Sarguis (Francis) collection, 2024 March 14

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Summary

Title:
Francis Sarguis oral history
Dates:
2024 March 14
Extent:
1 Digital Files
Language:
English .

Background

Biographical / historical:

Francis Sargius was born in Marseille, France, on January 3, 1933. His mother and father were both from Urmia, Iran. His father died in France in 1940. Along with his mother and sister, Francis immigrated to Turlock, California, at the end of 1947 when he was almost 15 years old. He learned English quickly while attending school in Turlock. After high school he was inducted in the U.S. Army and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. His assignments included French interpreting at the V Corps Headquarters. Following military service, Francis attended Modesto Jr. College (A.A.) and the University of California, Berkeley (B.A. and General Teaching Credentials). While a student, he taught conversational French in various schools in the San Francisco Bay area. Soon after, he entered U.C. Hastings College of Law, continuing his legal studies at the University of Southern California (J.D.). To pursue his interest in international law, he also attended Yale University Law School (LL.M.). Once he began his law practice in Santa Barbara, he continued studies in political science at U.C. Santa Barbara (M.A.). As a lawyer, Francis served as Santa Barbara Deputy County Counsel for three years, advising a variety of local public agencies, including County Supervisors and several commissions and school boards. He went into private practice in Santa Barbara in 1967. His general practice has included criminal as well as civil law, but it has always been highlighted by public interest legislation (civil liberties, prisoners' rights, environmental law and the California Elections Code). He has represented a number of University faculty in cases involving tenure. He has also argued several cases before appellate courts, including a successful 7-0 reversal before the California Supreme Court (a published opinion). His admission before the U.S. Supreme Court was personally sponsored by the late U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel, a personal acquaintance. His law affiliations also included the American Society of International Law and the Santa Barbara Legal Defense Center. Over the years, Francis has testified before Congressional Committees, the State Lands Commission, the State Senate, and other agencies. His testimony has related to protection of the environment, public disclosure laws, home rule and better government. Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown (classmate at Yale Law School), to the California State Highway Commission (1976-78), Francis was also a Director on the National Board of the UN Association of USA (1974-1980) (retired Chief Justice Earl Warren President served on the same board). Francis was the founder and first President of The Fund for Modern Assyrian Studies, Inc., and he was the English-language editor of the Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society. He is a co-founder of the Assyrian Community Networking Conference. He has published essays in periodicals such as The Nation and The Natural Resources Journal. Numerous articles have also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union, Sacramento Bee, and other papers. The Modern Assyrian Heritage Collection was established at California State University, Stanislaus, in 2015 through a donation from Francis Sarguis, and his wife, Dumarina Sarguis. The collection is designated to include materials documenting all aspects of Assyrian history and culture in the "Modern" era, from around 300 AD to the present. Reference: Assyrian Directory of California (2001, July 3). Francis Sarguis. Assyrian Information Management. https://www.atour.com/people/20010703k.html

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-12-19 10:13:26 -0800 .

Access and use

Location of this collection:
801 W. Monte Vista Avenue
Turlock, CA 95382, US