Dr. Arshak Kazanjian was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 1935. He got his elementary education at the Sahagian school and his High School at the French “Mission Layique”, successfully achieving Baccalaureates A and B. He then attended the local French University and earned his Doctorate in Dentistry in 1964. In 1975 he married Vartouhi Kalenderian and they were blessed with two sons, Tsolag and Nareg. Dr. Kazanjian has been a very active community member. He was elected and became a founding member of the Dental Implantology International Union. He was also a founding member of the Nor Serount Cultural Association and the “Ararat” literary monthly. As a teacher, he has taught at Sahagian, New High School and Hovagimian-Manougian schools. For many years he presided over the Armenian Educational Benevolent Union, which established the Sahagian Levon Meguerditchian High School. During the Lebanese civil war, he toured the Middle East, Europe, USA and Canada, raising funds for that beleaguered school. He was also an active member of the Central Committee for the Rebuilding of the Lebanese-Armenian community, headquartered in the Catholicosate of the House of Cilicia in Antelias. For over three decades, he was an executive member of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party’s central committee and contributed to the many activities of the party, be it political, cultural or educational. He was a regular contributor to Ararat daily, the party’s official organ in Lebanon and since 2000 is the editor in chief of Massis weekly, the party’s official organ in California-USA. Dr. Kazanjian has contributed widely to the Armenian press in the Diaspora. He has penned numerous articles of political, cultural and educational genres, book reviews, memoires, commentaries, short stories, repliques, etc. He is the author of three novels: “For Life” in 1966, “Impossible Dream” in 1969 and “Our America” in 1984. Be it in Lebanon or in the USA, where he has been residing with his family since 1987, Dr. Kazanjian has been the recipient of many commendations. Among the many organizations honoring him are the Nor Serount Cultural Association, SDHP Western USA, SDHP Armenia, SDHP Central Committee, Sahagian School Alumni, AGBU Hovagimian-Manougian High School Alumni and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of USA. In honor of his many years of dedicated service, be it political, communal, literary, educational and benevolent, he was awarded the St. Sahag-St. Mesrob medal by his HH Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the founding of the Nor Serount Cultural Association on December 4, 2005.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 04:47:17 +0000
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