1992_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 1992

              Page    4
Hye Sharzhoom • March 1992
Chooljian keeps family tradition going
By Jeff Ahronian
Editor in Chief
Gerald Chooljian, manager of Del Rey
Packing Co., decided to get into the raisin
packing business because he wanted to
keep the family tradition going. For the
past 15 years, he has done just that and has
seen the company go through many
changes.
The packinghouse was started in the
1920's by Gerald's grandfather, Neshan
Chooljian, who was looking for a better
way to market his own crop. Today, the
company ships raisins to different countries all over the world.
Chooljian admits that a lot has changed
since when he first started working at the
family packinghouse. "Most of the work
was done by hand, in fact, I remember one
of my jobs was having to glue boxes
together with a paintbrush. Now, mosUy
everything has been automated in order to
keep up with the competition."
Chooljian was recendy elected chairman of the California Raisin Advisory
Board (CALRAB), which is the official
marketer and promoter of California raisins. CALRAB uses advertising agencies
and public relations firms to market raisins to a world-wide audience. CALRAB
also takes up a lot of Chooljian' s time and
has him travelling atleast five or six times
a year promoting the raisin industry across
the U.S. and abroad. "The travelling is
hard," he admits. "There's a lot of meetings and hotels - it's strictly a job."
Chooljian, who has been to such places
as India, China, Thailand, Europe, and
London, has never been to Armenia, although, he hopes to oneday travel there.
Chooljian, who graduated from CSU
Fresno in 1976 with a degree in ag-eco-
nomics and now serves on the Viticulture
and Enology Resource Center at CSUF,
notices some startling differences beginning to take place on and around the
campus. "There's now parking lots where
we used to grow grapes," he states. "It
seems as if the school is losing some of its
'ag' identity."
Chooljian defineUy has a hard time
keeping up with all of his diverse activities. Aside from being a devoted family
man to his wife Tammy and childrenChad
and Courtney, he is active in numerous
different organizations. He is a member of
the Knights of Vartan, the Selma Triple X,
the Del Rey Lions, a coach for his son's
basketball team, and is also active within
the church, being both a sub-deacon and a
past parish council member. He was also
once a member of the Ag Leadership
Program and, was just recendy appointed
by the Governor to serve on the Agricul
ture Co-operative Bargaining Association
Advisory Board which meets in Sacramento.
When he isn't busy with attending
meetings and conferences, the recent
CALRAB chairman loves playing golf
and rooting for the San Franscisco Giants.
Hye Profile: Gerald Chooljian
Occupation: General manager of Del
Rey Packing Co.
Born: November 15,1954 in Sanger,
California.
Marital Status: Married to Tammy.
Children: 2, Chad and Courtney.
The purpose of my job is: Overseeing
the complete operation of Del Rey
Packing Co. from growing to packing to
marketing of raisins.
First Job: Salvaging raisins out of
improperly wrapped packages.
What I enjoy most about my job: The
interaction with people from around the
world. Also, in this business you have
very few dull moments.
I realized I wanted to be involved in
raisin packing when: I used to see my
grandfather, father, and uncle working
together; I wanted to continue the family
tradition.
My most embarrassing moment ever
was: One year at church camp I set up
an alarm system to prevent cabin
raiding. Well, one night at about 2 a.m.
the staff came by for bed check and set
off the alarm. The next morning I had
to report to the office. I was so embarrassed because these people knew my
parents very well. I was really scared,
but everything turned out o.k. To this
day we still talk about that alarm
system.
The person who has had the most
impact on my life is: My uncle Dick
Osganian. He showed me if you had the
determination to do something and
worked hard at it you could succeed.
AH time favorite television show:
Leave It To Beaver.
All time favorite movie: Field of
Dreams.
Favorite food: Lamb chops at the
Chicago Chop House.
Favorite vacation spot: Las Vegas.
Favorite sport: Baseball.
People who make me laugh are: The
Tigers Club.
Biggest regret: I did not go to graduate
school to continue my education.
Ifi could change one thing about
myself, I'd: Be a better teacher in trying
to convey a thought or instructions to
another person.
Best gift I ever gave: My wife's
wedding ring.
Best gift I ever received: My two
children Chad and Courtney.
Fondest childhood memory: Spending
a lot of time with my grandmother Rose
Osganian. She taught me how to play
pinochile with her friends.
Favorite way to relax: Playing golf.
Biggest gripe: I cannot understand why
people with the same objectives have to
differ on opinions for only personal reasons. In life, people are all looking for
the same thing.
I'm most proud of: Being elected
Chairman of the California Raisin
Advisory Board.
30 years from now, I will be: Hopefully doing the same thing, but in a
reduced capacity and spending a lot of
time with my grandchildren.
Hagopian Gives Concert
On Sunday, March 15, Richard
Hagopian and his orchestra, along with
the Arax Dancers, highlighted the first
program in a series entitled Folk Roots
Fresno. The event was sponsored by The
School of Arts and Humanities of CSU
Fresno as well as The National Endowment of the Arts. The performances took
place at the CSU Fresno Satellite College
Union.
Project Director Gene Bluestein welcomed those in attendance and thanked all
for thier participation. "These concerts
and programs are being held to celebrate
and acknowledge the diverse folk music
around us in wis community."
The first portion of the program included about a dozen folk selections by
Richard Hagopian. Of the many songs
perfomed, were those by Tateos, Seboo
Laminian, and Hrant.
The second part of the program included some traditional folk dances performed by the Arax Dancers, who often
work together with Hagopian and his orchestra. The Arax Dancers, which began
as a church group, have been performing
independendy for over 18 years.
Hagopian, known throughout the world
as 'a master of the oud', now serves on an
advisory committee of the California Arts
Council.
April 24 Calendar of Events
The commemoration will begin in the
Free Speech Area at 11:00 a.m. of
the CSUF campus on Friday April 24.
There will be a display table set
up with facts and information
concerning the Genocide.
At 12:00 p.m., speakers will include:
Congressman Richard Lehman
City Councilman Tom Bohigian
Fresno Mayor Karen Humphrey
as well as others.       »v.\V»V   '-V.
Following the outdoor commemoration,
there will be a 'round table' discussion
entitled "How to get the Genocide recognized by the U.S. government?''
6:30 p.m. the San Joaquin Valley
Armenian Community Council is
sponsoring a religious commemoration
to be held at the First Presbyterian
Armenian Church. It will be followed
by, at 8:00p.m., by a civic commemoration.