Arshag Berge Hajian

Arshag Berge Hajian passed away peacefully on June 6, 2026, in Gainesville, FL.

He was born on October 21, 1930, in Cairo, Egypt, to Yenovk and Martha (Panossian) Hajian, whose families were among the heroic defenders of the Armenian villages of Musa Dagh during the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians. Predeceased by his siblings Vahan Hajian and Mary (Hajian) Chitjian, he is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Tamar (Babayan) Hajian; his children Arsen, Aram (Marianna), and Araxe; seven grandchildren, Krikor, Nyiri, Gabriel, Owen, Arpi, Sarene, and Sipan; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, students, and friends.

Arshag (also known to friends and family as Berge) attended the Kalousdian Armenian School and the Lincoln School at the American University of Cairo before immigrating to the United States in 1949. He attended Penn State University and received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. At Yale University, he earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1957 under the guidance of the distinguished mathematician Shizuo Kakutani, who became his lifelong friend and collaborator. Arshag taught at the University of Rochester, Cornell University, and Northeastern University, where he spent 50 years until his retirement in 2015. He and his family lived in Needham, MA, until he retired to Gainesville, FL.

Following Armenia’s post-Soviet independence, Arshag redoubled his commitment to his ancestral homeland by creating the Research Mathematics Fund of Armenia, which provided scholarships and research support in mathematics. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

Arshag lived his life as he approached his research, with enthusiasm, patience, and perseverance. He will be remembered fondly for his wry sense of humor, his perpetual inquisitiveness, and his lifelong passion for solving puzzles and playing chess and Go. He was deeply devoted to his family and loved spending time with his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, who adored him.

He leaves a legacy of curiosity, accomplishment, and generosity. QED

Internment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Research Mathematics Fund or the Chess Academy of Armenia Fund, c/o Fund for Armenian Relief USA, 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016. https://www.farusa.org/donate-to-far