NEW YORK – Vice President Joe Biden and the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate celebrated their Christian faith, philanthropy, and public and community service at a gathering that packed the ballroom of the New York Hilton and became an exercise in mutual admiration and appreciation.

Archbishop Demetrios of America presided over the annual Archons dinner and presented the Vice President with the The Athenagoras Human Rights Award for 2015.

Biden could not say enough about his lifelong relationship with Greek-Americans who introduced him to their Hellenic heritage and their Greek Orthodox Church  and the cherished friendships that has developed with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew though meetings both at the Phanar in Constantinople and in Washington, DC and with Archbishop Demetrios during numerous encounters in the United States.

His acceptance speech was an opportunity for Biden to connect current events with the religious freedom and toleration championed by the Archons around the world and especially in Turkey in the context of the ongoing struggle to protect Ecumenical Patriarchate and the rights of Orthodox Christians in Turkey.

He said protecting religious liberty is a moral imperative that defends society against violent extremists like al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which pervert Islam to justify horrific acts.

Biden said America will be strong as long as it’s a beacon for human rights, and he alluded to that causes’ connection with religious values, which he said are entirely consistent with civic values in the U.S.

Archbishop Demetrios noted the important place of faith in the Vice President’s life, which has brought his face to face with tragedy and danger on numerous occasions. Biden credited his Catholic faith for giving him “refuge and reassurance.”
More to follow.

The post Archons Honor Biden, VP Expresses Admiration for Community and its Faith appeared first on The National Herald.

ASTORIA – “One word alone repays you for the labor of our lives – Love.” Those words are inscribed on the statue of Sophocles that graces Athens Square Plaza in the heart of Astoria. It is the ultimate irony that Dennis Syntilas was not present when it was unveiled on March 4, because those words convey the essence of a life that ended too soon, just two months earlier, on January 7. And, because he was there for the dedication of statues of the great playwright’s fellow Greek geniuses, Aristotle and Socrates, and the goddess Athena.

On October 17, a brilliant autumn day when the few clouds above never threatened rain, the pavement of the park that was born of Syntilas’ vision was watered by the tears streaming from the eyes of those who worked with and were inspired by him at the ceremony that named the street fronting the Plaza, which serves as a cultural center and recreational hub in Astoria and become a beacon of Hellenism “Dennis Syntilas Way.”

New York City Councilman Costa Constantinides, who was instrumental in the co-naming, welcomed those who gathered “to honor the great legacy of Dennis Syntilas, the quintessential Greek-American…and his legacy of service and giving back.” He then introduced Father Nectarous Papazafiropoulos, Dean of St. Demetrios Cathedral, who offered an opening prayer.

Arriving in the United States in 1956, Syntilas established roots here while supporting his family back in Greece and proceeded to not only build a good life for himself and his family, but to create organizations that enhanced the lives of others. But he knew that individuals could not move mountains alone and that one does not live forever, so he shared the credit and the spotlight for his accomplishments with the talented and energetic men he gathered around him, and supported and inspired the next generation of leaders.

Syntilas founded the Greek American Homeowners Association with two Georges: Alexiou, and Kitsios and after articulating his vision for an urban park that was a slice of Greece in Astoria he established the Athens Square Committee with two more Georges, Delis and Stamatiades. The Committee made Athens Square a reality.

Not all of the Park’s fathers were Greek, or were named George. Former NYC Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr. was vital to the process – and made the first donation to the cause.

The Association provided vital information and gave a voice to immigrants trying to realize their hopes for their families, scholarships to their children, and Thanksgiving Day meals to those for whom the American dream was more elusive.

Syntilas’ daughter Vayia, with tears in her eyes, spoke on behalf of her family as she held he son Dimitris’ hand and as her mother, Rita, and her husband, George Apergis, who grew up at Three Hierarchs in Brooklyn, looked on.

Dimitri turned tears into cheers when he pulled the cord that unveiled the street sign that honored the memory of his pappou.

Vayia shared some of her father’ biography, the story of being orphaned at a young age and coming to America to support his ill father, five sisters and two brothers.

“When he left Greece his only possessions were his Greek Orthodox faith and the ancient Greek ideals were engraved deep in his soul. He educated himself and his community service was not just an extracurricular activity but a duty, to give back to the community that lovingly embraced people like himself from every corner of the world.”

He taught his daughter to lead by example and that “nothing noteworthy can be accomplished without endless sacrifices. Do good and seek nothing in return.”

“He was also blessed to have my mother Rita at his side,” a person equally dedicated and beloved in the community as the teacher of so many of its children at the St. Demetrios school.

New York State Senator Michael Gianaris made a touching tribute to the man he said “rolled up his sleeves and was working for this community, making sure that people became citizens and registered to vote,” laying the foundation for his election, that of Constantinides, and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and Constantinides, the Greek political trifecta in Astoria.

“Without Dennis the park wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be in office we are in” Gianaris said. He then thanked Syntilas’ family “because every hour he spent working with us was an hour he wasn’t at home with his family.”

Simotas expressed thanks to Syntilas for being “a man of faith, of community, and a man with a vision,” She echoed Gianaris by saying to Syntilas’ family “your father, you husband was a mentor to us. It is so fitting that when we pass 30^th Avenue and 30^th Street we will look up and remember him.”

Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York President Petros Galatoulas added to the praise for Syntilas when he hailed Syntilas as one of those rare men who always helped and always said good things about,” and he thanked Constantinides, “whenever we ask him for something he delivers.”

Alexiou also thanked Constantinides, saying “a lot of people do a lot of work but are never recognized and it was a pleasure to be here today to honor Dennis Syntilas.”

Delis said Constantinides “gave us this opportunity to remember a great giver, a man of vision,” and also singled out committee members Irene Mataraggas and the Park’s architect Chris Karastathis.

“I can’t say enough about Dennis,” who used to help customers as much as he could as an official and Atlantic Bank, and who “used to come to my office with a list of things to do for everybody,” Delis added.

Kitsios told TNH“I am honored to be here to honor Dennis by naming this street after him” and he told the gathering he hoped others will continue his legacy.

Dino Rallis said “the street naming also honors the community…and this practice must continue because there are many Greek-Americans who should be honored. He thanked the political leaders, whom he said the community should stand by, and said the community must follow Syntilas’ example of supporting Hellenism.

The post “Dennis Syntilas Way” Officially Named appeared first on The National Herald.

The post AHEPA Honors Phillip T. Frangos appeared first on The National Herald.

The post Colors of Greece On Exhibit at NY Consulate appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Mariyana Spyropoulos, a public servant with a passion for her Greek heritage, will be one of the honorees at the 65th annual Scholarship Ball of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois (HBA) that will be held on November 7 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Chicago and where scholarships will be awarded to worthy law students of Hellenic descent.

Businessman and philanthropist Ted Spyropoulos of blessed memory, Mariyana’s father, will also be honored posthumously.

She is now focused on winning re-election as a commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago – the primary is in March 2016 – but Spyropoulos is also dedicating time helping the Community Center her father established for her city’s Greek-American community get off the ground.

She placed first out of nine candidates when she was first elected by the citizens of Cook County in 2010 on the Democratic ticket, and this year her peers chose her unanimously to be president of the Commission, which is a position of great responsibility.

The agency treats waste water and manages storm water, and Spyropoulos told TNH the challenge overseeing lot of old infrastructure is compounded by climate change. Heavier rains in recent years have raised the threat of contamination of Chicago’s water. She said the Commission is on the mark regarding innovation and responding to climate change.

Chicago is starting to use green infrastructure to capture more rain water before it goes into the system, and they are doing interesting things in the area of resource recovery. For example, the bio solids that are by-products of the treatment process can be sold as fertilizer, creating a revenue stream that reduces the tax burden. The County also offers tax incentives for homeowners to avail themselves of the latest technology.

An attorney with a MBA, Spyropoulos also works at the Law Offices of Mariyana Spyropoulos & Associates, which has real estate, criminal and general business practices.

She told TNH she was always was passionate about law, and her interest in government has roots in her childhood discussions with her father, who was active in civic, Greek-American community, broader social and political matters.

“I always talked to him about upcoming elections, watching the debates with him and having conversations about it…I miss him very much particularly this time of year.”

She loves all of Greece, “everyone loves the islands” she said, but Kalavryta, where her father was from, is dear to her heart.

She learned her Greek at the afternoon school of St. Nicholas of Oakmont and by attending “every dinner dance that was held in Chicago during her childhood and beyond

Her mother Erika, who is Swedish, is an artist. She does oil paintings of “All kinds of things. She went through a boat phase, she did paintings of the 2004 Olympics,” he Spyropoulos said. Her mother also loves gardening, perhaps partly as a result of becoming an honorary Greek.

Turning to the community center, Spyropoulos told TNH her father bought the building on Milwaukee Avenue, about 10 miles north of downtown Chicago.

“There are five volunteer directors and we are formulating how to run it… My dad wanted to have this place available for the community for different organizations and clubs and dance groups to have meetings there,” she said. It is not a large space, but lectures and performances can take place there.

Spyropoulos is active with the Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) and the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), as well as HBA and other groups, especially the Kalavryta Society

She has been a member of HBA since law school and said, “The do a lot of great things and they work hard to keep the group going, which is not easy in this day and age when people have a lot of things going on.”

Four or five scholarships of approximately $4000 to $5000 will be awarded on November 7, which will be matched by the law schools.

HBA president Thomas Massouras, a trial attorney with the Federal Government, told TNH the additional honorees are Tom Demetrio, of the firm of Corboy and Demetrio, one of Chicago’s top firms, Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and recent Illinois Lt. Governor candidate, and the 90 Acts of Kindness initiative of the Sunday school of the Assumption Church in Chicago which other parishes are emulating.

The children made a powerful impression with the 90 philanthropic activities they were engaged in over the past year.

Massouras, who has roots in Tripoli, Nafpaktos, Kea, and Vitina, a tourist area in Peloponnesos, said that among HBA’s activities is mentoring law students and a law day in Federal Judge Charles P. Kokoras’ courtroom that includes an essay contest for students. They also support the Hellenic Foundation, which helps the elderly and the poor.

Distinguished personal injury attorney Nicholas C. Syregelas will be lauded as Attorney of the Year and the Emcee will be Andrea Darlas, award winning WGN radio and TV personality. The guests will be entertained by the Linardakis Band and Kosta DJ.

The post Mariyana and Ted Spyropoulos to be Honored by HBA appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) was celebrated as the Person of the Year of the of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce (HACC) at its 67^th annual dinner dance that was held at Manhattan’s Pierre Hotel on October 16.

The friends of the honoree helped make the event the venerable organization’s most successful to date according to its Chairman, Clay Maitland, who served as the event’s Emcee, but the large turnout also reflected the Greek-American Community’s appreciation for SNF’s massive donations in support of the people of Greece during the economic crisis and their admiration for Dracopoulos’s philanthropic leadership.

Nancy Papaioannou, president of HACC and of Atlantic Bank, also welcomed the guests and congratulated Dracopoulos and SNF. She noted that the night before the event in the ballroom of the Pierre HACC hosted a screening of the documentary “OUT HERE (Edo Exo)” depicting the Foundation’s contributions to the cause of Greek recovery on multiple levels.

The text of Dracopoulos’ speech appears below.

HACC’s Young Professionals Annual Gala that was held in the nearby Pierre Rotunda also broke records. Co-Director George Zapantis told TNH it’s sold out event drew more than 250 to a buffet party and entertainment by the Magges band.

The guests in the ballroom danced to the music of Grigoris Maninakis and an expanded Mikrokosmos Ensemble.

Address of Andreas Dracopoulos, SNF Co-President:

Distinguished guests, It is with great honor and appreciation that I am here this evening, accepting the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year award. I do so on behalf of my great-uncle, the late Stavros Niarchos, whose business successes throughout his life made it possible for us to do what we have been doing for the last 20 years, contributing towards building a better society, hopefully, for all of us. I do so, also, on behalf of all of my colleagues at our Foundation whose hard work and passion has enabled us to try and fulfill our mission since our inception back in 1996.

Just a few words about who we are. We are lucky. Lucky because our founder, Stavros Niarchos, upon his passing away, endowed our Foundation with a significant endowment, giving us the opportunity and the financial means to try to do good things around the world. But, with this good luck comes responsibility, of course, for all of us to do the best we can to actually do good!

We have been engaged in global grant-making activities for close to 20 years now. We are coming of age, but we are still young and kind of restless! We have provided grants to over 3,000 organizations in 111 countries, 1.8 billion USD in total. We have been active in the areas of education, arts and culture, health and sports, and social welfare. For obvious reasons, and also due to the current on-going multi-year serious socioeconomic crisis in Greece, we do focus a lot on Greece, but at the same time we remain truly global in our day to day grant-making efforts.

We try to keep our ‘in-house’ guidelines simple. Our mission is to help, and in order to do so to the best of our abilities, we assess whether a grant proposal, any incoming proposal, adds value to society at large, and whether the persons involved in implementing it are decent, professional, ethical, capable, and efficient. If the answer to these two basic questions is ‘yes’ then our job is to challenge ourselves to ‘prove’ why we would ever decline such a proposal. This may sound a bit strange, at first, but I do believe that it keeps us committed to our mission, which is purely philanthropic.

This philosophy, at the same time, should hopefully help us avoid becoming arrogant or patronizing in any way. We do not get involved in policy making, we do not try to ‘replace’ anyone or anything, we just try to complement private and public efforts and to strengthen projects that can help our fellow human beings and improve society at large. We try to remain flexible and adjust as times and needs arounds us evolve.

Unfortunately, we cannot say ‘yes’ to all the proposals we receive, but I can tell you, that within our means we do try our best. In the last decade, it has been made clear in many places around the world that the social welfare state is facing existential challenges. Help could be found within the notion of a social welfare society where all healthy forces join together; that should become our goal. Furthermore, I would argue that it is not a matter of choice but rather a matter of necessity, necessity for a more just and efficient society, if not for survival itself.

Free markets, capitalism itself, I do believe work fine but they have to adjust to take into account the social well-being of people at large. The issues and challenges we are all facing are simply too many, too complicated, too big for any state to solve on its own, or certainly for the private sector to do so on its own, and obviously too big for philanthropy to deal with them on its own as well. All members from all sectors, including public, private, not-for-profits, supranational organizations and humanitarian institutions, have to contribute towards creating a healthy society, which is able to provide for its citizens the basic needs of life, to allow for decency, dignity, and civility, to provide an opportunity to dream, to help make dreams become reality, to hope for a better tomorrow, and to contribute in helping towards creating a fairer and healthier society, strong enough to defend itself against extremes of all kinds.

All positive forces have to collaborate towards this end. And this takes me to Greece. At the front lines of dealing with a severe socioeconomic crisis, a crisis which is now in real danger of becoming the ‘norm’, destroying dreams and real livelihoods, not only for one, but for many generations to come. The issues that Greece is dealing with are well known to all of us, given the wide media coverage in the last few years, and especially during this latest rather surreal chapter that took place in the summer, when it all came very close for Greece to exit the Euro, Europe, etc.

Apparently this was the dream and mission of some, hopefully and apparently a small minority. At the same time, apparently it came too close to becoming a reality, a reality which in my mind would take Greece to a nightmarish scenario. Hopefully this has been averted, at least for the time being, but a lot of damage has been done already. There is a Japanese proverb that says that vision with no action is day-dreaming, whereas action with no vision is a nightmare. In the case of Greece, it seems that we are in a no vision, no action state of paralysis; in an on-going nightmarish abyss.

I do hope, and actually I want to believe that there is indeed hope. But in order for Greece to come out of this extreme crisis, its governments, together with its people must realize that the every-day mentality has to change and start rebuilding the basis for efficient collaborations across the board. Greece has to show the world that as it did in the past, the country can once again lead by example.

Greece should aim for creating a true social welfare society where all the healthy forces from all sectors of the country will be allowed to take the lead to ‘clean up’ and fix a country where the majority of its proud people are suffocating, paying the price for Greece’s exploitation by some minority groups, an exploitation that has been going on for most of the country’s modern history. There is no time for day-dreaming, certainly no time for on-going nightmares. The mission is tough, but in order to avoid the abyss all healthy forces have to stand up and demand the cleaning up of the country. In the area of Philanthropy, all I would like to say is that there is no “crowding out” effect in any way. The more the merrier!

We at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation have tried to contribute as much as we can in Greece, and we continue to do so. For the last 20 years we have been actively engaging in grant making activities that hopefully have contributed to socioeconomic improvements across the board. Our three additional initiatives, in the last 3 years, of about 370m to help alleviate the effects of the crisis, together with the imminent completion of our 815m Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, are major pieces of this effort.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, a unique public-private partnership endeavor, will be delivered and fully donated to the Greek people in 2016 and it includes the new homes for the National Library and the National Opera House of Greece, surrounded by a 40+acre green park. We are very proud of the end result but equally proud of the process of building this project over the last few years, a process that provided work to almost 13,000 workers, a project that is expected, according to an earlier study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which is available online at our website, to help contribute significant job opportunities and have an overall positive economic effect. Among its various conclusions the BCG study focuses on, and I quote, “The construction and operation of the SNFCC is expected to have positive impacts in the form of increased capital investments, consumption spending, job creation, attraction of complementary businesses and other enrichments to the economic, environmental and social fabric of the local communities, Athens and Greece.” End of quote; and a couple of other conclusions,

Quote “Approximately €1 billion of total economic stimulus will be derived from the upfront donation for the construction of SNFCC, with effects observed in the short- to mid-term horizon.” End of quote, and, Quote “(the) SNFCC will serve as a beacon of environmental sustainability in Greece and be the standard against which all other major infrastructure projects are measured.” End of quote. We want to believe that there are others, the known others with a lot of means, who can also step in and help, especially during this on-going severe socioeconomic crisis which is disintegrating the social fabric of the Greek society in so many ways. If not now when?

The German poet and philosopher Schiller once said: “Damned Greek, you found everything; philosophy, geometry, physics, astronomy… you left nothing for us.” The American poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant said: “We are the pupils of Greece’s great men, in all the principles of science, morals and of government.” Victor Hugo said: “it is great to descend from Greece, the land that gave the light to the world.” Voltaire, “Defend Greece because to them we owe our lights, our sciences, and all of our virtues.” For Greece and its people to be going through this now? For people around the world to feel contempt and anger towards us and at best to pity us now? We deserve better, we know better, and it all starts from our own backyard! How is it possible not to be proud carrying this heritage?

And yet it seems that we have not realized still that together with the pride that we rightly carry with us, we must also understand that we carry a huge responsibility to our ancestors, our children and to a large extent, to the whole world. The responsibility not to rest on the laurels of our ancestors, and the responsibility to work hard and in a moral way, in order to help provide our children with a better tomorrow. On this, let us not forget that the Diaspora is an extension of the motherland. In these difficult times, the burden of responsibility for Hellenism everywhere is even heavier, and I am sure that all of us are fully aware of our obligations. There is no room left for more day-dreaming, but just for quick and efficient action.

In this spirit, I would like to congratulate the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce for announcing that the proceeds of tonight’s event will be donated to assist the people of Greece. Thank you! In closing, a modern Greek philosopher, Emmanouil Kriaras, who passed away recently at the young age of 107, once said that true love can only be achieved by being able to constantly seek your ideals. I urge all of you to do seek your ideals, to do your best to help the ones who need you, and in doing so, to stay in love. Thank you!

The post HACC Gala Lauds Dracopoulos, SNF appeared first on The National Herald.

Official records documenting the direct and considerable involvement of Greeks in the American Civil War 1861-1865 continue to appear, in ever increasing numbers, with each passing year. These records outline the manner in which specific Greeks took an active role in both the Union and the Confederate forces.

The names and actions of these Hellenes are found in the ranks of the average foot soldier onward to a cadre of government statesmen in both the union and confederate governments. Beyond even these two points of the spectrum yet another group of Hellenes (comprised of both immigrants and the children of Greek immigrants) were notably for their contributions to the legal and ideological positions of both the north and the south.

While it is true that Greeks in the United States have long recognized that various specific individual Hellenes had participated in this war it is only recently that the full scope of this involvement is now being recognized. The identities of Greeks found in the source documents report upon not just lone individuals but entire families as well. Given that new data appears on almost a daily basis unfortunately these new accounts are not now coordinated. What now exists is a vast mixed collection of data. In these various accounts digesting and integrating the available material has largely taken backseat to simply noting the names of individuals and the military units in which they served.

Why it has taken so long to even begin to see the outline of this considerable participation is due to an array of factors. First, we have the old prejudicial position (held by Greeks as well as non-Greek academics) that Greeks have never contributed in any really significant way to the development of the United States. This basic tenet saw expression in first what academics of this period labeled the “race” literature and later the “immigration” literature. According to both, these areas of study given that Greeks were latecomers to this nation and of low overall demographic numbers they could only hope to be mere bit-players on the stage of the nation’s history. In point of fact, Greeks were engaged as abolitionists, soldiers, government leaders and influential intellectuals before, during and long after this bloody conflict.

For Greek-American studies, the importance of these individuals carries special significance. The arrival of the massive waves of Greek workers to this nation did not taken place until the 1880s. By focusing exclusively on demographics scholars have largely ignored any and all Greeks before this specific decade. Symbolism typically trumps demographics. From the 1830s onward Greeks began arriving in North America. These scattered individuals quickly learned that classical studies along with the personal memories of the average American’s recollections and involvement in the Grecian Fever (e.g. American philhellenic efforts sparked by the Greek War of Independence 1821-1829) informed the general public’s response to each and every living Hellene who arrived on American shores.

It is an undeniable fundamental of Greek-American history that Greek veterans of the American Civil War, confederates as well as those who fought on the side of the union, were later leading figures in the establishment of Eastern Orthodox churches in New Orleans and Chicago. Just as George Dilboy (1896-1918), Greek immigrant and recipient of the medal of honor recipient, was used by later Greek immigrants to argue for exceptionalism so too did the Greek civil war veterans come forward to publicly endorse the establishment of these two churches.

Now let us be clear, early historians on Greeks in the United States such as Seraphim Canoutas, Thomas Burgess, George P. Perros and others have long acknowledged the existence of Greek involvement in the American Civil War. It is with the contemporary generation of academics that the roles of Greek veterans in the American Civil War utterly disappear. This being the case we hear nothing of their efforts to establish churches by invoking their status as loyal veterans of the American Civil War. That Greek-Americans, at the end of World War I, would remember the efforts of this earlier generation of veterans and so rally around the glory of Dilboy’s valiant death is equally impossible for these ideologies to comprehend. Fortunately while the current class of academics continue to ignore such individuals independent scholars and writers have vigorously continued to explore this forgotten, or should I say forbidden, zone of Greek-American Studies.

When this new data is considered we find new collectives as well as individual Greeks involved in virtually every aspect of this decisive American war. The blog spot Hellenic Genealogy Geek has drawn upon newly available public sources to find the names of 39 Civil War participants who identified Greece as their place of birth (hellenicgenealogygeek.blogspot.com). All the dates of birth are approximate and as one can see these men were forced to anglicize their names. These veterans were: Alex Agelasto (b.1831), William H. Allen (b. 1823), Francis Allison (b.1832), Mathew Ashland (b. 1819), Delos Balch (b. 1835), Stephen Blasko (b. 1823), Dominic Carra (b.1823), A. Charles (b. 1838), Seon Charles (b. 1839), A. M. Crisson (b.1831), Antonia Cutis (b. 1829), Hypolite Demor (b. 1843), Peter Dennis (b. 1831), Constanti Desilia ( b. 1827), John Effmon ( b. 1826), George Ellis (b. 1823), Phocius Fiske (b. 1819), Peter Loraine (b. 1832), Horace Love (b. 1839), Roger Love (b. 1842), Samuel Mellichansky (b. 1843), Lucas M. Miller (b.1826), John Mitchell (b. 1827), William Moloy (b.1841), Peter Mounell (b.1833), Frank Nichols (b.1835), George Pearce (b.1819), George Peirce (b.1823), Anistus Petracki (b. 1843), Leuncolus Pismucle (b.1829), Stretus Ralli (b. about 1834), Constantine Reily (b.1823), William Scoffield (b.1826), Hanford Squires (b. 1828), Otto Stezene (b. 1826), John Williams (b. 1824), Augustina Zara ( b. 1828), William Zeigler (b.1822), James G. T. Zeigler (b. 1826), and Peter Zenos (b.1841). To the best of my knowledge only Fisk and Miller have seen mention in previous studies of role of Hellenes in this war.

That said, this very same blog site has posted the photograph of John Christy, credited as an American Civil War veteran as seen in Seraphim Canoutas’ 1918 book Hellenism in America—who as you can see is not on this list. While identifying as many Hellenes as participated in this war is essential what is now emerging with the flood of new data are the wider patterns of involvement and influence these persons exerted on the world around them.

Greeks can be found among abolitionists and secessionists even before the war. Prominent among those advocating state’s rights we find Robert James Turnbull (1774- 1833) son of Dr. Andrew Turnbull (1718-1792) and his Greek wife, Maria Gracia Dura Bin. Dr. Turnbull was the driving force behind the ill-fated New Smyrna colony in Florida that brought the first Greek born settlers to North America in 1768. Florida-born, Robert Turnbull became an intrepid and successful asserter of the right of the States. Turnbull was author of the CRISIS, an address made at the Convention to the people of South Carolina and other able productions in support of Constitutional Liberty.

Another defender of the south was Reverend George Patterson (born Papathakes 1828-1901). Patterson became such a devotee of the South and of the institution of slavery he wrote (and we must suspect, at least, that he also preached) in support of the institution of slavery on Biblical grounds. Patterson’s views on slavery are revealed in a pamphlet, entitled, ‘The Scripture Doctrine with Regard to Slavery,’ which he published anonymously in Pennsylvania in 1856. “In the pamphlet, Patterson asked “Is slavery a sin?” and attempted to argue in the negative by citing dozens of passages from the Old and the New Testament that seemed to provide at least Scriptural approval of the practice. The piece became one of the most prominently known defenses of slavery.”

Two especially notable Northern Greek-born abolitionists were Professor John C. Zachos (1820-1893) and Reverend Photios Fisk (18. Zachos was the first superintendent of the Port Royal Experiment. In the mid-1800s, it was believed by many White Anglo-Saxon Protestants that Negroes could not learn to read and write. Zachos was among the Northern abolitionists and freed Negro slaves who proved this “belief” a lie. After the end of the war Zachos was to go on to have a stellar career as an educator, inventor and much published author.

Photios Fisk (originally Anastasius Karavelles), a Greek immigrant, became a Protestant minister in the United States Navy. Fisk’s report to Congress on flogging in the American navy brought about an end to that practice as well as Fisk’s career. Many abolitionists had literally given everything to their cause and so died as paupers. Fisk took it upon himself to pay for the burial of many of these individual always providing an expensive and imposing tombstone.

George Brown and Constantine Mitchell, veterans of the American Civil War, along with three others Greek-born veterans who stood up in Chicago to publicly defend the establishment of an Eastern Orthodox Church in their city. That they did so as American citizens and war veterans may have kept them from Greek school books but they are venerated in the historical accounts of the establishment of the Greek community in Chicago. We must learn more about those Greeks who fought in the American Civil War. Their contributions to the establishment of Greek communities in North America as well as to the American nation itself, must not be forgotten.

The post Greeks in the American Civil War appeared first on The National Herald.

ASTORIA – Nine years ago, the New York Greek Film Festival appeared as a glint in the imagination of Stamatis Ghikas. He shared his brainstorm with renowned film buff, Professor James DeMetro. Raised on a diet of Greek films at a now-vanished New York theater, DeMetro spent his college years watching the work of brilliant directors like Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica. With an eked-out budget of $17,000 plus passion, knowledge, and commitment, DeMetro, festival director, and Ghikas, festival manager and executive director of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), created an important annual event. Now running on a budget of $100,000, enthusiasm for the best in Greek cinema continues to build.

“People anticipate the festival,” DeMetro says. “I’m amazed when they thank me for the films. We’ve come a long way, and as a special plus for film lovers this year, several directors will attend the festival. ” On Oct. 2, despite rainy weather, an eager audience turned out to see A Family Affair at the Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria. This first-rate documentary, an award-winner in Greece, follows three generations of the famed musical Xylouris family of Crete. After the film, Chris Fasaraki performed on the lyra and John Koutsoupakis on the laouto for an appreciative crowd.

“This is the first year that that the crisis hit the festival,” DeMetro says. “We had to cancel our gala. Several films were unavailable because the producers did not have finishing funds. But we are showing wonderful films. Greek films are maturing emotionally, and these are European films. The emphasis is on human beings, and human values, not car chases or robots. My big surprise is that there’s not more escapist film-making. When the United States had a major depression, audiences turned out for Mae West. But serious Greek film makers are not opting for escapism.”

Pointing out that “different films will appeal to different audiences,” he talked about notable entries including Stratos, “an outrageous movie, but it is so stylish. And the actor, Vangelis Mourikis, dominates every scene.” This noir film won six of 2015 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including best actor and best supporting actress for Vicky Papadopoulou. Another must-see, according to DeMetro – in a totally different vein – is At Home. A housekeeper struggles with an identity crisis when the family she’s devoted her life to cannot afford to keep her.

The festival offers outstanding documentaries, including the delightful And I Also Passed By There and Had Paper Shoes to Wear from Vassilis Loules. The director has filmed grandmothers and grandfathers telling the beloved folklore fairy tales of Greece. Mana, from director Valerie Kontakos, beautifully documents six young women who joined a convent, then founded a shelter for abandoned and abused children that became an extended family of 500.

DeMetro has high praise for the short films from young filmmakers, and will present them admission-free. “These are extraordinary films,” he says. “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a film that knocks you out of your seat. One of the films — thirty minutes long – packs the narrative of a two-hour movie.”

The post Cinematic Celebration: NYC Greek Film Festival appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Congressman Gus Bilirakis repeatedly expressed his appreciation to the more than a dozen people who recently turned out on a dark and stormy night for a recent fundraiser to benefit his re-election campaign, but he also emphasized the importance of community support for his two fellow Greek-Americans in Congress, Dina Titus and John Sarbanes, Philhellenes like Nikki Tsongas, and the need to elect more.

“You have to have somebody fighting the fight up there in Washington,” Bilirakis said – he reminded that when his father Michael Bilirakis was in Congress he was one of six Hellenes on the Hill.

“Hopefully there will soon be more,” and turning to former New York State Assemblyman Matthew Mirones, one of the event’s organizers along with, Phillip Christopher, Nicholas Karacostas, George Horiates, and Jimmy Kokotas, he said “hopefully Matthew will be joining us.”

Kokotas is the owner of Tom’s restaurant in Brooklyn’s historic Coney Island – there is another Tom’s in Fort Greene. He welcomed and thanked the guests and told them Bilirakis was there to discuss matters of importance to the community – Greece, Cyprus, the Ecumenical Patriarchate – and any other issues of interest, including American politics.

Naturally with the Congressional pot boiling over it, the race for Speaker of the House was discussed – a number of guests urged Bilirakis to go for it.

Fundraisers like the one at Tom’s which are attended by people representing many parts of the community – all donations, large and small are appreciated as expressions of support and civic responsibility – also perform a Town Hall function, allowing citizens to be informed and pose questions to elected officials.

The Coney Island gathering involved preaching to the choir, but it is important for community leaders to rally the troops – and thank them – periodically.

Referring to the Greek crisis and the Cyprus talks which have taken on a greater urgency of late, he said “We need people who feel it in their heart and makes it a priority because these things are so very important to us, especially Ellada’s situation right now.”

Bilirakis and his Greek and Philhellene colleagues are on top of it. “We just held the Stand With Greece Policy Summit,” whose purpose was to generate ideas about how the U.S. can help Greece. He hosted with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who is his co-chair in Congress’ Hellenic Caucus. Bilirakis also founded the Hellenic Israel Alliance.

The latter reflects the growing importance of Greece-Cyprus-Israel relations and Bilirakis encourages the community’s organizations to reach out to Jewish-American groups, from whom they can also learn how to be more effective.

“The members of Congress need to know how important Ellada and Kypro is to America’s geopolitical interests now more than ever so that they can help us, he said.

“We have a lot of influence” and noted that Hellas’ achievements through the ages makes Greeks admired by his Congressional colleagues, adding “They love us…but they must know that this is serious business…They have to help Greece, and like groups like AIPAC,” the Jewish-American lobbying group, “we have to hold their feet to the fire,” if they want the community’s support.

He also noted that there is now a great opportunity because Washington has finally realized Turkey is a terrible ally. “Even John McCain figured that out after all these years.”

Bilirakis explained his personal motivation.

“This is a duty and obligation for me to help Ellada, Kypro, and our Patriarchio…I grew up like you. I am second-generation Greek” – his father was born in Tarpon Springs, like him – “but I feel that in my heart “eimai elllinas – I am Greek” and he is also proud of his roots in Kalymnos, from where his great-grandparents came in 1905.

“I was raised with it but you have to love it to pass it on to your children,” he said, then he called upon the guests and Hellenes across the country to “Help me build the Hellenic Caucus” by urging their congressmen to join it.

Individuals and groups can help by reaching out to them, just like he does.

He told the group that he is looking forward to lunch with a potential new Caucus member to talk to him and educate him on the issues.

Among the recent victories that are the fruits of such efforts is legislative progress in ending the obsolete and unjust embargo on selling arms to Cyprus. He noted the valuable support of groups like the Hellenic American Leadership Council, AHEPA, AHI, and Coordinated Effort of Hellenes.

Bilirakis doesn’t only express his passion at special events. His home is a vital venue for keeping the fore of Hellenism burning.

He asked his son Michael what he wanted as a gift when he graduates from Georgetown University next May. “I want to go to Greece and spend a month in Kalymnos” he said.

Bilirakis, with deep pride, then shared a conversation he had with his youngest son about the oppression Greeks suffered under Turkish rule. “Dad,” he responded, “I’m not for wars, and I’m an American, but religious freedom is worth fighting for,” and then he stood up and told him “Greece needs us now more than ever, and I’m ready to go if I’m needed.”

The post Bilirakis Stokes Fires of Hellenism on a Rainy Night in Coney Island appeared first on The National Herald.

ORLANDO, FL – Art photographer JOSH GARRICK’s “Timeless: Past, Present, Future” opened in Orlando earlier this month. His installation is the debut exhibit at Orlando’s Henao Contemporary Center. Garrick works with JOSE HENAO, curator and founder of the Henao Contemporary Center, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Garrick produced the images during his travels in Athens and other parts of Greece. “He’s riding a wave. With his art he has done amazing things. It’s really an honor to work with him,” said Henao. In 2013, Garrick became the first American in the 125-year history of the National Archeological Museum of Greece to exhibit at the Athens institution, an accomplishment that won him critical raves and spurred the subsequent high-profile tours, says the Sentinel. “I feel like I have earned a footnote in history. Even when I say it, I can hardly believe it, says Garrick.” Garrick prints his images on Aluminum, using light and shadows to emphasize the works. Garrick’s work was so popular in Athens, it was scheduled for an extended viewing. Shortly thereafter, the exhibit moved to Turkey, Belgium, and New York.

ATLANTA, GA – The LYKION TON ELLINIDON, a nonprofit education and cultural organization is organizing the “BEST OF THE NYC GREEK FILM FESTIVAL IN ATLANTA,” “Best of the NYC Greek Film Festival In Atlanta.”

The Lykion is dedicated to preserving Hellenic traditions and culture. For only three days, seven filmmakers from the NYC GREEK FILM FESTIVAL will have their movies screened at the EMORY UNIVERSITY.

Opening the festival is ALEXANDRA ANTHONY’S documentary LOST IN THE BEWILDERNESS. It’s a story about a boy’s reconnection with his family and Greek roots after he was kidnapped and taken out of the country at age 5, then found and returned more than a decade later, says the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

CHICAGO, IL – Greek-American Emmy Award-Winning producer CATHY VLAHOGIANNIS took her talents to radio by being part of MANCOW’S MORNING MADHOUSE, headed by ERIC “MANCOW” MULLER. Known as CATHY THE GREEK, Vlahogiannis appears on the show with Muller, who was once slotted to become the next great “shock jock” after HOWARD STERN, who defined the genre, moved from free radio to satellite radio.

As she told Status Chicago in an interview, she was interested in working in television from a very young age. “She grew up watching ABC 7 and could not wait to watch the 10 o’clock news,” Status wrote. “When she was a little girl she would watch Friday Night Videos and pretend she was a VJ, introducing each song. To do her homework, she would sit on the bed, in front of the mirror in her parents’ room and host The Homework Show.”

She is a cohost and producer of the Mancow show, and her Emmys were while working for an ABC affiliate. She has been nominated for 17 Emmys.

The post HELLENIC HAPPENINGS FROM COAST TO COAST appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – A pile of violations and a huge number of unanswered questions were raised in a confidential correspondence in 2012 between an official of the St. Spyridon’s parish in NY and the accountant Tim Sherman from the firm of Cohen Greve & Company CPA. P.C.

Both the president of the parish council Steve Papadatos as well as Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, Chancellor of the Archdiocese told TNH in interviews that there was no problem with the finances.

Sherman however had written the following on August 16, 2012:  “A full and complete forensic audit is not the engagement that we have with the Archdiocese.  It was more of a segmented approach to see what we initially find.    A full and complete forensic audit is an intense scrutiny of all matters financial and is very costly.  With that in mind to finish the church and school, with onsite visits, we estimate a cost to you of an additional $20,000 to $25,000 provided that we get the complete cooperation of the church and access to all records requested.  As for the rental real estate and ALMA, provided we get cooperation and access to records, we estimate the fee to be $15,000 to $20,000.”

Sherman refused to send the report to the St. Spyridon’s official telling him that “I cannot send you the report but the following are the highlight findings:               1. Mismanagement of entities cash accounts resulting in excessive overdraft charges. 2. Questionable transfer of funds from restoration account to school account 3. Questionable transfer of funds from real estate to replenish restoration account 4. Unexplained transfers from unknown accounts into the church account 5. Unexplained transfers from the restoration account to other accounts and improper use of restoration funds. 6. Inability to reconcile payroll to government forms 7. Questionable funding of the school by the operating account. Tim.”

The parish official on August 1st, urged Sherman to communicate with Funeral director Gregory Apostle. He wrote “suggest you speak with the Owner/Funeral Director of the Riverdale Funeral Home, Gregory Apostle.

Supposedly, due to Fr. Passias’ absence, the Church provided a substitute priest for a funeral service.  Days after the service, Mr. Apostle gave an envelope (full pay for priest and/or the cash tip) to Fr. Passias so that he would pass it on to the substitute priest.  Either Apostle followed up or the substitute priest contacted Apostle to inform him that he had never received anything.

Following a confrontation with Fr. Passias, Apostle went right into the Church office and told Katie Carlaftes, the church secretary, [paraphrasing]: “you tell that …[Fr. Passias] if he ever speaks to me  like that again, I will sue him!””

In a  P.S. to his note, the church official wrote to Sherman: “Why haven’t you gone on site yet? Is Fr. Passias still making excuses? If you want to see the truth unfold, we suggest you go to the Church and invite the Priest and all Parish Council members from 2008 -12 (30 people at most) on the same day, same building. Isolate Fr. Passias, record his responses to all relevant questions ie. who authorized online bank transfers? Who authorized check stamping? Who removed the financial controls in place for over 30 years? Who changed the process of opening mail? Where were the books kept? Who changed the signatories on the Bank accounts in December 2008? Who authorized changes in signatories in December 2008 when the first Parish Council meeting didn’t occur until late January 2010? Who caused over $20K in overdraft charges on over $170K of payroll? Who submits the ADP? Who authorized an increase in your pay (new car, increased monthly payment)? Who authorized credit card reimbursements? Who disbanded the Real Estate Committee (a UPR violation)? Why has the General Assembly motion, which passed over a year ago, to re-install the Real Estate Committee, been ignored?  If it’s between him and anyone, he will sacrifice anyone …then bring in those he accused and play the tape…”

The post A Pile of Violations in Finances Plus a Secret Slush Fund at St. Spyridon’s  appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Alexander (Alex) Antzoulatos could not have imagined the fate which awaited him when he stepped into the swimming pool Life Time Fitness on Van Riper Way in Montvale, NJ on October 18.

The 50 year-old Greek-American lost consciousness while swimming. He was pulled from the water and medical assistance was summoned, and CPR was performed according to the police report, but although he was speedily transported to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, doctors were not able to save his life.

The sad news shocked the community of St. John the Theologian and the Cephalonian community throughout the Tri-State area.

Jason Thunstrom, a spokesman for Life Time Fitness, which is based in Chanhassen, MN, said earlier on Monday that “a man had a medical emergency, possibly a heart attack, while he was in the pool on Sunday…It took some time to identify Antzoulatos, Abrams said, because he was wearing a swimsuit and didn’t have any identification on him,” the Bergen Record reported.

“Club members knew Antzoulatos by face, but not by name,” said police Chief Jeremy Abrams.

According to the Record, police finally found a locked locker, which they opened to find Antzoulatos’s wallet in it with identification. Authorities then contacted family members.

The untimely death plunged Antzoulatos’ family and those throughout the New York Metropolitan Area who know him into mourning.

Antzoulatos is the beloved husband of Pandora (nee Georgopoulos), devoted father of Amelia and Dionysios, loving son of Emilia and the late Dionisios, and dearest brother of Kali Tsukalas, Alexandra Natsoulis and Katherine Mouzakitis. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins here and abroad.

The tragic death caused grief at the Greek-American-owned, Manhattan-based company, MGE Unified Technologies Corp. according to Dimitris Gianniris, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.

He told TNH that on October 20 all company executives observed a minute’s silence in memory of Alexander Antzoulatos.

“The time that lapsed from the first email sent by the family until today was the most difficult time for the Greek-American partners,” of the firm, “and all architects, civil engineers and all the employees, because the deceased was talented, workaholic, and creative, and like few others captured the hearts of people,” said Gianniris.

Antzoulatos’ colleagues have opened a special gofundme account

at www.gofundme.com/um6brtac.

At the time of the writing of this article $3,105 was raised. When TNH had earlier spoken with Gianniris, about $1,570 had been raised. In about two hours that amount was doubled.

Gianniris noted that the company’s partners along with Antzoulatos’ colleagues and friends will attend the funeral and will strive to relieve the pain of the family.

The deceased was born in the village of Fragata on Kefalonia and came to New York at the age of four.

His parents, the late Dennis Antzoulatos and Emilia Antzoulatos brought Alexander into the world along with his three older sisters.

Antzoulatos, as pointed his brother-in-law Nikos Natsoulis “was an only son and the pride and joy of his mother.”

He and his siblings grew up in Washington Heights and were taught Greek language and culture at the St. Spyridon School. He graduated with honors from the Bronx High School of Science and was admitted to Manhattan College, where received his degree

in Mechanical Engineering. He was part of the management team at MGE.

In 1995 he met the love of his life, teacher Pandora Georgopoulou. They married and had two children, Emily, 15 years-old, and Dionysios, 14.

Pandora is a public school teacher, but she also teaches in Greek Afternoon School of St. John the Theologian.

Natsoulis called Antzoulatos “a virtuous and excellent family man, magnanimous, and generous.”

“He stood out for his rare character, for his altruism and love of the Greek-American community and for Fragata in Kefalonia. Without any doubt he was an example not only for his family and relatives, but also to all who had the luck and privilege of knowing him and calling him a friend,” said Natsoulis.

The viewing was held on October 21 and 22 at the Barrett Funeral Home in Tenafly, NJ and the funeral will be held on Friday, October 23 at the Cathedral of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers donations should be made to the Antzoulatos Children’s Scholarship Fund. Information will be provided at the funeral home.

The post Untimely Death Shocks Community appeared first on The National Herald.

The post Vagianos Seeks N.J. Assembly Seat appeared first on The National Herald.

By Constantinos Vouzakis

NEW YORK – The 6^th Annual Opera and Ballet Night was held at the Petros Patridis Cultural Center of the Cathedral of St. Demetrios in Astoria on October 18.

The successful cultural event was presented in anticipation of the Feast Day of St. Demetrios in collaboration with the Hellenic Music Foundation.

The event also commemorated the 88th anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Community of Astoria.

It was indeed a night of great performances with a selection of opera pieces from well-known composers and the participation of a cast of tenors, baritones, sopranos and a ballet with talented young dancers.

The conductor of the orchestra, Yannis Xylas, had at his disposal a complete, sixty-strong ensemble of classical instrumentalists and choir.

The audience watched and listened to the concert with great interest and enjoyed the variety of music from operas as well as symphonic excerpts.

The first part of the concert started with the opening aria of Leon Cavallos’ “Pagliacci,” performed by the baritone Raemond Martin in the role of Tonio.

Next came excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen,” that included portions of ballet music and the Chorus “Les voici” from Act IV. The ballet was choreographed by Erin Pryor and the dancers were (in order of appearance): Natalie  Pulido, Katey Kephart, Brittany Febus, Ashley Ervin, John Durbin, and Benedict Nguyen.

The next classical piece was from Donizetti’s opera “Maria Stuarda,” Preghiera degli Scozzesi (Prayer of the Scots) from Act III. Maria Stuarda: Patricia Vital, Anna Kennedy: Emilia Diakopoulou, Talbot: Stephan Kirchgraber.

The program followed with Act 3 from “Le Nozze Di Figaro” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – No. 20 Duettino, a duet performed by Flora Kirou in the role of the Countess and Stella Papatheodorou as Suzanna.

Next in line was Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Macbeth” – La luce langue, with Lady Macbeth’s Aria from the 2^nd Act performed by Rosa d’ Imperio as Lady Macbeth.

The first part of the program closed with music from  Rossini’s opera “Ermione.” The cast performed spectacularly in the Finale, both acoustically and visually. Soprano Asako Tamura was Ermione, Daniel Greenwood was Oreste, Beqa Goginashvilli was Pilade, Emilia Diakopoulou was Cefisa, Perri Sussman was Andromaca, Luis Riva was Pirro, Patricia Vital was Cleone, and Marco Matute was Attalo.

The program resumed after the intermission with Mikis Theodorakis’s work Canto Olimpico – Ode to Zeus performed by the choir and accompanied by the orchestra.

This was followed by the ballet from “Le Corsaire” (The Pirate) – Orage et Pas des Deux, choreographed by Erin Pryor, performances for the Pas de Deux (duet of ballet dancers), John Dublin, Ashley Ervin

Coda: Katey Kephart, Brittany Febus, Natalie Pulido, Ashley Ervin.

From Act 2 of Richard Wagner’s opera “Der Fliegende Hollander -The Flying Dutchman” a duet and trio was performed by  Raemond Martin as the Dutchman, Rosa d’ Imperio as Senta, and Stephan Kirchgraber as Daland.

The concert continued with an aria from Rossini’s opera “Stabat Matter” with a soprano aria performed by Asako Tamura.

A ballet piece followed from George Gershwin’s “Cuban Overture.” Choreographed by Emily Berry, the dance was performed by: Lance Berquin, Tiffany Brown, Heather Gardner, Vanessa Guglielmo, Vanessa Nandrum, Simeon Polydore, and Roxanne Wickham.

The final portion of the program consisted of excerpts from Kalman’s operetta “Die Zirkussprinzessin – The Circus Princess,” with Luis Riva as Mister-X and Bega Goginashvilli as Princess.

The cast of several performers on stage and a spectacular show of colors and sound evoked a standing ovation.

The director of the orchestra, Yannis Xylas, said to TNH that “the annual opera and ballet concert was organized for the sixth time in the context of the Saint Demetrius name celebration. We would like to thank Nick A. Andriotis, our producer, without whom we would not be able to organize this concert.”

All of the performances were appreciated by the Greek-Americans and Americans in attendance. They gave their heartfelt applause to all of the performers and especially to Maestro Yannis Xylas.

Mary Sakkis was responsible for the program supervision.

The post Opera & Ballet Night a Big Hit in Astoria appeared first on The National Herald.

CHICAGO, IL – Memorial services for Chris P. Tomaras, Founder & Chairman of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, too place on October 21. He died the previous Wednesday, October 14, at age 77.

The visitation took place at the Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home in Chicago. Hundreds of people attended. His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, assisted by many other priests, performed the Trisagion Service. His Eminence also spoke warmly about Tomaras as family and friends gathered to pay their respects for the last time.

The funeral was held on October 22, at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Niles, Illinois. Metropolitan Iakovos, along with His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, Rev. Fr. Constantine Botsis, and several clergy from churches across the Chicagoland area, presided over the service. Afterward, the Honorable Consul General of Greece in Chicago, Ioanna Efthymiadou, briefly addressed Tomaras’ family and friends. Following the funeral, Tomaras was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.

The funeral luncheon was held at the Chateau Ritz in Niles. Friends and family quietly celebrated Tomaras’ life. Yanni Valsamas, Executive Director of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, made a short introductory speech. He then invited others to share their memories. Tomaras’ granddaughter, Niki Burke, spoke on behalf of the extended family, followed by his dear friends John and Tom Sotos.

Other close friends who spoke about the life and legacy of Chris P. Tomaras’ were Cook County Treasurer, Maria Pappas; Vice Chairman of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, Robert Buhler; Regional Commander of the Archons of St. Andrew the Apostle, Metropolis of Chicago,John Manos; Supreme President of AHEPA, John Galanis; Chairman of the Board of the Greek American Rehabilitation & Care Centre, Eleni Bousis; Consul General of Panama in Philadelphia, Georgia Athanasopulos; Chairman of the Chicago Sister City – Athens Committee, Demetrios Kozonis; Member of the Board of Neo Kyma Messinias Takis Economopoulos; PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation Academic Committee member, Dr. Constantine Georgakis, and his wife Dr. Christina Georgakis; and 2007 PanHellenic Scholarship Award recipient Demitra Giannaras, who also read a eulogy by writer Harry Mark Petrakis.

The family is grateful for all of the condolences, and extends its deepest gratitude to all donations to the Foundation made in Chris P. Tomaras’ memory.

The outpouring of sympathy and affection reveals the extent of his influence and impact as an international figure.

The post A Heartfelt Farewell to Chris Tomaras appeared first on The National Herald.

LONG ISLAND – More than 80 Greek-American businesspersons and professionals recently met one morning at the Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook in response to the invitation of John C. Tsunis, chairman and CEO Gold Coast bank. He is leading the effort to establish the Long Island Greek-American Chamber of Commerce. “I’m trying to set up a chamber where people are connected with each other, where people can trade services and information,” Tsunis said. The breakfast was the group’s second meeting and the massive turnouts and enthusiasm about the endeavor have generated great momentum and have intensified preparations for the next gathering, which Tsunis said will have the character of a founding meeting. The Stoney Brook meeting featured a discussion about the organization’s leadership posts. A spokesman for the group said on October 19 that in a few weeks the names of the first group of people who will run the chamber will be announced Most, but not all, of the people involved have Hellenic roots, and they include doctors, lawyers, bankers and owners of local businesses. Tsunis told TNH there are thousands of Greek-American entrepreneurs in Nassau County with companies that excel in all sectors of the economy. This organization will be the community’s second chamber of commerce in New York and will have a local character, similar to chambers in New Jersey, Philadelphia and elsewhere. Tsunis noted that the Chamber of Long Island will be independent and will aim to strengthen cooperation between the community’s entrepreneurs while also boosting cooperation between Greek-American business persons and those in Greece. The new group will also reach out to other chambers of commerce in Long Island in order to promote cooperation and generate opportunities among members of the community and non-Greeks.
Long Island many local chambers of “Such groups can keep members informed about business opportunities, help small business owners manage their finances and connect entrepreneurs with each other,” Phil Andrews, president of the Freeport-based Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce told Newsday.”If you don’t have a business organization, sometimes the resources don’t come to the community, the technical assistance — things like businesses being able to do a cash flow statement, having a proper business plan…A lot of businesses start and they’re good at what they do, but they have problems when they begin to grow,” he added. Chambers of commerce can help their members overcome such challenges.

The post Greek-Americans Building New Chamber of Commerce on Long Island appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Three rising young political leaders, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, City Councilman Costa Constantinides – Astoria’s Greek political trifecta – were honored as “Persons of the Year by HANAC on October 23, along with Stacy Agrapides, who was named as the social service organizations “Volunteer of the Year.”

The 43rd Annual Gala of HANAC, the social service organization founded in 1972 by the late George Douris to help vulnerable populations throughout New York City but with a special emphasis on the Greek and Cypriot-American community, was held in the ballroom of the Mandarin Hotel.

George Mihaltses, VP at the New York Public Library served as the Emcee backed up musically the band Alpha and literally by the window walls with spectacular views of Manhattan at night. After Father Nick Anctil offered the invocation Mihaltses invited HANAC Chairman Evangeline Douris to the podium.

She good-naturedly chided Mihaltses for giving her whole speech – an overview of the history and services of the organization which range from jobs and substance abuse to youth and senior citizens programs and three affordable senior housing complexes – and counting.

HANAC continues to serve New York’s immigrant population, one of the organization’s founding missions that ensured that Hellenes would not be alone when they arrived. Rather they welcomed and given head starts in their pursuit if the American dream through language classes and other programs.

She offered thanks, later echoed by the President of HANAC Nikitas Drakotas, to the staff, especially her assistant Tina Kiamos, the volunteers and benefactors of HANAC. The gala is the main annual fundraiser in the face of perpetual budget squeezing. She also thanked current and past Board members, singling out John Catsimatidis.

There were numerous references to the impending World Series Appearance of the New York Mets by Mihaltses and others. His wife Haeda Mihaltses, former senior aide of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and HANAC Board member, is now a top Mets official.

The post HANAC Honors Astoria’s Greek Political Trifecta appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – One hundred and fifty descendants of George and Nick Kapassakis were gathered the afternoon of October 18 at the Rex Manor catering hall in Brooklyn.

The purpose of the unique event was to introduce the younger members of the family to each other and to revive a tradition that began when the community’s pioneers arrived in New York seeking better lives.

The reunion of the Kapassakis families was organized about a year ago following the reunion of the descendants of Evangelos and Anthoula Rakintzis and which was celebrated at the Lemnian House in Astoria (see TNH of 7 Oct. 2014). Although both reunions differed in some elements, like the number of participants, nevertheless, they had several common features.

Both were characterized by the comin.g together of three generations of descendants which reunited their ties with Crete and Lemnos respectively. The Kapassakis clan has now decided to organize their next reunion in the homeland of the grand fathers and great grandfathers at the Mathe settlement belonging to the Municipality of Apokoronas in the prefecture of Chania in Crete.

The Kapassakis families, as Eleni Passias pointed out, originate from Alikambos in Chania. In the closing days of the Ottoman occupation, first cousins George Kapassakis and Nick Kapassakis settled in Mathe, where they got married and raised families. George and Nick had never lived in America themselves, but all of their children came after WWII and among them the only survivors are Georgia Kapassakis and Christos and Argyro Kapassakis. Thus, the people who came to the reunion are their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, who are third, fourth, and fifth cousins and nephews and nieces.

The organizers were Irine Likokas and Eleni Passias, granddaughters of the late Spyros and Kalliope Kapassakis, and by admission of all it was one of the best and most touching event they have experienced. Eight-year old Daniella Marina Demertzis stole the spotlight when she dedicated a song to her great grandfather, Panagiotis Kapassakis, because he was the first one who came to America. The video was posted on TNH’s Facebook page and website and by the time this article had been drafted it was visitedby 2470 people.

Most of the descendants of the Kapassakis families live in the tri-state area, while the rest live in Boston, Delaware and in other parts of the United States. The Kapassakis families have researched their family tree, which goes back six generations but the second and third generations can be highlighted as follows: George Kapassakis was married to Katina, and they had five children: Panagiotis, who was married to Evanthia, Andreas who was married to Sofia, Eleni who was married to Joseph Xenakis, and Stiliani who was married to Joseph Papadakis, and Spyros who was married to Kalliope Kapassakis. Nick Kapassakis’s first cousin was married to Evangelia and they had three boys, Costas who was married to Eleni, George who was married to Georgia, and Christos who was married to Argyro.

The first Kapassakis to discover America was Panagiotis Kapassakis, who came by ship at the age of 17.During the WW II he returned to his homeland where he married his sweetheart Evanthia. Due to the war he stayed at Mathe. In 1947 he came back to New York and brought, one after the other, members of eight households bearing three different last names: Kapassakis, Xenakis, and Papadakis. Most of them, as Eleni Passias and her mother Eftychia Lamprakos pointed out, settled in the New York Metropolitan Area and engaged in the traditional business of the Greeks, restaurants and construction.

Their children and grandchildren were educated in the best universities and by the 4th reunion most of the adults were university graduates, doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. All of them however are good family men and devoted patriots.

Their grandchildren and great grandchildren, as Likokas said, are studying the Greek language at home and at the community’s day and afternoon schools. They are also learning traditional dances at the dance groups of organizations based in Brooklyn and Astoria. During the ‘50s and ‘60s on major holidays the Kapassakis families met at their homes and at the events of Cretan associations. In 1987, when the addition of grandchildren made gatherings at their homes problematic, the Kapassakis families decided to organize their first reunions, which were held in the Three Hierarchs Church’s Gold Room.

“During that period, we could not afford to rent a hall for events. We were preparing the food, pies, pastries and sweets and we celebrated our first reunion at Three Hierarchs of Brooklyn,” mentioned Eftychia Lamprakos. This time, however, they decided to organize the reunion at Rex Manor because it belongs to Christos Markakis, grandson of Stiliani and Joseph Kapassakis.

“The first reunion was in the Church basement, while the one yesterday was held in one of the most prestigious Greek-American facilities in Brooklyn,” pointed out Ms. Lamprakos in jest. Eleni Passias noted that organizing the reunion was no easy task.

It required a lot of work to invite all of the members. The most important thing, however, was for each participant to bring their family traditions and stories about the ancestors that he grew up with she said. At the conclusion of the event, everyone gathered for the traditional commemorative photograph. “There were so many of us, that we couldn’t all fit in the picture. Thank God for Mr. Kosta Bej, the TNH photo-reporter, who came with his wide-angle lens and got us all in the picture,” pointed out Eleni Passias, who created a special Facebook page for the reunion.

Eftychia Lamprakos, speaking to TNH, expressed her satisfaction for everyone’s participation and she emphasized that they were all happy with the decision to hold the next reunion at Mathe in Crete. “We will all go with our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren so that they can see Crete, the land of heroes and brave men and women, and at the same time to show our brothers in Greece that for us, family is our first priority, and parallel to this, to show them that Cretans, no matter where they are, carry Crete within them and they disseminate its traditions to their families,” she concluded.

The post Three Generations of the Kapassakis Clan Hold Grand Reunion Gala appeared first on The National Herald.

By Constantinos Vouzakis

NEW YORK – On Sunday, October 18 at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan the members of the 2015 class of The Order of St. Andrew – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were invested after the Divine Liturgy in a ceremony with Archbishop Demetrios of America presiding. The new Archons are in the highest ranks of Greek-American professionals, scientists, and businessmen from all over the United States.

The Cathedral was filled with parishioners along with the families of the new Archons and previously invested members. After the Divine Liturgy the Archbishop presented the candidate with the cross of the Order. Once all of the new members were named and given the cross they gathered around the Archbishop for their investment. Archbishop Demetrios placed his hand on the head of each new Archon and called out his name, elicitingthe response “Axios –worthy” from the congregation.

The twenty new members of the Order of Saint Andrew are as follows: Nicholas James Bournias, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI, Dentist and Maxillofacial Surgeon; Paul Bregianos, Brooklyn, NY, Real Estate Developer; Anthony Xenophon Brigis, Sea Cliff, NY, Corporate Executive; John Peter Calamos, Sr., Aurora, IL, Financial Investments Management; James Constantine Catrickes, Haverford, PA, Food Service Industry; William Paul Doucas, Milwaukee, WI, Operational Business Intelligence Solutions; Poti George Doukas, Littleton, CO, Aeronautical Engineer;George Dean Gigicos, Boca Raton, FL, Media Advisor; Demitrios Vasilios Halakos, Wilmington, DE, Food Service Industry; Efstathios Karadonis, West Deptford, NJ, Food Service Industry; Theodore Demetrios Konopisos, Irvine, CA, Real Estate Management; Elias John Lambiris, NY, Patent Attorney; Nikitas Nicholas Manias, Palm Harbor, FL, Industrial Painting Contractor; Theodore Maniatakos, Los Angeles, CA, Real Estate Developer; Constantine Michael Rogdakis, Syosset NY, Fashion Industry; Constantine Sideridis, Salem, MA, Industrial Materials Production; William Harry Spell, Edina, MN, Private Equity Investment Manager; Michael Nikolaos Stefanoudakis, Denver, CO, Attorney, Energy Corporation Executive; Nicholas Emanuel Terezis, Steubenville, OH, Investment Advisor; Adam Manuel Tzagournis, Dublin, OH, Investment Advisor.Following the ceremony there was a reception in the Cathedral Ballroom.

TNH had the opportunity to congratulate some of the new members and talked with John P. Calamos, a well-known Investment Manager from Chicago, who said, “I am very happy to be honored by entering the Order of Saint Andrew. It was a great ceremony and a fantastic weekend. I am very excited about it.”

The post Archons Invested at Holy Trinity Cathedral in N.Y. appeared first on The National Herald.

NEW YORK – Three rising young political leaders, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, City Councilman Costa Constantinides – Astoria’s Greek political trifecta – were honored as “Persons of the Year by HANAC on October 23, along with Stacy Agrapides, who was named as the social service organizations “Volunteer of the Year.”

The 43rd Annual Gala of HANAC, the social service organization founded in 1972 by the late George Douris to help vulnerable populations throughout New York City but with a special emphasis on the Greek and Cypriot-American community, was held in the ballroom of the Mandarin Hotel.

George Mihaltses, VP at the New York Public Library served as the Emcee backed up musically the band Alpha and literally by the window walls with spectacular views of Manhattan at night. After Father Nick Anctil offered the invocation Mihaltses invited HANAC Chairman Evangeline Douris to the podium.

She good-naturedly chided Mihaltses for giving her whole speech – an overview of the history and services of the organization which range from jobs and substance abuse to youth and senior citizens programs and three affordable senior housing complexes – and counting.

HANAC continues to serve New York’s immigrant population, one of the organization’s founding missions that ensured that Hellenes would not be alone when they arrived. Rather they welcomed and given head starts in their pursuit if the American dream through language classes and other programs.

She offered thanks, later echoed by the President of HANAC Nikitas Drakotas, to the staff, especially her assistant Tina Kiamos, the volunteers and benefactors of HANAC. The gala is the main annual fundraiser in the face of perpetual budget squeezing. She also thanked current and past Board members, singling out John Catsimatidis.

There were numerous references to the impending World Series Appearance of the New York Mets by Mihaltses and others. His wife Haeda Mihaltses, former senior aide of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and HANAC Board member, is now a top Mets official.

The post Astoria’s Greek Political Trifecta Honored at 43rd Annual HANAC Gala appeared first on The National Herald.