The Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) in conjunction with the Northern Regional Co-cordinating Council has organised a week-long exhibition in memory of the fifth anniversary of the passing of the late Baron Kassardjian.
The late Kassardjian of Lebanese descent, arrived in Ghana in the 1940s and he is much remembered in the country for his contribution to the construction and sheanut industries.
The closing ceremony was attended by the late Kassardjian’s family and the chiefs and people of the Tamale metropolis.
The special guest of honour, Mr Patrick Tangonyire, a former Headmaster of Navrongo Senior Secondary School (NAVASCO), said the late Kassardjian’s life “are great lessons to be learnt by us all from his long and full life, having read his tributes from all over the world. Indeed, Ghana would never forget him”.
He urged the family to keep his memory alive by such events and suggested annual memorial lectures and a foundation for the ideals he stood for.
Mr Tangonyire said he first heard of the name Kassardjian as a sixth form student at NAVASCO where he was told the school was known as “Kassardjian College” and the students as “Kassardjian children”, because of Kassardjian’s role in constructing the school.
He said as head of the school and whilst preparing for its 50thanniversary, he spoke with the great man himself, who sent a representative to the celebrations.
“He was interested in revamping the sports field and in fact distributed sports kits to all the schools in the North. The school’s stadium has been named in his honour and in January, his daughter Margaret unveiled his bust at the entrance,” Mr Tangonyire added.
In her remarks, Margaret Kassardjian (daughter) said that it had taken her two years to organise the exhibition as her father kept records dating back to the 1940s when he first arrived in Ghana.
She dedicated the closing exhibition to the late Acting Director of PRAAD, Mr Felix Nyarko Ampong, without whom the exhibition would not have taken place.
A minute’s silence was observed in memory of the late Kassardjian and the late Ampong.
A similar event had been organised at the Head office of PRAAD in Accra in March this year.
By Times Reporter
