For Immediate Release
January 25, 2007

ARMENIA FUND USA EXTENDS CONDOLENCES, MOURNS LOSS OF SARKIS ACOPIAN

NEW YORK, New York – Armenia Fund USA is saddened to inform that Mr. Sarkis Acopian, 80, died at his home in Easton, Pennsylvania on Thursday, January 18, 2007. Mr. Acopian was a devoted friend of Armenia Fund and a visionary philanthropist whose legacy of giving back to society has forever connected him with the Fund’s cause of reaching out to the less fortunate in Armenia and Karabakh. A modest and generous man by nature, his steadfast support for Armenia Fund USA and its mission since the organization’s establishment in 1992, has touched lives of numerous men, women and children in some of the most underserved areas of Karabakh and Armenia.

Born to Armenian parents in Tabriz, Iran, Mr. Acopian moved to the United States in 1945 to study engineering. After serving in the U.S. Army, he worked for Weller Electric Corp and designed a power sander that became one of their main products. In 1957, he started his own company, designating and manufacturing the first ever solar radio. This eventually led into the power supply business which is still operating today: Acopian Technical Company.

Sarkis Acopian was a civic-minded man who believed in philanthropy. He has made numerous donations to national and international causes which have included The Acopian Engineering Center at Lafayette College, the Acopian Center for Conservation Learning at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, The Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College, as well as endowing the environmental education program at the American University of Armenia and the Florida Institute of Technology.

Mr. Acopian was a visionary supporter of Armenia Fund USA. He has contributed to some of the most ambitious projects of the Fund which include the construction of the North-South Highway – the critical road connecting more than 100 cities and towns of Karabakh, as well as the Rebirth of Artsakh Regional Development Program that brings socio-economic well-being and development to some of the most underdeveloped villages of a war-torn region. His other important donations have included gifts to the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Embassy of Armenia in Ottawa Canada, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian Apostolic Church of America. His great sense of gratitude to his adopted country played a major part in his being the largest individual donor to the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.

Mr. Acopian is survived by his wife Bobbye and sons Greg and Jeff, their families and children.

Armenia Fund USA extends its sincere condolences to the Acopian family and their friends. Mr. Acopian’s spirit will always be present in the continuity of the many projects that were made possible by his benevolence.

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was the first of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 19 international affiliates and serves constituents in all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents.

Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 19 international affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and Karabakh, and having helped build 138 miles of roads, 100 miles of waterways, 36 schools, 3 electric transmission networks, 210 residential buildings and 15 healthcare institutions.

Armenia Fund USA’s Mission is the development of strategic socio-economic infrastructure in Armenia and Karabakh, focusing on major projects such as major highways, schools, drinking water to communities and humanitarian programs in education, training and medical facilities. The Fund has adopted a policy to go “Beyond Bricks and Mortar” to provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.

To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, please visit our website at
www.ArmeniaFundUSA.org or call us at 212-689-5307.

Armenia Fund USA
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 301
New York, NY 10038