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Mark Keshishian's School Years

Hadjin Protestant school circa 1903

The School Years

In 1912 MK took his third trip to the United States visiting the New York. In part the trip was to visit his brother Mathew and partially to earn money for school. MK managed to save 400 dollars for school on this trip in just 1 year. (To put this in context a 1914 Ford Model T Runabout had a Base price of $495)

  • Delivery boy Wallach Brothers Store on 125th Street in New York City

  • Delivery boy Russell's Lunch Room and Bakery.

  • Dupont, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Cap powder worker in an Ammunition plant. This was particularly dangerous work where MK had to handle nitroglycerin. MK left after only two weeks when a explosion dispatched two coworkers just 100 feet down the line. It was after the blast that MK decided not to put off his return to college any longer.

The trip to visit Mathew is significant. A few years before Mathew with $2500 in gold set up a carpet business for the family at 220 Genesse Street in Utica New York. They choose Utica because of a close family friendship with an American Missionary from Utica. The store has since moved and is now known as Mark Keshishian & Sons in Chevy Chase Maryland.

Mark Keshishian in 1913 at college in Bardazag.

Mark Keshishian at graduation from Bardazag college in 1913.

 Mark Keshishian left New York returning to Turkey one year to the day after he left. He graduated Bardizag College graduating with honors in June of 1913 .

Not long after this was taken Mark was arrested and then drafted into the Ottoman army. He then served with the 4th Army in Syria. Note the chain through the lapel button hole. That was a gift to Mark from his sister in 1909. The chain is now in the possession of Harold Keshishian.


Mark Keshishian as a Medical student in Beirut in 1915.

Mark Keshishian was admitted to Syrian Protestant University which was chartered as American University of Beirut Lebanon in 1920. MK graduated from Bardizag College with honors and President MacNaughton of Bardizag College wrote a personal letter of recommendation to Dr. Howard Bliss President of Syrian Protestant University. MKs marks combined with the fact that MacNaughton and Bliss were old friends and college classmates made admission a sure thing.

MK was able to finish one year of medical school before the outbreak of World War One.

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