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Mary Mangigian Tarzian

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Mary Mangigian Tarzian (August 22, 1905 – June 7, 1998) was an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and publisher. She and her husband Sarkes Tarzian founded an electronics manufacturing and broadcasting company in 1944, and she was vice president of the company beginning in 1952.

Mary Mangigian Tarzian
A young white woman with short dark curly hair, wearing a dark blouse
Mary Mangigian (later Tarzian), from the 1927 yearbook of the University of Pennsylvania
Born
Mary Mangigian

(1905-08-22)August 22, 1905
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedJune 7, 1998(1998-06-07) (aged 92)
Palm Beach, Florida
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, philanthropist, publisher
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1930; died 1987)​

Early life and education

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Mary Mangigian was born in Philadelphia, the daughter of Bedros (Peter) Mangigian and Nartouhi Kassabian Mangigian. Her parents were Armenian immigrants from Turkey, and her father was a master weaver and a businessman. She attended Kensington High School, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1927.[1][2] She later earned a master's degree in 1928 and a Ph.D. in 1935, both at Penn, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[3] She also studied at Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the University of Geneva.[4][5]

Career

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Tarzian and her husband founded Sarkes Tarzian, Inc., an electronics manufacturing company, in 1944.[6] She was vice president of the company beginning in 1952, overseeing several factories.[3] She was also vice president and director of Bynum Supply, and the first woman to serve on the board of directors of Dean Brothers Pumps.[7] The Tarzians also owned the Greencastle Banner-Graphic newspaper and several radio and television stations.[4][8]

Mary Tarzian held seats on various boards of directors,[5] including the National Council of the YWCA, the Pritikin Longevity Center,[9] and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She was a member of the national council of the Metropolitan Opera Company and of the advisory board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[4] The Tarzians co-founded the Einstein Memorial Scholarship Foundation,[10] now known as the Sagamore Leadership Initiative.[11]

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In the 1950s, Sarkes and Mary Tarzian faced federal tax avoidance charges.[12] In 1964, Mary Tarzian sued two Fifth Avenue department stores, Bonwit Teller and Peck & Peck, after they accused her of shoplifting.[13]

Honors

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Tarzian was named Distinguished Woman of the Year by Northwood Institute in 1973, and Indiana Mother of the Year in 1976.[4][14] She held honorary doctorates from the University of La Verne and Tri-State College.[15] The Sarkes and Mary Tarzian Nature Preserve in Bloomington, Indiana, was named for her and her husband.[16]

Publications

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  • The Armenian Minority Problem, 1914-1934[17]

Personal life

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Mangigian married Armenian inventor Sarkes Tarzian in Geneva in 1930. They had children Patricia and Thomas. Her husband died in 1987,[18] and she died in 1998, at the age of 92, in Palm Beach, Florida.[4][19] Their former home in Bloomington is known as Deer Park Manor, and is open as an event space.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Penn Co-ed Passes Up Ivy Oration Honor; Miss Mangigian Will be Busy Class day at Conference at Eaglesmere". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 7, 1927. p. 3. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "U of P Bestows 53 Scholarships". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 26, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Talented Mrs. Tarzian Has a Major Role in Company". The Indianapolis Star. February 3, 1952. p. 75. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Businesswoman, civic leader Mary M. Tarzian dies at 92". The Herald-Times. June 11, 1998. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  5. ^ a b Who's who in Commerce and Industry. Marquis Who's Who. 1965. p. 1296.
  6. ^ Mills, Kathleen (May 16, 1993). "Local book records history of Sarkes Tarzian empire". The Times-Mail. p. 41. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mary Tarzian co-founded broadcasting company". The Indianapolis News. June 11, 1998. p. 27. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Smith, David L. (2012). Indianapolis Television. Arcadia Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7385-9355-5.
  9. ^ "Mary Tarzian Working on Book". The Indianapolis News. March 21, 1984. p. 18. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Crane, George W. (July 10, 1974). "Eisenhower Scholarship Helps Students". The Piqua Daily Call. p. 20. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Our History". Sagamore Leadership. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  12. ^ Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. V. United States of America. United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 1956.
  13. ^ "Shoplifting Charge Brings $120,000 Suit". The New York Times. 1964-01-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  14. ^ "Mary Tarzian named state mother of year". Daily Times-Mail. May 9, 1976. p. 32. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Dr. Mary M. Tarzian". Northwood University. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  16. ^ Zaltsberg, Bob (May 9, 2019). "Tarzian: Creative, Inventive, Bloomington Leader". news - Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  17. ^ Tarzian, Mary Mangigian (1934). The Armenian Minority Problem, 1914-1934. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania.
  18. ^ "Sarkes Tarzian, 87; owned radio and TV stations". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 9, 1946. p. 46. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Mary Mangigian Tarzian". Palm Beach Daily News. June 14, 1998. p. 2. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "History – Deer Park Manor". Retrieved 2023-05-11.
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