[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 19 (Friday, February 3, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MICHAEL MINASIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 3, 2017

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor 
the life and the passing of a special person from Montebello, 
California. Mr. Michael Minasian was an irreplaceable member of the 
Armenian-American community, who was born to survivors of the Armenian 
genocide in 1931. Mr. Minasian's success wasn't handed to him; for five 
years he and his family lived in a camp for displaced persons after 
World War II. When Mr. Minasian and his family immigrated to the United 
States, he attended night school to learn English while helping his 
parents support the family.
  From 1953 to 1955, Mr. Minasian served in the U.S. Armed Forces in 
West Germany, and became a citizen in 1954. He returned to the Los 
Angeles area where he produced the bilingual ``Armenian Radio Hour'' 
and put his entrepreneurial spirit to work, first through owning the 
International Music Center in East Los Angeles, and later by building a 
successful insurance agency. More recently, Mr. Minasian reinvented 
himself as a land developer, building tracts of single family homes. 
Through his businesses, Mr. Minasian helped develop the City of 
Montebello and much of Eastern Los Angeles County bears his mark.
  Mr. Minasian's contributions to the economy of our community were 
rivaled only by his civic leadership. A champion of the Armenian-
American community, he spearheaded efforts to build the Armenian 
Genocide Martyrs Monument, which towers over Montebello's Bicknell 
Park. As founder of the Armenian Assembly, he paid his success forward 
to young Armenians by creating a Washington, DC internship placement 
program. Mr. Minasian has even made a difference right here in the 
United States Congress, where he successfully led the fight for passage 
of Armenian-genocide resolutions in 1975, 1984, and 1985.
  Countless organizations in Montebello have benefitted from Mr. 
Minasian's leadership. He served as President of the Montebello Junior 
Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Montebello Citizens Advisory 
Committee on Park Planning and Design. He has also served on the boards 
of directors of the Montebello Chamber of Commerce and the Armenian 
Educational Foundation. His contributions to the Armenian Revolutionary 
Federation, the Montebello American Legion, and as Human Services 
Commissioner for the City of Montebello will not be forgotten.
  Mr. Minasian's life embodies the spirit of our hardworking immigrant 
community. His legacy will serve as a shining example, not only to the 
Armenian-American community but for all future generations, of the 
difference that one man or woman can make in his or her community. I 
hope my colleagues will join me in sending my condolences to his widow, 
Lydia, and their four children and six grandchildren.

                          ____________________