In a recent conversation with an Armenian-American mechanic at Road America, it was brought to my attention that Alain Prost was at least half-Armenian and that Jean Alesi was half-Armenian. Previously, I was only aware of our Armenian-American Indy 500 heritage with J.C. Agajanian who won a coupla of 500s as an owner and also own Ascot Park, the race track.
The second individual was the driver Freddie Agabashian who became a long-time as the color analyst for the 500 radio broadcasts. Are there any others of note?
I was surprised at how many famous people the small country
of 3 million has produced. My favorites being Karsh the famous portrait photgrapher, Cher, Andre Agassi, Dr. Kevorkian and Artem Mikoyan,
the father of the famous "MIG" fighter planes.
Racing Armenians
Started by
David M. Kane
, May 24 2003 20:09
23 replies to this topic
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#2
Jim Thurman
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Posted 24 May 2003 - 21:31
Ed Elisian.
Jim Thurman
Jim Thurman
#3
ensign14
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Posted 24 May 2003 - 22:09
Harry Arminius Miller.
Jorge Bagration had claims to the Georgian throne...the Caucasian one not the NASCAR one. Close.
Jorge Bagration had claims to the Georgian throne...the Caucasian one not the NASCAR one. Close.
#4
WGD706
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Posted 24 May 2003 - 22:24
How could you forget Ross Baghdasarian, the creator of The Chipmunks, Alvin,Theodore and Simon?
Jerry Tarkanian: Coach, turned the UNLV basketball team into a west coast powerhouse, reaching the finals and winning several times.
Ara Parseghian: Previous Notre Dame football coach, national championships in 1966 and 1973.
Mike Connors: The star of former hit show "Mannix".
William Saroyan: Famous novelist and playright, notably for the Oscar-winning "The Human Comedy".
And supposedly Alain Prost is of Armenian heritage. Must be the nose!
Warren
Jerry Tarkanian: Coach, turned the UNLV basketball team into a west coast powerhouse, reaching the finals and winning several times.
Ara Parseghian: Previous Notre Dame football coach, national championships in 1966 and 1973.
Mike Connors: The star of former hit show "Mannix".
William Saroyan: Famous novelist and playright, notably for the Oscar-winning "The Human Comedy".
And supposedly Alain Prost is of Armenian heritage. Must be the nose!
Warren
#5
ensign14
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Posted 24 May 2003 - 23:17
And Arman Tamzarian, the real name of Seymour Skinner, in the infamous Worst Episode Ever. Or am I not supposed to talk about it?
#6
Richard Jenkins
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 09:08
Originally posted by David M. Kane
Alain Prost was at least half-Armenian and Jean Alesi was half-Armenian.
Why was as opposed to is?
#7
David M. Kane
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 14:35
Sorry, but education is once again exposed! Is not was, they are both doing fine the last time I checked. Just a plain good ole brain f&*t.
#8
Dmitriy_Guller
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 14:58
I'm just curious, from cultural anthropology point, how does a person with Armenian heritage wind up in France? Did they roam the world much like Jews escaping persecution, like the Turkish massacre?
#9
David McKinney
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 16:21
Nothing at all wrong with your education, DK. It is correct to use the past tense in reported speech. You're referring to something that happened in the past: "It was reported to me that...Prost was...."Originally posted by David M. Kane
Sorry, but education is once again exposed! Is not was, they are both doing fine the last time I checked. Just a plain good ole brain f&*t.
Perfectly OK
#10
917
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 16:56
In 1915 many Armenians were killed and others forced into the exile, some came to France, among them the parents of Charles Aznavour, singer and actor ("Tirez sur le pianiste"/"Shoot the pianist", directed by Francois Truffaut). Another example from the world of cinema is film director Atom Egoyan (living in Canada, born in Cairo from Armenian parents).
#11
ensign14
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 17:24
Another famous Armenian to come to mind is Harry Ekizian, who was a wrestler in the 1920s and 30s, under the name Ali Baba (a Turkish heel).
#12
Rob G
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 17:42
Hard rock group System of a Down are Armenian.
Although this being TNF not many of you have heard of them.
Although this being TNF not many of you have heard of them.
#13
Jim Thurman
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 19:43
Originally posted by Rob G
Hard rock group System of a Down are Armenian.
Although this being TNF not many of you have heard of them.
Yep, from Glendale, California...a city with what is often reported as the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia.
Jim Thurman
#14
ensign14
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 19:45
Hard rock? Pfft, nu-metal.Originally posted by Rob G
Hard rock group System of a Down are Armenian.
#15
David M. Kane
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Posted 25 May 2003 - 20:54
The killings took place under the Ottoman Empire in Turkey and they were
pretty brutal. In fact, a recent piece of legislature has been put before
the American Congress to reveal the facts. So I don't muddle the topic, you can go to any of the various Armenian websites and they will explain
the details much better. Basically, the systematically killed all the intellectuals and put all the Armenians in the Turkish Army in prison
camps. Once in these camps they were systematically slaughtered.
pretty brutal. In fact, a recent piece of legislature has been put before
the American Congress to reveal the facts. So I don't muddle the topic, you can go to any of the various Armenian websites and they will explain
the details much better. Basically, the systematically killed all the intellectuals and put all the Armenians in the Turkish Army in prison
camps. Once in these camps they were systematically slaughtered.
#16
Jim Thurman
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Posted 26 May 2003 - 01:10
Originally posted by ensign14
And Arman Tamzarian, the real name of Seymour Skinner, in the infamous Worst Episode Ever. Or am I not supposed to talk about it?
You are not to speak of the events ever again
Getting a bit more OT here...
Ed Elisian's actual name was Eliseian
Fresno, California is another area with a tremendous Armenian population (as documented in works by William Saroyan). When I was a kid, I knew of a lot of the car owners in the area being Armenian, but wasn't aware that they had in fact raced in the 50's. Checking microfilm, I ran across point standings for Selma Speedway in Selma, California (about 30 miles South of Fresno) in the early 1950's...the track operators were of Armenian descent and 7 or 8 of the top 10 in points were Armenian.
"Smokey" Hanoian was involved in racing in the Fresno area for many years, and "Blackie" Gejeian promoted and operated Clovis Speedway.
Jim Thurman
#17
petefenelon
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Posted 26 May 2003 - 18:42
Originally posted by David M. Kane
In a recent conversation with an Armenian-American mechanic at Road America, it was brought to my attention that Alain Prost was at least half-Armenian and that Jean Alesi was half-Armenian. Previously, I was only aware of our Armenian-American Indy 500 heritage with J.C. Agajanian who won a coupla of 500s as an owner and also own Ascot Park, the race track.
The second individual was the driver Freddie Agabashian who became a long-time as the color analyst for the 500 radio broadcasts. Are there any others of note?
I was surprised at how many famous people the small country
of 3 million has produced. My favorites being Karsh the famous portrait photgrapher, Cher, Andre Agassi, Dr. Kevorkian and Artem Mikoyan,
the father of the famous "MIG" fighter planes.
How about Ed "Isky" Iskenderian? - famous old-school cam grinder and engine builder?
#18
Jimmy Piget
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Posted 29 May 2003 - 20:53
Don't forget Nicolas Minassian.
BTW, I didn't know about Jean Alesi...
BTW, I didn't know about Jean Alesi...
#19
BRG
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Posted 30 May 2003 - 12:14
And George W. Bush, of course. Wasn't he (apocryphally) supposed to have started a speech "My fellow Armenians..."
I was interested in David Kane's comment that "a recent piece of legislature has been put before
the American Congress to reveal the facts". How is Congress supposed to "reveal" what happened nearly 90 years ago in another country? I think anyone who knows the history of the period and area knows that it was a very nasty piece of genocide. What exactly can Congress add to the sum of knowledge, I wonder? They might do better to get on with revealing where Saddam's weapons of mass destruction disappeared to...
I was interested in David Kane's comment that "a recent piece of legislature has been put before
the American Congress to reveal the facts". How is Congress supposed to "reveal" what happened nearly 90 years ago in another country? I think anyone who knows the history of the period and area knows that it was a very nasty piece of genocide. What exactly can Congress add to the sum of knowledge, I wonder? They might do better to get on with revealing where Saddam's weapons of mass destruction disappeared to...
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#20
David M. Kane
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Posted 30 May 2003 - 12:45
I was simply paraphrasing notes from one of the Armenian sites. I'm not sure I get your point and it is pretty obvious you've experienced nothing love your hole, I mean your whole life.
#21
David M. Kane
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Posted 30 May 2003 - 12:46
I'm sorry, that was suppose to read nothing BUT love your hole life...
#22
GIGLEUX
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Posted 30 May 2003 - 21:43
In France we have strong populations of Armenians in the Rhone valley,all feeling completly French but keeping many of their customs and trying to preserve their langage which is the less they can do. In the WW2 many of them gave their lives for their new land. I confirm Prost has armenian origins by his mother.
#23
Dmitriy_Guller
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Posted 07 June 2003 - 07:36
Originally posted by BRG
And George W. Bush, of course. Wasn't he (apocryphally) supposed to have started a speech "My fellow Armenians..."
I was interested in David Kane's comment that "a recent piece of legislature has been put before
the American Congress to reveal the facts". How is Congress supposed to "reveal" what happened nearly 90 years ago in another country? I think anyone who knows the history of the period and area knows that it was a very nasty piece of genocide. What exactly can Congress add to the sum of knowledge, I wonder? They might do better to get on with revealing where Saddam's weapons of mass destruction disappeared to...
The key is that it's not anyone. The most involved government in this genocide apparently doesn't know what happened in 1915. http://www.kultur.go...asp?belgeno=271 At least Germans acknowledged their crimes, however horrendous they were.
#24
David M. Kane
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Posted 07 June 2003 - 12:59
Granted George oversold the Weapons of Mass Destruction, but I am surprised
how easily everyone pushes aside the mass graves of political prisoners.
As a child I caught a fingernail in a door and pulled it off. I remember the pain as if it was yesterday. I can only imagine what it feels like to have all of them removed with plyers? What am I missing?
God bless all of God's children.
Just remember nobody is slow in heaven, everybody is fast and everybody has a neat car.
how easily everyone pushes aside the mass graves of political prisoners.
As a child I caught a fingernail in a door and pulled it off. I remember the pain as if it was yesterday. I can only imagine what it feels like to have all of them removed with plyers? What am I missing?
God bless all of God's children.
Just remember nobody is slow in heaven, everybody is fast and everybody has a neat car.
