Professor Isabel Kaprielian
preserves Armenian history

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by Kim Watkins

Dr. Isabel Kaprielian's eyes light up and a smile creeps across her face as she pulls out a 1933 Armenian directory for California. Its pages slightly discolored from age, the small book listing the immigrants from Armenia is what Kaprielian considers a "real treasure."

Kaprielian, a professor of history and Armenian studies, holds the Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Professor of Modern Armenian and Immigration History. One of her projects has been collecting books and documents for an Armenian archive that she hopes will be housed under the Armenian Studies Program.

Kaprielian's "precious pieces" include photos, letters, diaries, handwritten minutes of various Armenian organizations, Armenian school texts and report cards, and newspaper clippings from various Armenian and non-Armenian publications.

Some of her favorite items include traditional recipes, prayers, and songs "carefully handwritten and lovingly preserved."

"I've scoured attics, basements and garages. It's quite astounding what treasures are hiding, just waiting to be unearthed and cherished," chuckled Kaprielian.

Considering that Armenians started to settle in the Central Valley in the early 1880s, Kaprielian said it is important to collect documents reflecting their settlement and adaptation, partly as an aspect of Armenian history and partly as an aspect of American history.

Rich in Armenian culture and history, the Valley has one of the largest populations of Armenians in the United States, said her colleague Barlow Der Mugrdechian.

"We don't always appreciate the significance of old papers and artifacts, but they really are very crucial primary sources for historical research and writing," said Kaprielian. "And I hope people won't throw them away, even if they're damaged by water or termites."

The documents that Kaprielian has collected are mostly donations from people who want to preserve a part of history, or who don't have storage space. Some items, however, such as the Armenian Directory of 1933, are on loan and will be returned after it has been copied.

Kaprielian says a future archive would be open to scholars and to members of the community who wish to delve into their ancestors' past. Because of the large Armenian community in the Valley, Fresno State would be an ideal location to house such an archive and museum.

To illustrate the scope of the collection, Kaprielian mentioned correspondence between a young immigrant and his parents, still in the old country. In one letter, an aging father remarks how he wept when all the other village boys returned home from school for the summer holidays, but his son was not among them.

In another letter, the parents caution their son about the pitfalls and temptations luring a young and innocent boy who is in America. Kaprielian said it is touching to read how his parents looked forward to each of his letters and were sick with worry when a letter was late.

Kaprielian described how the boy's parents yearned to see him once more before they died. The letters to the boy abruptly ended in 1915. The young man never saw his parents again, as they were murdered during the Armenian genocide.

"These letters give us a window into the past and let us enter the intimate world of family separated by land, sea, society and culture," concluded Kaprielian.

Kaprielian hopes in the near future an archive location can be designated. She encourages anyone who has a document or artifact to be shared or preserved to call her at ext. 8-6493.