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Garden Party Raises Funds Expansion at Queens College The country style home of Ed & Lynn Jamie in Old Brookville, Long Island was the perfect setting on a perfect day for the “Garden Party Buffet” sponsored by The Anthropology Museum of the People of New York and the Armenian Cultural Educational Resource Center Gallery at Queens College. The 30th Anniversary Celebration and fund-raising event took place on Saturday, September 22, 2007. The proceeds will refurbish the new office in the lower level of Kissena Hall where the Museum is located.
No raffles! No tickets! Individuals contributing $75 or more were invited to this lavish late afternoon gathering where the guests were greeted with Armenian and various ethnic hors d’oeuvres. While the spacious patio was humming with the happy chatter of over 50 guests, the dinner buffet was beautifully arranged with whole salmon decorated with thin sliced cucumbers simulating the scales of the fish. Before dinner, Chairman Edward D. Jamie Jr. , President Raymond P. Tellalian, Executive Director Margaret C. Tellalian-Kyrkostas of the Museum greeted and thanked the guests and reminded them the importance of supporting the Museum so that generations to come will not only remember the 1915 Armenian genocide but will also be proud of their history and heritage that goes back to 9000 BC. A DVD of the Anthropology/Armenian Museum Tour produced by Queens Public Television was given to all the guests to help generate interest in the Museum. In addition being affiliated with a major university allows the Museum to reach a cross-cultural and diverse group of visitors. After the Very Reverend Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, pastor of the Armenian Church of Holy Martyrs in Bayside, New York gave his blessing, the guests dined on the savory meats, fish and chicken, grilled vegetables, various pastas, salads, yalanchi and you name it, while being serenaded on the oud by Robert Davidian. A surprise birthday cake for Alice Kevorkian and Harry Dagavarian was brought out with plenty of fruit, cookies, kadaif, burma, lokhum and halvah. Thanks to Lynn Jamie for organizing and preparing much of the food, assisted by Marissa Jamie, Peggy O’Hanlon and the congenial capable bartender James Fischetti. And kudos to Betty Tellalian for the burma and best cream kadaif ever.
The Trustees of the Museum thank all the guests for their contributions including major contributors George and Alice Kevorkian and Barbara Peters. A special thanks to Garo and Bertha Sekdorian for their assistance in contacting New York State Senator Frank Padavan to guide us with a grant proposal, which we were awarded and are eligible to receive each year. The Museum now houses the “Human Face of Anthropology”and “Armenia: Memories From My Home “exhibits. The facility opened in April, 2005 with the support of the Queens College Administration, and since then we have hosted group visits by students from Bayside High School, the Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School, Khirimian School from the Diocese and many smaller groups. Many individual visitors are enlightened about Armenians, about which they knew nothing of, before their visit. One visitor from Russia was pleased and sad remarking, “I wish my Armenian friend who died last year was here to see this.” One lady from Japan visiting with her 10 year old daughter sadly said, she never heard about the Armenian genocide. Sara Gasparyan from the Voice of Armenia TV interviewed, in Armenian, Director Tellalian-Kyrkostas, Trustee member Grace Kechian and guest Sossi Essajanian as they toured the Museum and it was broadcast on television news in Yerevan. We have inaugurated a very successful Volunteer Internship Program. High School students requiring 30 hours of community service have been assisting with artwork, office and computer work for the past year. Varoujan Froundjian has launched our web-site (www.anthropologymuseum.org) where you can read about our mission, future activities and programs, including oral histories and links to other Armenian sites. Upcoming programs Include: Thursday, October 25, 2007, 1:30 pm, Video of the Month feature, “Hotel Ruanda” at the Museum; Saturday, December 1, 2007, 8 PM “ Near Eastern Music Ensemble features Armenian, Arab, & Bukharian Folk Music” with oud player Richard Hagopian at NYU Skirball Center, sponsored by the World Music Institute; Sunday, March 9, 2008, 5 pm, the “Mark Kyrkostas Remember Me With Music” Classical Music and Dance concert featuring pianist Ivy Adrian, at Queens College. Works in progress include: The “Celebration of the Centennial of William Saroyan” on Sunday, November 23, 2008, 3 pm at Lefrak Concert Hall at Queens College presenting the award winning documentary film, “The Man, The Writer” and a scene from one of his plays. The Queens College English and Music departments have endorsed the project, as well as the Prelacy, Diocese and AGBU; A new exhibit, “Ladies From Your Past” featuring women of note from Eve to Hillary Clinton. A pipedream wish for the Museum is to find a generous philanthropist who would like to donate the funds to build a larger facility on the Queens College campus to house the Museum and have it named after him or her. A section in the Museum for other ethnic groups is also part of that pipedream. Please contact the Museum office, 718-428-5650, for information about anything in this article.
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