Many Pasadena residents might say that the annual Rose Parade is right at their doorstep. But for Alex Aghajanian, that was literally the case growing up.
As a boy, Aghajanian ('79, business administration) only had to look outside to see the parade route. His family home overlooked Pasadena High School where the parade ended. Equestrians would park their trailers outside the Aghajanian residence, and his father would welcome the cowboy stars of popular western movies into their home.
"My parents would invite them into our living room, and we'd hear these great stories," he said. "It was very cool."
What he didn't know at that time was that his early exposure to the parade (including camping out overnight with friends on the route as a teenager) would turn into nearly 35 years of volunteering for the annual event, now in its 135th year.
Today, Aghajanian serves as president and chairman of the board of the 2024 Tournament of Roses. He's come a long way since 1989, when he first donned the white suit that distinguishes all the volunteers. As a member of the Street Committee, he spent two sleepless nights guarding one of the parade entrance gates.
The second year in 1990, he came to the aid of a woman who had a non-fatal heart attack while carrying her young son.
"I took care of her son while paramedics helped her," Aghajanian said. "That little boy wouldn't let me go. It taught me that tournament volunteers do more then produce a parade and football game."
Over the years, Aghajanian has served and chaired numerous committees on the way to being selected president, including budget and finance, communications and credentials, formation, music, parade policy, and queen and court. He was appointed a committee chair in 2006, became a Tournament Board of Directors member in 2009 and was elected to the Executive Committee in 2015.
Donning the Red Blazer
As president, Aghajanian oversees the operations of both the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day. He also gets to select the grand marshal - he picked Broadway legend Audra McDonald - and the 21 participating bands. Donning the president's signature red blazer, he and his wife Paula have spent a lot of time this year traveling all over the world to meet the participating bands. They have been to Costa Rica, Japan and England. They visited William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. At a high school in Westchester, Pennsylvania, tuba players hoisted him in the air and carried him like Superman. He shares his adventures on Instagram.
"I love people around me to have fun, no matter where we are going or visiting," Aghajanian said. "It's the interaction I have, the joy and excitement I see. I am in a position to meet all of these people who love what they do. I get great joy and pleasure in all the things I get to do."
The Aghajanians had joy in mind when they selected the theme for the 2024 Tournament of Roses, which is "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language." The couple founded the Dream with Me Foundation in 2010, a nonprofit that provides vocal and music training and education for students and nonprofessional musicians of all ages through scholarships and grants.
"Music unites us. It brings people together," he said. "We may not all speak the same language, but we can enjoy music together. It's all about uniting people."
The Pride of Cal Poly Pomona
As a student at Cal Poly Pomona in the 1970s, which has had award-winning Rose Parade entries for 75 years, Aghajanian knew about the program but couldn't participate because he had to work the full-time, overnight shift at a grocery store. His father died when he was 18, so Aghajanian went to work to help his family and support himself through college. He attended Pasadena City College and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona.
"When I was looking for a university, I had a couple of criteria I had to meet. One was cost because I was supporting my way through college," he said. "And then I was looking for a very good business program, and Cal Poly Pomona met both those criteria."
Aghajanian credits supportive professors who understood that he might not always be totally awake for his morning classes after working all night. After graduating with his business degree, he went on earn a law degree at the University of La Verne. He has his own business law practice in Pasadena.
Even though he was not a part of the CPP's Rose Float program, Aghajanian feels a lot of pride in seeing his alma mater represented in the parade he holds so close to his heart.
"They get outstanding awards for the work that they do," he said of the Cal Poly Universities' float program. "I'm very proud of my university."
The Rose Parade Legacy
Aghajanian also is proud of the Rose Parade history and what it means to participants and viewers alike.
The parade started with early settlers from Indiana who relocated to Pasadena in 1890 and sought to get others from the Midwest to join them. They advertised in the Chicago and Indiana newspapers, and staged a parade, decorating their coaches with roses to get people's attention, Aghajanian said. A land sale turned into a parade, which became a televised national event watched in 90 countries, he added.
"We throw the world's greatest parade," he said. "We have 50 million viewers who watch worldwide, 750,000 who attend live and more than 45,000 who attend the post parade activities. We have lots of eyes on the parade."
The future of the parade is bright because it has become a time-honored tradition beloved by so many, Aghajanian said.
"If I had a crystal ball, I would say to you, 100 years from now, we'll still be having a Rose Parade because what we stand for is pure and simple enjoyment, celebration and fun," he said. "How can you go wrong with a floral parade that has marching bands, equestrian units and these fun entries that we bring in?"
