Boston University has announced a $100 million gift from Edward Avedisian (CFA ’59, ’61) in support of scholarships, endowed faculty chairs, and research and teaching at the university’s School of Medicine.

In recognition of the gift, the school will be renamed the Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine, after Avedisian and his childhood friend Aram V. Chobanian (H’06), president emeritus of BU, dean emeritus of the medical school, and provost of the Medical Campus. Both men, whose families suffered tragic losses in the Armenian genocide during World War I, initially declined to name the school after himself and only agreed as long as both names were included.

The gift includes $50 million in support of scholarships for medical students, $25 million in support of endowed professorships; and the remaining $25 million to the Avedisian Fund for Excellence in support of research and teaching. In addition, $1 million of the gift will endow two scholarships in music and visual arts in honor of Avedisian’s wife and Chobanian’s wife at the College of Fine Arts: the Jasmine Chobanian Endowed Fellowship Fund for Visual Arts and the Pamela Avedisian Endowed Fellowship Fund for Performance Music.

A longtime supporter of BU, Avedisian has established scholarship funds in Chobanian’s name. He retired after nearly four decades of playing the clarinet with the Boston Pops and the Boston Ballet Orchestra.

“There is an Armenian aphorism that says, ‘Once we give shoulder to shoulder, we can turn mountains,’” said BU board of trustees vice chair Richard Reidy (Questrom ’82). “The members of the BU medical community are going to wake up every morning and turn mountains to reach the underserved, to innovate new treatments and breakthrough cures, and to never stop learning.”

(Photo credit: C. McNicoll via Wikipedia, creative commons)