Karabian donates papers

Former state Assemblyman
Walter Karabian

The Henry Madden Library has announced the donation of the legislative papers from former state Assemblyman and Fresno native Walter Karabian. The papers will be housed in the library’s Central Valley Political Archive.

The Central Valley Political Archive is sponsoring a public event with Karabian in conjunction with the Armenian Studies program at California State University, Fresno, on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m.   Panel discussions with Karabian and his associates will be held focusing on Karabian’s legislative career, including his role in mentoring Latino politicians, his involvement in Armenian issues, and his legislative legacy. This event will be open to the public and press and will be held on the Fresno State campus in the Music Building East Wing, Concert Hall Room M126. Additionally, an exhibit featuring items from the Karabian Collection will be on display on the first floor of the Madden Library.

Karabian was born in 1938 in Fresno and attended the University of Southern California where he served as student body president. He also earned a Law degree and a Master’s degree from USC. He was Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County before winning a seat in the California State Assembly in 1966.

By the time he left the Assembly in 1974, he had served as the youngest majority leader in the history of that body. His legislative contributions included the Species Preservation Act, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the California Invasion of Privacy Act. Karabian continues to reside in Los Angeles, where he is a partner in the law firm Karns & Karabian.

While in the Assembly and in the years since, Karabian has been active in opening the doors of politics to Latinos. Former State Senator and current California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, who was a member of Karabian’s staff before being elected to the legislature, called Karabian a “visionary and architect of the Latino community’s political empowerment in California.”

The Karabian family arrived in Fresno in 1896 led by Walter Karabian's great-great-uncle, Krikor Karabian.  Krikor was accompanied by his nephew, Hovsep Karabian, who was Walter Karabian's grandfather. His grandmother was Haiganoush Simonian.

The Karabian papers received at the CVPA measure approximately 30 linear feet and include correspondence, press files, photographs, campaign material, articles, speeches, memorabilia

and other records documenting Karabian’s legislative activities and his commitment to his Armenian heritage.

The core of the Karabian Collection consists of legislative bill files from Karabian’s years in the state legislature. A generous financial contribution made by Karabian has enabled the timely processing of his papers. A guide to the collection is being prepared and will eventually be made available on the CVPA’s Web site at www.cvparchive.org.

The Karabian papers join those previously donated to the CVPA by state legislators Kenneth L. Maddy and Jim Costa, in addition to former U.S. congressmen Chip Pashayan and Bernie Sisk. Other notable legislators from the Central Valley have also pledged their papers to this burgeoning archive.

The CVPA was formally established in 2000 as a resource for researchers and is committed to preserving the legacy of legislators from the Central Valley and documenting all aspects of political life in the area, in particular the contributions of Latinos, Armenian-Americans, and other minority groups. Researchers wishing to consult the Karabian papers or any of the above collections are welcome to visit the CVPA, which is located on the second floor of the Henry Madden Library.

For more information about using these collections or the Karabian event, contact the CVPA archivist, Glenn Gray, at 8-8573 or ggray@csufresno.edu.