50th Anniversary of AGBU Levon G. Nazarian School Celebrated in Beirut

Dignitaries, benefactors, alumni, students and friends, as well as devoted faculty and staff, gathered on May 17, 2013, for a memorable evening at the AGBU Demirdjian Center in Antelias, Lebanon, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AGBU Levon G. Nazarian School.

Guests included members of the Nazarian family – the benefactors who founded the school – including Vera Nazarian Setrakian – daughter of benefactor Nubar Nazarian and wife of AGBU President Berge Setrakian– who traveled from the United States particularly for this occasion, and her daughter, ABC News correspondent Lara Setrakian. The children of benefactor Garbis Nazarian also attended – former Lebanese Parliament member Arthur Nazarian and his wife Tamar, Levon Nazarian (USA) and Sonia Nazarian Krouchian (USA) – as did his grandson Gary Nazarian and his wife Michele. Dignitaries and AGBU officials present at the gala included Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan, Lebanon’s Industry Minister Vrej Sabounjian, Lebanese Parliament members Jean Oghassapian and Shant Chinchinian, AGBU Lebanon District Chair Gerard Tufenkjian and his wife, as well as AGBU Education Director Artoun Hamalian.

AGBU Lebanon Education Committee Chair and District Secretary Silva Libaridian indicated in her opening remarks, “Fifty years ago, on Sunday, June 14, 1962, a simple plot of land in Sin El Fil became a source of hope for every Lebanese Armenian. On that memorable day, Ms. Satenig Nazarian and her three sons – Garbis, Nubar and Nazar – fulfilled the vision and legacy of husband and father Levon Nazarian, by laying the foundations of the AGBU Levon G. Nazarian School.”

To enthusiastic applause, she added, “Tonight, at the home of AGBU [in Lebanon], we have gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fulfillment of that dream.”

Libaridian’s speech was followed by the screening of a film, prepared by AGBU Lebanon Schools Principal Ara Vasilian, which provided a glimpse into the life of an institution that now boasts over 1,500 graduates.

Mr. Vasilian also read a message sent by benefactor Nazar Nazarian of New Jersey, USA, who said he was “rejoiced, but also moved… upon hearing that this house erected in memory of my father and my mother has already turned 50, and the Nazarian School for fifty continuous years has served the children in our birth nation of Lebanon in the best possible way, justifying the national mission with which it has been entrusted.”

In his message, Mr. Nazarian added, “We are happy that in 1962 we were able to realize our father’s dream… which, despite the political upheavals in the Middle East and Lebanon, has remained steadfast to its mission, under the wing of the Armenian General Benevolent Union.”

An artistic program featuring performances by school alumni, including soprano Hasmig Sanossian Temizian, pianist Sevag Derghugassian and tenor Johnny Geokjian, added extra ambiance to the evening.

Mr. Hamalian touched on the importance of the occasion by saying, “The Levon G. Nazarian School has for fifty years played the role of a large and nurturing family for the numerous Armenian children and their families who live in this region, standing as a safe and caring educational environment, and, as a major factor in the fulfillment of the Union’s goals, cultivating a sense of identity and awareness of national heritage.”

Hamalian also read a message from AGBU President Berge Setrakian. “In order to fully understand the significance of the founding of the AGBU Nazarian School in 1962, we have to remember that it was the product of the AGBU’s progressive educational work in the then blooming communities of Syria and Lebanon,” Setrakian said in his message. Mr. Setrakian’s word stressed the importance of Levon G. Nazarian’s wish and his family’s benevolent work by founding a school under the patronage of the AGBU.

Mr. Tufenkjian and Mrs. Libaridian presented Levon Nazarian, Vera Nazarian Setrakian and Lara Setrakian with commemorative souvenirs made by Lebanese Armenian sculptor Raffi Tokatlian. In brief but touching remarks, Lara Setrakian and Levon Nazarian expressed their gratitude and joy over the occasion.

“It was truly a memorable, magical evening. As a great-granddaughter of Levon Nazarian, I was profoundly moved by the tribute to our family legacy,” said Ms. Setrakian. “It was also a reminder that, while so much may change over the course of fifty years, some fundamental and vital things –like the Nazarian School– stay with us.”

“For us, for everybody, this is an extraordinary evening, for which we are happy,” said benefactor Levon Nazarian. “We are happy because the Nazarian School, which was called to life as a result of our grandfather’s dream, has turned 50 today. We are happy that this school, which has seen fifty springs, continues along undeterred on its sacred path, with happy Armenian schoolchildren passing through its gates every day, to learn with love our language, our history and our culture.”