Pateel Mekhitarian A discussion on the book Essential Saroyan, a collection of William Saroyan’s works, was held in the Politi Branch of the County Library on Wednesday, November 12. Essential Saroyan includes short stories and excerpts from some of Saroyan’s best known novels. Led by Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program, the talk included a biographical ...

Svetlana Bagdasarov Staff Writer Which Armenian Studies course is considered by many students to be one of the most interesting and memorable classes offered at Fresno State? If you guessed Armenian Studies 20 (Arts of Armenia), then you either know someone who has expressed enthusiasm about the course, or you have simply experienced the subject matter for yourself. In my ...

Lori Havatian Staff Writer On Friday, October 24 the CineCulture campus and community film series featured Hrag Yedalian’s film, The People’s Advocate: The Life & Times of Charles R. Garry, an hour-long documentary about Charles R. Garry (Garabedian). Garry was one of the most influential criminal defense attorneys of the twentieth century, who became a household name during the 1960s ...

Randy Baloian Eight months have passed since the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School moved into its new campus at 108 N. Villa Avenue in Clovis, but Principal Rosie Bedrosian says she still can’t believe her eyes every time she pulls into the parking lot and looks at what will be the school’s home for many years. This September, in keeping ...

Staff Report Dr. Sergio La Porta has been appointed as Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State and will join the faculty in August 2009 as an Associate Professor of Armenian Studies. The Haig and Isabel Berberian Endowed Chair in Armenian Studies, established in the fall of 1988, is one of several Armenian Chairs in the ...

By Marissa Isquierdo PBS Valley Public Television (KVPT-Fresno) aired a special one-hour documentary about the famed writer William Saroyan at 7PM on Sunday, August 31. Entitled “Saroyan,” the film was produced in honor of the year long William Saroyan Centennial Celebration. Those who tuned in to see the documentary learned about Saroyan’s life, including his childhood, about his hometown of ...

Pateel Mekhitarian Staff Writer www.duduk.com Music is an essential part of life for the Armenian people. Many traditional folk instruments have been played for centuries and are still played today. These include the duduk, saz, kamanche, dumbeg, oud, kanun, and many more. All of these instruments express rich rhythmic melodies and harmonies, which have all been greatly influenced by Komitas, ...

Lori Havatian Staff Writer “I think education is a priority. Everyone is educated is some way, not everyone can go to school. Not everyone needs to go to school to be educated. You can learn while walking down the street. Education needs to be a priority so people can get somewhere in life and know about what is going on ...

Staff Report Sam Sarkis Kalfayan, former chairman of the Armenian Studies Program Advisory Board, died Saturday, September 6, at the age of 97. He was born Sarkis Papazian in Samson, Turkey, but escaped when he was 3 during Ottoman Turkish massacres that took the lives of his father, two brothers and two sisters. Young Mr. Kalfayan and his mother, Aghavni, ...

Staff Report Richard Darmanian, a long-time educator and Armenian community activist died June 10, at the age of 81. Mr. Darmanian was a member of the Armenian Studies Program Advisory Board and was actively involved in the Armenian Studies Program. He was a principal at Hoover and Edison high schools and for many years was director of the Armenian National ...