A December 7th Potpourri

Sonny, Buddy, Mark, & David Gavoor

 

It is my seventh post this December in which I set a goal to post everyday.  It seems like an appropriate time, at the end of my first week, to post what I call a ‘potpourri’ post. 

Potpourri?  Like herby flowery sachets that smell nice.  Well, that could apply.  When I write one of these, part of my intention is to be light and airy.  I strive to provide a pleasant verbal fragrance as well.  But, I mean It more as the second dictionary definition (www.meriam-webster.com):  a miscellaneous collection.

That’s the ticket, a miscellaneous collection, a mish-mash, shorter items, vignettes, or notions probably less loosely connected than I think.  Historically, I tended to write these when I did not have a ‘real topic’ I could make into a full blog post.  Sometimes, from a Seinfeldian perspective, the potpourri posts were bloggy bit about nothing, a stream of consciousness (sometimes more like unconsciousness) babbling rambles. 

So, here goes.

A Day that will Live in Infamy is the opening words of a somber speech given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referring to this date in 1941.  “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”  This famous very short speech can be read at www.loc.gov.

This devastating attack crippled the US Naval presence in the Pacific.  The situation was so grave that there was a real possibility that the Japanese, if they had finished the job with a second attack, could have attacked the west coast of the US.  But, they balked, and we were able to regroup and win a decisive naval battle in June of 1942 around Midway turning the tide of the war in the Pacific.  While the Japanese surprised us on December 7^th at Pearl Harbor, we were able to crack enough of their code to determine they were going to attack Midway.  This allowed us to surprise them and gain a decisive victory.  There are books and movies on both Pearl Harbor and Midway.  My favorite, that covers both brilliantly, is the 2019 movie Midway.  I have watched it several times, the last being just before I started to write this piece.

A Day that will Live in Seismic Infamy:  On this date, December 7, 1988, there was a devastating earthquake in Armenia that killed thousands.  The estimates of the dead were hard to tally and range between 20,000 and 50,000.  130,000 were injured.  This level of death and injury was due to the poor construction standards in the Soviet Union.  Buildings fully collapsed in the quake killing or seriously injuring all who were in them.  Armenians all around the world and the world in general all donated to help the country and the survivors.

This event and the aid efforts afterward elevated the relations between Armenia and Diaspora to new heights and, in my view, stirred an unrest in Armenia that resulted in the establishment of the Republic a few short years later in 1991. 

A Day of Notable Births:  The best part of this day, however, is remember and honor the birthday of three special people.  First, my father’s brother, Richard Haig Gavoor turned 90 today.  I called Uncle Buddy, as we use his nickname, and had a great conversation catching up.  He was on an exercise machine when I called which is not a surprise.  He has always been athletic and has taken very good care of himself.  In growing up, his education and corporate success always served as both an inspirational and aspirational example to me.  Thank you Uncle Buddy.

December 7 is also my good friend Ara Topouzian’s birthday.  We face-timed this morning and, per our usual, had some serious laughs.  One short year, and one long pandemic, ago, we were in Detroit at his new house, the refurbished home of his parents, and had a most memorable evening of music, food, drink, and merriment.  I look forward to a day where we can do the same for either of our birthdays again.  The ties between the Topouzians and the Gavoors is strong hailing
back to when my father and my Uncle Buddy along with the Watertown AYF Chapter adopted Ara’s father, Armen who was a field event standout, as one of their own in the 1951 Olympics that a five person Watertown team won.  My friendship when Ara began in earnest when he was in high school and was our babysitter for two to three years.  The two CDs on which I have played are Ara’s For the Children of Armenia and Faces of Bravery.  Thank you Ara.

     The third birthday call I made this morning was to Lola Koundakjian.  I was only able to leave her a message.  I met Lola when I first moved to New York.  She is a fascinating lady, an IT professional, and poet.  She was born in Lebanon and has the best traits of both Lebanese and American Armenians.  Lola is the founder and curator of the Armenian Poetry Project.  Of the hundreds of poems she has posted there, she was gracious enough to include eleven of mine.  Over ten years ago, she sent me an email saying, “November is National Haiku Month, if you write one a day you will have thirty haikus at the end of a month.”  I took her up on it and except for a few years when I first started teaching full have kept it up.  Thank you Lola.

Happy birthday Uncle Buddy, Ara, and Lola.