News

Staff Report Armenian-American artist Varaz Samuelian (1917-1995) was a prolific artist, who left much of his art collection from his estate to the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno. While Samuelian’s sculptural work is well-known to the community at large, much of his corpus in other media is not. Two of Samuelian’s high profile sculptures are part of ...

Staff Report Mr. Raffik Bagdassarian of San Francisco passed away in October 2008. His family requested that remembrances be made to the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State to honor his lifetime interest in Armenian culture and scholarship. Below is Mr. Baghdassarian’s biography. Raffik Bagdassarian was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on March 5, 1927 to Arevik and Sarkis Bagdassarian. He ...

Pateel Mekhitarian Staff Writer On Wednesday, November 5, Dr. Azat Yeghiazaryan, Director of the Abeghyan Institute of Literature of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, visited the Fresno State campus to give a lecture on the Armenian traditional folk epic David of Sasun. Dr. Yeghiazaryan’s new book, The Armenian Folk Epic of David of Sasun, translated from Armenian by Dr. ...

Hagop Ohanessian Staff Writer Jeff Masarjian has been the executive director of the Armenian Tree Project since 1991 and on Tuesday, November 18, he gave an interesting lecture on “The Dangers Facing Armenia’s Natural Treasures: Current Risks and Opportunities,” as part of the Fall Lecture Series of the Armenian Studies Program. According to the ATP 2007 Annual Report “The Armenian ...

Staff Report The Armenian Studies Program and Department of Music invited pianist Nazeli Atayan to perform in concert on Friday, November 14, in the Wahlberg Recital Hall at Fresno State. Atayan performed a first half program that included works from Bach (1685-1750), von Weber (1786-1826), and Liszt (1811-1886). Carl Maria von Weber was a German pianist who was a significant ...

Mari Koshkakaryan Staff Writer Music has the power to evoke emotions within us and cause us to feel connected somehow to the song. We often say, “This is my song” when we hear that special tune play on the radio. When people cannot seem to be understood by the people around them they turn to music to feel understood. Others ...

Mari Koshkakaryan Staff Writer It has been a busy day and all one needs is a place to sit, enjoy, and relax. A place that offers outstanding customer service, along with delicious cuisine and a nice atmosphere, fits all the characteristics of George’s Bar and Grill. Voted “Best Armenian Restaurant” by Fresno Magazine in 2006 is no surprise. George’s Bar ...

Staff Report Name: Sevag Jierian Major: International Business Minor: Armenian Studies Why did you pursue an Armenian Studies Minor? I pursued a minor in Armenian Studies because I have always had a strong interest in my culture and tradition. I thought that it would make me a better Armenian and help me understand a little more about our beliefs and ...

Hagop Ohanessian Staff Writer Car Wash On Saturday, October 11, the Armenian Students Organization organized a car wash-fundraiser in the parking lot of Viktoria’s Place, an Armenian restaurant on the corner of Herndon and Ingram. ASO would like to thank restaurant owner Zohrab Tsolokian for letting us use their facilities. More than thirty cars were washed from 9AM to 2PM ...

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 ...