Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian was a published scientist, as well as the father of American composer Alan Hovhaness. A professor of chemistry at Tufts University, Chakmakjian wrote numerous books in several languages. His notable publications included an English-Armenian dictionary which is believed to be the first of its kind in the modern Armenian language. The dictionary has become an enduring work of Armenianlexicography and remains regularly used today. His other publications included a 700-page history of Armenia.
Family / Early background
Chakmakjian was of Armenian background and was born in Adana, Ottoman Empire on 20 October 1878. His surname means "gunsmith", a name given to one of his ancestors who had been skilled in creating finely engraved and decorated firearms. Born in 1878, his parents were Hovanes L. Chakmakjian and Cohar Garabed Janbazian, both farmers. He studied at the Abcarian High School in Adana, then studied for just over one year at the Antoura French Missionary College in Beirut.
Career
Chakmakjian began his career as a teacher and taught in Gesaria and in Giresun. He taught in Beirut in the early years of the 20th century, during the time of one of the early Ottomanmassacres of Armenians. Rather than return to his birthplace of Adana, he decided to take a ship to France. He subsequently moved to Stamford, Connecticut and eventually settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied at Harvard University from fall 1905 to spring 1908, then entered Harvard again in February 1912, obtaining an A.B. degree in June 1913. Chakmakjian also served as the editor of the Hairenik newspaper from 1909 to 1911. He later served as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Tufts College, and was affiliated with the Tufts Medical School on Huntington Avenue in Boston. He retired from the Medical School in 1949. Thereafter, in 1955, Chakmakjian retired from Tufts University as a Professor emeritus.
In addition to his scientific work, in 1908 Chakmakjian became the chief-editor for The Hairenik newspaper while studying at Harvard, remaining in that position until February 1912. He also authored of approximately 1,600 pages published under the name H. H. Chakmakjian, printed in 1922 by Yeran Press in Boston. The dictionary was republished several times till that date. Other scholarly articles included topics related to chemistry, biochemistry, and the Armenian language. Among his other publications was a book of about 700 pages on the history of Armenia published in 1917. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers.
