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Vartkes Dovlatian

by Anahit from Glendale

There are many heroes in the world but my hero is Vartkes Dovlatian. He inspired me because he had a very difficult life but he never gave up on himself. He grew up in an orphanage without his parents; he was kicked out of his own country and was a miner in Cuba even though he had much more potential than that.

Vartkes Dovlatian had a hard time as a child because his parents died and he was sent to an orphanage in Canada. He learned six languages there. When he was old enough to take care of himself he moved to Egypt. There he met a woman named Azniv, married her and had three daughters. Then he moved to Armenia to help his country through a hard time. From there he was sent to live in Cuba and mined because they saw him as a threat, not a friend. His middle daughter got married and moved to Spain and the youngest got married and moved to America. His eldest daughter move to Turkey and never got married.

He is my great-grandfather, I never met him but I hear great things about him. I never had a hard life so he surprised me with his inner strength. I can not imagine living my life without my parents. I would have fallen apart. He lost his parents during the Armenian genocide. He was so organized and my mom always tells me how when he came to visit he would put everything in a bag then put it in his suitcase. Everything he did was perfect. The corner of the paper would never be curved, he had perfect handwriting.

My great-grandfather is an extraordinary person and I would have loved to meet him. I have so many questions to ask that no one but him could answer. Things like, what was your childhood like without having your parents to guide you. I guess I will never know.

Page created on 1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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