PRESS RELEASE
CHARLIE KEYAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Contact: Randy Baloian at [email protected]
Zaroohi Der Mugrdechian, Principal
108 N. Villa, Clovis, California 93612
Tel: 559-323-1955
Fax: 559-323-1959
Email: [email protected]
Web:
KEYAN SCHOOL MARKS SAROYAN’S 104TH
BIRTHDAY WITH Saroyan, the Man, the Writer.
CLOVIS/FRESNO—The Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School celebrated
the 104th birthday of acclaimed writer and native son of Fresno
William Saroyan with a viewing of the award winning documentary
Saroyan, the Man, the Writer. CKACS students and families welcomed the
film’s writer/director Paul Kalinian and his daughter and producer
Dr. Susie Kalinian.
As described in his essay How I Shot Saroyan, photographer Paul
Kalinian remembered how in 1976 he first met Saroyan at the studio of
the Varaz Samuelian, the noted sculptor of Fresno’s David of Sassoon
statue. Saroyan at first refused to be photographed, telling
Kalinian to `get lost.’ In the end, the photographer’s
persistence won out. Kalinian gained Saroyan’s trust and, with his
camera, captured the essence of the 67 year old author in a series of
portraits. In 1991, one of the photographs from this collection was
adapted into commemorative stamps in both the United States and Soviet
Union.
The evening program included a translated recitation in Armenian of
Saroyan’s short story The Armenian and the Armenian by CKACS 5th and
6th graders. Younger students also read their own stories about
Saroyan and their aspirations of becoming writers.
Winner of the 1995 Gold Award, Saroyan, the Man, the Writer is an
excellent biographical account for both Saroyan aficionados and those
unfamiliar with the life of the author, playwright, and humanitarian.
In creating the film, the Kalinians gathered numerous photos and
memorabilia of historical Fresno and Saroyan’s career. These still
images are complimented by home movies clips from his family life and
travels to Armenia as well as by Susie Kalinian’s touching
recreations of Saroyan’s childhood. Actor Mike Connor narrates the
documentary, although a good portion of the film’s audio is Saroyan
himself-speaking in both English and Armenian in recorded interviews.
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Following the film, the Kalinians’ entertained questions from the
students and parents and presented the school with one of the original
Saroyan portraits from the 1976 album.