Gregory Melikian remembered for ‘steadfast dedication to critical language and global engagement’
In 2012, Gregory Melikian was honored at an ASU football game for his military service during WWII and was recognized for his induction into the French Legion of Honor, taking rank as chevalier. Photo courtesy The Melikian Center
Gregory Melikian, U.S. Army veteran, community leader and longtime benefactor of Arizona State University, passed away peacefully on July 14.
Two weeks earlier, with Emma, his wife of 70 years, and his four children and their own families, he celebrated his hundredth birthday and a lifetime of remarkable accomplishments and contributions.
Melikian was born in New York City in 1924. He was the only son of Armenian immigrants who escaped the Armenian genocide of 1915 and committed themselves wholeheartedly to their new country. His father came to the United States as an orphan and served in the U.S. Army in World War I; his mother was a refugee in Syria and Bulgaria before coming to America.
Like many new U.S. citizens, they placed value in education. Their son, though, interrupted his studies to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. Gregory served from 1943 to 1946, becoming a highly skilled radio operator. In 1945, he was serving on the staff of the Allied commander-in-chief in Europe, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Melikian was tasked with sending the message announcing the unconditional surrender of Germany. Eisenhower gifted the original copy of the telegram to the young soldier.
Melikian returned to civilian life to complete his law degree in New York City and established a successful practice there. After he met and married Emma, the young couple began investing in real estate in Arizona as well as in New York. In 1969, they moved with their four young children to Phoenix. Among their most notable investments was the purchase, restoration and preservation of the iconic Hotel San Carlos in downtown Phoenix.
Melikian was a patron of the arts and education, supporting organizations including the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Opera Company. ASU held a special place for the Melikian family; all four of Gregory and Emma’s children attended ASU. In 2001, the Melikians established the Melikian Fund to support language learning, and in 2006, they endowed The Melikian Center at ASU.
"For nearly two decades, Greg and Emma’s immense generosity has transformed the lives of thousands of students, faculty and staff. Their belief in ASU and steadfast dedication to critical language and global engagement has created exciting opportunities and made it possible for us to achieve our charter of the New American University," said ASU President Michael M. Crow.
"Their philanthropic spirit mirrors their compelling life story, as it is filled with accomplishments that have influenced America’s history and success. For both, we are immensely grateful."
Melikian always emphasized the importance of language learning and global engagement, both for the individual and for national interest. “Knowing the language of a people is a portal into their culture,” he said when The Melikian Center opened. “As countries continue to interact, skilled translators will be needed.”
His hope that the center’s Critical Languages Institute would attract talented, service-oriented students from Arizona and beyond has been fulfilled. Since 2006, over 2,000 Sun Devils have studied in over a dozen less commonly taught languages, and in 2022, The Melikian Center won recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as one of 12 national resource centers for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies.
Melikian’s distinguished life of service and philanthropy earned him international and national recognition. He was named a knight in the French Legion of Honor in 2012 and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2013. He attended the centenary commemoration of Armistice Day in 2018, at the age of 94, meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. Closer to home, he served as honorary commander of two fighter wings of the Air Force Reserve at Luke Air Force Base and was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018.
In 2010, Gregory and Emma were honored with the ASU Foundation’s Philanthropist of the Year Award for their profound impact upon the quality of life in Arizona and their commitment to urban development, historic preservation, culture and the arts.
Yet Gregory always had time for the students, faculty and other visitors to The Melikian Center, demonstrating enormous warmth and curiosity. Before COVID-19, he regularly spoke at the Critical Languages Institute and, with Emma, regularly attended the graduation ceremony, taking time to personally congratulate students. During and after the pandemic, he worked with Lee Croft, emeritus professor and founder of the Critical Languages Institute, to produce a biography titled “Peace and Preservation.” Croft recalled with pleasure the four months of personal interviews with Melikian and other family members and friends that enabled him to finish the book and get it into Gregory's hands before he turned 100.
For all his honors and accomplishments, Gregory never lost touch with his 20-year-old self, charged by Eisenhower with passing on to the future the story of the end of World War II. He took that duty seriously and discharged it faithfully his whole life. Among the many gifts he passed on was that telegram from 1945, which is now housed in Distinctive Collections at Arizona State University’s Hayden Library on the Tempe campus, as a testament and an inspiration to all peacemakers.
Details of a celebration of Melikian's life will be announced in fall 2024. Messages of sympathy for his family can be sent to melikiancenter@asu.edu. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ASU Foundation's Melikian Center General Fund to honor his commitment to intercultural understanding and international peace, and supporting future international leaders through foreign language and area studies.
Keith Brown, lead contributor to this story, is the director of The Melikian Center: Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies and a professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies.
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