Author: Khoyetsian Rose

UN postpones vote on occupied Azerbaijani lands
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 25 2004
The UN General Assembly considered the draft resolution on the occupied
lands of Azerbaijan on Wednesday. The document was not placed on
voting following the discussions.
A decision on the draft resolution submitted by Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov may be passed later, the United Nations
said in a report which did not indicate the date for the new vote.*

REPORTS ON L. TER-PETROSIAN PERSONAL MEETING WITH G. BUSH “OVERDONE”
PanArmenian News
Nov 23 2004
23.11.2004 13:43
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A reliable Armenian source in Washington reports
that there was no personal meeting between the ex-President of Armenia
and the incumbent US President in Little Rock. It should be reminded
that former Armenian President’s office spread information about such
a meeting Saturday, November 20. Although Ter-Petrosian and Bush
participated in a measure of opening a library of US ex-President
B. Clinton in Little Rock (Arkansas), however, they did not hold a
private meeting, our source states, adding that L. Ter-Petrosian
smoked much and talked little, as usual. It is not known whether
the information on a meeting with Bush was spread on the initiative
of L. Ter-Petrosian himself or it was “a local action.” In case the
former is true, it may evidence that the ex-President has got seriously
“interested” in politics again.

APOEL title goal still on course
By John Leonidou
Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
Nov 23 2004
CYPRIOT champions APOEL kept their title campaign on course with
a valuable 1-1 draw away to title rivals Anorthosis Famagusta in
a thrilling encounter which saw both sides come close to snatching
dramatic victories.
Anorthosis started the better side in the first keeping a tentative
APOEL side on the back foot and after David Chaladze and Timuri
Ketsbaia went close, the hosts were finally awarded for their efforts
when Georgian star Georgi Kinkladze flicked Savvas Poursaitides cross
past a hapless Michalis Morfis on the half hour mark.
APOEL’s response was quick and rather against the run of play with
Marios Neophytou, a former player of Anorthosis, saw his free kick
skim off the back of Loucas Louca and wrong foot Antonis Georgallides
before curling into the top left hand corner for the equalizer ten
minutes later.
If some argued that APOEL were fortunate in the a one-side first
half, there was no denying the champion’s dominance in the second
as both Georgos Vakouftsis and Demetris Daskalakis saw their efforts
cannon off the Anorthosis woodwork with APOEL controlling the play.
Anorthosis for their part could have pinched the winner but for poor
finishing from Greek striker Nicos Froussos who saw his header denied
by Morfis before missing a wonderful chance on 82 minutes with his
strike that curled narrowly wide with Ketsbaia unmarked to prod the
ball home.
Anorthosis keeper Georgallides believed any side could have bagged all
the points on the night, “It was a 50-50 game, a game of two halves
with Anorthosis controlling the first half and APOEL the second.”
Omonia got back to winning ways after a sluggish start to the season
with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Angel Kolev’s surprise side
this season Alki Larnaca. Captain Costas Kaiafas put Omonia on the
way with a sweet volley before Slovakian international Josef Kozlej
wrapped up the three points for his side with two second half goal,
one of them a penalty.
Olympiakos Nicosia’s recovery looked perkier as they ousted a 1-0
victory away to Dighenis Morphou with Armenian international Romik
Kachadryan scoring the only goal with a powerful free-kick whilst
Ethnikos Achnas fell deeper into relegation trouble with 3-2 home
defeat to AEP Paphos, a result which prompted the sacking of Coach
Slobodan Vucekovic. Vucekovic charismatically told a press conference
afterwards, “Vucekovic has been in Cyprus for 11 years, and he is still
here” when asked about his future in Cypriot football by reporters.
This year’s other surprise team Nea Salamina kept their winning ways
intact with a hard-earned 3-2 victory away to rock bottom side Aris
Limassol with Turkish-Cypriot striker Arif Ursuloi scoring the winner
In the other games, AEL Limassol fought back from two goals at home
to scrape a 2-2 draw against Enosis Neon Paralimniou and AEK Larnaca
and Apollon Limassol fought out at a dull 0-0 draw at the GSZ stadium
in Larnaca.

Armenia Fails To Realize Claims In PACE
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 20 2004
Armenia has again failed to realize their territorial claims as the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) supported
Azerbaijan’s fair position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, head of
the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE Samad Seyidov said.
Seyidov returned home late on Thursday from the meeting of the PACE
Political Committee held in Strasbourg. He said that the Azerbaijani
delegation’s position at PACE substantiates that Azerbaijan is pursuing
a correct and fair policy.
“The developments in the Committee’s meeting were expectable as
a report on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, prepared by former
CE rapporteur Terry Davis, contained realities and was precise,”
Seyidov noted.
According to Seyidov, the Azeri parliament members were also ready
to prevent the Armenian MPs’ attempts to withdraw the report from
the meeting agenda.
The report is due to be discussed at the PACE session in January 2005.

Site says police, army may remain mainly neutral in Ukrainian election
Glavred, Kiev
16 Nov 04
It is by no means certain that the army, security service and police
force, (referred to collectively as the “armed services”) will actually
carry out the orders reportedly given to them to do everything
possible to secure the victory of the establishment candidate in
Sunday’s presidential election, a Ukrainian web site has said. It
said some senior officers want Yanukovych to win, while others are
not very concerned as they will be dismissed anyway. This indifference
extends downwards, resulting at best in a patchy response to partisan
orders, it said. The net result may be that the armed services will
prove to be largely neutral, it concluded. The following is the text
of the article by Viktor Shlynchak posted on the opposition-leaning
Ukrainian web site Glavred on 16 November under the title “Powerless?”;
subheadings have been inserted editorially:
The situation in the Ukrainian armed forces, the SBU Security
Service of Ukraine and the Interior Ministry shows that today the
lower subdivisions of the armed-service departments are minded to
“wait and see which way the wind blows” and to refrain from taking
radical action against the opposition – until the terrain has been
finally reconnoitred. In other words, until the winner has been
declared. Armed services’ loyalties are uncertain
We have reported on more than one occasion that something akin
to an internal revolt is simmering deep inside the armed-service
departments. We have also reported that each of the teams of the
presidential candidates has tried all means of gaining the support
of the armed services – both public means and those that are behind
the scenes. Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko has read out appeals
to law-enforcement officers.
Prime Minister and establishment candidate Viktor Yanukovych has
promised district police inspectors a pay rise and a “topping up” of
their length of service. Yushchenko has had meetings with the heads
of the armed-service departments and appealed to their consciences.
Yanukovych has brought pressure to bear through administrative
methods, strengthening Kiev with military units. Neither Yushchenko
nor Yanukovych is convinced that, in a state of emergency, he will
have the support of the armed services, just as neither is convinced
that he will not be betrayed at the very last moment. Yushchenko has
nothing in particular to hope for, whereas for Yanukovych it may mean
unconditional surrender.
Defence minister’s indifference prompts army neutrality
At the moment, Yanukovych can only rely on the Defence
Ministry. Oleksandr Kuzmuk, a member of the establishment candidate’s
team who has just taken over the ministry after heading it previously,
has a pretty good idea of what is what in the institution entrusted to
him. However, sources inside the ministry say that Kuzmuk, appointed
two months ago, spends most of his time on preserving his influence
in the ministry after the election, whatever the final outcome
is. This process includes the gradual placing of “his own people”,
the formation of a balance among the generals and also the commonplace
accumulation of money in the accounts of commercial bodies that work
with the Defence Ministry.
We shall not represent this claim as being the truth, but rumours to
the effect that Kuzmuk is least of all concerned about the election
have long and persistently been in circulation. Kuzmuk’s closest
associates are not certain that, even if Yanukovych comes to power,
Gen Kuzmuk will remain in his post, since the post has reportedly
been promised to a USDPU United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine
protege. Hence his attitude towards his area of responsibility.
Kuzmuk’s mood inevitably affects not only the calculations
being made by the generals, but also the views of lower-ranking
officers. Campaigning for Yanukovych in the army boils down to a
reminder that Yushchenko “took benefits away”, while Yanukovych has
promised to restore them. However, even those for whom this argument
seemed previously to be the most convincing are not very sure that
the income part of family budgets in the army will increase. That
is why they still retain a relatively neutral attitude towards the
two candidates. Commanders of units are, of course, able to bypass
the law on elections and to control the course of the voting at the
polling stations within military units, yet the degree of loyalty
to the current authorities in the armed forces does not allow one to
say that it is very high.
Quite interesting processes are also taking place in the army itself,
and they are setting the other armed services against Kuzmuk. The
present defence minister’s attempts to attach to the Defence
Ministry the SBU’s department of military counterintelligence (the
DVKR), which has been resurrected, in the full sense of the term,
would seem to be prompted by dissatisfaction with the keenness of
the counterintelligence officers and by reluctance to contemplate
an independent body that has every opportunity to monitor the
army. Incidentally, so far, this body has already “dug up” a mass of
material on the abuses, intrigues and unscrupulousness of top officers
in the Defence Ministry. The “bargaining” over such matters is not
only becoming a stumbling block between the armed services, but is
also generating tension between individual subunits, including those
that are to ensure order on polling day, 21 November, and possibly
after the result has been announced.
SBU also standing on the sidelines
The SBU is also avoiding active participation in the elections in the
run-up to the second round. The available data suggest that the secret
service has withdrawn from playing an active role in the election,
and extensive reports from the “electoral fields” have stopped
thudding on to the desks of senior state officials. Operational
information from the regions, particularly those in the west, has
also dried up. Can these developments be logged as achievements by
the opposition candidate’s team? That is dubious. It is more likely
that SBU chief Ihor Smeshko stood up to the president and defended his
right to take no part in electoral games, regardless of the dismissal
looming over him, for which forces close to the Party of Regions led by
Yanukovych are pressing. After the election, Smeshko will, in any case,
have to collect his belongings and go. If Yanukovych comes to power,
Smeshko will probably be replaced by his former first deputy in the
SBU, Yuriy Zemlyanskyy, whom Smeshko himself fired not so long ago
on 20 August , incidentally. Zemlyanskyy not only hails from Donetsk
Region like Yanukovych , but he is also one of the people through whom
Yanukovych resolved the lion’s share of his affairs in Kiev while he
was still governor of Donetsk Region .
The fact, however, that Zemlyanskyy spent a lengthy period inside
the building in Volodymyrska Street, Kiev – SBU headquarters does
not mean that his authority is very strong and firm. He has far more
enemies than friends in the head office. Members of the secret service
themselves say that people in the building remember Volodymyr Radchenko
(now secretary of the National Security and Defence Council) more than
Gen Zemlyanskyy, even though Radchenko moved to other work before he
did. Volodymyr Satsyuk, the man in the SBU with responsibility for the
elections, has recently lost any special interest in these measures,
evidently because he has not found anything in a Yanukovych victory
that would be at all beneficial to himself.
Police also wobble
The only question now unanswered is how the police will behave if the
crunch comes. The obsessive determination of Interior Minister Mykola
Bilokon during the presidential campaign would be surprising if one
did not know what specifically Yanukovych had promised the general in
his office. He is said to have promised a great deal. Much depends,
however, not so much on Bilokon himself as on how he is perceived
by the actual Interior Ministry staff. There are constant whispers
in the central directorate about the blackmail and threats that are
levelled against the relatives of internal affairs officers who,
in the opinion of the minister’s associates, are lukewarm in helping
“Yanukovych’s headquarters carry out election work”. It is also known
that some of the ministry’s orders are given verbally, so as to avoid
liability if Yushchenko wins. A resolution to that effect was adopted
the week before last. Most orders are now conveyed using the secure
communications systems.
The fact that information leaks about the actions of senior police
officers surface in the media proves that there is a certain number
of staff in the law-enforcement agencies who are willing to engage in
dialogue with the opposition candidate’s headquarters. It is rumoured
that among such people is former Interior Minister Yuriy Kravchenko,
who occasionally meets representatives of Yushchenko’s headquarters
and offers them help. It is hard to judge how honest that desire is. It
should also be recalled that the text of an appeal to speaker Volodymyr
Lytvyn from law-enforcement officers in the Kharkiv area was published
not so long ago by Vecherniye Vesti on 10 November . The letter
referred to falsification of the election and how Interior Ministry
staff were involved in this. Admittedly, Deputy Interior Minister
Mykhaylo Korniyenko said later, in a Glavred interview, that “the
letter is an election stunt” and does not actually exist. According
to our information, the police “whistleblowers” immediately decided
to hold a news conference, but cancelled it at the last moment.
Another report appeared on Internet sites later, saying that Deputy
Minister Mykola Lyubar had instructed his subordinates in the office
of the governor of Cherkasy Region: “if Yanukovych doesn’t get 50 per
cent of votes, it is essential to put into effect the plan to disrupt
the election so that they are deemed to be invalid”. Can this statement
be regarded as a verbal order? In view of the minister’s directive,
it probably can.
Twilight of Kuchma era recalls Ceausescu scenario
However, the main question remains open: how are such initiatives seen
locally? Our information suggests that responses vary quite a lot. Even
the actual posing of the question means that the authorities, who
wanted to look “as strong as never before” and whose administrative
resources relied primarily on the armed services, are starting to
lose their power as the end of the election draws near.
The present situation in Ukraine reminds one of Romania in the
final hours of Ceausescu, when all the armed services turned against
him towards the end of the uprising. It reminds one of Russia, when
Yeltsin’s words were stronger than the tanks. It reminds one of Armenia
and the Georgia of recent times. And, even if, in some unexpected
circumstances, Kuzmuk, Smeshko and Bilokon repeat the words of the
Romanian general Vasile Milea the defence minister, who refused to
carry out Ceausescu’s orders: “I looked in all the service regulations
and could not find anywhere a paragraph that said that the people’s
army should fire on the people… ellipsis as published “, events
will not, we hope, lead to shooting in Ukraine. We very much hope not.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
17 Nov 04
British organization conducts mine clearing course in Karabakh
Yerevan, 17 November: An international course on mine clearing and
deactivation and disposal of unexploded munitions of the highest
class ended in the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR) today. The course
was conducted by the British humanitarian organization on mine
clearing HALO Trust accredited to the NKR.
Representatives from about 10 countries took part in the seminar,
including the USA, the UK, India, Israel, Mozambique and Somali, the
HALO Trust office in Stepanakert Xankandi told our agency.
“The choice of Nagornyy Karabakh as the venue for the course is not
accidental and is explained by the fact that all conditions for
conducting such an event at the international level have been created
here,” a representative of the office said.
The British humanitarian organization HALO Trust started its first
mine clearing operations in Nagornyy Karabakh in 1995, suspended its
activities in 1996 and resumed them in 1999.

AGBU Montreal
has the pleasure of inviting you to an
exhibit of recent works by world-renowned artist
ROUDOLF KHARATIAN
November 26 to 28, 2004
VERNISSAGE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26 at 8:00 p.m.
The exhibit continues
Saturday, November 27
and Sunday, November 27
from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at the
AGBU Alex Manoogian Center
Dervishian Hall
805 Manoogian Street
St-Laurent, QC
514.748.2428
See attached flyer, and feel free to invite
friends and family. All are welcome.
Biographical Information:
Roudolf Kharatian is a native of Yerevan, Armenia where he studied at
the Yerevan School of Fine Arts. In America, Kharatian’s works have
been included in individual, group and juried exhibitions in
Washington, DC at the Foundry Gallery, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), the Fannie Mae Foundation Gallery of the Washington Ballet, the
Embassy of Armenia, Art-O-Matic 2000, HNTB Architecture, Hamazkayin
Cultural and Educational Association, Touchstone Gallery, Art-O-Matic
2002, Roulette Gallery, the Embassy of Russia’s Russian Cultural
Center and the Maryland College of Art and Design; in Frederick,
Maryland at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center; in Montreal, Canada at
the Tekeyan Cultural Center; and in St. Petersburg, Russia at the
Gorohovaya Gallery. Kharatian’s works are in private collections in
the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, South Africa and
Armenia.
Mr. Kharatian has also had an illustrious career in dance. His ballets
have been performed on many stages worldwide including the Kennedy
Center, Lincoln Center, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Place des Arts
in Montreal, and many others. Artist Emeritus Kharatian holds a
Master’s Degree in Choreography and Stage Production and is the
recipient of three Maryland State Arts Council Awards for Choreography
(1997, 1999 and 2001). He is currently on the faculty of the
Washington Ballet and is the founder and Artistic Director of ARKA
Ballet.
Dance biography:
Choreographer and Master Teacher Roudolf Kharatian was principal
dancer with the National Ballet of Armenia from 1967 to 1990,
performing all the great leading roles of the classical repertoire. A
star of five films, he also toured extensively with the Bolshoi Ballet
and Stars of Russian Ballet. From 1979 to 1991, he was Artistic
Director of the Chamber Ballet of Armenia.
A graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg,
Mr. Kharatian also holds a Master’s Degree in Choreography and Stage
Production from the Moscow University of Theater Arts. Artist Emeritus
Kharatian has received numerous medals and awards as dancer,
choreographer and teacher including consecutive Maryland State Arts
Council Individual Artist Awards for Choreography (1997, 1999,
2001). Under his coaching, many of his students have won gold at the
most prestigious international ballet competitions.
A frequent guest teacher, Mr. Kharatian has taught the Kirov Ballet,
the Boston Ballet, the Washington Ballet, the Debra Colker Dance
Company, among others. His ballets have been performed on many stages
worldwide including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Salle
Pleyel in Paris, the Place des Arts in Montreal. His choreographic
credits include full-length story ballets and countless one-act
ballets and concert pieces. Mr. Kharatian served on the faculty of
Washington’s Kirov Academy before joining the Washington School of
Ballet faculty in 1994. He is also the founder and Artistic Director
of ARKA Ballet in Washington, D.C.
In addition to his work in ballet, Roudolf Kharatian is also an
accomplished visual artist. His works are in private collections in
the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, South Africa and
Armenia.
Web sites to check out: and
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
November 17, 2004
NKR PRESIDENT’S MEETING IN USA
The president of the Republic of Nagorni Karabakh Arkady Ghukassian
visiting the USA for the November 25 telethon has already had a
series of meetings. In the evening of November 13 Arkady Ghukassian
met with the representatives of the Armenian community in Boston.
Addressing them, the NKR president pointed out the essential role of
the unity of Armenia, Diaspora and NKR in the achievements of Nagorni
Karabakh. `Today the fate of the Armenian people is determined in
Karabakh,’ mentioned the president. `Strengthening the economy of
Karabakh we thereby create conditions for the better future of the
Armenians of Karabakh, Armenia and all over the world.’ He addressed
the present with the appeal to make their donations for the
construction of the highway `North – South’ which has a strategic
role for Nagorni Karabakh. The people present at the meeting
expressed willingness for participation in the upcoming telethon. At
place donations were made for the project of water supply system of
the capital of NKR Stepanakert. During the meeting members of the
Massachusetts parliament Peter Kututjian and Rachel Kaprielian
presented the declaration signed by the speaker of parliament on the
occasion of the visit of the NKR president. On the same day Arkady
Ghukassian had visited Harvard University where he had met with
students and professors from several universities of Boston. Later he
visited the Armenian library and museum of America and met with
representatives of the local community. Addressing them, the
president acquainted them with the history of the conflict and
peacemaking in Nagorni Karabakh, as well as the situation in Artsakh
and the challenges NKR faces presently. `We will never give up our
independence and our goals,’ mentioned the president. `Today the
struggle has shifted to the economic environment and we must succeed
in this sphere as well in order to be able to retain and maintain our
achievements for which we paid the highest price – the lives of the
best sons of the nation.’ Speaking about the main aim of the upcoming
telethon, Arkady Ghukassian emphasized the strategic, economic and
political role of the road. Thanking the Armenians of Boston for
their permanent assistance to Artsakh, the president of NKR appealed
to them to take part in the telethon. On the same day Arkady
Ghukassian met with famous American benefactor Caroline Mugar. The
president of NKR thanked her for her aid to Artsakh and spoke about
the processes going on in NKR especially mentioning the significant
economic growth there. Arkady Ghukassian noticed that Nagorni
Karabakh still badly needs the help of the Diaspora. Caroline Mugar
said she would continue to aid Artsakh and make her contribution to
the upcoming telethon. The day before on November 12 the NKR
president was invited by the family of the grandson of writer and
cinematographer Henry Morghentau, the ambassador of the USA in the
Ottoman Empire in the years of the Armenian genocide. The family
Morghentau made their best wishes to Artsakh and its people. Arkady
Ghukassian appreciated the role of Morghentau who conveyed the truth
about the Armenian genocide to the international community and
rendered humanitarian aid to those who were saved from the genocide.

AZG Armenian Daily, Armenia
Nov 17 2004
`NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT CAN HAVE NO MILITARY SETTLEMENT`
YEREVAN, 17.11.04. Ago Group Isn`t That Satisfied with Armenia`s
Implementation of Its Commitments
On November 15, Ago Group, Monitoring Commission of CE Ministers`
Board, met with RA President Robert Kocharian, Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian, Chairman of National Assembly Artur Baghdasarian.
The commission is led by Roland Wegener, German ambassador to the
Council of Europe. The delegation includes CE ambassadors of Turkey,
Sweden and Switzerland.
In the course of the joint press conference with Vartan Oskanian,
touching upon the issue of Armenia`s commitments before the CE,
Wegener stated that `there is a progress, but we have noticed that
the most important issues, i.e. the constitutional reforms, the
electoral code, as well as the reforms in judicial sphere are yet to
be done.`
Two separate groups are carrying out the monitoring of Armenia`s
implementation of its commitments undertaken before the CE. These
groups are Ago group (led by Ago formerly) and PACE monitoring group
led by Yezhy Yaskernia.
Ago group also met with Tigran Torosian, head of RA delegation to
PACE, Deputy Chairman of RA National Assembly. The latter represented
the process of meeting the commitments before the CE and the schedule
of several laws` adoption. Torosian said that the Electoral Code was
adopted in the first reading, received the joint conclusion of Venice
Commission`s and OSCE experts. Almost all the 30 suggestions made in
that conclusion were adopted.
As for the constitutional reforms, Torosian said that three draft
laws are in circulation and sent to the Venice Commission experts for
expertise. Compared with the bill on constitutional reforms submitted
for referendum in 2003, the new bills will pass three readings in the
parliament. It is envisaged that the referendum for constitutional
reforms will be held in June of 2005.
Wegener said during the press conference that he discussed Nagorno
Karabakh issue with RA President and RA Foreign Minister, taking into
consideration Armenia`s and Azerbaijan`s promise to settle the
conflict in peaceful way as soon as they are CE members. Wegener
stated that he had the impression that the sides in conflict are for
peaceful solution.
`Karabakh conflict can have no military settlement`, Oskanian said.
As for the militant statements made by Baku, RA Foreign Minister said
that they might have merely a propaganda impact on the publicity.
Touching upon Baku`s efforts to include the issue of `Azerbaijan`s
Occupied Territories` into the agenda of the UN General Assembly, RA
Foreign Minister said that Azerbaijan has chosen the wrong path.
Azerbaijan made the wrong choice and will face the results of that,
Oskanian emphasized. In the end of the past week Oskanian
participated in the sitting of CSTO Ministers` Board. In his speech
he criticized Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzia, two members of the
organization that voted for Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly.
Oskanian emphasized the importance of fact that OSCE Minsk group and
the EU member-countries voted against Azerbaijan`s initiative. As for
the countries that voted for Azerbaijan`s suggestion (43 of 191 UN
countries), according to Oskanian, these countries voted against the
peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
AZG Armenian Daily

1939: That class had class
By Bob Kaprielian/ Guest Commentary
Watertown TAB & Press, MA
Nov 12 2004
A few months ago my daughters, Rachel and Myra, were strolling my
grandson, Will, down Marion Road, where they came upon a discarded
Watertown High School yearbook from 1939. Knowing of my inventory of
WHS athletic histories, they thought it might be useful to add to my
collection.
Upon receipt, I immediately went to the section of arguably the
best baseball team ever to play at Watertown High. This 1939 team,
coached by Dan Sullivan and captained by Oscar Khederian, went on to
be inducted into the Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
This truly great team had five Hall of Famers: Mike Calden, Bill
Shannon, George Yankowski, Bill Kearns and Khederian.
Reflecting upon this discarded annual, I wondered about the
owner. The book was in pristine condition after 65 years, but
contained no indication as to who the owner was. My speculation is
that the owner was deceased, with no progeny to treasure this legacy.
My curiosity made me read this book of memories from cover to cover,
and to think about the teenagers pictured therein in the flower of
their youth.
Little did that generation realize that in mere months, Europe
would be at war and America would enter World War II in a year and a
half. This group of graduates had just lived through the Great
Depression which was beginning to abate. Roosevelt’s New Deal was
showing success with programs such as the Works Progress
Administration. The Daughters of the American Revolution refused to
allow singer Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in
Washington. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for the 37-year-old
Anderson to sing at the Lincoln Memorial. Dying Lou Gehrig gave his
“luckiest man alive” speech at Yankee Stadium. The World’s Fair
opened in New York. “Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” were
released that year.
The 1939 graduates would be now celebrating their 83rd or 84th
birthdays this year. There were about 400 Watertown High graduates in
1939. The principal was Herbert Archibald.
The aspirations for many of the female graduates typically
seemed to be for entering the business world, like Helen Avtgis of
Pleasant Street, who wanted to be a buyer. Dora Palladino, also of
Pleasant Street, wanted to go to business school. Phyllis Danner of
Common Street had her sights set on Wheaton College, and Betty Davis
of Oliver Street wanted to go to Lasell Junior College.
Stuart Newell, president of the class, was interested in going
to college. Varoujian “Juicy” Samuelian of Dexter Avenue went to
Harvard and later became the longtime editor of the Armenian Mirror
Spectator.
The Glee Club had 76 members. The band and the orchestra had
approximately 60 members each. Another sizable club was the Knitting
Club, advised by Miss Sweet. Each member was expected to complete two
sweaters or the equivalent during the year.
The girls basketball team was undefeated in its five-game
schedule, beating Winchester, 50-12, and Newton, 27-6. Their coach,
Sally Biggane, looked the same when I saw her 15 years after her
yearbook photo.
All these lives would change after Dec. 7, 1941, with America’s
entry into World War II. Bill Kearns would find himself in the Navy
through the war, and was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo
Bay in 1945. George Yankowski would be in the U.S. Army infantry, and
he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was a sniper. Bill
Shannon was a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima, where he would receive
the highest decoration a Marine can receive, the Navy Cross.
These 1939 graduates faced the greatest of challenges in the
20th century: living through the Depression; fighting and winning in
the largest conflict in world history; and building America into the
greatest country in the world into the 21st century. These are the
reasons that these graduates are part of what is called “the Greatest
Generation.” Their deeds and accomplishments are truly remarkable. I
believe recent and current graduating classes can look to the 1939
graduates with admiration and resolve to follow their legacy of honor
and excellence.
Bob Kaprielian is the director of the Watertown High School
Athletic Hall of Fame and a local cable television host, among other
things. He lives on Mount Auburn Street.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress