easton Cemetery. Flowers
may be sent to the church or memorials may be made to an organization of
choice.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR#2007-015
Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:
/2007-015-1.jpg
Caption: Mr. Sarkis Acopian of Easton, Pennsylvania