California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 167

Introduced by Assembly Members Achadjian and Nazarian

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Brown, Ian Calderon, Gatto, Holden, Olsen, Patterson, and Wilk)

(Coauthor: Senator Cannella)

July 3, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 167—Relative to William Saroyan Day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 167, as introduced, Achadjian. William Saroyan Day.

This measure would recognize August 31, 2014, as William Saroyan Day.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, On August 31, 1908, William Stonehill Saroyan
was born in Fresno, California and resided there for the majority
of his life before his death on May 18, 1981; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan served in the United States Army
during World War II and was stationed in Astoria, Queens, New
York; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan was the father of two children,
Aram and Lucy; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan has over 4,000 literary works to
his credit, dating from the late 1920s to the early 1980s; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan wrote The Time of Your Life, for
which he was awarded the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award
in 1939 and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan wrote The Human Comedy, which
earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Motion Picture
Story in 1943; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan was inducted into the American
Theater Hall of Fame in 1979; and

WHEREAS, Many of William Saroyan’s stories are set in his
native Fresno, drawing international attention to this region; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan promoted the Armenian culture,
drawing international attention to the Armenian culture at a time
when his people were continually met with prejudice and
oppression; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan’s works portrayed the immigrant
experience in America and depicted human values such as freedom
and universal benevolence and emphasized the “basic goodness”
of all people; and

WHEREAS, William Saroyan is recognized as one of the most
prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century; now, therefore,
be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes August 31,
2014, as the anniversary of the birth of William Stonehill Saroyan,
and calls upon all Californians to participate in appropriate
observances to remember William Stonehill Saroyan as one of the
most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.