LOS ANGELES, CA—Community legend and Armenian National Committee long-time activist Harut Sassounian will be honored with the ANC Legacy Award at the organization’s annual banquet.

The honor is among the organization’s highest awards and is being granted to Sassounian for his volunteer support for the ANC and many other sister organizations for more than 30 years. The banquet, which is set to be a sold out event, will be held on November 8th at the Pasadena Convention Center.

“For the past three years, the ANC-WR has been bestowing the Legacy Award to individuals who have made a difference in the Armenian community and the advancement of Hye Tad,” said Aida Dimejian, ANC-WR Board Member. “We are honored to award Mr. Sassounian with this distinguished award.”

Sassounian is the Publisher of The California Courier — the nation’s oldest independent Armenian weekly newspaper. His political columns are reprinted in scores of U.S. and overseas publications and posted on countless websites. In tandem, he is the President of the United Armenian Fund, a coalition of the seven largest Armenian-American charitable organizations. The U.A.F. has supplied $575 million of humanitarian assistance to Armenia and Artsakh over the past 20 years.

“Wait. There’s more,” exclaimed Dimejian. “Harut serves in many capacities.” As Senior Vice President of Kirk Kerkorian’s Lincy Foundation, he has overseen the implementation of $250 million of infrastructure-related projects in Armenia. From 1978 to 1982, he worked as an international marketing executive for Procter & Gamble in Geneva, Switzerland. For 10 years, he was a non-governmental delegate on human rights at the United Nations. He played a leading role in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1985.

Sassounian has a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and a Certificate in Middle East Studies from Columbia University in New York, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

He is the author of “The Armenian Genocide: The World Speaks Out, 1915-2005, Documents and Declarations.” The book has also been published in Arabic in Lebanon.

He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Diaspora Ministry of Armenia. For more than a dozen years he served on the Board of Directors of the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region.

Sassounian has been decorated by the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

“We are proud to be honoring Harut Sassounian,” remarked ANC-WR Banquet Chair Elizabeth Boyadjian. “We are pleased that Harut, who has supported the ANC’s work and mission for many years, will be receiving the ANC Legacy Award.”

Individuals interested in attending the ANC-Western Region banquet where Sassounian will be honored are encouraged to contact ANC-WR office at (818) 500-1918 or visit www.itsmyseat.com.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

PHOTO CAPTION: Community Leader and Publisher of the California Courier, Harut Sassounian (photo credit: Helena Grigorian)