NAASR Christmas Open House to Feature Paul Ignatius

BELMONT, Mass.—On Thurs., Dec. 12, Former Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius will speak in conjunction with the publication of his new book, 5 x 3: Fifteen Books by Three Great Armenian Writers (by NAASR’s Armenian Heritage Press), highlighting NAASR’s 2013 Christmas Open House. The Open House will begin at 6 p.m. with Ignatius’s talk set for 8 p.m. The evening’s events will take place at the NAASR Center, 395 Concord Ave., in Belmont.

NAASR’s bookstore will be open both before and after the lecture, and will feature a one night only 20 percent-off sale, with additional discounts of 40 percent or more on selected titles. Numerous recently published titles will be available. Refreshments will be served. Ignatius’s book 5 x 3 will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

A descendant of Armenian parents from the Kharpert region of Historic Armenia, Ignatius is a native of Glendale, Calif., and a graduate of the University of Southern California. He earned an MBA from Harvard University after serving as a naval officer in World War II. He is also the author of the memoirs On Board: My Life in the Navy, Government, and Business (Naval Institute Press, 2006) and Now I Know in Part (the second edition of which was published by NAASR in 2011).

Ignatius served for eight years in the presidential administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, first as an assistant secretary of the army, then as under secretary of the army and assistant secretary of defense, and finally in 1967 as secretary of the navy. Following his government service, he was president of the Washington Post for 2 years and president of the Air Transport Association for 15 years. Ignatius is the recipient of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award. Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy announced that a future Navy destroyer will bear the name USS Paul Ignatius.

5 x 3: Fifteen Books by Three Great Armenian Writers offers summaries, commentaries, and anecdotes by Ignatius on a selection of works by Leon Z. Surmelian (I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen, 98.6, The Daredevils of Sassoun, Apples of Immortality, and Techniques of Fiction Writing); Michael Arlen (The London Venture, The Green Hat, Hell! Said the Duchess, Babes in the Woods, and Man’s Mortality); and William Saroyan (The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze, Inhale & Exhale, Three Times Three, My Name is Aram, Sons Come & Go, Mothers Hang In Forever), three major 20^th-century Armenian authors writing in English.

Mixing the keen observations of an astute and experienced reader with the personal observations and witty asides of a born raconteur, Ignatius brings a fresh perspective to books that are both familiar and obscure.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post Office. For more information, call (617) 489-1610, e-mail hq@naasr.org, or write to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.