The Boy in a Red Beret: Remembering Aso Tavitian, with Sadness and Gratitude
Elzbieta Matynia
April 28, 2021

https://blogs.newschool.edu/tcds/2020/04/28/a-boy-in-a-red-beret-remembering-aso-tavitian-with-sadness-and-gratitude/

The legacy Mr. Tavitian has left on each Tavitian scholar is unmatched by any words that can be written. He changed our lives forever and we will never forget his generosity and graciousness.
What a blessing it was to meet him this February. The memory of his warm and very encouraging smile will stay with us forever.
We always will aim to make him proud of us and seek to justify the chance he gave us.
Forever grateful
May he rest in peace.

UNIQUE TEACHER of Humanity and Care, Generosity and Kindness, Love and Devotion.
Memory of Your Encouraging smile and Warm handshake will guide me towards Great deals.

One of the most value-added of the Tavitian Program was the chance to meet and spend time with Aso Tavitian whose greatness was in humbleness and personality spoke volumes. Meeting Aso Tavitian was life-changing. He sensitized to the feeling and ability to give back. To give back to the Earth, to our country and people in need. He lifted self-confidence and courage in us to think wider, create and act fearlessly.

He will live with us as long as we transfer the values, the values shared by him. Gratitude is far beyond what I feel...

Rest in Peace Mr. Tavitian. Your legacy will live forever.

Aso Tavitian set a very high bar with his utmost generosity and devotion to his identity and his ideals.
We, the Tavitians, carry within us Aso Tavityan’s values and his vision of the development of our homeland, which will definitely lead us to shaping the prosperous and great future of Armenia and Artsakh.
He will stay with us and within us forever.

He will always stay in our hearts and as long as we live HE lives in US...
We are Tavitian....We are family and family is forever!

Dear Mr. Tavitian,
You are a long-term visionary and have invested in one of the most important things: Education. You have given us the opportunity to learn, to grow, to discover new horizons and to develop an "out of the box" thinking. Thank you for the time you spent with us! You have shown us how to be a good and generous person. You will always stay in our hearts.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Tavitian Fellowship for our group, and its impact echoes beyond years with our stronger ability to think and act in our roles, both in hard and easy times. For me being Tavitian scholar is a lifetime status, which I carry with pride and with all Tavitian philosophy therein…

Mr. Tavitian, just being who you are unveiled a lot to us on how to excel on every preferred avenue of life, be it profession, philanthropy, interests or altogether. But foremost - how to be an unconditionally loving and caring person, creating a family feeling from the very moment of knowing you. Every meeting with you, during the fellowship or later in Armenia, would turn into a lesson of wisdom and leadership. I will cherish all the memories from our conversations, well-peppered with empathy and humor, with always right advice and encouragement from you...

Thank you for being everlasting inspiration and a 'lighthouse' on how to live meaningfully, with generosity and humbleness. It's a long journey for us to follow the standard!

Rest in Peace, Sir, you will always be in our hearts and thoughts!

Honored and blessed to have known Aso Tavitian personally and fortunate to get his generous input in my education.

The Great Man with kind Heart and nice Soul... May God give you eternal rest and the strength to your family, to bear this painful loss.

You will be missed by so many of us ... and never forgotten ...

Received with great sorrow the news of Aso Tavitian’s demise, an extraordinary person, a man of wisdom and foresight, a paragon of virtue.
His passing is a big loss for all of us.
Aso Tavitian brought the most significant contribution to the development of Armenia and Artsakh by enabling young professionals to get fundamental education at one of the most reputable educational institutions, The Fletcher School at Tufts University. I was honored to be one of them, and like all of the Tavitians, I am personally grateful for this life-changing experience.
With his life and activity Mr Tavitian proved nothing is impossible, and the impossible is merely a challenge, became a role model to follow suit, planted the seeds of hope and determination in the hearts of hundreds of young people to believe in their potential, strive for the better and bring about change.The best way to keep his memory bright is to live through the values he cherished.
I have fond memories of the meeting with Mr. Tavitian in February 2020, during a dinner given in honor of him at the Fletcher School. Had the privilege to talk to him and get his advice: "Always try to put yourself in the place of other people with whom you deal, and try to think out your problems in terms of their prejudices. It is a gift. "
You will be remembered, dear Aso Tavitian. Huge thank you!
Just another Tavitian, Class 2020

I am grateful for the opportunity to know You...You will be always in our hearts.

Aso Tavitian was a humble man; he never liked to be the center of attention. In life and now in death, he wouldn't want us to focus on him. He wouldn't want us to focus on the sadness of his death, but instead focus on the happiness in our lives. He would want us to appreciate each other and our future.
A man as humble and loving as Aso will always be remembered by those of us who knew him and loved him. Although we will miss him, his smile, his love, we and take consolation in the good feelings of our memories.

Dear Aso,
You were a role model, and a friend. Your guidance and love will carry me through to the end of my days. I love you Aso, until we meet again.

Ave atque vale Aso

I had the privilege of working on a few projects supported by Mr. Tavitian. An ardent art aficionado, he was on the frontlines of promoting Armenian arts and culture to a broader public. His generosity and efforts to make this world a better place will forever be missed by those whose lives he changed. Mr. Tavitian's passing is a huge loss for the global Armenian community. Sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.

Once 15 young Armenian specialists from different governmental fields siting in a intelegent home in Stockbridge said "We are all Tavitians"... Now it has become the credo of our life.
You taught us to think big and have big goals...You will continue to live in our minds, hearts, memories and stories which we will tell to our children... The Tavitian Family will continue as we will continue your work.

Aso changed lives and destiniesof many of us. We are all always be grateful to him for the "ticket" he gave us and for the chance to be a change he wanted to see in Armenia. Thank you, words cannot explane the pain of losing such a MAN, such a HUMAN in our lives. You were a great example of personality, of a good system of values. Thank you for a chance to know you.

Our life is divided to life before Tavitian program and after. And this is not only because we got the education, knowledge, independent and creative thinking, but also for having the honor and privilege to meet and know him – Aso Tavitian – The Great Philanthropist, Great Patriot, Kind and Generous Man and Individual – our UNCLE ASO. That is why it is very hard to realize missing him, his frank talks, his hugs, his smile, his devotion and LOVE to his fellow scholars…

I always wanted to share achievements with Aso so that he could be proud of us. He inspired us to give and to serve leading by example. That is a simple and true meaning in life that he found, so many people can't find. We will give the greatest tribute to him by living our lives with this inspiration and meaning.

It’s heartbreaking. I’ll always remember Aso, his kind sense of humor & reserved smile. I am one of the several dozens young Armenians who benefited from his generosity. I’ll keep talking to you, recalling every conversation and meeting we had. RIP Aso Tavitian, I will miss you

Mr. Tavitian also took the path to eternity: a man with unique personality, whose love for Armenia was real and practical, and not pathetic or artificial. He was a person, who invested for Armenia without expecting profit and demanding something in return. He was a person, who saw the light through education and brought that light to many young people.
I am grateful to him for my dream of studying in the U.S. to come true, and equally I am thankful to the destiny to be blessed with the chance of meeting him and storing each minute of those meetings in my memory.

There are no words to describe this greatest personality:
Just a man, who changed us, our lives and who taught us how to change the others.
Our best thanks will be to "Pay it forward" by continuing your work.

Rest In Peace dear Mr. Tavitian. You will always stay in our hearts and our minds.

A great patriot that made a real difference.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Tavitian, you will always be in our hearts...

Dear Mr. Tavitian, you had such a kind and generous spirit without expectation of receiving anything in return.
I remember you were telling a story of your English teacher who supported and inspired you. You've impacted and empowered so many lives.
I'll always be grateful to you. May your soul rest in peace. 

May I dare to say I am happy to have known Mr. Aso Tavitian personally. He impacted the whole group from the very first meeting in 1999. The most generous, great yet the most humble Man I have ever met, who inspired hundreds of young minds to become what we are now. Your contributuion towards constructing a better Armenia with Artsakh is priceless, your imput to each of us is immence. Thank you, Sir!
Always with warm and bright memories in our hearts and minds, forever yours the Young Armenian Diplomats, 1999.

Aso Tavitian's pledge for education and arts, his vision of the future was the greatest lesson I learned from him. Aso's personal story inspired and will inspire many generations of Armenians throughout the world. May your soul rest in peace.

You will always stay in my heart...
You are the One who realised my dream, gave me the most important and priceless advise in my life, gave me real friends. THANK YOU. Rest in Peace

It wasn't about the funding he provided; it was about the light he spread around.

This is a major loss for Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenians worldwide, because Mr Tavitian had the closest connection with what is called Armenian, Armenia and the unique sense of the true value and power of education. 

By educating us, Mr Tavitian gave us an invaluable opportunity to lift ourselves out of discouragement and hopelessness...
He encouraged to find ourselves as creatures of excellence, intelligence and skill.

I extend my sincere and deepest condolences to his family, friends, the Tavitian foundation, the Board of Trustees, the Barsamian family and to all of his kids - us: alumni’s of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

A patriot, man of love and vision, who will always be in our hearts

Rest in Peace dear Aso Tavitian, the greatest generous personality I ever met.
The words will not be enough to describe the sorrow I feel and mourn. You will always be in my thoughts.

Many have noted the generosity of Aso Tavitian. If I may add the warmth and care by which he gave, the individual interaction, the intellectual connection with each Armenian student he cherished and wanted to be reunited back at home. I felt like he was nurturing and protecting us as he would his own children, with full acknowledgment of the context we were coming from. Yet he was more humble than any one of us. I don't even know if we deserved so much attention... perhaps we still have time to deserve it.

A man of honor, a man of Love, a man of Mission !
Your investment in the future of Armenia is priceless.
Your generosity is in our heart.
Your commandment is in our mind.

May Your soul rest in peace...

I first met Aso Assadour Tavitian about two decades ago when I was serving as dean of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. We were together for occasions both sad and joyful. I also enjoyed visiting his home many times for meals and other gatherings, especially with the participants from Armenia attending the Fletcher School of Diplomacy, through his sponsorship. I am grateful and blessed for having all these opportunities.
Aso was a man of honor, generous spirit, intellect, vision and kindness. Throughout his life, he became an inspiration and a hope to many, in the same way that he was inspired early in his life by his mentors.
I pray that Aso will rest in the heavenly lights and receive his reward for all the goodness that he has brought to others.
My love and condolences to Isabella and all his family members.
May he rest in eternal rest and peace.
With prayers,
Fr. Mardiros Chevian
Dean, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary

Dearest Mr. Tavitian,
You were and will always be a unique role model of kindness, generosity and grace for me. I have learned so much from you: how to approach life, believe in myself, care and be kind without any expectations. It is so hard to imagine life without someone like you. You were exceptional.

Mr. Tavitian, you will always be in our hearts and memories. Just like you were telling us the story of "Sir", I have been and will always be telling the story about YOU.

You will be always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts.