Armenian History

I've been determined to go to Fresno for a long time. When I was younger, I used to browse through shipping labels at swap meets, and came across beautifully designed orange and peach labels from forever ago that hailed from the San Joaquin Valley. It was probably at that point that my curiosity about the mysterious "middle" of our state solidified. What was this place that provided an entire country's bounty of fruits and vegetables? Who lived there, and why didn't I know anything about it?

On a Saturday morning in a brightly lit classroom at the Burbank Adult School, a group of students are practicing their language skills. Except it's not English they're learning. It's not even Spanish. It's Armenian. Though its Western counterpart has been on an UNESCO endangered language list for a few years, there seems to be a demand for Armenian-language skills in Southern California, a mecca for the Armenian diaspora that has settled more steadily in the area over four decades.

Fewer Armenian Americans are speaking the language of their native country, eroding the ability of the diaspora to preserve its culture, according to an expert at UCLA who addressed a conference organized at the Central Library on Saturday. Since 1970, the use of the Armenian language has decreased dramatically in all areas of diasporan life, including weddings, baptisms, schools and newspapers, said Hagop Gulludjian, a lecturer of Armenian studies at UCLA. Language is key to the survival of ethnic identity, particularly because the Armenian diaspora appears to be permanent, he added.

Ryan Carter It's not far from Glendale's main library, but the collection of books on the second floor of the Armenian Society of Los Angeles is a main library in itself. On a typical Saturday, the classroom- sized single room is packed and flowing with conversation. Retired scholars, composers, teachers and university professors gather around a rectangular table surrounded by Armenian texts, discussing everything from art to Armenian history. As they contemplate current affairs and the past, students from the Armenian Saturday School -- also held in the building -- scamper in and out, looking for reference books on the shelves.

Gary Moskowitz A few thousand people are expected at Verdugo Park this weekend for the fourth annual Armenian Independence Day Festival, an event designed for people of all ages. The festival will be from 11 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Verdugo Park, 1621 Canada Blvd. The event is free and open to the public. The event, which will celebrate the 11th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the former Soviet Union, is sponsored by the Nor Serount Cultural Assn.

As Aline Bezdikian’s children have matured, so have the topics of her children’s books. Bezdikian wrote her first children’s book in Armenian in 1999, when her daughter Lori was 4. That book, “Lori and the Rosebud,” was geared toward 5- and 6-year-olds, and grew out of what Bezdikian regarded as a dearth of contemporary books in Armenian for children. In December, Bezdikian published her sixth book, “Letters to Dikran the Great,” which is suited to young readers closer in age to her son Nareg, who is 9, and daughter Lori, now 12. Bezdikian’s books have evolved as her children have grown, she said, because they are the primary inspiration for what she writes.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- It was an opportunity for those who work to gain recognition for the Armenian community to enjoy a little recognition for themselves. The Western Region of the Armenian National Committee presented its top awards this weekend to two men who have worked to increase awareness about Armenian history, culture and issues. A crowd of more than 600 people, including several political figures, turned out to the ANC annual banquet in Encino on Sunday to see filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian receive the Man of the Year 2000 award and former committee chairman Mourad Topalian accept the Freedom Award 2000, officials said.

Have you ever been in Glendale Chess Park? I never imagined that a passageway between two retail stores on 227 N. Brand Blvd. could be a chess park. The idea of using 4,200 square feet to build a place for members of a chess club is brilliant. I have read two letters from chess players’ perspectives complaining about the disadvantages of the place (“Chess Park idea good, execution poor,” July 4). Some of them are true statements, some are not. For example, it is true that the park is inconvenient for people who need restrooms and water fountains.

WENDY GROVE Glendale Community College has three study-abroad trips scheduled for the coming summer session. One destination is Spain, where students will learn Spanish and culture in Madrid. Conversational Spanish (Spanish 110), international field studies and music appreciation (Music 120) will be the courses offered. The instructors will meet with students June 9 through 13 before leaving for one month in Spain beginning June 14. The cost is $3,945.

An invitation to a recent Armenian fundraiser prompted me to support another charitable organization that has had a long history with the diaspora communities around the world and the North American continent. The Armenian Missionary Assn. of America held its annual fundraiser for its orphan and child-care committees on May 6. More than 100 socially conscious individuals of Armenian descent attended the event to support this significant cause. This event was like many other Armenian- based social functions I have attended.

I've been determined to go to Fresno for a long time. When I was younger, I used to browse through shipping labels at swap meets, and came across beautifully designed orange and peach labels from forever ago that hailed from the San Joaquin Valley. It was probably at that point that my curiosity about the mysterious "middle" of our state solidified. What was this place that provided an entire country's bounty of fruits and vegetables? Who lived there, and why didn't I know anything about it?

On a Saturday morning in a brightly lit classroom at the Burbank Adult School, a group of students are practicing their language skills. Except it's not English they're learning. It's not even Spanish. It's Armenian. Though its Western counterpart has been on an UNESCO endangered language list for a few years, there seems to be a demand for Armenian-language skills in Southern California, a mecca for the Armenian diaspora that has settled more steadily in the area over four decades.

Fewer Armenian Americans are speaking the language of their native country, eroding the ability of the diaspora to preserve its culture, according to an expert at UCLA who addressed a conference organized at the Central Library on Saturday. Since 1970, the use of the Armenian language has decreased dramatically in all areas of diasporan life, including weddings, baptisms, schools and newspapers, said Hagop Gulludjian, a lecturer of Armenian studies at UCLA. Language is key to the survival of ethnic identity, particularly because the Armenian diaspora appears to be permanent, he added.

Last week the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23 to 22 to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution (“Genocide bill moves through committee,” March 5). Several of those on the committee who opposed the resolution couldn’t understand why they should bother debating something that happened nearly 100 years ago, as if Armenian history were not important enough to be recorded with dignity. Those same representatives would never have dared suggest that the Holocaust should be erased from history, and I wonder why they don’t fathom the connecting relationship of those two genocides.

Have you ever been in Glendale Chess Park? I never imagined that a passageway between two retail stores on 227 N. Brand Blvd. could be a chess park. The idea of using 4,200 square feet to build a place for members of a chess club is brilliant. I have read two letters from chess players’ perspectives complaining about the disadvantages of the place (“Chess Park idea good, execution poor,” July 4). Some of them are true statements, some are not. For example, it is true that the park is inconvenient for people who need restrooms and water fountains.

As Aline Bezdikian’s children have matured, so have the topics of her children’s books. Bezdikian wrote her first children’s book in Armenian in 1999, when her daughter Lori was 4. That book, “Lori and the Rosebud,” was geared toward 5- and 6-year-olds, and grew out of what Bezdikian regarded as a dearth of contemporary books in Armenian for children. In December, Bezdikian published her sixth book, “Letters to Dikran the Great,” which is suited to young readers closer in age to her son Nareg, who is 9, and daughter Lori, now 12. Bezdikian’s books have evolved as her children have grown, she said, because they are the primary inspiration for what she writes.

Armenian Christian faithful celebrated the birth of Christ on Sunday morning with prayer and blessings for the new year at St. Peter Armenian Church, and a show for children at the Alex Theatre in the evening. Dozens of parishioners came to worship and take part in a Mass and sermon at the church, which provided the faithful with a message of hope. The service also highlighted the traditions of the holiday. “Today’s service was one that brought all of us together,” Father Vazken Movsesian, said in Armenian and English.

CITY HALL — A clear message of support for a pending U.S. House resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide sailed through the City Council on Tuesday in a vote that was just as much about local healing as it was to add to a national voice. For a City Council that traditionally avoids national issues, Tuesday night’s unanimous approval of the resolution was not unlike the resolution passed in 2005 urging Congress to adopt that year’s genocide bill and was a clear affirmation that the city would continue to support one of its largest ethnic constituencies.

An invitation to a recent Armenian fundraiser prompted me to support another charitable organization that has had a long history with the diaspora communities around the world and the North American continent. The Armenian Missionary Assn. of America held its annual fundraiser for its orphan and child-care committees on May 6. More than 100 socially conscious individuals of Armenian descent attended the event to support this significant cause. This event was like many other Armenian- based social functions I have attended.

Jackson Bell Tanya Terzian wanted to do her part to make sure the Armenian Genocide will never be forgotten and to seek justice for those slain. The Glendale High School senior joined other students and acted out a poem about redemption for her people during a commemoration ceremony Thursday in her school's auditorium. "It's my job to get my voice heard as a young Armenian so that we still live on and, no matter what happens, we'll always go on," said Terzian, 18. Nearly 600 students, family members and school faculty gathered Thursday night in the auditorium to observe the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.