George H. Kahkedjian

George H. Kahkedjian, 59, died on February 25, 2021, surrounded by loved ones in his home after  an eight-and-a-half-year journey with stage four colon cancer. Displaced by the Armenian  genocide, George’s grandmother migrated to the Middle East, after losing all nine of her siblings in the  atrocity. George was born in Aleppo, Syria, and lived his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon. At the age of  thirteen, George emigrated with his parents and siblings to the United States and settled in Watervliet,  NY, in 1975, two weeks before the outbreak of a decades long civil war in Lebanon. He graduated  from Watervliet High School at age sixteen and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in  Computer Science with Minors in Psychology and Music from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).  George earned an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Saint Joseph University (West Hartford, CT)  and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut where he was also ABD in  the Department of Political Science. George led the first Computer Center at UConn, Hartford Campus,  for eleven years before becoming the Vice President of Information Technology at Columbus  State Community College (OH) where he was the senior administrator for all of I.T., including the Library  and Institutional Research. He returned to Connecticut as Vice President of Information Technology  at Eastern Connecticut State University and later became the Vice Chancellor/CIO for the Connecticut  State University System. George’s last career post was as Vice Chancellor/CIO for the Maricopa  Community College District in Arizona where he led information technology for ten colleges and  275,000 students. Beyond his daily administrative duties, George enjoyed teaching, mentoring students,  and coaching colleagues to career success. George was an avid world traveler and never passed up an  opportunity to plan a trip for himself and others. He prided himself on travel bargains and his interest in  learning more about the world. He was a humble man who was never ostentatious. George was selfless  in his willingness to give immeasurable amounts of time to relatives, friends, and even strangers to  coach, support, and provide sage advice. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2012, he was only  expected to live approximately two years. He made dramatic lifestyle changes, researched lifestyle and  cancer, attended health-related conferences, and sought various forms of treatment in multiple States.  He was always eager to share his discoveries with others. George felt deep gratitude for his ability to  outlive his prognosis four times over. He seldom complained, never wanted to impose on others, and  accepted his challenges with grace and pure positivity. George leaves many cherished friends and  relatives including: Marie (his 94-year-old mother affectionately known as Mimig), Betty and Paul, Gary,  Conor and Leann, Colin, Clare and Michaela, Brian, and Jim. He and his loved ones want to thank the  numerous medical professionals who touched George’s life with special gratitude to the employees of  VITAS Home Hospice, especially Sandra, his beloved and outstanding hospice nurse. George requested  that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his memory to True Colors, Inc. 30 Arbor Street, Suite  201A Hartford, CT 06106 (whose mission is “Ensuring LGBTQ+ youth—of all backgrounds—are safe,  valued, and able to be their authentic selves”). Due to the current COVID pandemic, a private  celebration of George’s joyful life will take place later in 2021.