Sako Mardirossian
GLENDALE—Long-time Asbarez supporter and benefactor Sako Mardirossian, after whose mother the Asbarez headquarters have been named, passed away Friday after a long illness. He was 93.
Among the many institutions in the community that were the focal point of Mardirossian’s generosity and support, Asbarez occupied a unique place. In recognizing Asbarez’s important role and service in the community, in 1985, Mardirossian made a generous donation of $100,000 to Asbarez, in memory of his mother, Salpi, after whom the Asbarez building on 419 West Colorado Boulevard in Glendale was named. When Asbarez moved its headquarters to its current location in Little Armenia, that building, too, bore the same name, due to Mardirossian’s continued support for Asbarez. On April 15, 1985, Salpi Mardirossian’s name was included on the Asbarez masthead for the first time.
His passing is a loss for the entire Asbarez family, since for decades Mardirossian has been an indelible part of the newspaper and its advancement.
Born on March 6, 1923 in Ghardagh region of Iran, Sako Mardirossian received his elementary education in the regions suburb of Paytakaran. He received his Armenian education in the nurturing bosom of his parents, Salpi and Avetis, who had three other children, two boys and a girl.
In 1935, the entire Mardirossian family moved to Tabriz, and later Tehran. In 1948 Mardirossian married Annik Mikael Karapetian, with who he had four children, Lida, Hilda, Edmund and Roland.
In Tehran, in partnership with his brother, Yervand, Mardirossian established the “Alborzâ€
