By Phyllis Dohanian
The Armenian Missionary Association of America this fall will celebrate the legacy of the late Edward Avedisian, who created so much good here in the US as well as in Armenia, with the support of his wife, Pamela.
His dedication will be marked at the AMAA’s Annual Banquet on October 21 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront in San Francisco.
Born in Pawtucket, RI, Edward Avedisian embarked upon a lifetime of helping others. Through many years of helping his own community, Avedisian developed a vision of how best to impact the well-being of Armenians into an action plan which would play a pivotal role for the future of Armenia. By providing the poorest and most deprived of children in Yerevan with the highest quality education from pre-kindergarten through secondary school at no cost, he wished to empower them to lift themselves to a level where they could not only obtain a good job, but also raise their own families within Armenia, assist other neighbors in need, and uplift their community and country.
A drafty and derelict building in Yerevan was the perfect place for Edward Avedisian and his wife, Pamela, to make his dream a reality. In Melanya Geghamyan, principal of the Avedisian School from its inception, he found the perfect partner. Melanya listened as Ed told anyone who was within earshot that a true Armenian patriot should see the future of Armenia in an educated generation and should give the nation educated children. Melanya worked diligently day and night to make this shared mantra a reality.
Beginning in 1999 with kindergarten, adding one grade with each successive year with a middle school and a high school to follow and then, in conjunction with AUA, a university education for those eager children with the drive and skills to work hard to capture the future, the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School came to be.
