▁Armen ian ▁parents . ▁His ▁father ▁was ▁from ▁Rost ov , ▁while ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁from ▁Arm av ir . ▁O gan ess ian ▁spent ▁his ▁child hood ▁in ▁Y ere van , ▁the ▁capital ▁of ▁then - S ov iet ▁Armen ia , ▁where ▁his ▁family ▁re located ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 9 . ▁His ▁father , ▁T sol ak , ▁a ▁thermal ▁engineer , ▁was ▁invited ▁to ▁work ▁on ▁the ▁synth etic ▁rub ber ▁plant ▁in ▁Y ere van . ▁When ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front ▁of ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁broke ▁out , ▁his ▁family ▁decided ▁to ▁not ▁return ▁to ▁Rost ov ▁since ▁it ▁was ▁occupied ▁by ▁the ▁Naz is . ▁Y uri ▁attended ▁and ▁finished ▁school ▁in ▁Y ere van . ▁ ▁O gan ess ian ▁was ▁married ▁to ▁Ir ina ▁Lev on ov na ▁( 1 9 3 2 – 2 0 1 0 ), ▁a ▁viol in ist ▁and ▁a ▁music ▁teacher ▁in ▁Dub na , ▁with ▁whom ▁he ▁had ▁two ▁daughters . ▁His ▁daughters ▁res ide ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁O gan ess ian ▁moved ▁to ▁Russia , ▁where ▁he ▁graduated ▁from ▁the ▁Moscow ▁Engineering ▁Physics ▁Institute ▁( ME Ph I ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 6 . ▁He ▁there after ▁sought ▁to ▁join ▁the ▁Institute ▁of ▁At omic ▁Energy ▁in ▁Moscow , ▁but ▁as ▁there ▁were ▁no ▁vac an cies ▁left ▁in ▁G ers h ▁Bud ker ' s ▁team , ▁he ▁was ▁instead ▁rec ru ited ▁by ▁Georg i ▁F