Set Charles Momjian, 91, of Huntington Valley, adviser to presidents and art and antiques collector
The son of Armenian refugees, he believed in an America where anything was possible. And he proved it over decades in business and service to the community.
Set Charles Momjian, 91, of Huntingdon Valley, a proud son of immigrants who became an antiques collector and an adviser to multiple U.S. presidents, died April 12 after a long illness. The immediate cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.
At the outset, Mr. Momjian didn’t seem poised to become an American success story. He was born in 1930 in Atlantic City to Julia and Charles Momjian, orphaned refugees of the Armenian genocide. His father died when he was 9, and his mother went to work in a candy factory, decorating Easter eggs, to provide for the family.
But serendipity struck when Mr. Momjian, as a boy of perhaps 10 or so, discovered an old gun under the Atlantic City Boardwalk — a find that ignited a lifelong passion for collecting.
“It wasn’t that it was a valuable gun. It was the mystery: ‘Why is it here?’ ” said his son Christopher. “That was the spark that said, ‘Things have a life.’ ”
And it came to symbolize for Mr. Momjian the magic of America — a place where a stroke of luck could be turned into endless possibilities.
So when he joined the Army, he taught himself photography to get his own room as a platoon photographer. After he got out, the skill got him a stint as official photographer for Miss America Pageant.
And after he graduated from La Salle College and Charles Morris Price School of Advertising in Philadelphia, he started a long career with the Ford Motor Co., first in its marketing divisions and ultimately in the company’s government liaison department, where he stayed for decades. During those years — both full-time and into his 80s as a consultant — he honed his deep passion for this country and a great respect for its political system and government.
Already an established art and antique collector, Mr. Momjian served Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign as director of special projects. Working with artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, he commissioned artwork to raise funds for the Democratic National Committee. Carter became a personal friend, and as president nominated him as the first Armenian American to serve as a U.S. representative to the United Nations.
His service, however, was not defined by politics or limited to one party. President Ronald Reagan nominated Mr. Momjian to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and he was proud of his work helping to develop the U.S. Holocaust Museum, said his son. He served on special projects for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He was also proud of his service on a committee that reviewed candidates for the U.S. military and naval academies.
During the time Mr. Momjian was frequently commuting to Washington, he and President Joe Biden, then a senator from Delaware, became “train buddies,” his son said.
Throughout his life, Mr. Momjian amassed large and eclectic collections of art and antiques, from soda fountain fixtures and historical manuscripts to photography, White House and presidential china and much more — a good deal of which has been lent to museums and historic sites.
Mr. Momjian also served on many nonprofit organization boards.
And always during his long life, he remained proud of his Armenian roots and unwavering in his passion for this country.
“If I had to say why he loved America,” said his son, “I think he would say, ‘In America, anything is possible.’ ”
In addition to his son Christopher, Mr. Momjian is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joan; their son Bruce, six grandchildren, and other family members.
A service was held Saturday at Sunset Memorial Park in Huntingdon Valley.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Armenian Martyrs’ Congregational Church, 100 N. Edmonds Ave., Havertown, Pa., 19083, www.amccpa.org, or the Armenian Missionary Association of America, 31 W. Century Rd., Paramus, N.J. 07652, www.amaa.org.