Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian

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Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian (b. Adana, Turkey, October 20, 1878; d. Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, United States, May 22, 1973) was the father of American composer Alan Hovhaness. Of Armenian background, his surname (meaning "gunsmith") was given to one of his ancestors who had been skilled in creating finely engraved and decorated firearms. His parents were Hovanes L. Chakmakjian and Cohar Janbazian Chakmakjian (maiden name Cohar Garabed Janbazian), both farmers. He studied at the Abcarian (Apcarian) High School in Adana, then studied for just over one year at the Antoura French Missionary College in Beirut.

Chakmakjian was teaching in Beirut in the early years of 20th century, during the time of one of the early Ottoman massacres of Armenians. Rather than return to his birthplace of Adana, he decided to take a ship to France. He eventually arrived 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 (as a member of the Class of 1909).

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. On May 28, 1910 he married, in Somerville, Massachusetts, Madeleine Scott (d. October 3, 1930), an American woman of Scottish and English descent who had graduated from Wellesley College. He retired from the Medical School in 1949.

In addition to his scientific work, beginning in 1908 he edited The Hairenik newspaper[1], remaining in that position until February 1912. He also authored an English-Armenian dictionary of approximately 1,600 pages (published under the name H. H. Chakmakjian around 1920 or 1922 by Yeran Press) and other scholarly articles regarding chemistry, biochemistry, and the Armenian language. 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.

Chakmakjian died of bronchopneumonia in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on May 22, 1973, at the age of 94.