For well over a century, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) has enjoyed the support of tens of thousands of members and volunteers in carrying out its mission. Eight of its members, along with three individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service to Armenia, were honored during the AGBU’s 87th General Assembly, which took place in Armenia on Sat., Oct. 20. In attendance were Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan, and His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as the AGBU’s leadership and delegates from around the world.
AGBU Medal
For their outstanding services rendered to the homeland, Gabriel Djambardji, Smpad Lpudyan, and Ralph Yirikian were recognized with the AGBU Medal.
As a noted philanthropist and the president of the Pyunik Foundation, which focuses on education in Armenia, Gabriel Djambardji has contributed generously to various projects in the homeland, including financial assistance to schools to modernize their facilities and to the recent refurbishment of the Matenadaran. He and his wife Kohar, who are Syrian diasporans, have also been generous patrons of their local community, as well as of various religious endeavors within the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Smpad Lpudyan, who holds the world’s highest chess title of Grandmaster, has used his expertise for years to cultivate the talents of Armenian youth and ensure that Armenia maintains its strong foothold in the world of chess. As the vice-president of the Armenian Chess Federation, which is headed by President Serge Sarkisian, he cooperates closely with AGBU to organize the annual Interschool Republican Chess Tournament, which brings together over 5,000 students from Armenia, Karabakh, and the Armenian schools in the Javakhk region of Georgia, many of whom have followed in his footsteps, rising to the professional level.
Ralph Yirikian, a Lebanese diasporan and General Manager of one of Armenia’s largest companies, Viva-Cell-MTS, is dedicated to advancing Armenia’s wellbeing through corporate social responsibility initiatives. Viva-Cell is often recognized as a leader in sponsoring social and educational programs and events. Yirikian has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Shield from the president of Lebanon, the Movses Khorenatsi Medal from the president of the Republic of Armenia, and the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Medal from His Holiness Karekin II.
AGBU Honor Membership
The Central Board also bestowed upon five of its longstanding members the status of the AGBU Honor Member for their staunch dedication in perpetuating the organization’s mission: Jacques and Florine Deyirmendjian, Denis Ketchedjian, Panos Titizian, and Sona Yacoubian.
For four decades, Mr. and Mrs. Jacques and Florine Deyirmendjian of Paris, France, have worked tirelessly in the French-Armenian community and have committed themselves to serving the AGBU. Deyirmendjian holds degrees from France’s most important grandes écoles, the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Economique, and the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique de Paris. He has held important leadership posts at Gaz de France SA, one of the country’s top energy companies, and currently serves as president of Deynergies, a joint stock company, which he founded. He has served the AGBU in various positions. When he first joined, he was the chair of UGAB Jeunes, the organization’s French youth group. He later went on to become the Paris Chapter chair and also served on the France District Committee. In addition, Deyirmendjian has been bestowed with the order of knighthood in both France and Germany. Mrs. Deyirmendjian, a CPA and a graduate of the School of Management of Lyon, serves on the Paris Chapter Committee and has been active within the local AGBU Alex Manoogian Center, which offers courses in language and culture to scores of youth and adults.
Another French-Armenian to receive the honorary membership was Denis Ketchedjian, who served as the France District chairman from 2002-08. Most notably, he oversaw in 2006 the four-day AGBU Centennial Celebrations, which culminated with a gala at Versailles. A prominent lawyer who, for decades, also contributed his services as the organization’s counsel in France, he is currently the secretary general of the AGBU France District.
Panos Titizian, a noted community leader and activist, who is a pharmacist by profession and a graduate of the American University of Beirut, was bestowed with the AGBU Honor Membership, as well as the Outstanding AGBU Volunteer Medal. Titizian has been an AGBU member for more than eight decades, over the course of which he has used his talents as a strategist to benefit the organization, particularly throughout Lebanon’s civil war. He served for many years on both the Education and District Committees of Lebanon, and continues today to serve the organization from Southern California, attending to special assignments.
Sona Yacoubian is the founder of AGBU Hye Geen, an initiative established in 1994 and dedicated to the promotion of the rights and wellbeing of Armenian women. In 2002, under her leadership, Hye Geen established the first of its five Pregnant Women’s Centers in response to Armenia’s rising infant mortality rates and the country’s general decline in maternal health.
To date, the AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Centers have helped deliver over 800 healthy babies. In addition to its Armenia-based initiatives, Hye Geen’s activities in California raise awareness of a host on issues that affect the broader Armenian community, including its annual Interdisciplinary Conference, which is organized in collaboration with local universities.
AGBU President’s Award
AGBU President Berge Setrakian also granted the AGBU President’s Award to three current and former AGBU chairs who have demonstrated distinct leadership and have dedicated many years to the organization: Sofia Chapter Chair Sonia Avakian-Bedrossian, Plovdiv Chapter Chair Roupen Chavoushian, and former Montevideo Chapter Chair Gustavo Zulamian.
Instrumental in reviving the AGBU’s activities in Sofia in the post-Communism years, Sonia Avakian-Bedrossian has been the chapter chair for over a decade. A true leader with a creative mind and a vision to attract the new generation, she energized the chapter’s base through various activities and programs, in particular the Mothers’ Committee and the Nur Dance Ensemble. She was also responsible for initiating Camp Unger, a chapter program designed to bond AGBU Sofia’s youngest members, and most recently, in collaboration with the AGBU Plovdiv Chapter, for initiating Camp Hayler, which unites youth from across Bulgaria. In 2007, she established the AGBU Sofia Chamber Orchestra, which consistently draws scores of Armenian and non-Armenian music lovers alike to several concerts each year, and in 2004 organized the XVII AGBU World Games, which brought together over 250 young Armenian athletes from five continents to the Bulgarian seaside town of Albena for a week of sports competitions and social events.
Roupen Chavoushian was one of the key individuals who re-established the Plovdiv Chapter after the fall of communism. He has played a great role in perpetuating the Armenian heritage in the city, which is home to the country’s largest Armenian population. As the current and longtime chair of the AGBU Plovdiv Chapter, he administers a number of associated chapters in Burgas, Dobrich, Haskovo, Russe, Silistra, Sliven, and Yambol, and initiated AGBU Saturday Schools in each of these towns, ensuring the organization’s strong presence across the country. He also established the Plovdiv Chapter’s Saturday School Theater Group, which won first place in Yerevan’s 2011 Pomegranate Seed Theater Festival. On a bimonthly basis, over 800 readers receive the publication “AGBU Voice,” which Chavoushian founded. His numerous contributions to the town’s community were recently acknowledged with a medal awarded by the mayor of Plovdiv.
Dr. Gustavo Zulamian is considered one of the AGBU’s most talented young leaders in South America. He has served as the general secretary of the AGBU Montevideo board and as both the chair of the Montevideo Chapter and the AGBU Nubarian-Manoogian School, of which he is an alumnus, all while maintaining a dentistry practice. He has been involved with the organization since childhood; as a young athlete, he brought his active involvement to the chapter’s Liga de Jóvenes (Youth League) and South American Regional Games. More recently, he has dedicated himself to the arts and media, serving as editor of the monthly magazine “Hai Endanik” (Armenian Family), which covers Armenian issues. He continues to assume special assignments on behalf of the organization.
For more information about the AGBU and its worldwide programs, visit www.agbu.org.
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