The National Security Archive mourns the death of Dr. Vartan Gregorian, the president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and our dear friend and strong supporter. Vartan was a visionary philanthropist, a stellar scholar, the personification of the "diffusion of knowledge," an inspiration to us, whose sage counsel always had the long view in mind and our best interests at heart. He "contained multitudes" (in Whitman's phrase), from his origins in Tabriz, Iran, as part of the Armenian diaspora, to the highest reaches of American academic institutions and foundations. His wisdom was always leavened by the multiple twinkles in his eyes, and he brightened every room he ever graced. We are thankful we knew him, and we miss him.
