Early years

The Atiyeh Family immigrated from the Middle East to Oregon around the turn of the 20th century. Vic Atiyeh's father came from the small town of Amar, Syria. His mother came from what is now Lebanon. As Arab-American Christians, they worked hard to get ahead in their carpet importing business and to integrate into American life. Vic and his older twin brothers, Edward and Richard, grew up speaking English only. 

The Atiyehs lived at 443 Holladay Street in Portland. Vic and his brothers attended the local Holladay School. The neighborhood, now known as the Lloyd District, was just beginning to be bought up for development by Ralph Lloyd when Atiyeh was a child. In his oral history, Atiyeh recalls the vacant lots awaiting development where he and his friends would play.

When they were young, all three of the Atiyeh brothers had newspaper routes, for which their father paid them each $5 every three weeks. Atiyeh delivered the News Telegram for a swath of Portland ranging from Burnside and Stark to Seventh and the Willamette River. He later moved into odd jobs for the family carpet business, as well as part-time work at Olds, Wortman and King department store in the Galleria.

As a student at Portland's Washington High School, Atiyeh got an early taste of being an elected leader. He became the president of his senior class, a Hi-Y vice-president, vice president of the Order of "W," and secretary, editor, and sergeant-at-arms of the French club, along with a host of other extracurricular activities.