JUNE 20, 2009
Exemplary Homenetmenagan 2009
Yeghpayr Zakar Chorbajian
     On Sunday, May 3rd, 2009, and at Homenetemen's 34rd annual kick-off party, the Western United States Regional Executive Committee announced this year's "Exemplary, or Dibar, Homenetmenagan." Yeghpayr Zakar Chorbajian was officially nominated as this year's exemplary Homenetmenagan.
      On this occasion, we had pleasure of meeting Y. Chorbajian and got to know him better up close. His decades of involvement in Homenetmen left no doubt as to his value in this wonderful organization. His involvement which began in 1945 in Bourj Hammoud, as a scout leader, where his hands-on efforts and vast knowledge made him an indispensable asset to his beloved Homenetmen, earned him many plaudits. However, his love for soccer and sports pulled him in that direction from 1950 and on. From that date going forward, Y. Chorbajian has had many roles in Bourj Hammoud's Homenetmen chapter executive committee, and, as an athletic director contributed to Homenetmen's excellence and great success in soccer during those formative year's in Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon. With success came promotion for Homenetmen's soccer program, where the team rose to play and compete in Lebanon's top soccer league. This success earned Y. Chorbajian the highest accolades in addition to the adoration and respect of his friends and colleagues throughout Lebanon.
     During and subsequent to his tremendous achievements in the soccer program, Y. Chorbajian proceeded to add further successes in organizing marathons, track and Field competitions, and was a secondary school soccer organizer and director. He was entrusted, by then, President Sulaiman Franjiyeh, of Lebanon, to run, organize, and direct the Regional University Annual Soccer Competition. This earned him the president's much-deserved "ARZ" Medal between 1962 to 1973. In addition, throughout his many visits to countries in the Middle East, Y. Chorbajian has also been the recipient of Jordan's Royal Medal of Honor.
     Y. Zakar Chorbajian, as a Los Angeles resident, has had an immense role in the formation of the soccer teams and soccer tournaments in the Western U.S. Region chapters, which included, but was not limited to, the formation of Homenetmen's Veteran's Soccer Program. A well-known figure in the athletic arena, his consummate involvement has earned him the nickname, "The Soccer Field Mad Man."
     For Y. Chorbajian, seeing Homenetmen rise to where it is today and achieve the heights it has throughout the decades that he'd been consummately involved in, desperately yearns to see the newer generations take part and become members in this undeniably noble organization. And on the occasion of becoming this year's exemplary Homenetmenagan, Y. Chorbajian feels extremely honored to be given the chance to shine for the decades of unwavering and honorable and exemplary service he's given to Homenetmen, and his community at large.
     We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Y. Zakar Chorbajian for his newest accolade, which is one of many he's received throughout his distinguished service, in the hopes that his ‘Dibar" stance will catch on and become an example to many others.