MESROBIAN ARA MESROBIAN (Age 94) Of Chevy Chase, Maryland, died on June 18, 2019 after a brief illness. He was born on August 7, 1924, in Washington, DC, to Mihran and Zabelle (Martmanian) Mesrobian. His parents and two older brothers, Nourhan and Ralfe, had immigrated to the U S in 1921 from Ottoman Turkey. His father became a noted architect in Washington, designing many buildings in the metropolitan area. Ara attended E. B. Brown and Murch Elementary Schools, Deal Middle School, and Wilson High School. His studies at Catholic University were interrupted when he was drafted in 1943 during WWII. He served as an electronic technician's mate on U. S. Navy amphibious warfare ships in the Pacific Theater. His radio logs from June 1945 record his ship, the LCS (L) 14 (Landing craft Support Large), as providing timely support to ships hit by enemy fire at the end of the battle of Okinawa. Sending messages of support to U.S. ships in distress must have helped mitigate his horror at witnessing the devastating effects of naval warfare. Day to day, Ara's least favorite memory of serving on a ship was trying to sleep in the uncomfortable hammocks in airless below-deck compartments. He received a degree in electrical engineering from Catholic University in 1950, graduating from the same university and at the same time as his brother Ralfe, who earned a B. S. in architecture. Ara's early work at the National Bureau of Standards was in its Ordnance Development Division (transferred to the Army in 1952 and named the Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratories), where he supervised lightning tests on ordnance and detonator safety tests. When the National Bureau of Standards moved from the Van Ness, DC, to Gaithersburg, MD, he followed, receiving a trophy of commendation for thirty years of exemplary service as an officer of that institution's credit union. Ara was a gifted photographer. Rail transportation was his passion, and he traveled widely in the U. S. and Europe to ride and film historic trains. He was a longtime member of the National Railway Historical Society (70 years). He was a founding member of the Potomac Chapter of the NRHS. Locally, he also enjoyed meetings of the Tractioneers, a group devoted to trolleys and other light-rail transportation. His photos, as staff photographer for the NRHS Bulletin and for other rail societies, continue to be admired by their members. Ara was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. He leaves his nieces and nephew, Sandra Mesrobian Fordyce (Curt), South Portland, ME; Jane Mesrobian, Newbury Park, CA; Jim Mesrobian (Susan), Elk Rapids, MI; Caroline Mesrobian Hickman, Washington, DC; and Catherine Mesrobian (Frank Smith), Charlotte, NC, as well as their children and grandchildren. He was much loved by his family and will be sorely missed. The family held a memorial service at Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, DC, on August 3.Ara was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. He leaves his nieces and nephew, Sandra Mesrobian Fordyce (Curt), South Portland, ME; Jane Mesrobian, Newbury Park, CA; Jim Mesrobian (Susan), Elk Rapids, MI; Caroline Mesrobian Hickman, Washington, DC; and Catherine Mesrobian (Frank Smith), Charlotte, NC, as well as their children and grandchildren. He was much loved by his family and will be sorely missed. The family held a memorial service at Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, DC, on August 3.