Tanielian, Jirair, of Waltham, November 22, 2022. Beloved husband of Zevart (Mardirossian) . Devoted father of Maral Der Torossian and her husband Vatche, and Arpy Tanielian and her husband Sevag Zaroukian. Loving grandfather of Shant and Shahe Der Torossian and Raffi and Danny Yehiayan. Brother of Pakrad Tanielian, his wife Silva and daughters (London). Brother of late Yeprem Tanielian, his wife Lusine and Children. Nephew of Kohar Khatchadourian and Children (Lebanon). Nephew of late Arjon Djeredjian and Children. He's also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral service at Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church, 200 Lexington Street, Belmont on Tuesday, November 29 at 11:00 a.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held at Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church on Tuesday morning from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., immediately prior to the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church. Burial at Saint Patrick Cemetery, 999 Belmont Street, Watertown. Memorial luncheon will be served at Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church immediately following burial services.
Jirair Tanielian Biography
Jirair was born on April 21st 1941, in Beirut, to Garabed Tanielian and Sirarpi Topalian.
He attended the Mekhitarist School in Beirut, followed by AGBU’s Hovagimian-Manoogian Secondary School. He received his higher education at Haigazian University of Beirut, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history and pedagogy, where he met the love of his life, Zevart. They got married shortly after and went on to have two daughters, Maral and Arpy, and four grandsons. Along with his bachelor's degree, he obtained the Normal Diploma. In 1998, he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate Degree from Yerevan University of Economics and Law.
In 2017, he received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Armenology from the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
Tanielian started his carreer at Haigazian University, where he served for twenty-three years, first as the head of the Armenian Library and then as the general University librarian. This period for him became a unique era of academic excllence in philology.
In 1987, he was appointed director of AGBU’s Hovagimian-Manoogian Secondary School, and in 1993, he also became the director of Tarouhi Hagopian Secondary School. He was a lecturer in the Department of Armenian Studies at Haigazian University and at AGBU’s Hussusian Center. He was also Director and Lecturer of Armenian Studies at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia.
A very active public and cultural figure, Jirair was the Secretary of the AGBU Lebanon Education Committee (1985-1987), Secretary of the Central Board of the Armenian Youth Association (AYA-Antranik) (1987-1997), Chairman of the board of Khacher Kaloustian Pedagogical Center within the Catholicosate of Cilicia (2010-2020). He also was a member of 4 different commissions within the Catholicosate of Cilicia. Tanielian participated in several Armenia-Diaspora Writers' Conferences, including the Armenia-Diaspora Conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence. He was an organizing member of the three educational congresses organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia. He held numerous public lectures in Lebanon, Syria, United States, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Yerevan, Canada, and England.
He was a member of the Union of Armenian & International Journalists, a member of the Writers' Union of Armenia, and a member of the Board of Lebanese-Armenian Writers.
On August 4, 2020, he was seriously injured during the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut. Soon after he left for the United States of America for treatments, where he passed away two years later, on November 22nd, surrounded by his loving family.
Publications: "Armenian Press Collection" (1974, republished in 1981), "The Ramgavar Azatagan Press" (1982), "Retreat Without Song as Evidence" (1983), "The New Armenian Periodical Press. 1967-1981" (1984), "The Lebanese-Armenian Printing during the War Years. 1975-1984" (1986), "Philological Quests" (1997), "The Lebanese-Armenian School. Numbers and Reflections. 2001-2002" (2002), "Literary Quests" (2007), "In the Spins of Philology" (Yerevan, 2011), “Philology Versus Listing” Volume 1 (2020), Volume 2 (2021).
Editor:
He has edited more than thirty volumes. He was the editor of the reprints of Western Armenia and Cilicia Memoirs (14 volumes) published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
He has been a member of the editorial boards of "Harach", "Haigazian Armenological Review", "Hask Armenological Yearbook", "Hussusian Armenological Yearbook", "Khosnag", "Shirak", and “Navasart”.
He was the editor-in-chief of "Shirak" (1990-1997), one of the founding editors of "Yeridasart Hay" (1969-1975), and the founder and editor-in-chief of "Gamar" Art & Literary Magazine (2005-2020).
Awards:
1999 He was awarded the "Haykashen Uzunian Literary Prize of the Tekeyan Cultural Association" in Yerevan.
1999 Winner of the "Haykazun and Anahit Vardivarian Competition" of the Beirutbased "Zartonk" daily.
2005 "Mesrob Mashdots" medal and consecration received from Aram I the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.
2009 Order of the Writers' Union of Armenia during a ceremony in Yerevan.
2010 Certificate of Education from the Lebanese Ministry of Education.
2011 On the occasion of his 70th anniversary celebration in Yerevan, he received Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science Gold Medal, the Republic of Armenia’s Ministry of Diaspora's "William Saroyan" highest medal, the first gold medal of the newly established "Faithful Professional" of the Union of Journalists of Armenia, and the "Ararat" Gold Medal.
2011 "Hagop Meghabart" Medal of the National Library of Armenia.
2014 "Movses Khorenatsi" Medal of the Order of the Republic of Armenia. 2-time holder of the A.G.B.U. Veteran’s member certificate.