Doña Julia’S Children

The Life and Legacy of Educational Reformer Vahac Mardirosian

This is a biography of Baptist minister-turned educational reformer Vahac Mardirosian, a remarkable man who has accomplished a great deal over a long, fascinating career. Now in his late eighties and long since retired, he looks back on a long and eventful life. The arc of his personal narrative is a window into captivating chapters of history in the twentieth century. He is the child of survivors of the Turkish genocide perpetrated on Armenians. He grew up in post-revolutionary Mexico and came to the United States during World War II. He served as a Baptist minister until he became a political activist and educational reformer during the turbulent days of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s. He capped his career by creating a nonprofit organization that helps immigrant parents become partners with the public schools in order to improve educational opportunities for their children. This is the remarkable story of an Armenian-Mexican-American.