Tradition of Philanthropy Among Kharpertsis in America

MISSION HILLS — Prof. Osheen Keshishian of Glendale Community College and Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan of Mashdots College will present an illustrated on “Tradition of Philanthropy Among Kharpertsis in America: Hagop Bogigian, Stephen Mugar, John Mirak, and Kirk Kerkorian,” on Sunday, November 13, 2016, at 5:00 p.m., at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Sheen Chapel, 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA. The program is sponsored by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, the Kharpert Cultural Association, and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR).

The four remarkable individuals who will be discussed in the program made major contributions to building the Armenian-American community, to Armenia, and to American society in general.

Hagop Bogigian (1856-1931) was one of the earliest emigrants from Ottoman Armenia (the town of Hussenig in the Kharpert region) to the U.S, arriving in 1876 and becoming the first Armenian-American millionaire.

Stephen Mugar (1901-1982), founder of the Star Market chain of supermarkets in New England, was born in Kharpert and came with his parents to the U.S. in 1906.

John Mirak (1907-2000), born in Arabkir in the Kharpert region, was a Genocide survivor who emigrated to the U.S. in 1920 and built the successful Mirak Automotive Group in greater Boston.

Kirk Kerkorian (1917-2015) was born in Fresno to parents who emigrated from the Kharpert region before World War I and, through a series of business ventures, became one of the wealthiest individuals in the U.S.

For more information about this program, contact Ararat-Eskijian Museum at (747) 500-7585 or ararat-eskijian-museum@netzero.net, or NAASR at (617) 489-1610 or hq@naasr.org.