Alexis Ohanian (born 1983) is an Armenian‑American entrepreneur best known as the co‑founder of Reddit, one of the world’s largest social news and discussion platforms. Born in Brooklyn to an Armenian‑American father and German mother,… Read More »Who is Alexis Ohanian
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian in 1946) is an Armenian‑American singer, actress, and television star whose career has spanned more than six decades. She first rose to fame in the 1960s as half of the duo… Read More »Who is Cher Sarkisyan
Raymond Vahan Damadian (1936–2022) was an Armenian‑American physician and medical inventor whose work laid the foundation for modern MRI scanning. Trained as a medical doctor and researcher, he studied the behavior of sodium and potassium… Read More »Who is Raymond Damadian
Jon “Dr. J” Najarian is an Armenian‑American options trader, former professional football player, and media personality known for bringing derivatives trading to a broad television audience. After playing linebacker for the Chicago Bears, he shifted… Read More »Who is Jon Najarian
William Saroyan (1908–1981) was an Armenian‑American writer born in Fresno, California to immigrant parents who had escaped the Ottoman Empire. Leaving school at 15, he educated himself in public libraries and began writing short stories… Read More »Who is William Saroyan
Arthur Sarkissian is an Armenian artist known for large-scale abstract paintings that use collage-like layers of paint, silkscreen, text, and photographic fragments to explore post-Soviet freedom of expression. Born on May 11, 1960, in Gyumri,… Read More »Who is Arthur Sarkissian
Armenian farmers in Fresno’s raisin industry face the same structural pressures as other growers, but those pressures hit multi‑generation family vineyards—long central to Armenian life in the valley—especially hard. Low prices and rising costs Raisin… Read More »Armenian Influence on the Fresno Raisin Industry
Armenians remain deeply involved in Fresno‑area agriculture, especially in grapes, raisins, and specialty fruits and vegetables, but their role is evolving from small family farms toward larger agribusiness and niche, value‑added production. Continuing strength in… Read More »Armenian Influence on Fresno Agriculture
William Saroyan is best known for a body of work that spans short stories, plays, and novels, many set in and around Fresno’s Armenian community. His early fame came with the short‑story collection The Daring… Read More »William Saroyan’s Famous Works
Literature and the arts Media, journalism, and public life Business and philanthropy These figures illustrate how Fresno’s Armenian community has influenced American culture—from Saroyan’s Fresno‑set stories to Bagdasarian’s music and Tatarian’s global journalism—while remaining closely… Read More »Famous Armenians of Fresno