Jack Amirian dies
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on May 15, 2005 2:00 AM
From staff reports
Jack Amirian, owner of Amirian's Fine Art and Framing and a long-time supporter of downtown Goldsboro, has died. He was 51.
Goldsboro police found Amirian's body at his home on Cashwell Drive at 3 p.m. Friday, reports said. He had not been seen since Wednesday. Foul play was not suspected, authorities said.
Amirian came to Goldsboro as an airman stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. A medical specialist, he developed his artistic talent and after leaving the military, opened an art gallery and framing business in downtown Goldsboro in 1981. Amirian specialized in custom framing, Civil War prints and other hard-to-find prints. He also sold his own art.
His first business was destroyed by fire in October 1995. Afterwards, he bought two adjacent buildings on Center Street, which he converted into a business, studio and home. That structure was extensively damaged by a fire last September.
Amirian was a leader among local businessowners, serving for a time as president of the Downtown Merchants Association. He served on the board of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation from 1984 until 1993 and continued to serve as a sponsor for many DGDC functions.
In January, Amirian was recognized as a "N.C. Main Street Champion" during the annual North Carolina Main Street Conference in New Bern. He was praised for "his perservance, determination, involvement and solid main street business sense."