LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region’s Education Committee announced that Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian will receive the Armenian Genocide Education Legacy award at the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Education Awards Luncheon. The luncheon will be held on Saturday, March 7 at De Luxe Banquet Hall, located at 237 E Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91502.

“The ANCA-WR Education Committee is proud to have Dr. Richard G. Hovannisian receive the Armenian Genocide Education Legacy Award this year,” remarked Sedda Antekelian, Luncheon Committee Chair. “Dr. Hovannisian is a leader, role model, and legend in the Armenian community in Los Angeles and worldwide. His exemplary lifetime commitment and profound contributions to educators and students have given access to a multitude of resources that support understanding of Armenian culture, history, and especially Armenian Genocide studies. His long-lasting efforts deserve our highest recognition.”

Richard G. Hovannisian is past holder of the Armenian Educational Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California, Los Angeles and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University in Orange County.

Born in Tulare, California in the Central San Joaquin Valley, Hovannisian received his B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of California, Berkeley and subsequently his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, joining the faculty in 1962. During his time at UCLA, Hovannisian introduced a number of Armenian courses, which was followed by undergraduate and graduate programs in Armenian history and maintained an active role in the community, serving as the President of the Armenian Monument Council in Montebello, among others.

He introduced a course at UCLA titled “Introduction to Armenian Oral History” back in 1972, which ultimately led to over 40 years of his students recording testimony of more than 1,000 Armenian Genocide survivors and their descendants. In 2018, it was announced that collection would be integrated into the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.

Moreover, for many years Hovannisian served as an educational consultant to many organizations which have been engaged in assembling resources about the Armenian Genocide for students at the primary and secondary levels. In particular, he has played a significant role in drafting educators “Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians” by Facing History and Ourselves and the State of California’s Model Curriculum on the Teaching of Genocide.

Hovannisian was also honored by His Holiness Karekin I and Karekin II and was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi medal by the Republic of Armenia, the Medal of St. Mesrop Mashtots by the Republic of Artsakh, and most recently was made “Prince of Cilicia” by His Holiness Aram I for his advancement of Armenian Studies. In 1990, Richard Hovannisian was elected to the Armenian Academy of Sciences, becoming the first social scientist living abroad to be so honored. He has received honorary doctorates from Yerevan State University (1994) and Artsakh State University (1997).

All community members are invited to the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Education Awards Luncheon, to show their appreciation, as well as celebrate and honor educators for their dedication to teaching about the Armenian Genocide. This year’s luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at De Luxe Banquet Hall in Burbank. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available online. Please reserve your tickets immediately, as last year this event sold out early. For additional information, visit the website or call 818.500.1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America- Western Region is a grassroots public affairs organization devoted to advancing issues of concern to the Armenian American community. For nearly a century, the ANCA-WR has served to educate, motivate and activate the Armenian American community in the Western United States on a wide range of issues.