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  • Looking Back, Moving Forward

    LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

    Pasadena Weekly
    Dec 6 2012
    CA

    Group reviews designs for Armenian Genocide memorial at Pasadena park

    Over the objections of Turkish dignitaries, the Pasadena Armenian
    Genocide Memorial Committee (PASAGMC) is moving forward with plans
    to place a monument honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide in
    Memorial Park.

    On Dec. 1, committee members received 17 design proposals for the
    memorial, including six from students at Pasadena's Art Center College
    of Design, according to member Chris Chahinian. The memorial would
    be financed with private funds, he said.

    "We are excited. The process is not done yet, but in a few months we
    will have a final selection," Chahinian said.

    Between 1915 and 1923, nearly 1.5 million Armenians were slain in
    what was then part of the former Ottoman Empire. Turkish officials
    have long denied the event occurred. Despite the denials, 40 states -
    including California - have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide.

    Last August, a contingent from the Turkish consul in Los Angeles
    visited Pasadena and called the proposed memorial offensive, a remark
    that drew the ire of Pasadena's Armenian community.

    The PASAGMC has put together a three-person judging panel to review
    the designs. After that, judges will forward their recommendations
    to committee members, who will then make the final decision.

    If the monument were to be placed in Memorial Park, located at the
    corner of Raymond Avenue and Walnut Street in Old Pasadena, it would
    be the first non-war-related memorial on the grounds, currently home
    to other memorials dedicated to Americans who lost their lives in
    the country's major wars.

    According to City Manager Michael Beck, the group originally wanted to
    place the memorial in Victory Park, located in East Pasadena, an area
    of the city that has a large enclave of Armenian-American residents.

    However, city staff members believe Memorial Park would be more
    appropriate, Beck said.

    "A number of community groups have been proposing Genocide memorials,"
    said Beck. "Originally, there was talk about placing it in Victory
    Park, but the talks have ended up focusing on Memorial Park."

    http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/looking_back_moving_forward/11699/




    From: A. Papazian
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