ACR 167, Achadjian. William Saroyan Day.
This measure would recognize August 31, 2014, as William Saroyan Day.
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.
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