Tufenkjian, Sarkis, M.D.

Dr. Sarks Tufenkjian was born in Armenia in December 1867 to parents John and Zerta Tufenkjian. After attending American missionary schools, he immigrated to the United States and attended the University of Michigan before graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the City of New York in 1885. Following medical practice in New York City and a return trip to assist people in Armenia, he relocated to California in 1900 and settled in Fresno to pursue agriculture.

In Fresno, Dr. Tufenkjian became a prominent rancher and owned the eighty-acre Estrella Vineyard. He married Perooza Kaloostan on November 17, 1892, and together they had three children named Zabel, Richard, and Florence. A Blue Lodge Mason, member of the California Associated Raisin Company, and active Republican leader, he helped organize local Armenian voters, led wartime fundraising drives, and contributed greatly to the social and economic development of Fresno County.