St. James Church Honors Ellis Island Medal Recipient Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian

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WATERTOWN, Mass. — On Sunday, September 23, St. James Armenian Church will host a reception following Divine Liturgy in honor of parishioner Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian, recipient of the 2012 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Goudsouzian and his wife, Mary, have been active St. James parishioners for more than 40 years. He is the chairman of the Mr. & Mrs. Group, is in his second term as diocesan delegate, and has served on the Parish Council for six years. He is active in several other organizations such as the Armenian Genera

Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). Goudsouzian is on the executive board of Friends of Armenian Culture Society (FACS) and on the Board of the Armenian Cultural Society of Arlington (ACF). The Goudsouzians’ contributions to the community were recognized by Karekin II, supreme patriarch and catholicos of all Armenians through the awarding of the St. Nersess Shnorhali medal and pontifical encyclical. The St. James parish also honored the Goudsouzians as St. James 2008 Parishioners of the Year, which was recognized by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Armenia has a special place in the heart of the Goudsouzians. Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian has visited Armenia seven times — twice with Project Hope; the first time to organize an airlift of earthquake victims to United States, and the second time to establish a rehabilitation unit. Two of the traumatized children stayed with the Goudsouzians for six months. Single-handedly he collects unused medical supplies and equipment from Massachusetts

General and Shriners’ Burn Hospitals and assembles shipments to hospitals in Armenia every two or three months via the United Armenia Fund.

Goudsouzian’s professional accomplishments are as notable as his philanthropic and personal accomplishments. He has been a pediatric anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital for 45 years, has published more than 150 medical and research publications and has authored two books that had several editions and translated to four languages. He was the founding editor and chairman of the editorial board of the indexed journal Pediatric Anesthesia. In recognition of his achievements, Harvard Medical School bestowed on him the title of Professor of Anesthesia.

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The Goudsouzians’ greatest pride is their family — their three sons, Steven (Lara), Aram (Chrystal) and Haig (Jarka), and five grandchildren.

All are welcome to attend this reception, which will be held in the St. James’ Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center, Keljik Hall, 465 Mt. Auburn St.

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