Hellenic Happenings from Coast-to-Coast

From Chris Maragos of the Philadelphia Eagles to a Columbus, Ohio Greek Church festival, The National Herald brings more community stories.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – CHRIS MARAGOS, a member of the SUPER BOWL champion SEATTLE SEAHAWKS just two seasons ago, who gained national attention with his defense in Super Bowl XLVIII, particularly among Greek-Americans, as his jersey, with “Maragos” on the back, identified his Hellenic heritage.

Last year, Maragos signed a three-year $4 million contract with the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, and this year in two games he has seen more playing time. Though the Eagles are off to a rocky start, losing the season opener on Sept. 14 to the ATLANTA FALCONS on Monday Night Football and their home opener the following Sunday against division rival DALLAS COWBOYS, it may simply be a matter of time for the team to adjust to its two main offensive weapons, Quarterback SAM BRADFORD and Running Back DEMARCO MURRAY, who led the NFL in rushing last season. Maragos was praised by nj.com for his play in Week 1: even though the Eagles’ defense was shoddy against the hometown Falcons, Maragos’ play wasn’t bad at all. Maragos, known for his deep faith, strong family values, and inspirational messages, recently tweeted a quote from the legendary UCLA basketball coach JOHN WOODEN: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

COLUMBUS, OH – The issue of what it means to be Greek-American was raised by the Columbus Dispatch, which inquired at the ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL’s 43rd annual Greek Festival. “It means sharing all the love, joy and pride with the whole world, of really being a human in an authentic way,” says the Rev. John Stavropoulos, an assistant priest at the church, which serves 950 families. “It’s philotimo,” he said. “It means giving freely, willingly, without expecting anything in return. It means making the stranger your friend.” An important component of philotimo is befriending strangers and inviting them into their home, and the Church is the collective home of Columbus’ Greek community. The Church reopened in 1990, the Dispatch reports, unveiling a dome that has become a “High Street landmark.” The dome, 65 feet high features an icon of Jesus Christ surrounded by 24 figures from the Old Testament. The parish was officially chartered in Ohio in 1910. There were approximately 30 Greek families in Columbus at the time and they wanted to form a parish even as
they had no priest or actual building in which to conduct services. Twelve years later, the first church was established, on March 27, 1922. Today, Annunciation has about 800 families on the church mailing list and an annual budget of over one million dollars. DIANA SYNADINOS is a historian of that Church and leads a tour of visitors. “I never tire of looking at it,” she said, the Dispatch reported. “You are sitting in a treasure.” BARTOW, FL – “Greeks and Grits” is perhaps the most apt way to describe the BROADWAY DINER in Bartow, FL, owned and operated by BILL GEGATSOULIS and DINO SAKELLIADIS, two old chums born in the United States and raised in Greece. The diner features the traditional Greek fare one would expect to find in that type of eatery, especially one run by Greeks, but in this quiet town somewhat in the middle of Florida’s two coasts, there is definitely an element of Southern cuisine. One example of its “Greek and Grits”-type platters is a gyro served with sweet potato fries. “One can get lost in its menu,” reported Time Out, a Central Florida entertainment publication, “that runs the gamut from burgers, wings and a substantial. Things can, at times, get a little silly. For instance, the specials one day included eggplant parmesan, taco salad, frog legs, and meatloaf.”