GLENDALE, CA – Longtime professor and academician Dr. Richard Hovannisian will be honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) Annual Banquet this year. The honor is among the organization’s highest awards and is being granted to Professor Richard Hovannisian for teaching, researching, writing, and lecturing worldwide about Armenian history, culture, and current issues. The 2010 Annual Banquet, which is set to be a sold out event, will be held on October 24th at the Universal Sheraton in Los Angeles.

“We are proud to be honoring Dr. Richard Hovannisian,” remarked ANCA-Western Region Chairwoman Aida Dimejian. “His contributions in academia have continuously supported the advancement of the Armenian Cause and complimented the efforts of our organization. We applaud him for his decades of noble service,” Dimejian added.

Richard G. Hovannisian is the Professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History and Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was born and raised in Tulare, California. He received his B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley and Ph.D. in history from UCLA. A member of the UCLA faculty since 1962, he has organized both the undergraduate and graduate programs in Armenian history and has guided many students to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Armenian History.

Dr. Hovannisian served as the Associate Director of UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies from 1978 to 1995. He became the first Holder of the AEF Chair in 1986. From 1965 to 1969 he was also Associate Professor of History at Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los Angeles, and has served as a distinguished visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley; California State University, Fresno; Florida Atlantic University; and Clark University. Professor Hovannisian is a Guggenheim Fellow and has received many honors for his scholarship, civic activities, and advancement of Armenian studies. He is a founder and six-time president of the Society for Armenian Studies and serves on the editorial boards of five journals and on the boards of directors of ten scholarly and civic organizations. He has given hundreds of lectures and participated in numerous international forums and in the media on Armenian issues.

Since the 1970’s, Dr. Hovannisian has focused on remembrance and denial of the Armenian Genocide, about which he has spoken in 35 countries, more than 150 colleges and universities, and more than 1000 public lectures and forums on six continents. He has served as a consultant to the California State Board of Education, authoring the chapter on the Armenian Genocide in the State’s Social Studies Model Curriculum on Human Rights and Genocide. Dr. Hovannisian has also served as a consultant to the Facing History and Ourselves Organization, assisted in the preparation of its resource book on the Armenian Genocide, and introduced the subject in numerous Facing History teacher-training institutes and summer workshops. Dr. Hovannisian is the recipient of the Medal of Mesrop Mashtots from His Holiness Karekin II of the Great House of Cilicia in 1982, Medal of Saints Sahak and Mesrop from Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II in 2001, and Knight of Cilicia from His Holiness Aram I in 2001. In 1990, Richard Hovannisian became the first social scientist living abroad to be elected to the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. He has received honorary doctorate degrees from Yerevan State University (1994) and Artsakh (Karabagh) State University (1997). In May 1998, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the first Armenian republic, he was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi medal by the Republic of Armenia, and subsequently was awarded with a similar medal from the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh.

“The ANCA-WR looks forward to saluting Dr. Hovannisian for his invaluable contributions to our community and our nation,” stated Elizabeth Boyajian, Chairwoman of the 2010 Banquet Committee. “We encourage members of our community to take part in the celebration to recognize Dr. Hovannisian’s exemplary work and service,” she added.

Individuals interested in attending the ANCA-Western Region banquet are encouraged to call (818) 500-1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.