1997_12 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper December 1997

              December 1997
Hye Sharzhoom
3
New Professor Enjoys Writing and Saroyan
By Talin Mekhitarian
Staff Writer
Michael Krekorian's life
has been filled with success, especially at times when he is underestimated. While having many interests, it has been difficult for him to
decide on which to follow. Bom in
Culver City, California, he grew up
a young Armenian trying to learn
more about his heritage. After high
school he attended California State
University, Northridge. There he
received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. It was during his
graduate studies at San Diego State
University that his life changed dramatically.
While in his graduate studies he discovered what he really
wanted to do, write. He switched
his major to English Literature and
his life was forever changed. While
attending school he held various
jobs such as mechanic, teachers aid,
and catering. In 1977 he published
his first short story, "Steve, are you
staying?" Eventually he transferred
to UC-Irvine where he received his
Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing in 1 980. Since then he has been
trying to balance his writing career
with his teaching career.
After graduating he got
part-time jobs atUC-San Diego and
San Diego State University teaching Creative Writing. In 1987 he
met his wife, Alice, who also has
interest in writing and poetry. After
leaving his job in 1989 he published
his first book of short stories, "Corridor," in 1990. He never worked
full-time because while working
part-time he could still write. He
then worked at UC-Riverside for a
Hye Profile:
Michael Krekorian
Occupation:
Writer/Professor
Born: March 28, 1949
Marital Status: Married
First Teaching Job: Part-
time professor at San Deigo
State and UC-San Diego,
teaching Creative Writing.
What I enjoy most about
my job: Working with
students that have diverse
opinions and different
perspectives.
My most embarrassing
moment was: I had gone
goldmining with a group of
friends in the mountains.
We had been carrying
heavy knapsacks filled with
pans and
shovels.
The trail
we had
been
following
was very
slippery
and the
next thing I
knew I was
sliding
down into a
stream.
The person who
had the most impact on
my life: My wife because
she always gave me the
faith and the courage to
write my best.
All-time favorite TV show
Matt's Headroom.
Favorite Movie:
Double Indemnity.
Favorite Food: Pilaf
Favorite Vacation Spot:
Fiji Islands in the
South Pacific.
Favorite Sport: Fishing
Biggest Regret: Not venturing in other fields of
work that I had interest in,
like Geology.
If I could change one
thing about myself I
would: Try to be more
aggressive in the way I fee]
about things and more
optimistic in my life.
Best gift I ever received is:
My Armenian Heritage.
My fondest childhood
memory: Hiking in the
Sierras with my father for
the first time.
I am most proud of:
Accomplishing a task when
I am underestimated.
few years in the English Department. He also gave lectures at various universities including Fresno
State. He published his second book
of short stories "Channel Zero" in
1996.
Now he is teaching several courses at Fresno State including Armenian Studies 10. He is
here to replace Dr. Kouymjian who
is on sabbatical leave. Michael
Krekorian is liked greatly by his
students because of his genuine personality and his discussion group
teaching style. Next semester he
will be teaching a Saroyan class and
an Armenian Film class.
New Saroyan Anthology
By: Alice Barter
Special Price $15.00 a copy
Make Check payable to:
Armenian Studies Program
5245 N. Backer Ave.
Fresno CA 93740-8001
Sarafian Speaks on Kharpert Massacres
Matthew Maroot
Staff Writer
\
"As Armenians, whether we
likeitornot, ifwedon'tpursuethis
[the true history ofthe Armenians]
the American Government certainly won't and the Turkish Government will write something
counter-factual about it and we will
be erased from history. History
does not write itself."
In this, the third lecture in the
Armenian Studies Program's Fall
Lecture Series, Ara Sarafian succinctly defined a key issue facing
Armenians and Armenian scholars
alike. Sarafian, a native of Cyprus
currently lives in London and is
touring the United States speaking
about the publication of the book
Days of Tragedy in Armenia: Personal Experiences in Harpoot,
1915-1917 by Henry H. Riggs.
Ara S arafian received his M. A.
in History from the University of
Michigan at Ann Arbor and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate. His areas of specialty in Armenian interest include, the History of Armenia
and the Armenian Diaspora in the
19th and 20th centuries. Sarafian
has conducted extensive archival
research in various archives
throughout the world including the
Armenian Historical Archives in
Yerevan, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Archives in
Ara Sarafian
Boston, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C, as well
as the Prime Ministry Archives in
Istanbul.
Ara Sarafian is a co-founder
of the new Gomidas Institute, a
non-profit academic organization
dedicated to modern and contemporary Armenian Studies which
provides a forum for active scholars to pursue research and publication. As part of his work with the
Gomidas Institute, Sarafian serves
as co-editor of the Armenian Forum, a journal of contemporary affairs.
Sarafian edited the recently
published work, Days of Tragedy in
Armenia: Personal Experiences in
Harpoot, 1915-1917. This work
was originally written by the Reverend Henry H. Riggs, an American missionary in Armenia. According to Sarafian, this is probably
the most detailed local history of
the Armenian Genocide written in
the English language. Reverend
Riggs prepared this work as a manuscript detailing his eyewitness account of the events of 1915-1917
and submitted it to a United States
Government Commission investi
gating various aspects of World
War I, including the destruction of
Armenian Communities in the Ottoman Empire. But it wasn't until
April of 1997 that this work was
published as a book.
Ara Sarafian holds a personal
interest in the communal life of
Armenians living before the Genocide in the region of Kharpert. He
has traveled extensively throughout the area of Kharpert and describes it as a beautiful part of the
world which is very rich in agriculture. The focus of this lecture was
on Kharpert as a central theatre of
the Armenian Genocide. Because
of Kharpert's central location it presents a very good case study ofthe
destruction of the Armenian communities during the Genocide. As
well, Armenian caravans" also
passed through here en route to the
deserts of Syria. A reference to
Kharpert may describe neighboring villages, the Kharpert Plain or
the town itself. At the time of the
Genocide, 35-40% of the population was Armenian with the remainder being Kurdish or Turkish.
According to Sarafian, today this
region is composed of approximately 80% Kurds and 20% Turks.
In 1915, 40,000 Armenians once
inhabited this area.
There were many Americans
living in Kharpert up until the start
of World War I.   An American
colony of Protestants who sought
to evangelize the Armenians was
established after the 1850's. The
Reverend Henry H. Riggs was a
third generation American involved
with the Armenians. Riggs' own
father was born in Turkey. Riggs
who spoke Armenian as well as
Kurdish was part of an American
population of approximately one to
two dozen families living in the
region at the time ofthe Genocide.
From the 1890's, the United States
Government State Department had
a Consulate in Kharpert which was
abandoned in 1917 with the onset
ofWorldWarl.
While the issue of the Armenian Genocide served as the main
focus of this lecture, Ara Sarafian
made a point of profound significance. "The reason we are here,"
states Sarafian, "is because we were
forced from our land." And while
this was the experience of our
grandparent's generation, it led to
the creation of a Diaspora in which
welive today. Sarafian also stressed
the importance of recognizing the
Armenian Genocide on a documentary level. Because the Genocide is
still denied, it is up to us as Armenians to use primary sources, such
as that of Henry H. Riggs, to cite
it's very occurrence.