BRAINTREE, Mass.—Like all of us, Rose Babaian enjoys a good Armenian story. She’s found them in the pages of our local papers, clipping them out and preserving them forever inside her treasured scrapbook.
It’s been this way since the 1930’s and 1940’s—the heyday of the Armenian community in America—without ever missing a beat.
Only now, upon her 91st year, has the 400-page anthology seen new light, thanks to community activist/musician John Arzigian, who chairs the newly founded Armenian Friends of America, based in Merrimack Valley.
Arzigian found out about the scrapbook and made it a point to visit the woman 100 miles away from his New Hampshire home. Little did he realize that the book contained a story of his very own uncle.
“I’ve never been interviewed before,” beamed the affable Babaian upon meeting Arzigian for the first time. “And all because of my scrapbook.”
It’s more like an anthology with every iota of Armenian news to come across the valley. Births. Deaths. Society items. Sports heroes. Weddings and anniversaries. Military news. Academic achievements. Business tidbits. Even cartoons.
Babaian would sit at her table with newspapers she had collected and delve into each one, looking for Armenian names with their stories. Her scissors were ready to clip like a surgeon ready for an incision. Day by day, week by week, there was no shortage of news clippings.
Wedding bells were ringing for Dikran Seferian and Helen Karakashian. Charles Mooshian passed his First Class Petty Officer exam. Charles Hasekian was killed in action while serving as a pilot in the Canadian Royal Air Force. Holy Cross Armenian Church staged a production called, “The Black Soul.” Mr. and Mrs. Krikor Melian honored a 25th anniversary. Beatrice Takvorian got engaged.
Also included were Playbills containing Armenian names and commencement programs featuring Armenian graduates and honorees.
Susan Atamian, Rose’s niece, took the entire volume and had a copy made for Arzigian, who uploaded it to a flash drive to be viewed by some 330 guests during a dinner-dance in Haverhill on Oct. 11. Moreover, he had CDs made for each of the four Armenian churches in the area.
“I wanted to show this to the people of Merrimack Valley,” said Arzigian. “Rose gave me permission to include it all in a PowerPoint, and people are so anxious to explore the pages and see what life was like back two generations ago.”
Among those who nearly fell from his chair was Armen Bogosian, who noticed a wedding he had attended many moons ago.
“I know some of these people,” he reflected. “I can’t believe one woman did all this. It’s such a precious hobby she undertook.”
During their meeting, Arzigian took on the role of a journalist with a mission. He wanted to know how Rose got involved and the stories she harbored.
“It turned into a labor of love,” Arzigian pointed out. “What impressed Rose the most was all the stories about Armenians that were featured in the press at that time. A day didn’t go by when some Armenian wasn’t being publicized.”
Some were glued onto the pages. Others were Scotch-taped. Most all clips are browned with age and delicate to the touch. Thanks to Rose’s niece—and Arzigian—they’re enjoying new reading life.
Rose was born and raised in Lawrence, where she graduated high school in 1940. The scrapbooking began when she was a teen. She studied to become a hairdresser and sang in the choir at Holy Cross Church in Lawrence.
She married Khatchadoor Babaian in 1947 and they moved to Braintree, where they raised three children while operating a supermarket in nearby Whitman. Today, she’s blessed with seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“Whenever I saw an ‘ian’ after anybody’s name with a picture or story, I felt extremely proud,” she said. “You might say it’s a scrapbook for the ages.”
Tom Vartabedian
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