Haik Kavoukjian (Հայկ Գավուքճեան) (1875-1977)

Vaհe H Apelian

Michael Kavookjian

President Trump has nominated Michael Kavookjian ambassador to Norway. His family name reminded me of Haik Kavookjian.

Shortly after I came to U.S. in 1976, I became involved with Home for The Armenian Aged, the Armenian nursing home in Emerson, New Jersey. Its president was Albert (Armenag) Mardirossian. His was rags to riches Armenian immigrant story. In that immediate social circle Haik Kavoukjian’s name lingered, not only as another rags to riches immigrant Armenian story, but a legend like.

 My curiosity about Haik Kavookjian got better hold of me with the nomination of Michael Kavookjian. In the internet I came across a lengthy article in the Armenian periodical Sion (Սիոն) that is published in Jerusalem. The article was posted in the journal's 02.02.1972 issue and was titled “Benefactor Haik Kavookjian, the consumate and exemplary Armenian, (Բարերար Հայկ Գավուքճեան.Տիպար եւ օրինակելի Հայը). I also came across his obituary in NY Times. George Aghjayan kindly forwarded to me additional personal information about him. 

 The article in that jounral confirmed the story about him fleeing Turkey from Constantinople on a British ship, not knowing that the ship was headed to America. He became one of the early residents of a NJ coastal town that reminded him of coastal Constantinople. In mid 1980's, Mr. Albert Mardirossian organized a community visit to that coastal town, whose name I do not recall, where we attended the opening of a park, Mr. Albert Mardirossian had sponsored, on behalf of of the Home for the Armenian Aged, dedicated to Haik Kavookjian. The town officials remembered about him acting as the town's first postal service when the town did not haver a postal office or a postman .That is how I came to hear about him, a legend of sorts.

Haik Kavookjian was born in August 1875 in Khaskyugh (Խասգիւղ), a Constantinople neighborhood of well-to-do Armenian families.  His father Sarkis was a wealthy textile merchant. He was the only son of the family and had five sisters. He had attended the local Armenian schools. In 1895, as the massacres of the Armenian started getting widespread, his parents decided to have him move to Izmir, to temporarily  escape to England. From there, he boarded “The Boy of London” ship without realizing that the ship was headed to America and not to England. 

Haik Kavookjian arrived to New York on October 30, 1895, where he was introduced  to photoengraving, an emerging trade that promised a bright future for those who mastered the trade.  By 1915 Haik Kavookjian established his own photoengraving business, “The Bingham Photoengraving Company”. Within a few years he established “Graphic Color Plate Company” that became the largest company in that trade.  Endowed with sharp business acumen he merged with “Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company” and becomes a member of the company’s governing board and also served on the photoengravers trade board. He remained active in business to the very end of his life.

The information George Aghjayan unearthed -  Haik Kavookjian married Anna Correno around 1900 and had two children with her, Howard and Helen. Anna died in 1914. Looks like he married Mary McWilliams around 1915. It looks they had two children by 1920, Katherine and Haik Jr. Another son Sarkis was born around 1923. Mary died in 1938. In 1940, Haik married Alice Melkon (maiden name Kalemkerian) on 1940 - gave credence to what I gathered hearing the talk about him 

It was said that he was a handsome man, with blue eyes and blond hair and that he  was a widower twice over, after having married “American” women from well to do families and that he started his philanthropy to the Armenian community after he married his third wife Alice, an Armenian lady, who they claimed had gone to his company soliciting financial help, and when she was told that he was busy to receive anyone, she insisted that she would sit there and wait until he became available to receive her. That is how, they said, Haik Kavookjian met Aliice met and married her and  that it was after his marriage to Alice (Kalemkerian) Haik Kavookjian started his spree of philanthropy mostly to Armenian church in New York and in Jerusalem. The only reminder of his philanthropy I know of, is the Alice and Haik Kavookjian Hall at the Eastern Diocese, in the New York City. 

NY Times broke the news of his death on April 29, 1977, with the following headline; «Haik Kavookjian, Active Supporter Of Armenian Church in New York».

Haig Kavookjian obituary: https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/29/archives/haik-kavookjian-active-supporter-of-armenian-church-in-new-york.html

Quoting from Haik Kavookjian's NY Time' obituary: “He contributed funds to help construct the Holy Cross Armenian Church of New York. But by far, his most important accomplishment was the construction of St Vartan Cathedral at 630 Second Avenue near 35th Street.

The cathedral was completed in 1968 at an estimated cost of $5 million. For this and other religious activities Mr. Kavookjian was awarded the Cross of St. Gregory the Illuminator by His Holiness. Vasken I. Catholicos of All Armenians. The award is the highest given by the Armenian Church.”

The article in the Sion journal, alluding to his philontrophy, ended with the following paragrpah: "But above all, his name will be immortalized in the Armenian Jerusalem with his princely donation that he finally made and with which a temple will be built in accordance to all the principles of ancient Armenian architecture and will rise on the historic Mount Zion, not far from the Monastery of St. James (Սրբոց Յակոբաց Մայրավանք), bearing the name of the benefactor's father, Sarkis Kavookjian. The temple, with its beautiful cathedral and soaring bell tower, will dominate the panorama of Jerusalem, spreading the glory of the Armenian Church over this sacred land of Christianity. And for the faithful and grateful Armenians, that structure, an anchor established on the heights of Zion, will constitute the crown and culmination of the many years of church-building and nation-building activity of benefactor Haik Kavookjian.”