It is with sadness and reflection that WANADA reports the passing of longtime staff member and Washingtonian, Archie Avedisian. At age 91, he passed peacefully, with family at his side, in Gaithersburg.
Archie was actively engaged with WANADA until the start of this year when he became ill. And active he was, being involved with the operation and expansion of WANADA’s Automobile Dealer Education Institute (ADEI), which he helped organize at the beginning of his 19-year tenure with the dealer association. Since then, ADEI has assisted innumerable young adults on career pathways into auto dealer service and sales departments.
Archie’s first career, to which he was passionately dedicated, was the many years he spent with Boys and Girls Clubs around the U.S. in cities like East St. Louis and as far away as Seattle. He really left his mark, however, by his leadership as president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW), which was his legacy of 26 years. It was at BGCGW that Archie connected with WANADA and Washington area dealers through his longtime membership in Rotary International.
An eminently successful fundraiser for charitable events, Archie led WANADA senior staff and dealer leaders in generating substantial dollars for the ADEI and BGCGW via VIP gala evenings, which ran in conjunction with the Washington Auto Show, where members of Congress and notables from the White house and federal government would rub elbows socially with area dealers and members of the business community at large. These Auto Show Galas ran for a number of years, getting many Washington area dealers positively involved with BGCGW, a reality the exists to this day.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington recognized Archie with its Legend Award in 2016, one of the highest honors bestowed by BGCGW to the meritorious. WANADA honored Archie as well at its 2019 Annual Meeting.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by DeVol Funeral Home, 10 East Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, where friends can call on the family this Thursday, February 27, from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11 am Friday, February 28, at St John Neumann Catholic Church, 9000 Warfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD, followed by interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Silver Spring, MD. In lieu of flowers, well-wishers to Archie’s memory may contribute to the Archie and Gloria Avedisian Scholarship Fund, 3173 Daisy Road, Woodbine, MD 21797.
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