FORTY YEARS' REFLECTIONS IN THE "MIRROR"
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Mirror Spectator, the first Armenian weekly in English. The founding fathers were all conversant in the Armenian language. They had a good command of the language and literature. Did they betray the language of their ancestors or were they engaged in a new mission? They certainly had a call from the future.
This debate began very early for the American Armenian community, to be followed by other communities. The struggle for the preservation of the language was not a winnable one, especially in the early 1930s when no one could fathom the start of Armenian schools on these shores. The dilemma for the founders of the Mirror Spectator was to fight a losing war when the language was doomed to be lost or to keep pace with times, to use the existing vehicle, the English language, to inform and instruct the youth, to educate them and to keep them in the community fold?
The founders of the Mirror ventured into this new mission, although they loved the Armenian language dearly.
Their venture paid off. We have a vibrant Armenian community which conducts its business in English, yet it cherishes the same love and respect towards the mother tongue.
As the tides move in, they do not ask the community leaders what language to use. In South America newspapers are published mostly in Spanish, in France the publications are in French and in the Middle East, the publications are grudgingly adopting Arabic, to reach out to the young generation, and to present our cause to the public in general.
Even in Turkey the most popular dailies, namely Marmara and Jamanak, are losing readership, yet Hrant Dink's Agos made a splash by rallying the youth and politicizing the community, when he began publishing his paper mostly in Turkish.
Does anyone lose his ancestral language voluntarily? It is the sign of the times.
The founders of the Mirror Spectator were visionaries, who were able to forecast the trends and provide an adequate tool to the community to preserve its heritage.
My association with the Mirror Spectator goes back forty of its seventy-five year history, as I became the executive director of the Baikar Association in 1967, with daily involvement in the editorial work of both publications, namely Baikar daily (later weekly and monthly) and for the Armenian Mirror Spectator.
When I joined the staff of the Baikar Association, two of the founders of the "Mirror" were still alive, although not active or involved in any way in the publication. They had nostalgic stories about the founding years and about the people who had helped their dream come true.
One of the founding editors was Prof. Elisha B. Chrakian, a mild-manners philosophy professor at Northeastern University, where he also ushered my steps to enroll in English and American Literature programs.
He always had his pipe handy as he formulated his thoughts and articulated his words in a quiet, almost unintelligible voice, as if whispering a secret in your ear. Although he visited the Mirror offices regularly, he seldom contributed any article. Every time I visited his home he received me in a most congenial and courteous manner. I have also enjoyed the hospitality of Mrs. Chrakian, a lady with aristocratic features and manners.
Every time I met Prof. Chrakian, he was busy editing, translating, analyzing Avedik Issahakian's poems, letters, articles, which he eventually published in book form. He was related to another great poet, namely Diran Chrakian (Indra), one of the philosophers of Western Armenian literature, along with Yeghia Demirjibashian. I had inherited a large number of Indra's manuscripts, and as a relative and fellow philosopher I saw more affinity between Prof. Chrakian and his cousin, but I could not interest him in Indra's literature beyond a certain point.
I still smell the aroma of Prof. Chrakian's pipe tobacco in my nostrils as I remember him.
The other surviving founder of the paper was Bedros Norhad, another visionary who had left his days as Mirror editor behind, and at that period he edited the English version of the AGBU's Hoosharar magazine.
Every time I met him he always made some comments about the paper and very calculated and cautious remarks. He always retained the proprietary feeling about the paper, but perhaps he was not invited to contribute to it.
As I reminisce about my life with the Mirror Spectator, the profiles of its editors emerge one by one in my mind. I have participated in the paper as an editorial column writer, news gatherer, translator and art columnist.
At one time the editorial position was a revolving door; editors succeeded each other or themselves, and in between I had to take over the editorial responsibilities until the next one arrived.
After six years of participation in the daily kitchen of the production, I continued my association with the paper as the ADL Press Committee Chairman and also as columnist and editorial writer.
The first editor I worked with was Varoujan Samuelian who had a weekly column under the headline "Juicy Tidbits", and many people called him Juicy. He was a very popular person in Watertown, some kind of folk hero, a confirmed bachelor. He did not drive and as he walked to his house in downtown Watertown, he had to make stops at the grocery store, funeral home, dentist or the cobbler. Most of his columns were derived from his conversations with those townspeople. I could hardly understand his wit, as many outside Watertown could not make head no tail of it, because it was confined to the borders of Watertown, which he had never left.
He was only forced to leave Watertown when he was drafted into the Army during World War II.
I remember Juicy quitting his job or being fired four times during my tenure. He never harbored any rancor. He used to return to work every time he was asked to, and during his absences, I had to fill in for him.
The staff always remembered the previous editor Bob Vahan, with bittersweet comments. He had quit his job after a fall-out with the board at that time. In retrospect, I can see how conflicts could arise between a young and educated editor and a board that retained old country habits in running a business. Hard working, dedicated, sacrificing members who were behind the times.
Helene Pilibosian brought an intellectual aura to the paper, albeit sometimes falling behind the pace of fast-moving news and actions. She was a poet in every sense of the word - a kind, quiet, hard-working editor who had inherited her dedication from her father, Khatchadour Pilibosian, a most generous volunteer helping the paper. Helene's secret weapon was her husband Hagop Sarkissian, who was very well versed in Armenian politics and history and who had served on the staffs of Baikar and Zartonk papers.
Jack Antreassian had a stint as editor. He had contributed to the Mirror on and off, but his main contribution was launching and editing the Ararat Quarterly, an intellectual powerhouse. He had written and translated many books, he had served the Diocese and the AGBU, and his leadership would boost the interest in the paper. He was an outstanding writer and organizer. We all believed that his involvement with the paper would result in a dramatic change, but his plans and vision were too ambitious. The organization's budget did not match them.
Jack used to commute from New York to Boston every week, to spend three days preparing the paper for publication in record time. He gradually dropped his presence to two days, then one day. In the last period of his editorship, he used to send the copy and I had to work with the printer to get the paper out. But remote control editorship did not work at that time, because we lacked today's technology. In the meantime I had developed my skills as a layout artist, so much so that I had a job offer from the printer, which I obviously had to turn down.
At one time we could not find an editor of Armenian extraction and we had to hire a Harvard Law School student, a good writer and knowledgeable young man who began to work with impressive performance. He was not familiar with the sensitivities of the Armenian community and he did not seem to care much about it either. I had to navigate the paper through those sensitive issues. In the 1960s Harvard Square was the hotbed of the hippy culture, and this young man, named Bill Kelly, was totally immersed in that culture. One day he invited me and a young Catholic priest for dinner at the student commune where he lived. I was exposed to that sub-culture for the first time. That experience also explained the failings of this young man, as he disappeared sometimes for days on end, either to return with some paint on his clothes - since he moonlighted as a painter - or he would sit in the office with dreamy eyes gazing into space, while I struggled to meet the newspaper's deadline.
Before even graduating from law school, the young man successfully used his attorney's skills against me. Indeed, he had called the chairman of our district committee, Dicran Simsarian (also an attorney) to complain about me. I remember Mr. Simsarian calling one day to tell me to "leave the young man alone". "I will leave him alone when I find him", I answered. Bill had convinced our chairman, a person very dedicated to the organization, that I had been intruding in his work, just to cover up his escapades.
One day our young editor dropped out of sight unceremoniously, leaving the task of finding a new editor behind.
Barbara Merguerian served as editor for two terms. A Harvard PhD in Russian history, she had tremendous scholarly and community experience under her belt. She was a prominent figure in the community as the publications director at NAASR, and with her involvement with AIWA, a woman's organization. In a way, she was over-qualified to take the helm of a weekly paper, while many other scholarly positions would have welcomed her. She agreed to take the position twice, and I can say our collaboration was productive because we both learned that neither of us could push the other beyond a certain set limit. There was an unsigned agreement who would tackle what subject. She particularly avoided any topic dealing with ADL policies, yet she was in her element when it came to promoting any women's agenda. She was particularly fond of promoting the position of women in the Armenian Church hierarchy. In principle, I did not have any qualms moving with the times and accepting Armenian women taking leadership roles in the Church; however; with all the advancements, the Armenian Church hierarchy remained adamantly conservative and we have yet to see any women join the ranks of the clergy, let alone to rise to the position of bishop or Catholicos.
Looking back, I can say that my collaboration with Barbara was a learning experience. She had her subtle ways of conveying messages, which I appreciated retrospectively.
Ara Kalayjian had a meteoric rise as an editor. He was a pleasant surprise for all of us, because he had spent most of his life at the Jerusalem monastery, and coming from that confined environment most people would have a difficult time adjusting. Ara was a prolific writer and scholar writing in Armenian. His transition into English was amazingly smooth. Even his familiarity with the intricacies of political life came as a surprise. He had an encyclopedic mind and thanks to his vast memory, he always helped me as a resource person. When asked about any historic fact or event, he would either answer readily or it would take him less than 30 minutes to retrieve the answer.
It was a tragic reversal when his loss of memory struck. For a long time he was in a state of denial until he was incapacitated to perform. His writings, both in English and Armenian, will remain as a rich legacy from a superb mind that served the Mirror well at the peak of his energies and his intellectual brilliance.
It was during Mr. Kalayjian's editorship that our benefactor Rouben Terzian provided the funds and technical assistance to develop the present format, which brought a more modern and dynamic look to the paper.
Alin Gregorian took over the paper at a very trying time. She faced tremendous odds, first, working on a part-time basis, and second, being completely unfamiliar with the paper's policies, the political agenda of its parent organization and the setup of the particular segment of the community which the Mirror traditionally served. Thanks to her professionalism she conquered all hurdles to maintain, if not to improve, the level of journalism that the reader expected from any editor.
My weekly working sessions with her are very rewarding, as we analyze topical issues, even if one of does not produce an article or editorial column.
She has been a most open and cooperative editor. After absorbing weekly complaints about computer crashes, scarcity of copy or resources, or any other problem which is endemic for any Armenian newspaper, I know that Alin will return to her editor's desk, put on her professional cap and produce yet another exciting issue of the paper.
Perhaps during her editorship I have produced more editorial columns than under any other editor, because she always challenges me to write or discuss topics which would stimulate me to write. And before I know it, I realize that I have produced enough essays and articles for another volume.
Besides the editors, many prolific columnists have contributed to the paper and they have enhanced its contents. I have only covered here the names that have held editorial positions. If my memory serves me well, I have not left out anyone who served as editor during the last forty years. I am sure someone will fire a letter to the editor if I have failed to mention one, and I would welcome being corrected.
One writer, who has not officially served as editor, cannot be overlooked here, because her contributions are so overwhelming. She has served many editors in her voluntary performance over fifty years. That is Arminé Dikijian, whose contributions dominated the content of the paper for so many years. "Arminé Dikijian with New Yorkers" was perhaps the most sought after column, not only by New Yorkers, but also by all the readers. She seldom missed any column, regardless if she was sick or busy. She would cover all aspects of community life, from the elegant gown of a socialite to the analysis of a classical concert. That is why the Mirror had half of its subscription base in the greater New York area. When she attended a function, many people approached to greet her or to make visual contact with her in order to have their "place in the sun" in next week's column. Arminé was a person of principles and she had her likes and dislikes, but most of the time she preferred to compliment people or pat them on the back. Our differences never reached the level of confrontation, because I highly valued her contribution. Her loss cost the Mirror most of its New York readership. She was irreplaceable.
As I continue my contributions to, and cooperation with the paper, I can see the experiences of those forty years in the rear view mirror, helping me to find the proper path ahead and to observe the future in perspective.
- by Edmond Y. Azadian
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