Vernon V. Aspaturian

ASPATURIAN , Vernon V.
Vernon Aspaturian, Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Political Science a t Pennsylvania State University, and former Director of its Slavic and Soviet Language and Area Center; Sovietologist, author, lecturer, consultant to the Rand Corporation and the United States Government, died August 1st, 2007 at UCLA Medical Center. He was 85.
Born in Armavir, Russia on February 16, 1922, Aspaturian came to the United States in 1923 with his parents, Serop and Gayna Aspaturian. They settled in Los Angeles. A graduate of Garfield High School at the age of 16, he attended LA City College, before enlisting in the U.S. Army. He attended UCLA as a member of ASTP and graduated Officer's Candidate School as a 2nd Lieutenant. At the end of WWII, he returned to UCLA for his senior year - where he met the love of his life, Suzanne Dohan. He graduated summa cum laude in 1947 and he and Suzy were married in August 1948.
Aspaturian received his PhD in Political Science in 1951, and was immediately recalled to active duty with the Army to serve in military intelligence in Tokyo during the Korean War. He returned to civilian life in 1952.
That same year, he joined the faculty of the Political Science Department at Penn State University, in State College, Pennsylvania. During his 40 years at Penn State, Aspaturian taught thousands of students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also traveled widely, including several trips to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, China and Southeast Asia. His visiting professorships included a year at the Institut des Hautes Etudes in Geneva, Switzerland; several semesters at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University; visiting professorships at Columbia University, the U.S. Army War College, the Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA, and UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.
He was author and co-author of several books on Soviet politics and foreign policy, and contributed articles and book chapters to numerous scholarly publications, in the areas of politics and international relations. After retiring in 1992, he returned to Southern California and maintained residences in Los Angeles and Laguna Niguel.
Aspaturian is survived by his wife of 59 years, Suzanne Dohan Aspaturian; beloved daughters Heidi and Nancy and Nancy's partner Laurie Aronoff; and adored granddaughters, Rachael, Lilia and Emma; his brother Pete and sister Rose (Marc) Rouchaud, and several nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to make a contribution to his memory are asked to select a charity of their choice.
Services are (today) Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007, 3:00 p.m., Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries - Hollywood Hills (800) 600-0076.