Founder of Armenian Historic-Preservation Center Still Devoted 33 Years Later

Ruth Thomasian founded Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., a center for historic preservation and research, in 1975 in Watertown, Mass. (Photo: ArmenianWeekly.com)

The following article is from the Armenian Weekly.

WATERTOWN, Mass. – It all started with a single photograph or – more precisely – a milliner's hat.

Here was Ruth Thomasian, amid the glitz and glitter of Broadway, plying her trade in the theater market looking to earn rent money.

When the Diocesan Players of the Armenian Church heard of her skills, they asked her to design their costumes. It was a perfect opportunity to learn more about her father's culture and gain experience needed to advance the costume design business.

When she discovered there was literally no source of visual information for historical research, she created her own nutmeg by asking Armenians to share their old-country photos with her.

Out of this concept in 1975 rose Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., a center for historic preservation and research based on the third floor of the ALMA [Armenian Library and Museum of America] Building in Watertown Square, Mass., in space that's being rented.

Although the two agencies share similar missions of preservation, they are completely autonomous, but complement one another rather nicely. For those who are unaware, the acronym in Project SAVE represents "Salute Armenians' Valiant Effort."

"I wanted to remember genocide survivors whose lives have been ignored or forgotten," she felt. "I've got to admit, it was a nice thought."

The unflappable Thomasian looks back on those halcyon years with fond recollection, never thinking that 33 years later, the archivist/historian would still be echoing her call in saving the photographic heritage of the Armenian community.

"I quickly realized that photographs could serve more than just costume design," she recalled. "I expanded my collection policy to include everything and anything about Armenian people and places."

Now, 33 years later, Thomasian has seen her project come full circle as theaters and filmmakers rely upon her for research and use of images.

The collection now stands at 27,000 accessible photos, roughly more than 1,000 a year, and is being augmented by the week. They're all originals, not copies, and are put through an archival process that often grows excessive.

"We sit with people and document them," said the 63-year-old. "Not all photographs are identified. Those that are will be used for research, publication, movies, plays, schools, and exhibits. Their value is relative to need. We collect anything that is photographic and Armenian-related."

In one basement and out another attic. It's been a nomadic lifestyle throughout the community sector with no regard for distance or obstacle. There's a treasure trove out there waiting to be had and Thomasian answers every call with alacrity.

A 500-square-foot office is hardly utopia for the woman, especially when you consider the volume. The underlying concern is that Thomasian cannot document forever.

"In another five years, I'll be 68-and then what?" she muses. "I'm not going to die on this job but the job will always be a part of me."

It's been a job that knows no hours or boundaries, and one that pays her $45,000 a year, which is raised through astute grant-writing and personal appeals.

She has help. Suzanne Adams is listed as another full-timer and could become the heir successor. There's another part-timer in Aram Sarkissian, plus a host of volunteers, including several from the graduate school at Simmons College.

All work hand in hand to secure the best interests of Armenian heritage.

Shortage of space and manpower are but two obstacles. The budget stands at $150,000, about half of what it should be, according to Thomasian.

The calendar brings in $30,000. Individual foundations account for another $80,000. The rest is public outcry.

"Our goal is to someday have our own space in Watertown," Thomasian reveals. "For all that respect and appreciation we've received over the years, it means nothing if there isn't an endowment in place and a proper facility to operate these archives after my lifetime. We look to continue being a voice for the Armenian people."

The awards and highlights are many; the disappointments few. A prominent collection of Saroyan photos accompanies yet another of revolutionary heroes. Through these sacred images comes a visual appeal and ethnic identity of a people forced to abandon their ancestral homeland and surrender their churches and monasteries.

They represent an eyewitness account of immigrants who have found solace in "the new world" while continuing to perpetuate their ethnicity in the diaspora. The challenge comes in persuading people to share these values as a learning experience.

To put it bluntly, this is history as seen in everyday life.

"We're so accustomed to having history relate to important figures-the rich and military heroes," she compares. "But some of the best accounts come from our immigrants who depict the voice of experience. Social history is more about regular types."

Don't get the idea that Thomasian is so consumed by her work that she's become a social outcast or recluse. Quite the contrary. Being imbued into the Watertown Armenian community, she's a regular at festivities, presides over a group called Trees for Watertown, belongs to ALMA and Armenian International Women, and reads three Armenian papers a week.

She's served on Watertown's No Place for Hate Committee and has launched an effort to celebrate cultural differences and advocate for fair and equal treatment for all.

"Even in Watertown, with its strong Armenian identity, knowledge of the Armenian Genocide and genocide in general is little understood," she points out.

If there are any regrets over 33 years, Thomasian hasn't found one. Each day represents a new and exciting challenge for the historian. Nor is it addictive. Ruth makes that known.

"If anything, it's been a dream job," she said with a smile. "I've been writing my own ticket and others have shared in that."

Source: ArmenianWeekly.com

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Ruth Thomasian founded in 1975 the Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., a center for historic preservation and research, located in the building of the Armenian Library and Museum of America, in Watertown, Mass. (Photo: ArmenianWeekly.com)