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Haig Merian, 92; WWII POW Preserved Armenian Culture

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  • Haig Merian, 92; WWII POW Preserved Armenian Culture

    HAIG MERIAN, 92; WWII POW PRESERVED ARMENIAN CULTURE
    By Gil Bliss

    Boston Globe
    http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/02/22/haig_merian_92_wwii_pow_preserved_armenian_culture/
    Feb 22 2011
    MA

    Many immigrant groups in the United States strive mightily to
    preserve their cultural heritage, but few do so as fervently as
    Armenian-Americans who escaped the attempted annihilation of their
    people.

    Haig Merian ~W a POW during World War II who became displaced,
    wandered through Europe, and ended up in the Boston area with a new
    wife and a new life ~W embodied the Armenian story.

    Mr. Merian was a champion of Armenian culture through his church
    and also organized dancing and singing groups that kept the old
    ways alive. The Newton Highlands resident died Feb. 1 at his home,
    following a period of declining health. He was 92.

    His story was similar to many postwar accounts. Homeless and devoid
    of family, he made it to Ellis Island in New York to begin life anew.

    He reflected the strong desire of Armenian-Americans to keep alive
    a culture that has survived numerous attempts to bring about its
    extinction.

    ~SArmenia has always been at the crossroads of different cultures
    and different empires, whether it be the Hittites, Greeks, Romans,
    Persians, or Arabs,~R~R said Father Antranig Baljian, pastor of St.

    Stephen~Rs Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown. ~SIt is located in
    a very desirable area, and many invading hordes have come and gone.~R~R

    The Turkish Ottoman Empire made several attempts to wipe out the
    native population, most famously through a period of genocide from
    1915 until about 1922, Baljian said.

    ~SMany people were forced to flee that area,~R~R settling outside
    their homeland, including in the United States; and Watertown became
    a Boston-area destination for many, Baljian said.

    Mr. Merian was born in Tzovinar, Armenia, attended the University of
    Yerevan, and taught elementary school until he was drafted by the
    Soviet Army. He served as a captain during World War II and spent
    three years in a German POW camp before being liberated.

    While in that army, he exercised his interest in music and dance,
    performing with the Red Army Red-Bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of
    the USSR.

    After wandering France and Belgium, suffering from starvation and
    typhoid fever, Mr. Merian was taken in by an Armenian family in
    Belgium. He learned the rudiments of rug weaving there and pursued
    the trade after he entered the United States in 1946.

    According to Armenia historian Roger Hagopian of Lexington, Soviet
    soldiers had to sign a statement promising to commit suicide if
    captured and Mr. Merian lived in fear of Soviet authorities learning
    he was alive and persecuting family members who were still in Armenia.

    As a result, Mr. Merian never contacted his family until the country
    achieved independence from the Soviet Union. He returned with his wife
    in 1992 to find that all his family had died, except two sisters. When
    he died earlier this month, Mr. Merian was the last of nine siblings

    ~SHe always feared the Soviets were looking for him and in the
    beginning, he didn~Rt feel safe until he left New York City and came
    to Boston, then Watertown,~R~R Hagopian said.

    Both Mr. Merian~Rs and Hagopian~Rs families came from Van, a city that
    was legendary among Armenians for its stiff resistance to takeover.

    ~SHaig was thankful for his life and opportunity to live here,~R~R
    said Hagopian, who has created documentary films about the Armenian
    experience in America. ~SThese people really know what freedom
    means.~R~R

    Mr. Merian was described as a pillar of the local Armenian community.

    He was a founder of the Watertown church and cofounded a popular
    singing and dancing troupe that appeared at the New York World~Rs
    Fair in the 1960s.

    ~SHe had varied interests and his faith really kept him going,~R~R
    said Hagopian. At the center of his life was his family.

    His daughter Sonya of Framingham said her father was ~San extremely
    intelligent man who gave 150 percent to his family. He was highly
    disciplined and organized and that got him through all the traumas
    in his early life.~R~R

    ~SEach holiday we would gather together, and he always carried on a
    tradition of offering a toast at the meal, ~QMay we always remain as
    one,~R ~R~R she recalled.

    That spirit carried over into the dance troupe, said Markar Markarian
    of Belmont. ~SWe wanted to help Armenian dance and music not die out
    and it was in your blood; you couldn~Rt just stop and say, ~QForget
    about it.~R ~R~R Even now, at 87, she said, ~Sthe music gets to me
    and I get up on the dance floor.~R~R

    Baljian said, ~SBecause of people like [Mr. Merian], who kept the
    spirit alive, our culture has been preserved and promoted for the
    following generations.~R~R

    When Mr. Merian first came to the Boston area, he worked for Paine
    Furniture, but soon took his knowledge of rugs and started Merian
    Carpet Service, where he was a favorite of Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey
    and did all the rug work for that organization.

    His son, Daniel of Framingham, runs the business, sales, installation,
    repair, and cleaning, but his father still helped out after retirement.

    Dan said his father instilled the importance of family in his
    children. ~SHe didn~Rt have his family here, so he really appreciated
    and cherished the family he created in America.~R~R

    His daughter Susan Bécam of Newton said he never wanted to talk
    about the war, and her mother would recall Mr. Merian waking up with
    nightmares for many years.

    ~SHe loved to sing and dance because in his native Armenia, he was
    surrounded by that,~R~R she said. ~SAt our New Year~Rs dinner last
    month, he again emphasized the importance of family, saying that ~Qwe
    are all together and you have to take care of each other.~R ~R~R

    Mr. Merian had earned a 50-year Veterans Medal from the Masons, for
    whom he was master of the Norumbega Lodge for several years and a
    member of the Scottish Rite. He was also a member of the Armenian
    Revolutionary Federation, a group that supported an independent
    Armenia.

    Besides his daughters Sonya and Susan and his son, Daniel, Mr. Merian
    leaves his daughter Diane of Newton; six grandchildren; and many
    nieces and nephews. His wife of 60 years, the former Alice Sarafian,
    died in 2008.

    Services have been held.




    From: A. Papazian
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