A 1935/1936 Season Sunday School Photograph Taken by Kazaros Sarkis Melikian at the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, Worcester, Massachusetts: putting a face on a group photograph of first-generation American Armenian youngsters through a heroic effort to identify them.

Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor

LONG ISLAND, NY

INTRODUCTION

Normally we try to keep a low profile because it gives us time to do the things that we feel are most important to us. But today we do not hesitate to give ourselves a bit of credit for a job that we think deserves an accolade of Òwell done.Ó [Endnote 1]

Over a dozen years ago we initiated a project that we named the ÒMelikian ProjectÓ — so designated because it entailed a substantial effort on our part — in fact, a very major endeavor. The project was aimed at documenting in a preliminary way at least, and assessing and evaluating at various levels, the many photographs and related materials connected with the collections and professional work of Kazaros Sarkis Melikian, born in the village of Yegheke, Kharpert and emigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts where he spent the rest of his life. After a considerable effort, we were able to convince the Division of Prints and Photographs of the Library of Congress to accept the material as a gift from K.S. MelikianÕs daughter, Mary Christine Melikian. See http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015645298/

Unfortunately, by the time the Library of Congress got around to writing a formal letter of acceptance of the gift, Mary had unexpectedly passed away September 22, 2015. The letter from the Gift Officer at the Library acknowledging formal acceptance and giving thanks for the gift was dated November 24, 2015. Efforts had been made by us considerably earlier by email to get the Library of Congress to send a letter promptly to Mary knowing she was in her late 80s and in diminishing health. She had experienced several recent hospitalizations, though none by any measure life-threatening. Perhaps the belated letter of thanks falls into the category of ÒBetter late than neverÓ? Asdvadz gideh [God knows]. One should not expect anything to happen promptly in Washington, DC. We tried.

Those of us who knew and loved Mary feel certain that she Ôwent out on a high note.Õ No doubt about that because on the late afternoon prior to the morning she passed away, we had literally just finished reviewing and finalizing a letter of thanks over the telephone that she had wanted to be sent out to all those connected with getting the Melikian Project completed and into the hands of the Library of Congress. Mary was very pleased and happy that this last obligation was done. She expressed once again her great satisfaction to her cousin June Benoit after she had spoken to us and was very pleased how things had worked out. By early the following morning she had peacefully passed away.

After her fatherÕs death on March 1, 1969, Mary had successfully carried on her fatherÕs work at the Photo Studio with the help and cooperation of her cousin June. Both felt it important to preserve K.S. MelikianÕs work and legacy at all costs, especially the early materials. (MaryÕs father was the younger brother of JuneÕs grandfather Mardiros. JuneÕs mother was MardirosÕ middle daughter. Unfortunately, June never knew her grandfather but she did work part-time for her Uncle, MaryÕs father, even after she finished her degree studies at Clark University in Worcester.)

The Armenian community owes a lot not only to Mr. Melikian, but also to Mary and June. It still frightens us to contemplate what might have happened to this storehouse, nay treasure house, of Armenian heritage in photographs had we not taken things in hand when we did. It was not completed a minute too soon.

So far, we have written only a few background things about the project, and Asbed Bedrossian has kindly posted them on Groong and archived them under our rubric ÒWitnesses to Massacres and Genocide and their Aftermath: Probing the Photographic Record.Ó See: http://www.groong.org/orig/Probing-the-Photographic-Record.html and [Endnotes 2and** 3**]

After Mary died, we updated and posted on our You Tube ÒConscience FilmsÓ site a video we had made at the Melikian Studio in 2006 referred to as Òa retrospective.Ó [Endnote 4]

The ÔupdateÕ which includes MaryÕs letter of appreciation to all who worked to get the collection to the Library of Congress, may be seen on our Conscience Films site on You Tube. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyenw3n7xJA

The Armenian Sunday School Photograph

Virtually everyone we know has a family scrap book or photograph collection that is not as well labeled or captioned as it should be, or could be. One of the photos that many Worcester area people are aware of but which had generally been poorly labeled is what has come to be known as the ÒArmenian Sunday School Picture.Ó We have shown and referred to this photo, albeit only in passing, in our video on the ÒArmenian Orphan Rug made for the White House in 1925Ó [Endnote 5]

After retirement, one of us (ADK) thought that the Melikian Studio materials deserved special attention. We took the bull by the horns, made arrangements as to scheduling etc .and off we went.

Ever-believing that one should aim at Òkilling two birds with one stoneÓ we undertook a cooperative effort to see whether we could identify those in the Sunday School Picture by K.S. Melikian. The first thing was to make as good a copy as possible of the Sunday School picture through scanning the best print we could find at the time. We say Òat the timeÓ because it may well turn out that among the Library of Congress things a better photograph or negative of the photograph may surface. It will be a matter of luck, pure and simple.

After we ended up with a satisfactory photograph digitally scanned, we decided that the next task was to place numbers in red on each of the individuals and make prints large enough to allow good examination. Microsoft Excel Spread sheets were produced and sent around with copies of the photograph along with enlargements to individuals who were, in fact, present in the picture as kids and to others who may have had older relatives in the picture. Round and round the pictures and spread sheets went. The proverbial Òeverybody and his or her cousinÓ had a chance to examine and cogitate and arbitrate. The picture was also displayed in the Church of our Savior in Worcester Mass. after it was virtually completed with individuals identified to the best of our combined abilities.

We cannot thank enough those who participated and spent a huge amount of time examining faces. Some are, sadly, now deceased.

We present in the following pages the outcome of this group effort. ÔAllÕ it took was some individuals such as ourselves to ÔspearheadÕ the effort. Few of the contacts used email so the project was accomplished primarily by communicating in person or through US Mail and the telephone.

First we present identifications by number. Then we present them alphabetically sorted by surname.

Even though many identifications could not be made, it should be understood that this was by no means a casual effort.

We are very pleased that we did what we could and that it was done while people were vigorous, able and interested enough to participate. Indeed, everyone who participated saw how important this project was. No one hesitated to help.

Call for Additional Identifications

If there is anyone who can help identify any of the individuals now designated ÒUnidentifiedÓ please let us know.

We hope that this presentation will underscore the value of making every effort to identify individuals in group photographs to help preserve the rich history that can be extracted from them. We have read that there is an increased interest in genealogy among those with Armenian roots or connections. Surely the identification of photographs of this sort can set an example and add to such efforts. After all, Worcester was an epicenter of immigration to America.

The vast majority in the photograph were descendants of at least one parent who survived the Genocide and ÔdeportationsÕ.

Value of the K.S. Melikian Collection

We predict without any hesitation whatever that the full value of the collection will become appreciated only slowly.

The worth as a cultural legacy will only become evident as people undertake serious study of Mr. MelikianÕs work and what he sought to collect. A modest and necessarily short entry is made on his work in Ruth ThomasianÕs treatment on Armenian photographers in the ÒArmenians in New England.Ó [Endnote 5]

It is beyond our intention here to provide a listing of those books in which Melikian Studio and Collection photographs appear. We will give here a few from the more recent ones even though quite a few older works took advantage of what he could supply [Endnote 6]ENDNOTES

[Endnote 1] Kharpertsis might say either aferim (bravo, good for you! The word aferim is derived from Turkish via Persian), or abriss (Ôlong lifeÕ or Ômay you flourishÕ in Armenian) and is fairly widely used throughout the Near and Middle East.

[Endnote 2] See ÒMary Christine Melikian of Worcester, Massachusetts died at the age of 89 on 22 September 2015. A SAD NOTE OF PASSAGE, AND A HAPPY NOTICE OF A MAJOR LEGACY OF PHOTOGRAPHS FOR ARMENIANS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESSÓ: ÒCommentary, and a Notice of a Video Posting on You Tube by Taylor and Krikorian entitled ÒKazar Sarkis Melikian Studio, Worcester, Mass.Ó MaryÕs father, Kazar Sarkis Melikian, was an important preserver and photographer of Armenian heritage and the Armenian experience – from Kharpert to America. The video was made in 2006 and can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyenw3n7xJA. ÒThose Interested in Armenian and Armenian-related Photos Can Show their Commitment to Preservation of their Heritage. What follows includes an overview of the Melikian Project. It includes a letter of thanks from Mary completed and finalized the late in the afternoon the day before she died peacefully and unexpectedly.Ó Armenian News Network / Groong October 11, 2015

[Endnote 3] ÒArmenian Master Photographer Kazar Sarkis Melikian Collection and Melikian Photo Studio Work Donated to the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. K.S. MelikianÕs Daughter Mary Christine Melikian Passed Away 22 September 2015 (unexpectedly and peacefully) the morning after an Ôopen letter of thanksÕ to those involved in the project had been completed.Ó Armenian News Network / Groong, October 15, 2015 http://www.groong.org/orig/ak-20151015.html

[Endnote 4] Mary C. Melikian, June P. Benoit, Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor (2006) ÒMelikian Studio, a retrospective.Ó Filmed and edited by Eugene L. Taylor. Conscience Films, Port Jefferson, L.I. New York. In two parts. Part One (56 minutes); Part Two (62 minutes). These 2 discs concentrate on the Studio and its work. Little effort was made in these videos to say much about the Collections as they related to the ÒYerghir/ErghirÓ or Old Country.

[Endnote 5] See our ÒHistory of the Armenian Orphan RugÉÓ on our Conscience Films You Tube site at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkQQEFsXDRg&list=UUQ9M_LLnlEeHvkYALZdchfA&index=54 See especially at 26:26 and following for commentary on the photograph.

[Endnote 6] Ruth Thomasian (2006) ÒArmenian Photographers of New EnglandÓ in The Armenians of New England. Celebrating a culture and preserving a heritage. Papers presented April 9-10 1999 at Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts, ed.by Marc A. Mamigonian) (Armenian Heritage Press, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, Belmont, MA, pages 189-205.)

[Endnote 7] A few recent examples may be given. ÒThe First Armenian Church in America; an outline and documents.Ó (1991, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, 630 Second Avenue, New York City), 134 pgs. [now the Eastern Diocese Armenian Church of America]; Father Arten AshjianÕs ÒAn Armenian Monks Ministry on Two Continents: the story of Archbishop Hovsep SarajianÓ (2006, St VartanÕs Press, New York City), 136 pages; Marion Der KazarianÕs ÒSacrifice and Redemption: a personal chronicle of the 1915 Armenian Genocide and the Worcester Armenian CommunityÓ (1995, Baikar Publications, Watertown, Massachusetts), 276 pages; H. Martin DeranianÕs ÒWorcester is America: the story of WorcesterÕs Armenians: the early years (1998, Bennate Publishing, Worcester, MA), 222 pages; Pamela Apkarian-RussellÕs ÒArmenians of WorcesterÓ (2000, Arcadia, Charleston, SC) 128 pages; Sargon and Nino DonabedÕs ÒAssyrians of Eastern MassachusettsÓ (2006, Arcadia, Charleston, SC), 126 pages; Harry G. SogigianÕs ÒThe Uprooting and Rebirth of the Soghigian FamilyÓ (2002, Privately printed 80 pages).

A copy of the ÒoriginalÕ print used.

Copy of Digital Scan with Numbers Added in Red.

The following pages provide close-ups for easier viewing. Then we provide a key to the numbers; this, in turn, is followed with alphabetization by last name.