Over the years, Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter has nominated an exemplary individual as its Lifetime Honorary Member and presented him/her to the community for recognition and acknowledgement. This year on the occasion of Ararat chapter 40th anniversary, the Chapter Executive Board has selected long time member, Executive Director, leader, coach, former chapter chair and Homenetmen Western U.S. board member; Armond Gorgorian whose contributions to Ararat Chapter, Homenetmen’s mission, community and civic life are commendable and priceless.
Armond Gorogorian will be honored during Ararat Chapter’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Friday November 30th at Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. A steadfast and fervent committee of volunteers steered by committee chairwomen- Jasik Jarahian have diligently worked for the past 8 months to prepare a graceful and notable 40th celebration to showcase Ararat Chapter’s valuable service to our youth and community.
Armond Gorgorian was born in Tehran, Iran and attended the Don Bosco Catholic School. Athletics was his biggest love and he was a star athlete in 3 different sports. After graduating high school he attended the National University of Iran and received his Master of Arts in Architecture & City Planning. Immediately after high school, Armond joined Iran’s Ararat Athletic, Scouting and Cultural Organization and stayed a member till 1978 when he moved to United States.
Homenetmen Glendale Ararat 40th Anniversary
Except for getting married and having children, joining Ararat had the biggest impact on his life and it was here, when he first learned about the joy of volunteerism and teamwork whicht has stayed with him all his life. Armond joined Ararat organization as an athlete and in the meantime became a member of several committees, including the Athletic Board and the Board of Directors for the organization.
From 1964 to 1974, Armond blossomed as a basketball player and a coach and became the captain of both Ararat and the National University of Iran’s All-star team. During this period, he was selected to Iran’s National Youth team & Tehran’s All-star team, and later was appointed as the captain of Iran’s Universities All-star team, which participated at the World University Games in Turin, Italy. For Armond the experience was the highlight of his basketball career.
In 1974, Armond married Zarik and they had 2 children- Artin and Alina. Due to circumstances, in September of 1978, Armond and his family moved to the states and settled in Glendale. Like most immigrants, Armond couldn’t continue his trade and instead became a businessman, but the new world and its challenges didn’t’ stop Armond from continuing his volunteer work. Consequently when Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter was founded in December of 1978, Armond was one of the first to join followed by his wife and children.
Armond became the Chairman of Ararat Chapter’s Athletic Division’s first Board and later a member of Chapter Executive Board and Chairman for two terms. He was also elected to Homenetmen Western Region’s Board of Directors. Although serving on these boards took a lot of time, Armond never forgot his love for basketball and for years also coached several teams at Ararat. In 1981, he led Homenetmen Western Region’s All-star team to the first World Homenetmen Basketball Championship in Montreal, Canada.
Armond was the chairman of the committee in charge of finding and purchasing a new center for Ararat Chapter and finally after several years, the center became a reality and he became the Executive Director and helped tirelessly in its development and improvement. Coming to the states, gave Armond the opportunity not only to serve the Armenian American community but to expand his volunteerism to other organizations. He served on Glendale’s Red Cross Board for 3 years and without hesitation accepted an invitation to become a member of Pacific/Edison committee and chaired the Implementation Committee. Armond also was a member of Glendale’s Downtown Strategic Planning Committee and chaired the transportation & parking sub-committee. From 1995-2003, Armond was appointed to the City of Glendale’s Transportation & Parking Commission which he served for eight years.
To this date, Armond serves on various committees and works diligently on building productive relationships with various Glendale based organizations and corporations to promote Homenetmen’s mission and values. Armond has inspired many generations of volunteers whom have crossed the front gates of Ararat Chapter, and it comes as no surprise, that he has received countless recognitions from various organizations including The Armenian National Committee, ARF Aharonian Gomideh and Homenetmen Western Region.
On behalf of the entire chapter and its 1900+ members, we thank Armond Gorgorian for his years of service and dedication and applaud him for becoming Ararat Chapter’s 40th Anniversary Honorary Member.