Fresno philanthropist Arnold Gazarian passed away last week at the age of 95.
Gazarian was born in Fowler in 1930 to immigrant parents from Armenia and raised on the family farm during the Great Depression.
After graduating from Fowler High School, Gazarian went on to attend Reedley College, UC Berkeley and the UCSF School of Dentistry.
Gazarian passed his state dental boards and served in the Army as a Lieutenant before returning home to open dental offices in Fresno and Kerman.
Along with his career as a dentist, Gazarian maintained his status as a gentleman farmer on the weekends.
Gazarian was also a longtime member of Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church in Fresno.
Gazarian was a member of the Downtown Exchange Club and Knights of Vartan for more than 60 years. He also served on the Grand Jury, Armenian Theological Student Aid, the Fresno State Foundation Board of Governors, the Maddy Institute Board of Directors and was the Chair of the Armenian Studies Program Advisory Board at Fresno State.
His involvement in Fresno State extended to philanthropic efforts to preserve Armenian history, language and culture. The university’s Real Estate Center is also named after Gazarian and his wife of 67 years, Dianne.
Outside of his efforts in Fresno, Gazarian supported end-of-life care, pediatric care, grief support programs and homelessness support programs in Modesto. Gazarian also established the Presidential Chair in Dentistry at UCSF School of Dentistry.
Gazarian is survived by Dianne and their four daughters and their families.