Pasadena Star-News, CA
Whittier Daily News, CA
Aug. 11, 2006
Lebanon-born Armenian talks about war in Lebanon
An American background
By Bill Bell
IN the morning, the smiling face of Grigor Kaladjian greets people
who drive into Whittier’s Uptown parking structure on Bright Avenue.
After lunch, at around 1p.m., the smiling face of Grigor Kaladjian
also greets people who come to Grigor’s Shoe Repair shop.
The shop is one of several city-owned storefronts on Bright Avenue
that are built into the parking structure. Grigor, as he is known by
many people, is another in my once-in-awhile immigration series.
Although he learned how to repair shoes as a soldier in the Russian
Army while it was still part of the Soviet Union, and his wife, Anna,
was born in Beirut, Lebanon, they are Armenians who have been solid
American citizens for many years. Grigor has been the part-time
parking structure attendant for the city for 14 years and a shoe
repair man in Whittier for about 30 years. His first shop on
Greenleaf Avenue was part of the Uptown cinema complex but was
destroyed in the 1987 earthquake.
But, let’s go back to the beginning.
Grigor’s Greek-born, Armenian father and Lebanon-born Armenian mother
met and married in Turkey. They fled to Greece during the so-called
`Young Turks” genocide of Armenians when 1.5 million Armenians were
killed. His parents had been married 20 years when Grigor was born
Nov. 12, 1935, in Athens.
Grigor’s mother died of cancer when he was 8. Grigor was orphaned at
12 when his father died, and he moved to Soviet Armenia. That was
1947.
`A neighbor came and told me, I’m going to be your mama’ and she
became my second mother,’ he said. `She’s in Rose Hills now. She died
11 years ago in her 90s.’
Grigor entered the Soviet army in the Ukraine in 1958 at the age of
21. He served in the army for four years. It was during his military
years that he learned to repair shoes.
In 1961, he met and married Anna, and they returned to the Armenian
capital. They now have three grown daughters, one son and five
grandchildren.
Over the course of his earlier life, he became fluent speaking
Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Russian, and he now speaks good English
as well as `poquito Spanish.’.
In 1976, at the age of 41, Grigor brought his family to America,
where he said he has
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become a really happy citizen of this country. He and his family
lived the first four years in Montebello, then moved to their current
home in Rowland Heights. `America was my father’s dream,’ Grigor
said. `He didn’t make it, but I did. `I have a swimming pool, a
Jacuzzi. We go to the beach, to Las Vegas,’ he said. `We like to
travel. We went to Argentina last year.’.
When asked, he reflected a little bit about what is happening in the
world today. `The war is no good,’ he said. `The Jewish fight all the
time with Arabs. I guess a little bit is OK, but this is too much …
Beautiful Beirut. Now, no Beirut.’.
He shook his head, sadly.
`They kill some kids. Why, why? Old women, why? Talk, talk, talk …
but people are still dying.’ It’s funny how you can walk past a
person a hundred times and never really take notice of who they are
and what their story may be.
I’ve walked through and past the parking structure and the little
shoe shop many times over the years.
But, I would never have known Grigor had it not been for a
conversation a week earlier with my friend Jerry Sterling, who is an
Uptown Whittier personality who is often seen riding his bike here
and there.
Last week, Jerry asked me if I knew the shoemaker who speaks a whole
lot of languages.
I didn’t know him then, but I do now, and so do you.
He’s a stocky fellow, stands 5-feet-6, weighs about 200 pounds, has
gray hair and a gray mustache and has a very pleasant personality.
How would you ever guess that he was in the Soviet army back during
the Cold War? Today, he’s a patriotic American.