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VARTAN GREGORIAN HONORED AS ARMENIAN OF THE YEAR BY THE DIOCESE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF AMERICA

Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, was selected as “Armenian of the Year” for the year 2004 by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

In nominating Gregorian for this honor, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian said the Diocesan Council cited Gregorian’s "truly astonishing record of achievements, his unmatched reputation in the society at large, and his consistent public advocacy for Armenian causes—all of which have spread goodwill and affection throughout our community. The Armenians of New York, and elsewhere across the country, feel a sense of pride in the grand achievements of our fellow countrymen and for this reason, we feel Gregorian is an especially appropriate recipient of the ‘Armenian of the Year’ award.”

The award will be presented at a banquet on May 1, 2004 in Rye, New York. The banquet will be the culmination of the Armenian Church’s national convention, the Diocesan Assembly, which brings together hundreds of Armenian Church leaders from around the country. At the same ceremony, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be honored with the annual “Friend of the Armenians” award.

Every year, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America bestows its “Armenian of the Year” award on an individual who, over the course of a lifetime, has been an “upstanding and exemplary pillar of the Armenian American community.”

Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding." As a grantmaking foundation, the Corporation seeks to carry out Carnegie's vision of philanthropy, which he said should aim "to do real and permanent good in the world." The Corporation's capital fund, originally donated at a value of about $135 million, had a market value of $1.6 billion on September 30, 2002. The Corporation awards grants totaling approximately $80 million a year in the areas of education, international peace and security, international development and strengthening U.S. democracy.