John Baronian (A '50), a Tufts alum and longtime supporter of the university, died on April 5 at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 87.
Baronian regularly supported and donated funds to Tufts since his graduation almost 60 years ago, and he was especially devoted to campus athletics.
He died of complications from heart surgery.
"He was always on campus all the time - he just constantly volunteered his services," Baronian's nephew, Gregory Aftandilian, told the Daily. "Everyone knew him as 'Mr. Tufts.'"
"He's been involved in Tufts ever since he graduated," said Linda Dixon, a secretary for the Office of the Trustees and Baronian's longtime friend. "He's been a marvelous force in the Alumni Association. Specifically, his passion was athletics. He supported athletics in a number of ways ... He founded the Jumbo Club and has just always been a booster of athletics."
The Jumbo Club is an organization that supports Tufts athletics through fundraising, social events and recognition of athletes and sports teams.
Baronian also funded construction of the Baronian Field House at Ellis Oval. "In 1983, there was a big banquet that 600 people attended to raise money in his name for a field house," Aftandilian said. Baronian's personal friends from across the country contributed enough money to the fundraiser to fully fund the field house.
"It couldn't have been a nicer honor to him to have the athletic building named after him," Dixon said.
As a student at Tufts, Baronian was a celebrated athlete. "He was a star lineman on the football squad, he played both offense and defense and he was one of the first four-year lettermen at the school," Aftandilian said.
Baronian's football legacy continues as Tufts gives the Baronian Award to the best lineman on the football team each year, according to Aftandilian.
Baronian's involvement at Tufts extended beyond his support of athletics. Baronian was an active member of the Alumni Association, serving as its president from 1970 to 1972. He was elected as a trustee of Tufts in 1972. After serving for 10 years, he was named trustee emeritus. In 1997, Tufts awarded him an honorary doctorate
of commerce.
Baronian has been described as a ubiquitous presence on campus. "He used to walk up and down the campus and interact with the students," Dixon said. "I think probably this gentleman was more well known by the Tufts students than any other Tufts alumnus."
He was "responsible for assisting so many students to get into Tufts," Dixon said. "He kept in touch with them after they graduated - remained friends with them, remained their mentor."
In memory of his parents, Baronian set up the John K. and Margaret G. Baronian Memorial Scholarship Fund, designated for financial aid, according to Dixon.
Baronian was born in Worcester, Mass., to two survivors of the Armenian genocide. "He lost two siblings during that genocide and his mother suffered for years afterward," Aftandilian said. "He felt very strongly about that issue."
Baronian was proud of his Armenian heritage, and served as the advisor to the Tufts Armenian Club. He was "always telling people about Armenian history and culture," Aftandilian said.
Baronian donated his collection of elephant statues to the university in 2003. The array consists of over 3,000 figures and is exhibited in the Office of Alumni Relations. "He collected [model] elephants from all over the world from his travels," Aftandilian said.
Baronian began collecting elephant figurines when he was in college, according to Aftandilian. "He was that devoted to his school," Aftandilian added.
"Whenever he went into a store that sold elephant jewelry, I swear he would buy out the lot of it," Dixon said. "He never went anywhere without a pocketful of elephant jewelry."
Some of Aftandilian's favorite memories of his uncle come from the time they spent together on the Tufts
campus.
"He used to take me to Tufts football games as a kid, and then to the receptions at Alumnae [Lounge], and everybody knew him," Aftandilian said. "He was very devoted to his family."
"If there were a more loyal, passionate, and committed Tufts alumnus than John Baronian, I have yet to meet him," President Lawrence Bacow said in a press release. "There might be 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., but in John's mind, there was only one."
Baronian started attending Tufts in 1946 after serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. The G.I. Bill financed his education.
Baronian graduated from Tufts with a degree in economics and worked at American Mutual Insurance Company for most of post-graduate career.
He is survived by three sisters, Helen and Elizabeth Baronian and Stella Aftandilian; his three nephews, John, Gregory and Ara Aftandilian; and six grandnieces and grandnephews.
Baronian's wake will be held today, and his funeral will take place Thursday morning. He will be buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in West Medford. Next fall, Tufts will hold a ceremony on campus in his honor.
