In Memoriam: Dr. H. Martin Deranian, 1922-2016
 
NAASR joins with the entire Armenian community in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Dr. H. Martin Deranian of Shrewsbury, MA. Dr. Deranian (August 21, 1922-September 26, 2016) was a NAASR Charter Member (having joined the organization in June 1955) and served as its first Regional Director for New England. He remained a supporter for decades, giving numerous lectures for NAASR and publishing the English edition of his father's book Hussenig: The Origin, History, and Destruction of an Armenian Town with NAASR's Armenian Heritage Press in 1994. In recent years he had also donated his and his father's extensive Hussenig archive to NAASR's Mardigian Library as well as his collection of materials used in writing the book Miracle Man of the Western Front: Dr. Varaztad H. Kazanjian, Pioneer Plastic Surgeon (2007).
 
An accomplished dentist in Worcester, MA, for over sixty years, Dr. Deranian made an important and pioneering contribution to writing the early history of Massachusetts Armenians with his books Worcester is America: The Story of Worcester's Armenians, The Early Years (1995), Miracle Man of the Western Front (2007), President Calvin Coolidge & The Armenian Orphan Rug (2013, 2014), and Hagop Bogigian: Armenian American Pioneer & Philanthropist (2016). The last of these fulfilled Dr. Deranian's lifelong pledge to honor the memory of his great-uncle. In his last years Deranian expended considerable effort to ensure that Bogigian's legacy of supporting the education of Armenian women through scholarships at Mt. Holyoke College, Wilson College, and Pomona College would be perpetuated.

Dr. Deranian with NAASR Academic Director Marc Mamigonian at Clark University in 2014
 
In a talk for NAASR given in 1957, Dr. Deranian stated, "As a member of NAASR, I feel that our best contribution to these conflict-ridden times is the preservation of the enduring and valuable cultural values of our people."
 
Through his work as a historian and through his dedicated membership and participation in NAASR and a number of important Armenian-American institutions and his support for Armenian Studies at his alma mater Clark University, Dr. Martin Deranian more than lived up to this ideal.  He will be missed by all who knew him and benefited from his knowledge and kindness.
 
Dr. Deranian is survived by his wife of 62 years, Virginia (Derderian) Deranian; his son, Jonathan Deranian of Grafton; his daughter Lydia Deranian-George of Shrewsbury; and three grandchildren, Chelsey, Jacob, and Samantha.
 
Visiting hours will be on Thursday, September 29, 2016, from 5-7 p.m. at the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, 87 Salisbury Street, Worcester; and from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 30. The funeral service will immediately follow at 11:00 a.m., officiated by Der Aved Terzian. Burial will follow in Hope Cemetery, Worcester.