Tatarian, Roger, 1916-1995.

Journalist and educator; worked for United Press International (UPI), 1938-1972; was Vice President and Editor-in-chief, 1967-1972; professor of journalism, California State University, Fresno, 1972-1987.

Biography

Roger (born Hrach) Tatarian was born on December 25, 1916, in Fresno, California. He graduated from Fresno State College with a B.A. in Political Science in June 1938 and began his career at the United Press International (UPI) the following month. He rose from a string reporter to become the General News Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa; the bureau chief for London and Rome; and the news editor in Washington, D.C. His career at UPI culminated in his promotion to Vice President and Editor-in-Chief in 1967. He left UPI in 1972 due to a medical condition.

Tatarian had various careers throughout his lifetime. From 1972 to 1987, Tatarian was a professor of journalism at California State University, Fresno. The university built a plaza in his name and the Journalism Department created the Roger Tatarian Endowed Chair in Journalism in his honor. Tatarian was also a writing coach at various American and Canadian newspapers as well as an occasional lecturer at the American Press Institute. He had also been closely associated with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as its consultant in Paris, a member of the U.S. delegation to the UNESCO conference in Paris, and a consultant at the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. In the last years of his life, he wrote a weekly column for both the Fresno Bee and the Maturity News Service.

Roger Tatarian died on June 25, 1995.