The famous Armenian businessman and philanthropist Alek Manukyan was born in 1901, in the city of Smyrna (Izmir), Turkey. Primary and secondary education he has received in the local Armenian schools.
At age of 19, Alek emigrated to the U.S., and later his family joined him. First, he arrived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he found work at a factory and at the same time taught the Armenian language at evening classes for adults.
Moving from town to town, finally, in 1924, he stopped in Detroit. He worked at the factory, which produced auto parts, and in 1929, Manukyan founded his own company, which was to become a multinational Masco Corporation with annual profit of more than 3 billion.
In 1930, Manukyan joined the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the organization of “Knights of Vartan”. Soon he was selected as Avag Sparapet (Commander-in-Chief) of the knights, and 1953, was elected to the post of international president of AGBU, a position he honorably served over 30 years.
In 1970, after 17 years of leadership, during which the investment of AGBU has increased from 8 million to 50 million, result of which became carrying out large-scale world actions.
In 1989, Alek Manukyan was elected the honorary and lifelong president of Assembly and his case was continued by his daughter Louise Manukyan. By the time the state of AGBU exceeded 120 million dollars. Besides, the donations in the U.S. hospitals, museums, libraries, universities, schools and other charities, Alek Manukyan and his wife Mary Manukyan founded or made large contributions in a variety of schools of national centers and churches across the Diaspora: USA, Canada, Australia, Holland, Argentina, Uruguay, Israel, Lebanon, Iran.
Manukyan also made regular contributions to the Armenian education programs in the faculties of UCLA, Columbia University in New York, New York University, the University of Massachusetts, Boston University, the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, the Californian University at Berkeley, in the Southern-Californian University, at Bentley College in Waltham, in Massachusetts and in many other educational-cultural institutes.
Throughout his life, Manukyan has made contributions of $ 90 million in charitable, religious, cultural and educational organizations.
For his International Charity Manukyan has been awarded by the following awards and titles: award of Elias Island from NECO and Knife of Charity from PIME Missionaries, a Presidential Medal from the Government of Argentina, the Cross of Saint Gregory Illuminator from His Holiness Vazgen the 1st, the Catholicos of all Armenians, the First Award of Sedara from the president of Lebanon, Sacred James's Cross from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, a Medal concerning to 50-years Anniversary from the Prime-Mminister of Armenia.
The first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan has awarded him the title of the Honorable Armenian Hero and has given to him Armenian Citizenship.
The President of NKR (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) Robert Kocharyan has awarded him with the Medal of Honour of Artsakh.
Alek Manukyan has also received a Honorable Degree of Doctor from Technological University of Lawrence in Southfield, Michigan, from University of Wayne in Detroit, from American-Armenian International College in La-Verne, California, and from Yerevan State University, Armenia. Now a street in Yerevan is renamed after Alek Manukyan.
