Who was William Saroyan?
” He wrote stories and sketches about Fresno drawn from his experiences in and around this part of town. People from all over the world read him. Today, there is probably only one place where his books are not read, his plays not performed, his movies not shown. Ironically, today there are precious few in the Tower who know or even care that it was Saroyan’s subtle influence that made the Tower District a beacon for the arts. Fewer still know of his importance in making the Tower District a place worthy of listing on the Register of Historic Places. In his later years he spent a lot of time hanging-out here. He was the only world famous writer who spent his formative years in the Tower District. He brought honor to us and a Pulitzer Prize for his trouble. He could have saved the Tower District Marketing Committee and Tower residents a lot of trouble and wasted expense. If those who say they are so concerned with the future of the Tower had ever read his books and plays or seen his movi
