By Brooke Dodson
Daily Bruin Contributor
Disappointed citizens were turned away from a sold-out banquet
held Friday to honor the accomplishments of Richard Hovannisian, a
professor of Armenian studies.
The event recognized his 1962 founding and subsequent
development of the undergraduate and graduate Armenian studies
programs at UCLA, as well as the 15th anniversary of his
appointment as the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed
Chair.
“(Hovannisian) is a very modest man whose research and
commitment to the Armenian studies program has impacted the lives
and work of thousands,” said Rubina Peroomian, a UCLA alumnus
and chief organizer of Friday’s event.
But she, along with Hovannisian, said the celebration was not
the end to the professor’s work as a researcher, teacher or
department chair.
“I love teaching,” Hovannisian said. “I love
the enthusiasm I can generate when the material is challenging, but
at the same time interesting.”
The banquet served as the introduction for a two-day conference,
which not only celebrated Hovannisian, but the politics, culture
and society of two ancient Middle Eastern cities ““ Kars and
Ani.
“The goal of this series is to create a scholarly exchange
through bringing experts in the history, geography, arts,
architecture, religion, politics and culture of Armenia of the
past,” Hovannisian said.
The conference was the ninth in a series organized and sponsored
by Hovannisian and his department. Material discussed over the
weekend included the lives and works of ancient poets, as well as
in-depth studies of religious figures and monuments, and detailed
comparisons of architectural and artistic expression.
The means of presentation varied from the reading of poetry in
native Armenian to slide shows and standing displays of
architectural blueprints and photographs.
Speakers at the conference included faculty from schools ranging
from California State University, Fresno to Oxford University in
England. Tim Greenwood, a research fellow in Near Eastern studies
at Oxford, spoke Saturday about the emergence of ancient Armenian
kingdoms in the 10th century.
“There are few conferences dedicated completely to
Armenian studies,” Greenwood said.
Because Greenwood and other speakers said they have benefitted
scholastically from the conferences thus far, most said they plan
on applying to participate in the next conference of the series,
scheduled for May 2002.
“Without (Hovannisian’s) work, the development of
Armenian studies at UCLA and around the world would not be at the
same caliber as it is today,” Greenwood said. “The
conference further exemplifies his commitment to the Armenian
culture as a whole.”