PROFILE
OF A MUSEUM VOLUNTEER John was
born February 26, 1921 in Fresno, California to Nishon
and Mariam Shamshoian. John was the youngest of six siblings,
having three brothers, Ralph, Mike, and Barkey and
two sisters, Ruth and Zary.
John
attended Emerson Elementary, Longfellow Junior High, and Roosevelt High
School, where he was very well liked and developed friendships that have
endured throughout his life. John was
chosen as the most “Outstanding All-Around Student” of his 1940 graduating
class of Fresno’s Roosevelt High School.
With his brothers, John owned a service station at the corner of Fulton and Cherry Streets. In 1941, upon hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the brothers sold the station and enlisted immediately in various branches of the service. John’s choice being the United States Coast Guard. His service began as an apprentice seaman, earning $18.00 per month, and worked his way up to Chief Signalman on the troop ship U.S.S. General William M. Black. They were at sea many months at a time, transporting troops over seas, and bringing back the wounded and the prisoners of war. By this time, he was earning $175.00 a month, sending it all home for his mother’s living expenses. John proudly served in the Coast Guard until the war ended.
Upon
returning home in 1946, John discovered that his mother had saved all of the
money he had sent home for her. She
was a very unselfish and loving mother who knew he would need everything he
could get to begin his future as a civilian.
It turned out that one of his mother’s friends, Mr. and Mrs. Karfesian and their two daughters, Queenie and Virginia,
had a dry cleaning business they were interested in selling. They offered John the opportunity to work
with them and learn the business.
There was no pay of course, but he did eat lunch with them and got his
cleaning for free. Six months later,
Mr. Karfesian felt that John was ready to go it on
his own. This new challenge was accepted,
and the cleaners at the Northeast corner of Ventura and Maple had a brand new
owner and name, Shams’s Cleaners.
As his
business was being established, John invited his brother Ralph to join him in
a partnership. Eventually they
expanded and built several small businesses a block and a half west of their
dry cleaners. A clothing store (Sham’s
Men’s Store), a barbershop, and four small apartments in the rear of the
property. They were located just
across from the Fresno Fairgrounds on Ventura Street.
In 1947
John met his future wife Dorothy Kachadoorian, at
Holy Trinity Apostolic Church where they were both members of the Young
Legion, a youth club of the church. John and Dorothy have been married
fifty-five plus years and have three beautiful children, Marilynn, John Jr.,
and Arlene. They have given them five lovely grandchildren, Lisa, Sara,
Shannon, John, Paul, and Robbie.
John
continues to be an active and loyal member of Holy Trinity, where he served
two terms as President of the Men’s Society.
He is active with the youth and Sunday school, and has been a trustee
the past eight years.
As his
children were growing up and attending Sanger High School, John was very
active in the athletic program. He
served as Booster President for many years, working with the parents to raise
money for these programs.
John and
Dorothy live on ten acres, where John still enjoys cultivating the land for
his crops of pumpkins, cotton, watermelons, and green bell peppers. They have chickens and white homing
pigeons, which he enjoys flying.
John has
been a volunteer docent at the Legion of Valor Museum since April 2001, where
he enjoys giving tours and working amongst the history of militarily, “The
Best of the Best.” |