1926 - 2020
Jack Marshall Medzorian passed away on Thursday, April 2, 2020, at the age of 93. Among his finest qualities were his modesty and humility. He was a humanitarian who never sought recognition nor praise for his many accomplishments. Jack was a man with a vision who always knew how to get the job done. A resident of Winchester, Massachusetts, Jack was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 15, 1926. He was the son of Marshall Hagop Medzorian and Skynig Marderosian Medzorian. Jack had one sister, Alma Rose Medzorian, who passed away in 2003. He attended Arlington High School where he was editor of the school newspaper. He was the commencement speaker at his graduation which occurred on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Following his graduation, Jack enlisted in the United States Army where he served until his discharge in 1946. On April 13, 1945, he served as an honor guard as the funeral train of President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed through Spartanburg, South Carolina. He attended Norwich University in Vermont, The University of North Carolina and Boston University, where he graduated with a master’s degree in Business Administration. In 1951, Jack Medzorian joined Baird-Atomic of Cambridge / Bedford as a junior accountant. In 1965, he became Vice-President and Treasurer and remained with the company as an executive until his retirement in 1991. Baird-Atomic (later Baird Corporation) manufactured and marketed high end scientific instruments that were used in industries such as medicine, law enforcement, music and recording and even by N.A.S.A. and the U.S. space program. In addition to his many trips to the company’s European headquarters in The Hague in the Netherlands, Jack also traveled the world for Baird, introducing the company’s products to new markets throughout Europe, Russia, and the Far East.
Jack’s later years were spent in the humanitarian service of Armenia, the land of his ancestors, as well as the Armenian community in America. He was the last surviving founding member and Past Commander of the Armenian-American Veterans of Greater Boston, formerly known as AMVETS Paul Mesrobian Post. No. 41.
Jack served for twenty years as Superintendent of the Sunday at the Saint James Armenian Apostolic church in Watertown, Massachusetts and helped to develop the school’s curriculum. He was also a member of the Council of Armenian Executives and a past member of the Armenian General Benevolent Union New England Executive Committee. In 1984, Jack was named Chairman of the AGBU National Convention. His service to the Armenian community increased when he joined the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association in the late 1980s and became its first Board of Trustees Vice-President, later becoming President. With CYSCA, Jack and his wife Eva directed the State Department Armenia Youth Exchange / School Partnership Program and brought twelve groups of students to the United States.
They also co-founded the Armenia School Aid Project (ASAP) in 1994 and directed 20 U.S. Government training programs for professionals from Armenia.
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research also benefitted from Jack Medzorian’s expertise. A member since 1995, Jack spent the last years of his life on NAASR’S Executive Board, coordinating investments in the NAASR Endowment Fund.
Most recently, he represented the Knights of Vartan in its partnership with NAASR in awarding grants to qualified scholars. In 1986, Jack became the second generation of his family to join The Knights of Vartan Ararat Lodge in Boston. His father Marshall had been a member since the 1920s. Jack served on the Knights of Vartan’s Grand Council as Grand Treasurer beginning in 1987. He served twice as Commander of Ararat Lodge during the 1990s. Jack directed the Armenia Medical Aid Program and founded the Knights of Vartan School Support Program. He also served as chair of the Board of Trustees for the Knights of Vartan Fund for Armenian Studies. The very last mission to which Jack and Eva together gave their time and support was The Women’s Resource Center in Armenia. Jack’s love and dedication to The Knights of Vartan were inspiring, so inspiring that both his son David and daughter Ruth would join the Knights and Daughters of Vartan respectively.
Jack and Eva made over one hundred trips to Armenia since 1972. The pair brought with them medical equipment, school supplies, and financial aid to help support hospitals and schools in the border regions of the country. Most recently, Jack and Eva’s efforts focused on the northeast Tavush Region of Armenia. In the town of Berd, where Jack and Eva sponsored a Sunday School at St. Hovhannes Church, their close friend Rev. Fr. Aram Mirzoyan formed a vocal group which he named the Medzorian Children’s Choir. The children performed for the Medzorians during their trip to Armenia in September of 2018. It would be Jack’s last visit to the land he held so dear.
On November 17, 2019, Jack was honored for his lifetime of service to the Armenian community with a gala celebration banquet which was held at the Saint James Cultural Center in Watertown and hosted by The Knights and Daughters of Vartan Boston lodges. In his remarks at the conclusion of the gala, Jack said with all humility, “My accomplishments were the result of working with great folks. I have not been alone for there was always a team that I worked with. It takes a village and you are my village.”
When it came to being part of a great team, Jack and Eva Medzorian were a tough act to follow. The two met while he was Superintendent of the Saint James Sunday School and she was a member of the church choir. They married in 1955 and had four children and five grandchildren. Eva was as committed to helping the Armenian people as Jack was, and together they undertook efforts and forged new programs that continue to bear fruit. They were the happiest when they were together, each supporting the other and their love and respect for one another only grew as the years passed.
Jack was not, however, all work and no play. He had a life-long love of tennis. He began playing at the age of thirteen and continued to play into his eighties. Jack also loved backgammon and enjoyed playing with his son John as well as his grandchildren. He became an avid Red Sox fan late in life and always wanted to be kept up to date on a game, even if he could not watch or listen. His son David recalled that as soon as a Knights of Vartan lodge meeting came to an end, his father would nudge him to look at his phone and tell him how the Red Sox were doing. A lifelong traveler, Jack especially enjoyed traveling with his wife Eva and in addition to their many trips to Armenia, the pair visited Europe, Russia, China, and the Caribbean. Their last trip together was in July of 2019 when they joined their son, David in Las Vegas for the Knights and Daughters of Vartan Grand Convocation.
Jack is survived by his wife, Eva and their four children, sons David,Ruth, John, and Mark. He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Alexander, Jack, Eva Maria, Angelina, and Kevin. Funeral services were private. The family says A “Celebration of Life” in honor of Jack Medzorian will be held once the Covid-19 crisis has come to an end.
Jack’s last project, which he worked on with his wife, Eva, was to support the Women’s Resource Center in Berd, Armenia.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that the donations in memory of Jack Medzorian be made to
“The Women’s Resource Center in Berd.”
Checks may be made to:
Fund for Armenian Relief / Women’s Resource Center
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10016
Please specify: In memory of Jack Medzorian