Richard Hovannisian, Tulare native and top Armenian studies scholar, dies at age 90

Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian, a pioneer in the field of Armenian studies and an internationally recognized historian with roots in the San Joaquin Valley, passed away on July 10 in Los Angeles. He was 90.

Hovannisian was a professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History at UCLA for more than 50 years, and the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA. He was also a presidential fellow at Chapman University. Hovannisian played a pivotal role in the development of the field of Armenian studies in the United States and throughout the world.

Hovannisian was born on Nov. 9, 1932 and raised in Tulare in a family of Armenian Genocide survivors. His father, Kaspar, was born in 1901 in the village of Bazmashen, near Kharpert in western Armenia. Kaspar survived the genocide and moved to the United States, where he married fellow Kharpert native, Siroon Nalbandian, whose family had immigrated to the United States just before the Genocide. Together they faced the challenges of juggling their Armenian and American identities, striving to build secure and prosperous lives for their children in a new land, free of the trauma of genocide. The need to claim his Armenian identity would later become a driving force in Hovannisian’s life.

Hovannisian grew up on the family farm, but dreamed of becoming a teacher, and was determined to learn about the history of the Armenians, taught in none of his schools.

Graduating from Tulare Union High School, Hovannisian attended then-Fresno State College, and later continued his education at the UC Berkeley, graduating with a bachelor’s in history in 1954.

It was then that he decided to attend the Nishan Palanjian Jemaran in Beirut, Lebanon, to further his knowledge of Armenian history and to master the Armenian language.

In 1957 Hovannisian married Vartiter Kotcholosian, one of only two women in the graduating class of the University of California, San Francisco Medical School. He taught for several years in Fresno schools, including Longfellow Junior High School. In the same period, he also drove to Tulare every Saturday with his sister-in-law Nazik Kotcholosian to teach Armenian to the children of family and friends.

In 1960, he was invited by the UCLA Near Eastern Center to teach two extension courses on Armenian culture and language at the Fresno State College campus. He later joined the UCLA faculty in 1962, going on to develop the Armenian history curriculum and completing his doctorate in 1966.

Hovannisian’s early scholarly work focused on the history of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920) and his doctorate dissertation was published in 1967 under the title, “Armenia on the Road to Independence.” . His four-volume “The Republic of Armenia” was a decades-long effort stemming from his doctorate.

Over the span of his more than 60 years of teaching, research and public speaking, Hovannisian made an indelible impact in the field of Armenian studies, and more particularly modern Armenian history and the Armenian Genocide. Through his efforts and a small group of other scholars, the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) was established in 1974. Hovannisian was appointed the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at the UCLA. He has written, edited, and published more than 40 books and more than 70 scholarly articles.

The national funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 22 at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, located at 2226 Ventura Ave., Fresno, CA 93721.

Hovannisian is survived by son Raffi and Armenouhi Hovannisian and family; son Armen and Elizabeth Hovannisian and family; daughter Ani and Armenio Kevorkian and family; youngest son Garo and Arsineh Hovannisian and family; sister-in-law, Nazik Kotcholosian Messerlian and family; the families of brothers John, Ralph, and Vernon Hovannisian (Fresno-Visalia); and relatives, friends, colleagues, and students.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Orran (Center for Underprivileged Children in Armenia), c/o 2217 Observatory Ave., Los Angeles CA 90027; or the Richard G. Hovannisian Scholarship Fund/Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, c/o 101 Groverton Place, Los Angeles, CA 90077.

Barlow Der Mugrdechian is the Berberian Coordinator in the Armenian Studies Program and the director of the Center for Armenian Studies, both at Fresno State.