Discoveries in Education: Discoveries in Education Spotlight: Peter Tourian

Preserving Memory as Educational Leadership

For Peter Tourian, an Ed.D. candidate in Educational Leadership at Rowan University and educator in West Orange Public Schools, moving education forward began as a deeply personal commitment. It became a global act of preservation.

In 2025, Peter published the 50th anniversary edition of his grandmother’s memoir, My Childhood Without Spring: An Eyewitness Account of the Great Fire of Smyrna. His grandmother, Haiarpi “Alice” Torian, survived both the Armenian Genocide and the Great Fire of Smyrna. In 1975, she recorded her experiences in Armenian. Peter’s publication marks the first time her memoir has been released in English and made broadly accessible.

From Personal Awakening to Public Responsibility

Peter traces the revival of his grandmother’s story to an unexpected source—a viewing of the film The Promise in 2023. Though he had long known his grandmother survived genocide, seeing a cinematic depiction of that history stirred something deeper.

Shortly afterward, he obtained a copy of her memoir and began preparing it for publication. What started as a family endeavor soon became an educational mission: to ensure that her firsthand account would not fade into obscurity.

Education, Memory, and Moral Courage

Bringing the memoir into the public sphere reshaped Peter’s thinking about education and leadership. “If she had the courage to live through it,” he reflects, “we as her audience can certainly muster the strength to read through it.”

He sees firsthand narratives as essential educational tools—particularly in leadership spaces. For Peter, the memoir is more than history. It is a living testimony that invites readers to confront cruelty, honor resilience, and safeguard memory.

The emotional weight of editing such a personal document was profound. There were moments when he had to pause and process the trauma described on the page. But persevering reinforced his commitment to make the work accessible—building on an earlier English translation commissioned by his cousin and completed by Dr. Vatche Ghazarian.

A Legacy for Scholars and Communities

Since its publication, the memoir has been placed in the Library of Congress, the National Library of Armenia, Harvard University, Columbia University, UCLA, USC, and numerous Armenian cultural and research institutions worldwide.

All net proceeds from the book are donated to the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s Global Relief Fund.

Leadership Rooted in Justice

As a future educational leader, Peter believes proximity to such history shapes his advocacy. He hopes to be seen as an ally—someone attuned to injustice, committed to preserving marginalized stories, and dedicated to fostering a more equitable world.

Quoting his grandmother’s own words, he hopes her story will “turn into ever-burning torches in the register of our memory.”

For Peter, discovery in education means ensuring those torches never go out.