OCTOBER 17, 2015 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVI, NO. 14, Issue 4408 $ 2.00 NEWS INBRIEF The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 COMMUNIQUÉ Sargisian Sets Date for Arshag Dickranian School in LA Concludes Its Mission Referendum YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenian President Serge It is a sign of the times that any project or mission in the dias- Central Board, continuing to act within the framework of its Sargisian signed a decree last week setting pora tasked to preserve the Armenian heritage gradually will mission, will maintain its sponsorship of Tekeyan schools in December 6 as the date for the country’s referen- face harder challenges, the school mission being perhaps the Lebanon, Armenia and Artsakh, as well as pursue its other edu- dum to change the constitution in order to estab- most taxing one among them. cational and cultural programs. lish a parliamentary republic. In 1981, encouraged by the leadership and the generosity of Sargisian made the move on October 8, days the late benefactor Arshag Dickranian, the Tekeyan Cultural Grateful Acknowledgements after parliament voted on October 5 to hold such a Association (TCA) embarked on an educational mission by lay- Whereas the Tekeyan Cultural Association of the US and referendum. ing the foundation of the Arshag Dickranian School in Canada, for the past 34 years, has dedicated a very large pro- According to the proposed changes, presidential Hollywood, Calif. Over time, the school expanded to become a portion of its human and financial resources to the founding, powers will be transferred to the parliament and K-12 educational institution, serving generations of students by development and maintenance of the Arshag Dickranian School the president will no longer be elected via a direct offering a solid academic program along with a core curriculum at this critical juncture of our educational mission, we feel duty- vote of the people but rather by parliament. of Armenian Studies. Today, over 500 graduates look back bound to gratefully acknowledge and express our heart- The presidential term would also be extended with pride on the instruction, care and inspiration felt appreciation to the individuals and institutions from five to seven years. which the school provided them. It also helped which supported the operation of the TCA Opposition activists say the reforms are a ruse to them to become responsible and productive Arshag Dickranian School. Our thanks and let Sargisian slip into an enhanced prime minister- citizens and members of our community. appreciation particularly go to: ial role at the head of the ruling Republican Party The combination of the efforts of the far- •The members of the School Board of after his presidential term ends in 2018. sighted school board and the dedicated Trustees, who shouldered the heaviest bur- professional faculty and administration, den in steering the day-to-day operations of compounded with the care and love of the the school for 34 years. Michel Legrand and families, created a dynamic and successful •The past and present members of the Friends Honor school for decades. administration and faculty for maintaining However, during recent years, demograph- the high academic level of the school’s pro- Genocide Victims ic changes in the area where the school is locat- grams and for inspiring the students with pride ed, combined with the alarming scarcity of fund- in their Armenian heritage. PARIS (Armenpress) — A special concert dedicated ing resources, negatively impacted the mission of the •The parents, for entrusting their children to the to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the school. Community-wide appeals by the school’s Board of school, and supporting it unconditionally throughout its his- Holocaust, was given under the auspices of French- Trustees and good-faith efforts by the TCA Central Board tory. Armenian singer Charles Aznavour. The event, proved to be insufficient to continue the operation of the school •The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, under the titled “You Are My Brother” was held in Paris on at the level of academic performance which the parents had leadership of Archbishops Vatche Hovsepian and Hovnan October 12 at the Folies Bergère hall. come to expect from the school. Derderian, for lending their unwavering support and for confer- The special evening was dedicated to Armenian- In consultation with the School Board and prominent com- ring the auspices of the Diocese to the school. Jewish fraternity. Opening speeches were given munity leaders, the TCA Central Board realized that it had no •A long list of individual benefactors for providing the before the concert started and Charles Aznavour’s other choice but to terminate the operation of the school. On resources and support without which the school could not have greeting was shown on the screen. Legendary com- June 30, 2015, the TCA closed the school with a heavy heart. existed. The TCA Central Board, families, graduates and stu- poser and pianist Michel Legrand with his son The closure of the Dickranian School is not a unique phenom- dents will bear in their minds and hearts the contributions and Benjamin, pianist, singer Gilbert Montanye, singer enon in the diaspora, where the same fate has befallen several the memory of the late benefactor Arshag Dickranian, whose Enrico Macias, producer André Manoukian, duduk other schools already. family continued the tradition of giving until the last day the player Lévon Minassian and others took part in the With the utmost sense of its fiduciary responsibility, the school was in operation. concert. Central Board was duty-bound to judiciously preserve its • The Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Gulbenkian decades-long investment. Consequently, with the advice and the Foundation, the Lincy Foundation and the George Ignatius Oxford Exhibits participation of competent real estate experts, the property on Foundation for their continued annual contributions through 1200 Cahuenga Blvd., was disposed of at the highest possible the years. Armenian Manuscripts market value. All the above-mentioned individuals, organizations and foun- The closure of the Dickranian School does not terminate the dations made history through their conscientious contributions OXFORD, UK (Armenpress) — The second oldest educational mission of our organization. Soon a task force will to the school and deserve our sincere gratitude. library of the world, the Bodleian Libraries of be charged with conducting a feasibility study and coming up Oxford University, for the first time exhibits its col- with a series of recommendations for investments in education- Tekeyan Cultural Association Central Board of Directors lection of rare Armenian manuscripts. al projects with viable and sustainable potentials in various October 8, 2015 The exhibition, titled “Armenia: Masterpieces Southern Californian communities. In the meantime, the TCA Boston, Mass. from an Enduring Culture,” is dedicated to the 2,500 years of Armenia history. In honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the library displays more than 100 items spanning more than 2,000 years of cultural history: Team Coco Lands in Armenia from King Tigranes II the Great’s coins minted in the first century BCE, through sumptuously and Conan O’Brien and Assistant Visit Her more modestly decorated manuscripts from the Ancestral Homeland Middle Ages, to the treasured objects of survivors of the 1915 genocide. LOS ANGELES (Combined sources) — Conan O’Brien is on the The exhibition is open from October 23 to road again, this time journeying to Armenia in the latest of a series February 28, 2016. of ongoing efforts to mix up his TV routine. The results of O’Brien’s sojourn to the country, believed to have commenced on Sunday, are slat- ed for broadcast INSIDE on Time W a r n e r ’ s TBS on Tuesday, November 10, at Frankfurt 11 p.m. and will TCA Meets in Montreal be available a The Tekeyan Cultural Association of the US day later across and Canada held its 34th annual represen- Books digital and tative assembly in Montreal from October 9 mobile venues Page 3 operated by the to 12. Aside from meetings, events included network and a special banquet and program celebrating O’Brien’s Team the 40th anniversary of the Montreal week- ly newspaper Abaka, a requiem service for Conan O’Brien with his assistant, Sona Coco outlets. INDEX Movsesian at Garni, Armenia Sona Movsesian, Vahan Tekeyan and all deceased Tekeyan Arts and Living . 10 O’Brien’s long- members, and book presentations. The del- Armenia . 2 time assistant egates are depicted in the above photo- Community News. 4 who is of Armenian descent, has joined him. The visit is a first to graph. A full article will appear subsequent- Editorial . 14 International . 3 the country for both and O’Brien’s broadcast will be the first by a ly on these events. host of an American late-night show from the nation. see CONAN, page 2 2 S ATURDAY, O CTOBER 1 7 , 2 0 1 5 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Race Against Time: Archeologists Dig at Karmir Blur Site Before Road Construction Begins 500 Delegates Attend studies. Some of the remains will be sent displayed. “If at all possible, I believe that Francophonie By Hrant Galstyan overseas, to different labs for DNA test- it would be preferable implement some ing. This will show what links, if any, con- alternative methods, perhaps overpasses Conference in Armenia nect the people of Urartu and present- or small bridges, and that the burial site YEREVAN (Hetq) — A new road day Armenia. Some teeth have already remain underneath. Today, it is a widely YEREVAN (Armenpress) — More than 500 delegates designed to bypass the western portion been sent to a lab in Copenhagen. “They accepted practice, at burial sites, to cre- of 80 countries attended the 31st session of the of Yerevan will be constructed atop the have told us the most important, that ate their copies at the site and to display Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Karmir Blur (Red Hill), a famous histori- DNA material remains.