Armenian Evangelical College: a Tribute

Vahan Zanoyan

In a personal email, Vahan Zanoyan had voiced his tribute to the Armenian Evangelical College we both attended. Vahan is younger than I and was in the lower classes. I took the liberty of translating and attaching it  along with his tribute in Armenian. 

 

““Our class in the Armenian Evangelical College was an admirable mix. Among my classmates were Norayr Eblighatian, the son of a prominent A.R.F.-er; there was also Yessai Aghbashian, the son of a known communist. There were Evangelical, Apostolic and Catholic students. There was one Greek. We studied and grew up with an Armenian spirit with the full sense of the word. The Armenian Evangelical college had found a way teaching Armenian language, literature and history without arousing ideological and parochial issues among the students.”

 

“ՀԱԳ-ի մեր դասարանը հիանալիօրէն խառն էր։ Դասընկերներուս մէջ էին Նորայր Էպլիղաթեանը, յայտնի դաշնակցականի որդի, ինչպէս նաեւ Եսայի Աղպաշեանը, յայտնի համայնավարի որդի։ Կային Աւետարանական, Առաքելական եւ Կաթողիկէ աշակերտներ։ Կար մէկ Յոյն։ Եւ մենք ուսանեցանք եւ մեծցանք հայկական ոգիիով, բառին բւին առումով։ ՀԱԳ-ը ձեւը գտած էր հայոց պատմութիւն եւ հայ լեզու եւ գրականութիւն ուսուցանելու առանց  կուսակցական կամ յարամւանական հարցեր ծագեցնելու աշակերտներուն մտքին մէջ։” 

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The Armenian Evangelical College was established in 1923 as the first post genocide Armenian high school in the diaspora. Its mission has been to  impart to the students an Armenian Christian education. For the next two decades or more it remained the only Armenian academic institution whose students were right away accepted to the American University of Beirut to further their education. 

The high school is nowadays known as “TheArmenian:Հայ Աւետարանական Գոլէճ,Arabic:المدرسة الأرمنية الانجيلية العالية) was founded in 1923 in Beirut, Lebanon. There are three sections to the school: a kindergarten for children aged 4–6 years, a primary section for children 6–12 years and a secondary level for those aged 12–18 years.” (Wikipedia)

Dr. Zaven Messerlian, who is a graduate of the AEC was the principal of the school since June 17, 1967 for the next 50 years, until his retirement in May 2017. He continues his affiliation with our beloved AEC.