Born in Fresno, CA on October 18, 1911, Tolegian moved to Los Angeles at age nine and first studied art there at Manual Arts High School under Frederick Schwankovsky. He then contined at the Art Students League of New York City with John Sloan, Thomas H. Benton, John S. Curry, and George Grosz. He was a boyhood firned of writer Wm Soroyan for whomhe wrote the folk music to his Pulitzer prize-winning play “Time of your Life.” Tolegian’s book illustrations include Omar Khayyam’s and The Dove Brings Peace. During WWII he was a correspondent in the US Army Medical Corps. After the war he settled in Sherman Oaks, CA where he reamined until his death on August 4, 1983.