Krikorian is stable after collapse

Business Life magazine publisher John Krikorian, 79, father of Glendale Unified school board member Greg Krikorian, was in stable condition Wednesday after collapsing onstage at the annual Glendale Fire Department awards ceremony.

Midway through his acceptance speech for the “Service Above Self” award, John Krikorian lost consciousness and collapsed as Glendale firefighter-paramedics rushed in to catch him onstage at the Glendale Hilton.

They performed emergency CPR as they rushed him to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he was admitted to the cardiac catheterization lab, which specializes in treating heart conditions.

Within hours he had regained consciousness, and his vital signs had stabilized, Glendale Battalion Chief Greg Godfrey said.

“This is a step in the right direction,” Godfrey said.

He credited the positive outcome to the swift action of firefighter-paramedics and the proximity to Glendale Adventist and its specialized heart trauma center.

“Every second counts in trying to bring [the heart] back,” he said.

Glendale Fire Chief Harold Scoggins cut the awards ceremony short, closing with a prayer for John Krikorian’s recovery.

John Krikorian, a Korean War veteran who moved to California from Connecticut, had just accepted his award amid cheers from the audience, which included his son, Greg Krikorian.

The elder Krikorian explained onstage that his wife could not be at the ceremony because she had flown to Connecticut at midnight that day to visit her brother, who had suffered a stroke.

“I wish him well and her well too,” John Krikorian said during his speech. “It was a challenge for me to get here.”

He went on to talk about community involvement being a family tradition that “was all handed down to us — to our family....” before collapsing onstage.

Firefighters and paramedics quickly surrounded him and began rendering aid. 

Greg Krikorian said late Wednesday that his father was in intensive care, and that the next 24 hours were important.