Vol. 15 Issue 6 | Wednesday, February 10, 2021
AHEPA E-News
AHEPA Welcomes Senate Resolution Recognizing 200th Anniversary of
Greek Independence
AHEPA welcomes the introduction of a bipartisan Senate resolution commemorating the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence Day, by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and John Barrasso (R-WY), announced Supreme President George G. Horiates.
The resolution, S.Res.34, celebrates the commitment to democracy that Greece and the United States share as well as the two nations’ lasting partnership and rich history of friendship, according to a statement from Senator Menendez.
The resolution:
Recognizes the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence Day
Celebrates Ancient Greece as the birthplace of democracy and the enduring commitment of the Greek people to democratic principles
Acknowledges the important role that Greece has played on the global stage in addition to the country’s strong relationship with the United States
"AHEPA sincerely thanks Senators Menendez and Barrasso for introducing this resolution that recognizes the landmark bicentennial of Greece’s independence,” Horiates said. “We encourage the community to outreach to their senators to urge their co-sponsorship of the resolution. We call for the U.S. Senate to pass the resolution swiftly."
Find/Contact Your U.S. Senators
Read the Resolution Text
AHEPA Mourns Passing of Harry Mark Petrakis
AHEPA mourns the passing of Author Harry Mark Petrakis, announced Supreme President George G. Horiates.
Petrakis died Feb. 2 at the age of 97.
AHEPA presented Harry Mark Petrakis (pictured second from left with honorees) with the AHEPA Academy of Achievement Award for his success as an author at a Midwest Regional Banquet held May 1, 2010, in Chicago.
Past Supreme President Steve A. Manta introduced Petrakis. In acceptance, Petrakis poked fun at himself first, “You catch me this evening in the springtime of my senility,” the then-88-year-old author said.
According to The Greek Star newspaper that reported on the banquet, Petrakis also shared stories that were humorous and touching. He recalled his growing up as the son of Father Mark and Presvytera Petrakis on Chicago’s South Side that he was not only the mischievous child who once gave in to the temptation of food during Lent, but also the one who appreciated the splendor of a Greek Orthodox Easter service.
“How rich the memories. How great the tradition,” Petrakis said. “I would not trade being born the son of a poor priest for being a prince.”
“An inspiration to many, Harry Mark Petrakis leaves a tremendous void in the Greek American community and in the literary world to which he contributed his genius and passion for storytelling,” Supreme President Horiates said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the Petrakis family. May his memory be eternal.”
Chicago Sun-Times Obituary
Hit the Links in Tucson
The 2021 AHEPA Monthe Kofos National Golf Tournament will be held at the Lowes Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson, Ariz., March 29 to April 3. The resort features two, 18-hole golf courses designed by Tom Fazio. A tournament banquet will be held April 2.
If interested, call the resort, 800.234.5117, to make a $200 non-refundable deposit before February 28. Please advise them you are part of the AHEPA Golf group. Also, a $125 admin fee made payable to AHEPA is to be brought on-site.
download flyer for more info
Greece Is the Word in 2021
Make Reservations! | Athens Supreme Convention
AHEPA is preparing for the 99th AHEPA Family Supreme Convention to be held in Athens, Greece, July 25 to 31, 2021. The official convention hotel will be the Hotel Grande Bretagne. Reservation deadline is March 31, 2021.
Greece will be celebrating the bicentennial of its independence in 2021 and the AHEPA family will be there to join in the celebration! See you there!
New! Make Reservations | more info
Don't miss out!
100th anniversary member data project underway
AHEPA recently launched a comprehensive 100th Anniversary member data verification project, announced Supreme President George G. Horiates.
"We are requesting all members of AHEPA to contact us for this important project and encourage you to be a part of the Centennial celebrations," Horiates said, adding that members should have received an email with detailed instruction this week. "We've assembled the information currently listed in our member files and now need your help to confirm the accuracy of your data and fill in any information gaps."
Up-to-date member information is critical in helping AHEPA promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. That's why it's so important to call.
Please call 1-888-827-6103 (toll-free) to take care of this important matter today.
Calendar of Events & Deadlines
March
15 | Deadline: National Scholar-Athlete and Hall of Fame applications.
Find the applications here
25 | Bicentennial of Greece's Independence
31 | Deadline: AEF scholarship applications
Apply here
March
31 | Deadline: 2021 Supreme Convention
reservations
April
15 | Deadline: 2021 Supreme Convention Delegate/Alternate reporting form
Stay Connected with AHEPA
Join AHEPA Today!
In our own words. What AHEPA means to us.
Join AHEPA Now!
Greek American News Digest
Editor's Note
Editorials, commentaries, opinion pieces, and articles are shared for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the Order of AHEPA, its affiliated organizations, and members.
Greece Planning to Reopen for Travel by June
VOA News (Feb. 5)
The COVID-19 pandemic brought Greece's most profitable industry, tourism, to its knees.
Yet a year since the deadly bug hit this sun-kissed nation of 11 million, causing mass travel cancellations and wreaking financial havoc unseen since Greece's economy went into freefall over a decade ago, tourism officials say they are now marshaling an industry comeback.
read more
He Wants to Save Classics From Whiteness. Can the Field Survive?
New York Times Magazine (Feb. 2)
Dan-el Padilla Peralta thinks classicists should knock ancient Greece and Rome off their pedestal — even if that means destroying their discipline. read more
Opinion | Why I won’t surrender the classics to the far right
Washington Post (Feb. 4)
I am a woman and a classics professor, teaching the ancient texts of Greece and Rome — in other words, works by the original “dead white men.” Some teachers argue that texts once read by elites or used in the service of oppression are morally tainted for that reason. So serious a scholar as Princeton’s Dan-el Padilla Peralta has suggested that the history of these classical works has condemned them to ignominy as instrumental to the invention of “whiteness.”
But I’d suggest that if this is the path we take, we’re in trouble. read more
Greece Imposes Stricter Lockdown in Athens to Halt Virus Spread
Bloomberg (Feb. 9)
The Greek government has reintroduced a stricter lockdown in Athens and the surrounding Attica region in a bid to curb a recent spike in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The area accounts for around half of Greece’s population of almost 11 million. read more
Tourism, regional security, Israeli coronavirus medicine discussed in PM Mitsotakis-Netanyahu Jerusalem talks
ANA-MPA (Feb. 8)
The coronavirus pandemic, reopening tourism, and the geopolitical situation in Eastern Mediterranean were some of the issues discussed at length between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday.
read more
Cyprus receives first batch of 7,200 AstraZeneca doses
Kathimerini Cyprus (Feb. 8)
The island expects to receive around 70,000 doses by the end of the month, by which time the Health Ministry aims to see those aged 75+ get the first dose of the vaccine. read more
US against two-state deal on Cyprus, Heather A. Conley tells Kathimerini
Kathimerini (Feb. 8)
Heather A. Conley is no stranger to Greece as she has made a point of visiting the country every year and also participated in the 2019 Delphi Forum – the last that actually took place in Delphi. read more
