From Persia to America: The Life and Work of Emma Ordjanian Melikian

Set within the contexts of American immigration history and women’s philanthropy, From Persia to America recounts the remarkable journey of a prominent Persian-Armenian immigrant and her commitment to a life of generosity in her adopted American homeland. Emma Ordjanian Melikian was born in Teheran into a family that, having earlier faced imprisonment in Russia following the Revolution of 1917, fled to Persia where the Ordjanian family had longstanding roots. The account traces Emma’s family life in Teheran and the move to New York where she completes her schooling, marries, has four children, and begins charitable work within the Armenian community of metropolitan New York. The biography concludes with her years in Phoenix where her civic leadership and philanthropy included the founding of the non-profit organization, “Thank you America,” and the endowment of The Melikian Center at Arizona State University. From Persia to America draws upon extended first-person interviews with Emma Ordjanian Melikian who remains deeply engaged and discerning in her tenth decade.