“Any personal success or personal well-being will seem venomous to me, if it fails to benefit my nation.”

Alex Manoogian

The philanthropy of Armenians is deeply rooted. There was a large constellation of Armenian philanthropists in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, including Alexander Mantashyants, Mikayel Aramyants, Hakob Sanasaryan, Melik-Azaryans and others, and it is hard to overestimate their merit in the solution to the problems of the Armenian nation and in the implementation of educational programs.

Today, Armenians also have philanthropists whose merit has been properly appreciated by both the public and the State, and one of those philanthropists is National Hero of the Republic of Armenia, public figure, industrialist, engineer/inventor Alex Manoogian.

Alex Tagvori Manoogian was born on June 28, 1901 in the Kasaba district of the Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. His father, Tagvor Manukyan, was the leader of the local Armenian community and an entrepreneur who sold wheat. The future industrialist received his primary education at the local Armenian school. He showed special interest in subjects related to Armenia and the Armenians. Alongside his studies, he would help his father. Entrepreneurship and the feeling of patriotism were passed from Tagvor Manukyan to his son. After graduating from school, with love for technologies, Alex Manoogian started working as a mechanic.

The Armenian Genocide of 1915 relatively circumvented the Armenians of Izmir, but the violent acts against Armenians gained momentum in the years that followed. In 1920, the young Alex Manoogian moved to the United States of America with only 50 dollars in his pocket. He settled in Bridgeport where he immediately started working at an automobile factory. On his free time, he would teach Armenian to the children of Armenians having settled in the USA a couple of generations ago and lacking knowledge of the Armenian language.

In 1924, he settled in Detroit, Michigan and brought his multi-member family along. Settling in the USA, Alex Manoogian quickly stood out with his diligence and business skills. He did what he loved to do, and that was working as a mechanic. He eventually decided to start his own business, and in 1929, he founded his Masco Screw Company.

Later, it grew to become the Masco Corporation, which produced auto parts for various brand name cars. Manoogian’s company also prospered thanks to WWII when his company became one of the organizations serving the US army. The company’s profit exceeded $1 mln dollars a year.

Besides being a successful businessman, he was also an inventor. Among many inventions, Alex Manoogian also invented the delta faucet, which we use in our daily lives. All this didn’t come easy for the skillful businessmen at all. He put in a lot of time and effort to achieve success. He said the following in his memories of those days: “After a while, I wished to expand my business, and I had one resource, that is, to sell my stocks to the public. I became the first Armenian industrialist in the USA to have sold a large amount of stocks in the stock exchange. My son was born, and I was so busy with work that I only got to see him on the weekend, six days later. That was how fierce the competition was around me.”

Philanthropy had been a lifestyle for Alex Manoogian since his prime. In 1930, he joined the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). His active community service gave fruit. Alex Manoogian gained the trust of the chairmen of the AGBU Central Board, and starting in 1953, he would consecutively become the president of the AGBU Central Board.

In 1989, Alex Manoogian was elected the life-long honorary president of the AGBU Central Board. In 1989, the great philanthropist’s’ daughter, Louise Manoogian Simone was elected president of the AGBU Central Board.

While being engaged in the activities of the AGBU, Alex Manoogian met and was introduced to the greatest love of her life, Marie. In 1931, they got married, after which they gave birth to two sons. Marie Manoogian was also involved in community service.

In 1968, with $1 mln dollars, she founded the AGBU Alex Manoogian Cultural Foundation, the purpose of which was to translate Armenian literary and scientific heritage, as well as disseminate and advertise Armenian cultural values around the world. When Manoogian still hadn’t been elected President of the AGBU in 1952, the Union had 95 general foundations with a total capital of $7,400,000 dollars. When she left office in 1989, there were already 465 foundations, and the capital was $98,500,000 dollars.

The homeland came first for Alex Manoogian. The AGBU and Alex Manoogian personally made tremendous contributions, especially during the years of the liberation struggle for Artsakh and in the era of the newly independent Armenia when the country was in dire social and economic conditions.

Alex Manoogian has opened schools, museums and cultural centers and has built churches in many Armenian communities around the world. The Manoogians have also opened and sponsored chairs of Armenian studies in many universities abroad. They have also made great donations to churches, libraries, as well as hospitals and nursing homes.

Alex Manoogian was also an honorary member of the Board of Trustees of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. He donated over $500,000 dollars to the Fund for construction of the Goris-Stepanakert Highway and various projects being carried out in Artsakh.

The homeland has properly appreciated its son’s services. In 1994, by the decree of President of the Republic of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Alex Manoogian acquired citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and was conferred the highest title of National Hero of the Republic of Armenia. He has been granted the Homeland Order, which is the highest order of the Republic of Armenia. His Holiness Vazgen I presented the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cross to Alex Manoogian as a gift. Alex Manoogian has also received the Medal of the President of Argentina. He also has the title of an honorary doctor of many universities.

Yerevan, Montreal and Stepanakert have named streets after the great philanthropist.

The great Armenian passed away on July 10, 1996 in Detroit. He was 95 years old. His wife, Marie passed away in 1993. In 2007, the ashes of Alex Manoogian and his wife, Marie Manoogian were transferred to Armenia and reburied in the patio of the treasury located in the monastery of Etchmiadzin and named after them.

Vahe Antanesyan

Ankakh.com