Fresno native Leo Kolligian has died of leukemia at his Fresno home. Kolligian had practiced law for more than 50 of his 90 years and served on the UC Board of Regents for over 12 years. The main library in the UC Merced campus is named after Kolligian and his first wife, Dottie.

UC Merced reports that Kolligian and his first wife served as the first two members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees.

In recognition of the Kolligians’ advocacy and support, one of our first campus buildings, the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, bears their name. Most notable in their legacy is the Kolligians’ lifelong commitment to educational and charitable causes and activities. Leo and his second wife, June, were frequent visitors to the campus and participated in my inauguration last fall.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Kolligian became the chairman of the UC Merced Campus in 1988.

Since its opening in 2005, UC Merced has grown to include more than 90 full-time professors and 1,800 students. One of the first buildings on the campus was the library, named after Kolligian and his first wife, Dottie, who died in 2002.

Burial will follow a service to be held on Wednesday at St. Paul Armenian Church, 3767 N. First St., Fresno. Kolligian is survived by his wife, son and thee grandchildren.

The Education Blog expresses it sympathies to Kolligian’s family and the whole Armenian Community of California. We regret the loss of this great academic.

Photo: © VanZandt

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