Watertown awards Hagopian for documentary on town history

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Monday May 24, 2010

Roger and Lynda Hagopian with the Historic Resources Award he received.

Watertown, Mass. - The Town of Watertown paid tribute to Roger Hagopian by presenting him with the community's Historic Resources Award.

The honor came before a packed house May 19 at the elaborate Commander's Mansion for his video "Destination Watertown: The Armenians of Hood Rubber" which has gained widescale appeal after a number of showings, more recently to the Cape Cod Armenian community.

In accepting the accolade, Hagopian dedicated it to all those Armenians who toiled under adverse conditions at the plant, many of them newly-arrived immigrants looking to create a better lifestyle for their families, including his grandmother Hranoush, a young widow with four boys. She arrived here destitute like other genocide survivors.

"I dedicate this award to them," he told the gathering. "Hood Rubber was the foundation of a better way of life for so many unskilled, uneducated immigrants who could barely speak English. This destination could have taken place at the shirt factories of Troy, NY; the wire mills of Worcester; shoe factories of Lynn, Brockton and Haverhill, and textile mills of Lowell, Lawrence and Manchester, NH."

Hagopian described his film as the story of working men and especially women, supporting their parents, siblings and eventually their own families while exposing themselves to workplace hazards, long hours, even amputations and cancer.

"Although this is the study of a factory and the ethnic community it spawned, it is reflective of a very universal Armenian experience," the videographer added. "They were happy to have a job, regardless of the conditions, and worked as a team --- a community unto itself, especially during the war years. Hood Rubber was the place that took everyone in."

The 68-minute documentary is interspersed with personal and historic photographs, archival films, maps, documents, artifacts and images of old factory remnants. The project covered some six years and revolved around family life and a rug-cleaning business for the film-maker.

Hagopian thanked a number of ardent supporters, including his wife Lynda; Marc Mamigonian, academic affairs director, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and Dr. Robert Mirak, who provided historical commentary on Armenian immigration to America.

A number of Armenians were seated in the audience and applauded loudly when Hagopian's name was announced, including several who worked at Hood before it closed in 1969 as the largest producer of rubber footwear in the world.

Presentation was made by the Watertown Historical Commission which honored other individuals as well that evening. Hagopian is a 2009 recipient of the town's Community Spirit Award for his previous work.

Future plans for a more diverse sequel were announced.

"I've been asked why this film includes mostly Americans of Armenian descent," he brought out. "The story of Armenians in Watertown is an integral part of the town's history and development."