Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that the Leon S. Peters Foundation has made a generous donation of $30,000 to the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State for 2020. This continues the generosity of the Peters Foundation which has directly supported the Armenian Studies Program since 2013.
Leon S. Peters was born in Fowler, California, and graduated from Fowler High School as valedictorian of his class in 1923. His family, of Armenian descent, started farming in the San Joaquin Valley. The eldest of five children, he experienced the loss of his mother when he was just 17 years old. He worked daily on his father’s ranch, helped raise the other children and also did custom tractor work in what little spare time he had.
Some years later after the loss of his parents, Peters went to work as a salesman for Valley Foundry in 1929. His industrious and enterprising nature soon caught the attention of the manager of Valley Foundry and Machine Works. He worked his way up to manager and eventually purchased the company.
Peters went on to lead the company through change and expansion until Valley Foundry and Machine Works became a world recognized supplier of equipment to the agricultural industry.
With business and financial success clearly in his grasp, Peters, along with his wife Alice, devoted much time and money to various community activities. In fact, he was often heard to say, “The community has been good to me, and I want to give something back to it.”
Leon S. Peters was respected as a businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist who lived and worked according to the highest ethical standards. He cherished his community and considered its well-being his personal responsibility.
Since the early 1980s, the Peters family has provided numerous gifts to Fresno State including the Pete P. Peters Endowment in Armenian Studies, the President’s Fund, Ag One Foundation, the Henry Madden Library, the Bulldog Foundation, the Leon S. Peters Honors Scholars, and the Business Associates Program.