Individuals
Collected here are the stories of individual Georgians who came to the United States to start a new life. We feature the stories of the less well known as well as the famous, and welcome any stories you wish to share with us about yourself or your family. These stories will enter our expanding database of Georgian émigrés in the USA.
Partnership with the Georgian Association in the United States of America
The Program on Georgian Studies is proud to work in partnership with the Georgian Association in the United States of America. The Program on Georgian Studies is currently working to build out biographies of influential members of Georgian diaspora communities in the US, but the Georgian Association is another helpful resource to this end. See here links to some of their existing projects:
Profile: Mamia Zakradze
Born on April 10, 1920, Mamia Zakradze fought against the Nazis in WWII and went on to immigrate to the US, where he became an influential member of the Georgian Association.
Profile: Othar Zaldastani
Born in Tbilisi on August 10, 1922, Othar Zaldastani grew up in France following his father's participation in the Georgian insurrection of 1924 and subsequent exile. After moving to Boston, Zaldastani became an award-winning engineer and vocal advocate in Georgian political and cultural affairs.
Profile: Petre Kvedelidze
After serving in an all-Georgian regiment during WWII, Petre Kvedelidze immigrated first to France and later to the US. He went on to work as a sports correspondent for Voice of America for nearly 20 years.
Profile: Guivy Zaldastani
Born in Tbilisi on November 1, 1919, Guivy Zaldastani spent much of his life in Boston, but was a key player in the establishment of contemporary Georgian academia.
Profile: George Balanchine
A St. Petersburg native with family from Tbilisi, George Balanchine pursued sweeping innovations in ballet, earning the American Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work as the co-founder, artistic director and chief choreographer of the New York City Ballet.
Profile: Irakli Orbeliani
Irakli Orbeliani was the first director of the Georgian Service of the Voice of America and one of the co-founders of the Georgian Association in 1932.
Profile: General John Shalikashvili
Born in Warsaw, Shalikashvili lived through the German occupation of Poland before immigrating to Illinois at the age of 16. Shalikashvili went on to become the first ever foreign-born Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff within the US military.
Profile: George Matchabeli
After leaving his native Tbilisi for the US, George Matchabeli founded the Prince Matchabeli Perfume company, which was initially staffed almost entirely by fellow exiled aristocats.