Guide to the Yervand Markarian Collection
Special Collections & Archives
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California State University, Northridge
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Contact: https://library.csun.edu/SCA/Contact
© Copyright 2020 Special Collections & Archives. All rights reserved.
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Yervand Markarian Collection
Creator:
Markarian, Yervand
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.YMC
Extent:
0.08 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1933-1996
Abstract: Yervand Markarian was born in Harbin,
China, to Armenian refugees, and he grew up in Tientsin where his father ran a billiards
hall. He attended St. Louis College in Tientsin, and in 1939 volunteered to fight in World
War II with the French Foreign Legion. After serving some time working as a police officer
in the French Concession in Shanghai, he opened a Russian restaurant, Kavkaz, which served
as the headquarters for the American forces after World War II. After the Communist takeover
Markarian emigrated to Brazil, and eventually came to settle in the Los Angeles area. The
collection consists of a class photograph from 1933, and a VHS videotape of a television
interview given by Markarian about his life and self-published autobiography,
Kavkaz.
Language of Material: English
Yervand Markarian was born in Harbin, China, to Armenian refugees. He grew up in Tientsin,
where his father ran a billiards hall and he attended St. Louis College. In 1939, Markarian
volunteered to fight in World War II with the French Foreign Legion. After his term of
service, he was sent to Shanghai, where he served in the Russian regiment of the Shanghai
Volunteer Corps before starting a position as a police officer for the French
Concession.
As the war intensified, Markarian's father-in-law asked him to leave the police force, and
offered to set him up with a partnership in a restaurant in Shanghai. Markarian took the
offer, and opened the restaurant, Kavkaz, serving Russian food in the mid-1940s. Shortly
thereafter, the war ended, and Markarian offered the restaurant as a space for the American
military to use as their headquarters. While the American soldiers proved to be a boon to
business, the success of the restaurant dwindled when the Communists took over in 1949.
At this point Markarian began applying for visas to Australia and the United States, but
his applications were rejected. He then applied to an international refugee organization,
who obtained visas for his family to emigrate to Brazil.
Through working with the American Consulate, he was able to get a job in Brazil working at
a Ford Motor Company factory, where he worked in the parts and accessories department before
transferring to the claims department. He eventually moved to the United States and settled
in the Los Angeles area.
The
Yervand Markarian Collection consists of a class
photograph from 1933, and a VHS videotape of a television interview given by Markarian about
his life and self-published autobiography,
Kavkaz.
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Yervand Markarian.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Jessica Geiser, 2013
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs
Audiovisual materials
Box 1, Item 1
Class Photograph, 1933
Box 1, Item 2
Business Card for Markarian's Book Kavkaz, 1996
Box 1, Item 3
Recording of an Interview with Markarian for Public Access Show, "Our Own Legacy," ca. 1996