Every week, KSEE 24 highlights the Valley’s Armenian community, as part of the 100th commemoration of the Armenian genocide.

This week, the spotlight is on legendary Fresno author William Saroyan, as yourcentralvalley.com reports, writes Artsakhpress.

During the program, Saroyan’s close friend remembers personal stories. 107 years ago, William Saroyan came into world this a literary genius and left a world renowned author.  Along the way he left a mark wherever he went, from the downtown Fresno home where he was born, to the home where he spent the last 17 years of his life and wrote nearly a dozen books.

His name is one of Fresno’s most famous, and William Saroyan’s legacy lives on all over the city where he grew up.  To many he’s a legend, a famous author who wrote largely about life as an Armenian American in Fresno, but for Edward Hagopian most of all, Saroyan was a friend.

Hagopian and Saroyan had many things in common when they first met in 1960.  They both had strong ties to Fresno where Saroyan grew up, they were both living in Paris at the time and they were both Armenian.

According to Hagopian, Saroyan was proud that he was Armenian. At 93 years old, Hagopian still remembers the friendship the two shared so long ago. Hagopian remembers him as funny, friendly, unpredictable and one of a kind.

Hagopian says Saroyan was very closed off after being traumatized as a young child. He was living in a bay area orphanage when his father passed away when Saroyan was 3.

The city where he came into and left this world now pays homage to his life with the Saroyan Theater downtown, the William Saroyan Elementary school in Northwest Fresno and his last home on Griffith Street honored as an historic place. Hagopian says Saroyan helped make Fresno; impacting and inspiring the city, but more importantly bringing pride and hope to the Armenian community.