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Sarkis Acopian ( hy, Սարգիս Յակոբեան; December 8, 1926 – January 18, 2007) was an inventor, industrialist, environmentalist, and humanitarian.


Early life

Acopian was born in the Iranian city of
Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
in a family of Armenian refugees from the Ottoman Empire. He came to the United States as an immigrant from Iran in 1945. He studied mechanical engineering at
Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
in
Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...
. He left Lafayette to serve in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
. After he received an honorable discharge, he graduated from Lafayette with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.


Career

After graduation, Acopian was employed by Weller Electric Corp., where he designed a power sander and a soldering gun that later became two of their main products. Acopian's own success as an engineer inspired him to start his own business. Taking out a small loan, he founded his own company, Acopian Technical Company, in 1957 to realize his own " American dream". There he designed and manufactured the first ever solar radio. The Acopian Solar Radio was promoted as "Revolutionary – No Batteries or Outside Electrical Plug-ins – Uses light for its source of energy" on the 1957 product'
instruction sheet
In 1960, Acopian Technical Company began manufacturing low-cost, plug-in regulated power supplies that used vacuum tubes and plugged into a standard octal socket. Aсopian's inventions include engine power supplies, air and fuel purification devices, and electrical energy converters.


Philanthropy

Acopian supported many non-profit agencies throughout his lifetime. "He has made numerous donations to national and international causes which have included The Acopian Engineering Center at Lafayette College, the Acopian Center for Conservation and Learning at
Hawk Mountain Hawk Mountain is a mountain ridge, part of the Blue Mountain Ridge in the Appalachian Mountain chain, located in central-eastern Pennsylvania near Reading and Allentown. The area includes of protected private and public land, including the H ...
Sanctuary, The Acopian Center for Ornithology at
Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luthe ...
, as well as endowing the environmental education program at the
American University of Armenia The American University of Armenia (AUA) ( hy, Հայաստանի ամերիկյան համալսարան, ՀԱՀ; ''Hayastani amerikyan hamalsaran'', ''HAH'') is a private, independent university in Yerevan, Armenia that is accredited by the Wes ...
and the
Florida Institute of Technology The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. App ...
.", funded a marsh turtle sanctuary. In a speech honoring Acopian,
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
Charles Dent recounted a story from former senator Bob Dole. Acopian donated $1 million to the
National World War II Memorial The World War II Memorial is a national memorial in the United States dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial consists ...
, the single largest contribution. In return, Acopian asked only for a seat at the dedication ceremony. Sarkis Acopian has been one of the largest sponsors of Armenian community organizations in the US. Thanks to his financial support, the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis was built in the city of
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, North Carolina. With the support of Sarkis Acopian, in 1997, an English-language map of independent Armenia was published in the United States. He also gave great support to the publication of the reference book "Birds of Armenia", which was published in 1997.


Personal life and hobbies

Acopian was a passionate amateur pilot, fond of scuba diving and parachuting, made more than 200 jumps in the early 1960s. In the same years, he experimented with improving the surfboard. As an aviator, he piloted his Piper Aztec corporate plane and then the Piper Navajo from the early 1970s, flying between the company's manufacturing facilities in Easton, Pennsylvania and Melbourne, Florida, piloting. By 1977 he was flying a Cessna Citation jet. It was the only business jet approved for a single pilot instead of a regular pilot and co-pilot. In 1981, Acopian Technical Company received the last Rockwell Sabreliner jet produced, also flown by Acopian.


Awards

* Medal of St. Gregory the Illuminator of the Armenian Apostolic Church. * Ellis Island Medal of Honor for contributions to American society.


Memory

Educational and scientific institutions named after Acopian continue to operate today: Acopian Engineering Center at Lafayette College, Acopian Conservation and Education Center at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College, Nature Conservancy Acopian Bog Turtle Preserve.


Links


A solar-powered radio receiver invented by Acopian at the Solar Energy Museum


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acopian, Sarkis American people of Armenian descent Iranian people of Armenian descent Iranian emigrants to the United States United States Army soldiers 1926 births 2007 deaths Lafayette College alumni 20th-century American businesspeople American environmentalists Ethnic Armenian businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists