Knights of Vartan Oakley Country Club Gala Recognizes Community Leaders

Playwright and teacher Joyce Van Dyke will be the new Shushanik Mamigonian Woman of the Year. She teaches at Northeastern and Harvard Extension School and has authored many award-winning plays on Armenian topics, including the Karabagh war, the Armenian Genocide and the American-Armenian immigrant experience. Her play “Daybreak,” about two women survivors of the Armenian Genocide, is being performed at Tuft University’s Balch Arena Theater from October 29 to November 7.

The Mamigonian Family Community Leader Award is being given to the Ashjian family. Joseph Ashjian, born in Aintab and raised in Syria, became a pharmacist, but loved the theater from a young age and founded a theater group in Syria. After immigrating to the US, he took over the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU)’s Baronian Theater Group and energetically supported the Armenian Evangelical Memorial Church of Watertown, and the Knights of Vartan. He passed away in 1993. His wife Alice supported him in all of his endeavors, and even served as a prompter backstage during his plays.

Their first-born child, Sona Ashjian, worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and now in the Armenian Memorial Church, while supporting the Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston. Their eldest son Apo directed the AGBU Daron Dance Ensemble and began performing in plays at a young age alongside his father. Apo founded the independent Sayat Nova Company in 1986. He married Arlét (Ghoughasian). The youngest son, Hagop, works with his brother in the dance company. He married Arpie Ohannessian. The Ashjian grandchildren are also active in the Armenian community.

The Vartan Mamigonian Young Leaders Award will be given to Zareh Zurabyan, Armine Afeyan, Michael Demirchian, and Karina Demurchyan. They are young activists who successfully organized a vigil as part of the Boston Armenian community’s commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide this year. Zurabyan from a young age has been involved in supporting Armenian activities, including the Armenian Tree Project and genocide education programs. A co-program director of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Boston, Zurabyan worked toward the inclusiveness of the vigil and helped develop the multimedia program. Demirchian, with leadership experience in the Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian Church Youth Organization of America and the Armenian Student Association at Northeastern University, was an excellent organizer.

Afeyan, involved in the Boston community from a young age, wrote her Yale thesis on a comparison of the Namibian and Armenian Genocides. After graduation she became involved in the Armenian Heritage Park, and started a vigil in the park in 2013. She was a co-chair of the vigil committee and member of the Massachusetts Centennial Committee.

Demurchyan has been involved in the Sayat Nova Company since 2007, and has been active with the Armenian Tree Project, Friends of Armenian Culture Society and the Armenian Business Network.