Family lore: Grandfather's furniture-throwing tenant dispute
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A columnist for The Armenian Weekly reflects on a family story passed down through generations about his grandfather, Dikran (Richard), a Depression-era gravedigger who became a landlord in the mid-20th century. According to family accounts, Dikran evicted a troublesome tenant by throwing the man's furniture—possibly a sofa or chair—out a second-floor window onto the sidewalk below. The author acknowledges the anecdotal nature of the tale, noting his grandmother came from a family known for exaggerating stories. He draws parallels to other instances of furniture being thrown from windows, including MIT's annual piano-dropping tradition. The piece balances skepticism about the story's accuracy with acceptance of its cultural significance within his family's Armenian-American experience.
