DICK AVAKIAN HELD COURT AT DOWNTOWN FRESNO STORE
By Jim Guy
Fresno Bee
Jan 16 2009
CA
You never knew who you might meet in Dick’s Menswear & Shoes in
Chinatown — congressmen, fire chiefs, farmers or perhaps William
Saroyan. But you could be sure that Dick Avakian would be there,
holding forth at the center of a lively conversation.
Mr. Avakian, 93, died Tuesday. He presided over the store bearing
his name at 1526 Kern St. for 58 years. It was the place former
Congressman Tony Coelho went to buy the clothes he wore on the floor
of the House of Representatives and where farmworkers picked out
straw hats to shield themselves from the Valley sun. It was also a
place where Mr. Avakian’s opinions on baseball, football, politics
and world affairs were as sought after as the dry goods.
"Everybody knew Dickie," said Gene Lamoure. "He was one-of-a-kind."
Lamoure and Mr. Avakian were friends for more than 50 years. They
first met because Lamoure’s family had a dry cleaning plant nearby
at G and Inyo streets.
"I grew up there [in Chinatown], and he did, too," Lamoure said. "We
became real good friends."
The store was always at the center of Mr. Avakian’s life, Lamoure
said. "Lots and lots of people came in. Dickie never left the store —
he might miss a sale on some shoes," Lamoure joked. However, Lamoure
could get Mr. Avakian away to hunt ducks or exercise: "I used to jog
with Dickie, but then we got too old."
Saroyan was one of the more well-known people to frequent the store. He
would stop by to chew the fat, Lamoure added.
Former Fresno Bee reporter Eli Setencich said the store "was kind of
like a salon."
Setencich said old police captains and fire chiefs would drop in to
shoot the breeze, and Mr. Avakian had the inside dope on goings-on
at City Hall and police headquarters.
Mr. Avakian was also well versed in the history of Chinatown. He knew
about tong wars and tunnels under the streets, Setencich said.
Mr. Avakian’s cousin, Loretta Satterfield, said he was also an avid
reader with a keen interest in the Armenian genocide.
Another of Mr. Avakian’s oldest friends was former California State
University, Fresno, professor Roger Tatarian. The two went to grade
school together, and both later attended Fresno State. Setencich said
Tatarian had a very liberal viewpoint and Mr. Avakian was conservative,
and the two enjoyed debating.
Mr. Avakian wasn’t shy about sharing his opinions with others. Coelho,
once one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, recalled
Mr. Avakian’s gruff manner in a 2003 interview: "He was for Reagan
and I wasn’t, and I heard about that, of course."
Mr. Avakian became an entrepreneur in 1945 when he took over from
his father’s shoemaking business, which began in 1915. He quickly
expanded into the clothing and hat line, Satterfield said.
He sold out in 2003, saying in an interview, "My body is telling me
it’s time to quit. I’m wore out. …What do you want from me?"
Graveside services for Mr. Avakian will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Ararat
Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Yost &
Webb Funeral Home.