School dedicates bench in honor of ‘Mr. Raffi’

Raffi Kasparian would typically show up at R.D. White Elementary with a newspaper tucked under his arm and wearing a tie — and the students would call him “Mr. Raffi.”

Kasparian wasn’t a teacher, but for 13 years, he became known among the students, teachers and staff as a volunteer who would teach students how to read and write.

Last January, Kasparian passed away at age 85. On Friday, about one year after his death, he was honored at the school with the unveiling of a bench in his name on the school’s front lawn, and students, wearing ties as Kasparian did, sang, “My Beloved Teacher” and shared stories about him.

“This is one of those mornings Mr. Raffi would have been there for us,” said R.D. White Elementary Principal Narek Kassabian to the students on Friday morning.

Over a decade ago, Kasparian asked his grandson’s first-grade teacher, Kelly Altobelli, how he might help her in the classroom. Soon, he was helping any way she needed. He always showed up at the school on the days he said he would.

Even after his two grandchildren, Eric and Catherine Arzoumanians, grew older and graduated from R.D. White, Kasperian remained, showing up several hours at a time three days a week, working closely with students in developing their English skills.

On Friday, several students shared how Kasparian guided them as they learned to read and write.

“I first met him in third grade,” said Ani Sahakyan, now a sixth-grader at Wilson Middle School. “He was going to teach me English. Since I didn’t know any English, it was impossible to teach me in just one year, but he did. He never gave up. He was a great person… He wasn’t just smart. He was also kind and generous.”

Many teachers and R.D. White staff wept as their colleagues and students recalled Kasparian’s service.

“He made a difference in our lives every time he showed up,” said R.D. White teacher Tom Gossard. “There’s no way to tell you how much this fine, gentle, gifted man meant.”

Regina Greenfield, Kasparian’s widow, also wept on Friday, sitting next to her family as she listened to the tributes.

Her husband spent much of his a career making a living exporting carpet, but in his final years, Greenfield saw him at perhaps his happiest.

“I’ve always said that the last years of his life, he really was 100% happy because he had this chance to work with the kids,” she said. “For him, the school was everything.”