Kirkorian, V.

Born in Moush, Armenia, in 1869, K. Kirkorian was educated at the Congregational mission school in Bitlis, where he acquired English in addition to Armenian and Turkish. Emigrating to the United States in 1892, he worked in factory operations in New Britain, Connecticut, for twelve years before relocating to Fresno County, California, in 1902. After working as a ranch laborer and running local meat and fruit markets in Fresno, Kirkorian established himself as a prominent merchant and rancher, acquiring a fifty-acre ranch east of Fresno and opening the Boston Grocery Store.

In Fresno, Kirkorian built the largest commercial establishment in the United States dedicated to the production of “Bolghor,” an ancient Armenian cereal processed from high-grade Sonora wheat using specialized milling, cleaning, and electric sterilization equipment. Operating a dedicated 85-by-95-foot brick mill, he distributed his product nationwide. Married in Connecticut to Doshgohe Garabedian, with whom he raised seven children—Ardzroni, Annie, Ralph, Julia, Edward, Grace, and Berger—Kirkorian was an active Democrat and a leading figure in Fresno’s Armenian-American business community.