Articles by Tom Vartabedian

About Tom Vartabedian (773 Articles)

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.

Vartabedian: My Final Column

After a courageous battle with liver cancer, longtime Armenian Weekly columnist Tom Vartabedian passed away last night. Tom Vartabedian (Photo: WSJ) Vartabedian’s name is no stranger to the pages of the Armenian Weekly—he has volunteered his services as a columnist and correspondent with the [more...]

November 13, 2016 // 43 Comments

A Hat to Match Any Occasion

A man who loses his head at being angry or upset may be better off than most of us. He doesn’t have to worry about which hat to wear. A hat worn by Armenian adventurist Joe Dagdigian has certainly made the rounds My closet is full of them and I can’t seem to reduce the supply. At least 15 of [more...]

October 19, 2016 // 0 Comments

More Smiles Keep the Frowns Away

The other day, I found myself shuffling along Faneuil Hall in Boston, side-stepping the crowd that converged around a clown providing a comedy routine. I was feeling rather low this day. Maybe the bumper-to-bumper traffic had something to do with my disposition but it certainly could have been [more...]

October 12, 2016 // 0 Comments

Lowell Veterans Distribute $200,000 in Scholarships

LOWELL, Mass.—In a true testament to education and ethnicity, Sam Manoian Post 1, Lowell Armenian-American Veterans, achieved a couple very significant milestones Sept. 24 at its annual scholarship dinner-dance. Armenian-American Veterans of Lowell honored seven students this year. (L to R) [more...]

October 7, 2016 // 0 Comments

Richard Sarajian: New Jersey’s Man for All Seasons

Don’t go calling Richard Sarajian a community activist or anything of the sort…unless you want another point of view. To his fellow Armenians, constituents, religious and political pundits, he’s simply one involved Armenian doing his job, not playing the role. In retrospect, he’d rather [more...]

September 30, 2016 // 0 Comments

Vartabedian: A 7-Month Overview of Cancer

Here we are, at the seven-month stage of my cancer treatments, and I’m happy to report that I’m still reporting to my reading faithful. That is, I’m still able to post periodical updates of my condition and keep a stiff upper lip with this dreaded disease. Tom Vartabedian (Photo: WSJ) First [more...]

September 29, 2016 // 5 Comments

Vartabedian: Why We Love Our School Teachers

My favorite school teacher was not found in a gym, nor was it English, where I seemed to excel. Suppose if I wanted to be a journalist, I needed to make the grade here and not algebra. Math was never a strong point. But I couldn’t tell you who my best teachers were in English. I remember [more...]

September 22, 2016 // 3 Comments

Kushigian Still Getting Football Notice

The way Boston College football is going the past couple years, the Eagles could surely use a guy like Harry Kushigian, even in his mid-70’s. He still looks the part of that bruising lineman back more than half a century ago when he was playing his college ball at The Heights. What’s even more [more...]

September 19, 2016 // 0 Comments

Alashaians Keep AYF Olympic Name in the Forefront

What’s in a name? Plenty, especially if the name is Alashaian and you’re talking the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Olympics. It spans three generations and marks a crescendo when it comes to New Jersey-ites. Rosemary and Avo Alashaian at the 2016 AYF Olympics It spills over to church, the [more...]

September 16, 2016 // 0 Comments

2016 AYF Olympics: North Andover Wins First Ever Softball Game

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (A.W.)—You can label this the classic David & Goliath story. ‘The challenge was up to North Andover, a small community in Merrimack Valley which had never prevailed on the diamond—ever in its brief but storied past.’ (Photo: Tamar Kanarian) On one side, you [more...]

September 15, 2016 // 0 Comments

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