Bolshevik Serik Davtyan's Memories About Hovhannes Tumanyan

Born in the town of Dilijan. Serik Davtyan (Siruhi Davtyan) studied at the 3rd Girls' Gymnasium in Tiflis and in 1922-23 at Yerevan University. From 1915 she taught at schools in Dilijan, Baku, Saratov and Yerevan. She was head of the education department (in Dilijan and Etchmiadzin) and of the school department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. She edited the magazines “Zhoghovrdakan lusavorutyun” (Public Education) and “Hoktemberik” (Little Octobrist). In 1937-47, as a result of the Stalinist repressions, she was persecuted and exiled to Magadan; she was rehabilitated in 1954. In 1958-78 she worked at the Institute of Arts of the Academy of Sciences of the RA, working on questions of Armenian folk and decorative-applied art. From 1948 she took part in exhibitions of folk art in Yerevan and Moscow. In 1967 she became a laureate of the All-Union Festival of Amateur Art. She was the author of a number of books. Serik Davtyan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. In 1967 she was awarded the title of Honored Worker of Culture of Armenia. She died in Yerevan.