Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary at the downtown Los Angeles Jonathan Club’s outdoor
“Great Lawn” on Sunday evening, June 5, 2022, where Professors Richard Hovannisian and Dennis Papazian, two prominent leaders of the Assembly, received the Distinguished Humanitarian Award, and Los Angeles’s first Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, Ambassador Nina Hachigian, received the Assembly’s Governor George Deukmejian Award for Public Service.
The spirited event, which highlighted five decades of the Assembly’s influential achievements in advocacy, education, and awareness on Armenian issues, was attended by special guests, longtime Assembly supporters, and Assembly intern alumni, and was ably led by Mistress of Ceremonies Anita Vogel, a national news correspondent and anchor for FOX News.
During the invocation, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, highlighted the Assembly’s “tireless efforts, dedicated service, perseverance and stamina.”
“This legacy will certainly continue to grow and impact the lives of Armenians here in the U.S. and the motherland of Armenia,” said Archbishop Derderian, who congratulated the evening’s honorees and their “invaluable contributions.”
Assembly Board of Trustees member Lisa Kalustian shed light on the history of the Assembly and its “half-century of activism and support of Armenia and Armenian issues,” by recalling the group of dedicated Armenians who came together “with a vision for a new, nonpartisan umbrella organization that would encompass the Armenian community’s various and diverse community with the common goal of advancing Armenian issues in America.”
Kalustian emphasized the Assembly’s key strength of “working quietly behind the scenes to achieve positive results, and to mitigate negative impacts to the Armenian community and our homeland.”
She honored the service of the individuals actively involved in the establishment of the Assembly a half century ago, and its visionary programs, such as the Assembly’s Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program that now boasts multi-generational family alumni, where Armenian Americans have honed their advocacy skills in the U.S. and Armenia, and have advanced to become leaders in business, academia, government, and in the Armenian community.