TMCnet
May 25 2008
Saroyan is a prominent thread in Fresno’s Armenian tapestry
(Fresno Bee (CA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 25–Like much
of William Saroyan’s work, "Follow" is a story about the Armenian
immigrant experience.
The author was born in Fresno on Aug. 31, 1908, well after Armenians
began flocking to the Valley. Many had fled persecution half a world
away and had arrived under difficult circumstances. Collectively, they
would go on to reshape a city that is now known worldwide as a center
for Armenian culture.
It all started in 1881 when the Seropian brothers — Hagop, Garabed
and Simon, and their half-brothers, Kevork and Hovhaness — came to
Fresno from Massachusetts.
Hagop Seropian had tuberculosis and was advised to seek a milder
climate, said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, a professor in the Armenian
Studies department at California State University, Fresno. The
Seropians chose Fresno, possibly because they had heard favorable
reports from people who had visited the area.
Fresno’s population was 1,112 when the Seropians arrived. The town,
established in 1872, had a new courthouse, five hotels and several
saloons. Land was cheap and opportunities abundant for those willing
to work.
The immigration began as a trickle, but soon gathered momentum as word
spread about Fresno. Many of the Armenians who followed the Seropians
were merchants and went into business, said Berge Bulbulian, a retired
farmer and author of "The Fresno Armenians." Others became farmers.
"Agriculture was developing, and you could be a farmer in those days
with very little money," he said. "You also could be a farmer without
knowing how to speak English."
The Seropians and other Armenian immigrants planted vineyards, and
started raising and shipping raisins and other crops. By 1908,
according to Bulbulian, Armenians were farming more than 16,000 acres
in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Armenians have made significant contributions to the Valley
agricultural economy as raisin growers and packers of fresh fruit,
said Ron Kazarian, a second-generation grower who runs Circle K Ranch
in Fowler with his brother, Mel.
"Armenians came to the Valley for the opportunities America allows,"
he said.
Circle K Ranch, now a diversified farm that produces peaches, plums,
nectarines, table grapes and raisins, was started in 1946 by
Kazarian’s father, the late Peter Kazarian, and an uncle, the late
Walter Ishkanian.
"My dad and uncle came up from Los Angeles and bought 320 acres,"
Kazarian said. "They were rookies. They did extremely well their first
year, but then the bottom fell out."
Rather than give up their dream, Peter Kazarian and Walter Ishkanian
used persistence and old-fashioned pragmatism to work their way to
success.
"They went to the coffee shop and learned how to farm," Kazarian
said. "Farmers are good about sharing their techniques. They’re always
trading information. In farming, your neighbor is your friend."
Kazarian said growers today continue to benefit from the expertise
developed by Armenian immigrants.
"We’re passing along what we’ve learned to our sons behind us," he
said. "How to be efficient and innovative while being good stewards of
the land."
Der Mugrdechian said Armenians began coming to the United States in
the 1830s to attend school or start businesses. But they did not come
in large numbers until the mid-1890s, when persecution in Armenia led
to the first of several massacres under the Ottoman Empire.
More than 100,000 Armenian immigrants came to America in the three
decades after the persecution began. Der Mugrdechian said many of
these immigrants were drawn to the central San Joaquin Valley by the
positive comments of friends and relatives who already had settled in
the area and sent word that Fresno reminded them of Armenia.
In his book, Bulbulian says Fresno’s Armenian population rose from an
estimated 360 in 1894 to nearly 4,000 by 1920. Today, there are an
estimated 60,000 people of Armenian descent living in the central San
Joaquin Valley, Der Mugrdechian said.
Although discrimination forced many to live in a largely segregated
Fresno neighborhood known as "Old Armenian Town," Armenians were eager
to gain acceptance.
To encourage assimilation, they learned English and made education a
priority for their children, Bulbulian said. Initial family success in
agriculture or business often paved the way for second-generation
Armenians to pursue careers in medicine, law and other professions.
"The Armenians were determined and had a strong will to succeed," Der
Mugrdechian said. "They were achievement-oriented, and with that goes
hard work."
Armenian immigrants also brought the flavor of Armenia with them,
which they introduced to the Valley through their food, religious life
and cultural traditions.
Today, that influence lives on through events such as the annual
blessing of the grapes ceremony and a cuisine that includes
traditional favorites such as shish kebab, pilaf and peda
bread. Armenian restaurants are plentiful, and traditional food from
local institutions like the Valley Lahvosh Bakery are on supermarket
shelves across the city.
As an Armenian growing up in Fresno, Saroyan also encountered a vortex
of discrimination and opportunity. He experienced life as the son of
immigrants but found, in America, the chance to rise above adversity
through ambition and hard work.
"Saroyan has been the interpreter of what it is to be Armenian," Der
Mugrdechian said. "His stories about family life and the
eccentricities of people reflect Armenian culture. But he also was a
small-town person who knew about growing up and being successful."
Saroyan is revered by Armenians around the world as a writer who has
celebrated the resiliency of the Armenian people, said Varoujan
Altebarmakian, physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
in Fresno.
Altebarmakian, whose family is Armenian, came to the United States
from Lebanon in 1975 to complete his medical training.
"The more I learned about the Fresno Armenian community, the more I
admired how the early Armenians were able to not only preserve their
ethnic heritage but to absorb a new culture," he said. "They came up
with an outcome that preserved their inner soul of Armenianship."
Altebarmakian said the Armenian soul is an attitude that shares
talent, time, treasure and touch with others.
Part of the Armenian soul — a love of freedom and independence — is
symbolized in the statue David of Sassoon, created by the late Varaz
Samuelian and installed on the southeast corner of Courthouse Park in
1971. The 21/2-ton copper-plate work stands 18 feet high and depicts a
legendary Armenian warrior who is said to have defeated an invading
Egyptian king in the seventh century.
Altebarmakian said the Armenian soul also is displayed in support for
organizations that benefit the community, such as the Fresno
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Fresno Art Museum.
Armenians have been involved with the Fresno Philharmonic since its
inception. In 1954, Haig Yaghjian became the orchestra’s first
conductor. In recent years, Altebarmakian added, nearly every
philharmonic season has seen the appearance of a guest Armenian artist
during one of the programs.
Armenian immigration and Saroyan’s literary reputation continue to
distinguish Fresno in the eyes of Armenians and Saroyan scholars
around the world.
Fresno is regarded as one of the world’s core areas of Armenian
culture, Altebarmakian said. Saroyan, as one of the city’s most famous
native sons, also generates interest.
Among many Armenian organizations with national and international
reach based in Fresno is the William Saroyan Society. This summer,
Saroyan fans in Armenia will hold film and theater festivals and a
conference to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth.
"People know about Fresno because they know Saroyan," said Dickran
Kouymjian, a friend of Saroyan and retired chairman of the Armenian
Studies program at Fresno State.
John Kallenberg, chairman of the William Saroyan Society, said people
around the world continue to associate Fresno with Saroyan, either
through his published works or through landmarks such as the Saroyan
Theater, which is part of the Fresno Convention Center.
Kallenberg expects this association to continue, especially as more
readers discover Saroyan.
"I hope more students will read Saroyan," he said. "He provides a
flavor for our Valley and its rich, cultural heritage."
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