Leon S. Peters Foundation Supports Armenian Studies With $30,000 Grant

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 2017.

This continues the tradition of the Peters Foundation in supporting the Armenian Studies Program Annual Lecture Series, as well as a variety of other activities, including scholarships, outreach activities, an Armenia Summer Study Trip, and general support for the Program.

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.

Leon Peters and his brother, Pete Peters, established Valley Foundry and Machine Works, a world-recognized supplier of agricultural equipment, and it became one of the region’s most successful businesses, allowing them to start the Foundation in 1959.

Since then, the Peters Foundation has become one of the community’s biggest benefactors, giving to higher education, hospitals, and arts organizations.