WATERTOWN, Mass.—If you’re searching for a formula to create the consummate volunteer, try this.
Take a man well into his 70s, happily retired, still energetic, looking to give something tangible back to the Armenian community.
So he hooks up with the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA), spends 22 years there, and now—at the ripe age of 77—takes to the road with a traveling exhibit on the Armenian Legion.
Such an individual is Arakel Almasian who still spends up to 30 hours a week at that facility, doing whatever he can to turn it into such a viable organization. That’s not counting what he does at home.
There by his side is Lillian, his wife of 56 years, who also joins the tour and pitches in wherever she can. Together, they’re full of life and giving geriatrics a bad name.
Included in their itinerary was a visit to St. Gregory Church in North Andover where they addressed an AVAK luncheon crowd. Like the subject of his mission, Arakel remains a modern-day legionnaire or gamavor as the term suggests.
“It makes me want to cry when I think of the hundreds who left this country and other places around the world to go fight for Armenia,” he says. “Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice when they could have enjoyed a life of freedom and security. They have earned their place among the other brave souls who fought against tyranny and injustice. This exhibit is dedicated to their memory—a testament of their love for their native land.”
If Arakel shows a deep-rooted sense of emotion, it’s warranted. He’s worked six years on the gamavor project after retiring from Polaroid. Being into antiques, he went to an auction and stumbled upon a charger that was excavated in the Middle East.
He took the relic to ALMA for an appraisal and wound up donating it. The rest is academic as they say. He was so impressed with the facility, he decided to stay—a passion that’s extended over two decades and remains just as strong today as the day he first set foot at 65 Main St.
The Gamavors represents his first project and was made possible through a grant from K. George and Carolann S. Najarian, MD Foundation, with additional support from the Armenian-American Veterans of Milford. Others who were instrumental in seeing it through were Dr. Barbara Merguerian and Ardemis Matteosian.
Others who were instrumental in seeing it through were Haig Der Manuelian and Elizabeth Kenoian, but it was Arakel who initiated the lion’s share of the work.
“He’s so dedicated that if I call ALMA, I know where he is,” said Lillian. “In that regard, we share a similar passion with the work that goes on there. It’s really indispensible.”
Collecting 400 images from throughout the country and mounting them dutifully on boards is no easy matter. Lillian handles the typing chores and other incidentals that go into completing the exhibit.
The end result was 25 panels that have made the rounds from Fresno to Whitinsville, where Arakel was raised. Racine and Ann Arbor were other destination points. You’ve got to commend ALMA for taking a mission that had literally faded into oblivion and reviving it through such a traveling show.
“Through word of mouth and networking, we came up with a thousand names of gamavors,” he pointed out. “Those are what we know about. There could easily be another thousand out there we don’t know about. We broke them up by community and it’s amazing to see the impact that’s being made from this. People are giving us photographs. Even the non-Armenians are engrossed by it.”
It all started one day when a woman walked into ALMA with a small collection of prints. She set them up in a tiny room downstairs. Before long, it took up the first floor.
Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire were represented by 112 gamavors as the stories continue to manifest themselves.
Dikranouhi Krikorian was one of 40 Armenian women who served as a soldier along with other volunteers who were said to “meet hardship as well as the men.”
At the age of 11, she saw her entire family killed by the Ottoman Turks. She was spared being sold at an auction, managed to escape and, dressed as a boy, enlisted and fought against the Turks.
“When our grandparents and parents came to America, they had very little they could salvage in tangible goods,” said Arakel. “What they did salvage was their dignity, their heritage. These gamavors were modest to a fault and never talked about it. They are the unsung heroes in our midst.”
In his research, Arakel was surprised to find out that his cousin Harout Almasian from Troy, N.Y., and Michigan, originally from Sevas, was a gamavor.
While Arakel personifies his role as an ALMA trustee, Lillian also involves herself with the Armenian Nursing Home in Jamaica Plain, Mass., as a board member and also with the Armenian Women’s Welfare Association.
Together, they have three children and five grandchildren, including a 17-year-old who also volunteers her time and energy at ALMA and brings along her friends.
Their efforts have not been in vain.
Tom Vartabedian
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I would like to get in touch with Arakel Almasian regarding he and his wife’s excellent work on the Armenian Legionnaires. Is there an email associated with his work at the Library and Museum that you could share with me?
Message to John — If you log onto the ALMA website, you will find an e-mail address in which to contact the Almasians. Thanks for your comments. Tom Vartabedian
I would like to get in contact with Tom Vartabedian. My uncle, Kenneth Maloomi,,n was one the 3 young men in the picture (right). My uncle is no longer with us and we all miss him dearly. I wish to thank Mr. Vartabedian for relating this amazing experience to our family and other Armenians.
Es hay em, H’bard em! Shenorhalkalem.