Hye Sharzhoom, January 1980

              Page 8
Hye Sharzhoom
January 11,1980
Assembly        Bryan Bedrosian
to sponsor oral
history workshop
The Armenian Assembly, Central
California Region, will sponsor an oral
history training workshop Saturday,
J an.26, at California State University,
Fresno.
The program will be co-hosted by the
Armenian   Studies   Program   and   the
Armenian   Students   Organization   of
CSUF.
Participants in the half-day program
will be instructed in the standard
procedures and interview techniques
that are used in oral history. "The
program offers a unique opportunity for
individuals to help preserve the historical record pertaining to Armenian
history in the 20th century," an Assembly official said.
The workshop is part of the Armenian
Assembly's   Oral    History    Project,
which  is  co-funded  by  the  National
Endowment for the Humanities.    The
overall goal will be to tape testimonies
of  Armenian   survivors   of  the   1915
massacres who have emigrated to the
United  States.     The  interviews  will
cover the pre-genocide life in the Armenian homeland, the genocide and the
immigrants' experiences in the United
States.
The workshop will launch a full-
scale interview program throughout
the state. Participants from all parts
of the state are invited to attend.
Participants will receive two interview
aids: "Conducting the Interview,"
a step-by-step description of the appropriate techniques, use of equipment,
and procedural hints and "Interview
Guidelines," a detailed outline of topics
and questions to be covered.
Those wishing to participate in the
workshop should contact the following:
Lawrewnce Cretan, Armenian Assembly
Resource Center,  Los  Artgeles,   (213)-
933-5238;      Cindy   Avakian,   Central
California (209) 255-0517;  Rev.   Hovey
Hovagimian,     Northern     California
(415)836-4443.
Hart's
Pharmacy-
Two Locations
to Serve You
Country Squire
4147 N. First
229 3553
Ashlan Park
4157 E. Ashlan
222-2447
Ex-president recalls ASO growth
By Bryan Bedrosian
During the 1977-78 school year, the
Armenian Students Organization had
fallen into a decline. The organization
was meeting sporadically, organized very
few activities, and generally maintained a
low profile on the CSUF campus.
Already during that year of decline,
though, the seeds of the ASO's reawakening had been planted. The first
step toward the re-awakening was the
election of Barlow Der Mugrdechian as
president and Linda Farsakian as vice-
president. Their tenure began in the fall
of 1978.
The second step was the return of Dr.
Dickran Kouymjian to CSUF after a one-
semester absence. The ultimate catalyst,
however, proved to be Dr. Kouymjian's
Armenian architecture class. Both Barlow
and Linda enrolled in the course and the
classroom sessions soon became a forum
for the discussion of everything from
Armenian church architecture to the
purpose and direction of an Armenian
students organization.
From these discussions came the
determination to revive the ASO, not
only as a social organization but also as
the intellectual focus of the Armenian
community. Barlow and Linda scheduled
the first meeting, Dr. Kouymjian
announced it in all his classes, and so
began the re-awakening of the ASO.
Only five people attended the first
meeting, but each one of them offered
ideas to improve the ASO. Through their
enthusiasm, the ASO sponsored various
events and increased its membership
during the fall semester.
The ASO brought three prominent
speakers to CSUF during the fall
semester: His Beatitude Shnork
Kaloustian, Patriarch of the Armenian
Church in Istanbul, spoke on the plight of
Armenians living in Turkey, Congressman
Charles "Chip" Pashayan reviewed how
Armenians can participate in the political
process and John Giragossian, foreign
minister of the Soviet Republic of
Armenian, discussed life in Soviet
Armenia.
In that semester, the ASO helped Dr.
Kouymjian organize his International
Symposium of David of Sassoun and also
put up an exhibition in the CSUF library
on the history of the Armenian folk hero.
Under the leadership of Barlow and
ASO Party
Photo by Bill Sahatdjian
The ASO's Christmas party attracted more than 70 people to the house of
Barlow Der Mugrdechian.
Lou's Uniform Center
Three Locations to Serve You
1809 S.  Mooney
Ph.  (209)  734-9653
Visalia,  CA 93277
Cedar Lanes
Ph. (209) 222-1816
4144   E.   Shields
Fresno,    CA   93726
Blackstone    and     Shaw
Ph. (209) 227-3114
34 E. Shaw Fresno, CA    93710
Lou Karagozian   Owner
Linda, and the direction of Dr.
Kouymjian, the ASO built the foundation
that would ensure future success. The
goal of the ASO then (and the goal of the
ASO today) was to establish CSUF as an
important intellectual and cultural center
of Armenian life in Fresno.
At the final meeting of 1978, I was
elected president for the spring semester.
Also elected were Vice-President Mark
Malkasian and Publicity Officer Dale
Tatoian. Following the precedents set by
the previous executive, the ASO
continued to advance in both community
esteem and student recognition.
The ASO's most significant
accomplishment was the printing of a
newspaper—the "Hye Sharzhoom"—
under the editorship of Malkasian and
Mark Najarian. The "Hye Sharzhoom" is
the only Armenian student newspaper in
the nation.
During Armenian Martyr's Week, the
ASO co-sponsored two events in
conjunction with the United Armenian
Commemorative Committee. On April
17, CSUF was host to a panel discussion on
"Can the Armenian Survive in America."
Later in the month renowned foreign
correspondent Levon Keshishian spoke
on Paragraph 30.
Also during Martyr's Week, the ASO
unveiled a library exhibition on the
Armenian Genocide and Armenian
culture. Finally, on April 24, ASO
members wore black armbands and
passed out flyers in remembrance of the
two million Armenians murdered by the
Jurkish government in 1915.
The ASO opened the 1979 fall semester
with a speech by former United Nations
ambassador Set Momjian. After his talk,
Momjian joined ASO members for lunch
and a lengthy question-and-answer
session. In a banquet held for him the
next day at the Fresno Hilton, Momjian
called his meeting with the ASO the most
"exciting" part of his Fresno visit and
praised the organization for stimulating
interest in Armenian culture.
Next came the second edition of the
"Hye Sharzhoom," featuring articles on
Church unity and the problems
confronting Armenian immigrants. Editors Bill Erysian, Malkasian and Najarian
received letters from across the nation
commenting on the excellence of the
paper.
Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian's firsthand report on the Church unity
conference held in Etchmiadzin
concluded the fall semester's activities.
The Archbishop spoke positively on the
prospects for unity, and said unity may
possibly be attained in time for the 65th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
i
Carpeteria   j
The Supermarket
of the Carpet Industry J
227-3587
i
4146 N. Blackstone !
.J   L.