Jirair S. Hovnanian was born in Kirkuk , Iraq . His parents , who were ethnic Armenians had fled to Iraq in 1915 to escape the Armenian Genocide . Jirair 's father was from Sebastia and his mother was from Malatia . Hovnanian 's father , Stepan K. Hovnanian , owned and operated a construction company based in Baghdad . Hovnanian was one of six children in his family . He attended a Jesuit high school in Kirkuk . The Hovnanian family , including Jirair , emigrated to the United States in 1948 . The Hovnanians spoke very little English when they arrived in the US . The family settled in North Philadelphia . Jirair graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 1952 with a bachelor 's degree in business . He also holds an MBA from Stanford Business School
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Jirair Hovnanian