[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22537]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN HONOR AND RECOGNITION OF KEVORK ``GEORGE'' ARSLANIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of 
Mr. Kevork ``George'' Arslanian, loving family man, father, 
grandfather, great-grandfather and dear friend to many, as his friends 
and loved ones gather in honor and celebration of his 100th birthday.
  Mr. Arslanian's life reflects a brilliant spectrum of survival, 
courage, tenacity, triumph, devotion to family and service to others. 
As a young child, Mr. Arslanian and his two brothers became orphans. 
During WWI, 40 members of the Arslanian family, including their father 
and mother, were killed in the horrific Armenian massacre by the 
Turkish military. The Armenian genocide resulted in the deaths of 1.5 
million Armenians. A Turkish neighbor hid the three boys in her home, 
saving their lives. Soon after, they were sent to a Red Cross orphanage 
in Syria, where they barely survived among 60,000 other orphans.
  Throughout their years of struggle, Mr. Arslanian and his brothers 
remained focused on the promise of a new life in America. They left the 
Syrian orphanage and journeyed to Cuba, from where they had heard that 
entry into the U.S. would be easier. They soon discovered this was not 
the truth. The children spent 5 years in Cuba, surviving with nothing 
more than their own determination, courage and the promise of reaching 
the shores of America. In 1927, the boys, who had by now become young 
men, made the escape out of Cuba as stowaways on a ship that delivered 
them to a life of freedom, hope and possibility in America.
  The Arslanian brothers settled with relatives in Cleveland. Mr. 
Arslanian attended Miller Barber College in Cleveland, where he 
initially honed the art of his trade without pay. He then earned twenty 
dollars a week for 25 cent hair cuts. He soon became a licensed 
barber--the 11th in the State of Ohio, and in 1932, opened up his own 
shop in Garfield Heights. Six days a week for seventy-five years, Mr. 
Arslanian worked in the shop with his brother, and continued giving 
hair cuts until just a couple of years ago. Together, Mr. Arslanian and 
his beloved, late wife, Virginia, raised three sons. George and 
Virginia Arslanian were married for 67 years. Mr. Arslanian, one 
hundred years young, continues to be the foundation, center and light 
of his family--a family that includes his three sons, seven 
grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.
  His life-long devotion to his family and to his shop extends 
throughout the community, and is evidenced within his strong faith and 
his dedication to preserving the history, faith and culture of Armenia. 
Mr. Arslanian continues to be deeply involved with the Armenian 
Orthodox Church, and led the effort to establish St. Gregory of Narek 
Armenian Church. His unwavering support for immigrant families and for 
the preservation of Armenian culture is reflected in his long-time 
involvement with the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the Tekeyan 
Cultural Society.
  Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition 
of Mr. Kevork ``George'' Arslanian, whose brave heart, warm smile and 
fascinating life continues to educate and inspire those who know and 
love him well, especially his family and friends. Mr. Arslanian's life, 
outlined by hard work, integrity and family, personifies the phrase 
`American citizen.'
  The remarkable story of the young Arslanian brothers, their 
courageous journey and creation of new lives in America, is the story 
of the American immigrant, retold in a thousand languages, connecting 
all of humanity by the will to survive and the promise of freedom and 
peace. The incredible journey of citizens such as Kevork ``George'' 
Arslanian is the strength and foundation of our country. In honor of 
Mr. Arslanian's 100th birthday, we offer him an abundance of peace, 
health and happiness, and offer our gratitude to him for enriching our 
community and our nation. His great love for his family, community and 
for his beloved Armenia, transcends time and distance, serving as a 
bridge of goodwill, forever connecting America to Armenia.

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