It is with a heavy heart that the Center for Armenian Studies (CAS) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, announces the passing of Richard Manoogian (1936-2026). Richard Manoogian held many distinctions in his lifetime: President and CEO of Masco Corporation, philanthropist, civic leader, and prominent member of the Armenian-American community.
Richard Manoogian cared especially about education and the arts in Michigan. He was a generous patron of our CAS community, whose origins lie in the vision of his parents, Alex and Marie Manoogian, and the endowment of the Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History (1981) and the Marie Manoogian Chair in Armenian Language and Literature (1987). He also supported our sister organizations, particularly the Alex and Marie Manoogian AGBU School in Southfield, where he established the Manoogian STEAM Center in 2022.
Together with his sister, philanthropist and sixth Armenian General Benevolent Union President Louise Manoogian Simone, Richard Manoogian was committed to preserving and growing his parents’ vision, thereby safeguarding the future of Armenian Studies at the University of Michigan.
CAS is forever indebted to the generosity of the Manoogian family. We are profoundly grateful for their trust and partnership, and will continue to honor their legacy through our shared mission in shaping and promoting knowledge of Armenians, past and present.
On behalf of CAS, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Jane Manoogian, his niece, philanthropist Christine Simone, and to the entire Manoogian family. Richard Manoogian’s vision for CAS will continue to be recognized and felt by generations of students and scholars to come.
