By Dr. Minas Kojayan

Volume under review:

Stepan Partamian. The Armenian in America. Los Angeles: Armenian Arts Fund, 2012.

When we speak or write about Stepan Partamian, one of our community’s most intriguing figures, we must not balk from using adjectives such as “unique,” “uncommon,” “singular,” or “strange,” since all are apt descriptions of his character and accomplishments — as an art activist, a television host, and, especially, a researcher. A case in point is his latest series of books, dedicated to the history and culture of the Armenian-American community.

In 2009 Partamian published Yes, We Have, which was followed by Yes, We Have Too and its Armenian translation, Ayo, Menk enk. Subsequently, in 2012, the author released his most colorful volume yet, The Armenian in America. All these publications attest to the distinctness of Partamian’s work, but also, in particular, his passion as a researcher. The Partamian we have come to enjoy on television screens could not have offered anything less.

Partamian’s Yes, We Have series presents a sweeping overview of Armenian-American achievements in science, technology, art, literature, politics, journalism, commerce, sports, and other fields. As for his latest work, The Armenian in America, it registers as a breathtaking visual panorama of Armenian-American life, in which the author presents, with the passion of a pilgrim, hundreds of photographs which depict Armenian landmarks as well as public signs containing Armenian references.

Partamian has driven thousands of miles across the United States to compile the material for the project. He has visited a total of 45 states, photographing every Armenian school, church, cultural or commercial landmark, monument, and street or highway stretch bearing an Armenian name. He has then distilled the massive photo collection into the 172-page The Armenian in America, complete with detailed captions — which are sometimes sprinkled with his biting commentary.

The Armenian in America is a documentary work of outstanding meticulousness, the type of volume for the realization of which publishing houses would deploy dozens of experts and invest a great deal of money. It is remarkable, therefore, that this book is the work of a single author, photographer, and designer. As I leaf through The Armenian in America, I imagine Stepan, with his signature beard and gleaming head, digital camera dangling from his neck, rushing out of his car and taking photos of a Genocide khachkar (stone cross).

Partamian has spared neither time nor expense for the making of The Armenian in America, hoping that, through it, the world will learn that his people has not only given inventors and industrialists to the United States, but has helped enriched the American landscape with structures and landmarks unique to Armenian culture.

In Partamian’s words, from the preface of the book:

“Are our glorified Christian pedigree and the Genocide all that we’ve ‘given’ the world? As importantly, can we afford to be so myopic as to ignore the extraordinary, often history-making, contributions of Armenian individuals to humanity, and to fail to encourage the next generation of outstanding Armenians to create and invent things to their hearts’ content?”

The Armenian in America was edited by Ishkhan Jinbashian.

Partamian has dedicated the book to the late Harout Yeretsian, his beloved friend and driving force behind Los Angeles’ iconic Abril Bookstore.

The Armenian in America, priced at $40, is available for purchase at Armenian bookstores and online at TheArmenian.com

Armenian contributions to American civilization

Up-to-date volume also features

numerous lesser-known inventors and luminaries

Los Angeles – The Armenian Arts Fund has released Yes, We Have, a new compendium of American-Armenian contributions to American life. The illustrated volume contains contributions by American-Armenians in the fields of science, technology, visual arts including film, literature, music, sports, and public service.

Yes, We Have was compiled by Stepan Partamian, founder and president of the Armenian Arts Fund. “As I researched the material for the book and learned of all the wonderful milestones achieved by Armenians in this country, I was simply in awe of the range and significance of their contributions to American civilization,” Partamian said.

“Yes, We Have presents a mosaic of American-Armenian accomplishments and recognizes the extraordinary men and women behind them,” Partamian continued. “Today we take pride in them not only as exemplary sons and daughters of the United States, but as sources of inspiration and role models, particularly for the new generation of American-Armenians.”

Yes, We Have opens with the April 24, 2009 statement of President Barack Obama about the Genocide of the Armenians in 1915. With his commemorative words, Obama became the first-ever American president to acknowledge the wide-scale devastation of the Armenian people during the Genocide, and also the first to refer to the tragedy by its Armenian term, Medz Yeghern. The president’s statement reads, in part: “The United States of America is a far richer country because of the many Americans of Armenian descent who have contributed to our society.”

The rich history of the American-Armenians began as early as the 1600s, when Martin the Armenian, an expert silkworm grower, settled in Jamestown Colony, Virginia. The first entry in Yes, We Have belongs to him. The book goes on to document a panoply of achievements by American-Armenians in the centuries since, from the Armenian-born Thomas Corwin (governor of Ohio and U.S. secretary of the Treasury) to the rock band System of a Down, academician Vartan Gregorian, and California assemblyman Paul Krekorian.

Yes, We Have also includes information about numerous lesser-known American-Armenian luminaries such as organ-transplant pioneer John Najarian and Oscar Banker (Asadour Sarafian), one of America’s most prolific inventors and a pioneer of consumer advocacy.

Oscar Banker invented the first practical automatic transmission and successfully fought car companies to have them adopt his own safety standards. It’s why he came to be known as “the man who made [consumer advocate&91; Ralph Nader.” Banker next invented the primary controls of the first generation of helicopters. Thanks to his designs, U.S.-made helicopters saved the lives of an estimated 20,000 servicemen fighting in the Pacific during the Second World War. Banker practically donated his invention to the American government. His long list of groundbreaking inventions also includes the first versatile needleless inoculation gun and the first four-color flatbed printing press. “Banker is one of those tireless geniuses whose work has made American life as we know it all the better,” Partamian said.

Since the release of Yes, We Have earlier this month, many readers have bought extra copies of the book and sent them as presents to various U.S. elected officials, at Partamian’s prompting. “We’re doing this because we need to remind American leaders of their American-Armenian constituents’ outstanding contributions to our country. It’s also a great way to share our sense of pride with the American public at large,” Partamian explained.

The Armenian Arts Fund is encouraging readers throughout America to gift copies of Yes, We Have to elected officials and institutions including members of Congress (both local and U.S.), the U.S. administration, local governments, school boards, libraries, and schools. The Armenian Arts Fund has simplified the gifting process through a special shopping cart on its site, yeswehave.org. Readers who visit the site can order copies of the book and instruct the publisher to send them to officials of their choosing. The Armenian Arts Fund will then mail out the books with no shipping charges (within the 50 American states). According to Partamian, the Yes, We Have site will include a list of all U.S. elected officials who have received copies of the book as well as those who haven’t yet. “The goal is to share the wealth of American-Armenian achievements with every important government and community office in this country, by presenting them with copies of the book,” Partamian stressed.

All proceeds from the sale of Yes, We Have will benefit “The Armenian in America,” the latest initiative of the Armenian Arts Fund. Kicking off on August 1, 2009, “The Armenian in America” is a film and book project that will document off-the-beaten track Armenian life throughout the United States. Partamian, who will drive across the country to conduct interviews and film his subjects, is encouraging people to give him leads and suggestions as to which Armenian individuals, landmarks, and institutions to include in the documentary, by calling (818) 244-2468 or emailing at partam@partam.com.

Established in Los Angeles in 1999, the Armenian Arts Fund is a nonprofit, independent organization that promotes artistic excellence, open public discourse, and the dissemination of Armenian culture. Future plans of the organization include the publication in 2015 of a volume titled Gifts to the World: A compendium of Armenian contributions to humanity, which will introduce an overview of Armenian contributions to the world as a whole. The book will be released on the centenary of the 1915 Genocide.

Book presentation was held November 28 at Glendale Public Library

Los Angeles, November 28, 2011 — An extensively researched compendium of Armenian contributions to U.S. civilization was released this week in Los Angeles.

Titled Ayo, Menk enk (Yes, We Are: Contributions of Armenians to the United States of America), the Armenian-language volume was published by the Armenian Arts Fund. The book will be formally introduced to the public with a presentation at the Glendale Public Library, in Glendale, California, on November 28.

In addition to a complete Armenian translation of the original compendium (Yes, We Have), which was published two years ago, the contents of the latest volume have been considerably expanded to include over 200 new entries. Among the additional biographies featured in the book are those of economist Albert Alchian, sculptor Haig Patigian, Spanish-American War veteran James Chankalian, Armenian doctors who served in the American Civil War, Massachusetts State representative Rachel Kaprielian, Avid Technology founder Thomas Ohanian, astronaut James Bagian, author and editor George Stambolian, euthanasia activist Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Mac OS X developer Avadis Tevanian, California State senator Joe Simitian, and Samuel Sevian, America’s youngest chess master.

“The scale and diversity of Armenian contributions to American life are just astonishing,” said Stepan Partamian, chairman of the Armenian Arts Fund, who has compiled the series. “Throughout my research, I came across stories of Armenian-Americans whose parents had fled the Genocide, and who went on to make outstanding contributions to America, their adopted homeland,” Partamian continued. “Today we not only can feel rightfully proud of the extraordinary achievements of Armenian-Americans throughout American history, but should inspire our young generation to follow in their footsteps.”

Ayo, Menk enk comprises short biographies and photos of Armenian-Americans who have excelled in the fields of science, technology, literature, journalism, fine arts, theater, cinema, medicine, and sports, to name a few. The 320-page volume also includes the patents of hundreds of Armenian-American inventions filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

“Consider actress and television personality Arlene Francis, who was once featured on the cover of Newsweek as the ‘first lady of television,’” Partamian said. “Or the amazing Oscar Banker (Asadoor Sarafian), who invented the automatic transmission, the helicopter gear drive, and the needleless inoculation gun. Moreover, Banker was a consumer-rights pioneer who successfully fought the American auto industry for better safety standards. While such individuals can be role models in any culture, it is especially gratifying for us to know that they were of Armenian descent.”

Proceeds from the 2009 compendium, Yes, We Have, helped finance the initiative titled “The Armenian in America,” Partamian said. For that project, Partamian traveled across all 50 American states and documented institutions and signs associated with Armenian life. Now, Partamian continued, sales of the new volume, Ayo, Menk enk, will support the Armenian Arts Fund’s next major initiative, “The Armenian in the World.” For the implementation of this particular project, Partamian explained, he plans to travel across Europe, and subsequently other continents, where he will photograph a wide range of landmarks and signs associated with Armenian life. His photographs and descriptions eventually will be published both in book form and online.

Speaking of the book presentation which will be held at the Glendale Public Library on November 28, Partamian said he looks forward to sharing with the public some of the more striking discoveries he has made during his research. “The book presentation will be significant to me on a personal level as well, given that the following morning I’ll be traveling back to Armenia, of which I’ve been a permanent resident since 2010,” he added. “So the event will not only be a celebration of the new volume but give me a chance to say farewell to supporters and friends.”

Copies of Ayo, Menk enk can be purchased from Armenian bookstores and online at yeswehave.org. The volume is also available in ebook format and can be purchased form the same site.