The Eastern Diocese mourns the loss of a pioneering figure in the field of Armenian scholarship, and a great friend of the church, Dr. Nina G. Garsoïan, who passed away in New York on August 14, at the age of 99.
Born in Paris, raised in New York City, and educated at Bryn Mawr and Columbia colleges, Dr. Garsoïan had a long academic career as one of the world’s most distinguished specialists in Armenian and Byzantine studies. She held teaching positions at Smith College, Princeton, and (most famously) Columbia University, where she was the first holder of the Gevork M. Avedissian Chair in Armenian History and Civilization. Throughout her career she trained, and inspired, several generations of specialists who would go on to become leaders in the field of Armenian studies.
Dr. Garsoïan’s works of historical research and translation are among the cornerstone texts in the field of Armenian Studies. Indeed, she was one of the handful of eminent Armenologists who integrated that discipline into the highest levels of the American academy. In 1975, she became the first president of the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS), and remained the “public face” of the field through her retirement in 1993.
As a founding member of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Dr. Garsoïan was honored in 2016 for her lifetime of achievement. A short video was produced for that occasion, which offers a glimpse into the powerful presence, and delightful personality, of this truly remarkable woman.
May the memory of the righteous be blessed.
CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO:
- WATCH the NAASR tribute video.
- WATCH a recorded lecture by Dr. Garsoïan at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- READ an excellent overview of her life in The Armenian Mirror-Spectator.
Above: Dr. Garsoïan addresses colleagues at an international conference on the Armenian language in 1964.