Arshag Dickranian; Philanthropist and Armenian School Founder

Arshag Dickranian, 91, Armenian American businessman and philanthropist who established 13 schools in California. Born in Izmit, Armenia, Dickranian and his family escaped the Turkish massacre of Armenians and emigrated to Fresno in 1923. Moving to Los Angeles, Dickranian became a U.S. citizen and opened Premier Market on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills in the early 1930s. In 1950, he founded the Armenian Educational Foundation, which created 13 Armenian schools throughout the state. In 1980, he donated money to buy land in Hollywood for what became the Arshag Dickranian Armenian School. Dickranian also helped create chairs of Armenian studies at Harvard University and UCLA, aided Republican politicians including President Ronald Reagan and Gov. George Deukmejian, and donated ancient manuscripts and art to the historical library in Armenia and to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. In 1977, the church awarded him its highest honor, the Medal of St. Gregory the Illuminator. He had been named citizen of the year by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and was active in the city’s Rotary Club and YMCA. On Wednesday in Beverly Hills.