On the 20th anniversary of her mother's death, Marash Girl was reading the Armenian Mirror Spectator (Nov. 26, 2011, issue) when she came upon a letter to the editor from Haig Der Manuelian (HOVNANIAN DESERVES ACCOLADES, OTHER ASSEMBLY FOUNDERS NEED TO BE REMEMBERED). In that letter, der Manuelian mentions Marash Girl's work in the 1970's as the administrator of the ALMA Oral History Project, but what he does not mention, nor does he know, is the part that Marash Girl's mother played in that project. If it were not for the support that her mother gave Marash Girl at that time, caring for the children, cooking, providing names and introductions to survivors who her mother knew would be willing to talk with her, there is no way that Marash Girl could have administered ALMA's Oral History Project. So here's to you, Mummy, Lucille Mae (Jennie) Vartanian Bilezikian, who allowed the project to happen, and here's to all the survivors who were willing to relive the horror of their experiences in order that their stories be known to all in the future.
To read other blogs by Marash Girl on Armenian Oral History, please click the following links:
0 comments:
Post a Comment