Honoring Those Who Preserved the Heritage #6
From Working to Preserve Our Heritage: The Incredible Legacy of Greek-American Community Services
"In 1996, for the tenth Heritage Awards dinner, we chose to honor several of our key supporters with the theme “Greek-American Benefactors.” The event was held on November 1st at the Knickerbocker Hotel. In place of Heritage Awards, GACS presented four Efharisto Awards. The honorees were Irene Antoniou, chair of the GACS Advisory Board, member of the Illinois Arts Council, and president of the Women’s Board for the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Eleni Bousis, a member of the GACS Advisory Board, board member of the GANHC, and co-chair of several of our fundraisers; Dr. Theodosis Kioutas, a founding member of GACS and president of the Greek-American Nursing Home Committee and Loukas Pergantas, owner of Four Star Auto Body Shop, member of the GACS Advisory Board and co-chair of several of our fundraising events. Given the theme, it was not a Heritage Awards dinner; the souvenir album was printed in green ink, rather than the traditional blue. Peter Maroutsos was the master of ceremonies, and the Efharisto Awards were introduced by Mike Bakalis and presented by Sandy, and me. The invocation was given by Very Rev. Demetrios Katsavelos, and music was provided by the Linardakis Band.
An article that appeared in the October 27, 1996, edition of the Greek Press read in part:
'This year, four Efharisto Awards will be given to the following dedicated benefactors whose outstanding service and support of GACS have helped provide agency service to the entire community.
Theodosis Kioutas, M.D., the able and highly respected leader of the Greek-American Nursing Home movement, will be honored for his innumerable contributions to Greek-American Community Services throughout the years as a participating board member. Always a supporter of GACS who helped define the identity of the organization, the indefatigable Dr. Kioutas was the key figure that sought and obtained generous adult day care start-up support from the Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Irene Antoniou, the founding chairperson of the GACS Advisory Board, has a statewide and national reputation as a successful arts advocate. Her gracious pivotal position on the Advisory Board formed three years ago enhanced the vitality of the scope of its activities which also led to the purchase of the premises that house the GACS executive and cultural arts offices and Northwest Chicago Senior Care, its adult day care center. She is a recipient of the 1996 Sidney R. Yates Advocacy Award and a vital contributor to the cultural life of the Chicago metropolitan area, especially in her association with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Illinois Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Eleni Bousis, another outstanding member of our community, is deeply and intimately involved in a plethora of philanthropic activities which she has assumed with dignity and grace in the general and Hellenic communities. A shortlist of her involvements does not do justice to the scope of her commitments, some of which include serving on the diocesan and Philoptochos boards, Disabled American Veterans, Mayo Brothers Clinic Fight Against Alzheimer’s, and Bread and Water for African Relief. She plays a major role in the support of GACS through her membership on the Greek-American Community Services Advisory Board.
Loukas Pergantas, a successful businessman of our omogenia, fits in the mold of the original protoporoi who entered this country during earlier generations, whose word was their bond, building periousies, churches, homes, and schools with very little except firm goals to honestly achieve their dreams through hard work and sacrifice. Coming from a family that has made its mark in the new as well as old worlds and is committed to service, he is another individual who has played a pivotal role by joining with, among others, Chris Tomaras, Irene Antoniou, and Eleni Bousis to form the GACS Advisory Board.'
The following year, GACS tried something different. Some had complained about the costs and effort needed to go to a downtown event on a Friday evening including driving through rush hour traffic and paying a significant price for parking. The Greek community was spread out throughout the metropolitan area, and we tried to accommodate those who preferred not to go into the city. We also held the dinner on a Sunday evening.
The eleventh annual dinner was held on November 16, 1997, at Bristol Court Banquets in Mount Prospect. It was held in November because for whatever reason we got a late start. Unfortunately, an early snowstorm made the commute difficult for many, especially those coming from the city and attendance was below what had been expected. With the theme of 'Greek American Social Services in the 90s,' we honored the Greek-American Nursing Home Committee, the Hellenic Foundation, International Orthodox Christian Charities, and the Chicago Diocese Philoptochos Society. A raffle drawing was held that evening with a grand prize of $500 and the first prize of a weekend for two at the Abbey on Lake Geneva. Other prizes included $100 cash and two dinners for two at the Little Bucharest Restaurant.
An article about the dinner written by John Rassogianis appeared on the front page of the December 4, 1997, issue of the Greek Star and in the December 21, 1997, edition of the Greek Press reported:
'A confluence of such factors as the opportunity to honor the primary service organizations of the Greek-American community, as well as their gracious response in accepting the heritage awards extended to them, produced an inspiring evening of recognition and remembrance during the recent Greek-American Community Services (GACS) 11th Annual Awards Dinner held on Nov. 16 at the Bristol Court Banquet Hall in Mt. Prospect.
Award recipients welcomed by the Greek-American Community Services president, Costas Zografopoulos were: The Greek-American Nursing Home Committee (GANHC), the Hellenic Foundation, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), and the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society.
Representing the GANHC, Dr. Theodosis Kioutas brought holiday tidings to the guests by assuring them of the imminent acceptance of the certificate of need, submitted by the GANHC on its first attempt to the state of Illinois for the establishment of a nursing home in Wheeling, Illinois.
The Hellenic Foundation president, Michael Chioros, accepted the second award acknowledging the foundation’s nearly 45 years of service and its continuing impact on the lives of the community under the current director, Lea Ames.
With the recent patriarchal visit and season of heightened awareness of the practical humanitarian work done by the Greek Orthodox church, the heritage awards also brought a timely accent to the work of the IOCC and the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. Dr. George Dalianis, chairman of the Midwest Committee of the International Orthodox Christian Charities, accepted the award for IOCC, and Susan Regos, president of the Diocese Philoptochos Society, accepted the award on behalf of the society.
Athanasia Vaselopoulos served as dinner chairman with Ethel Kotsovos as reservations chairman. Master of Ceremonies was Peter Maroutsos with John Rassogianis. Special recognition was extended to GACS founders John Psiharis and Elaine Thomopoulos, Ph.D. Rev. George Massouras of the Assumption Church of Chicago said the invocation.'
On October 9, 1998, GACS returned downtown for the Twelfth Annual Heritage Awards Cocktail Buffet, this time to the new Embassy Suites Hotel at 600 N. State Street. The hotel was home to Papa Gus, a newly opened Greek-branded restaurant operated within the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises portfolio of restaurants. The event was held in the hotel’s grand ballroom and included Greek delicacies. John Apostolou, owner of Giordano’s Pizza, Dr. Dennis Caralis, cardiologist, and Maria Pappas, Cook County Commissioner were honored. The Efharisto Award was presented to Michael Reese Health Trust. The Trust was recognized for a $50,000 grant they provided in support of the adult day care center.
The Advisory Board took on the task of organizing the 1998 dinner. Chris Tomaras chaired the event, and Irene Antoniou and Loukas Pergantas served as co-chairs. Eleni Sotos, Chris Tomaras’ assistant, served as a co-chair and handled the event logistics. Rather than the usual sit-down meal, this time, a buffet was planned. A few weeks before the event, a number of us, including the co-chairs, were invited to a private tasting shortly after Papa Gus opened. Held in the private dining room, a number of the restaurant’s featured dishes and wines were showcased. The General Manager took us on a tour of the restaurant, kitchen, and banquet facilities, all within the hotel. I recall Chris Tomaras, Eleni Bousis, Loukas Pergantas, Charles Mouratides, John Rassogianis, Eleni Sotos, and I attended, but there may have been others. We were the first Greek organization to host a dinner there, so they had a keen interest in our event. Chris Tomaras generously underwrote the event, so GACS received the full proceeds. A raffle drawing was held at the end of the event. The grand prize was a round-trip ticket to Greece, courtesy of Olympic Airways, $500 in cash, donated by Evangeline Mistaras, and a weekend for two at the Abbey on Lake Geneva, donated by Irene.
The 1998 event was the last Heritage Awards Dinner to be held. After 12 years, we decided to try something different. We were tired of the grind of producing these events year after year. Although successful, they never reached the levels that would compel us to continue them. Had we selected honorees for the 1999 Heritage Awards, two themes considered were: “Greek-American Education in the 90s,” honoring Greek American schools including Socrates, Plato Academy, Koraes, and other Chicago area schools; or “Greek-American Educators in the 90s,” honoring outstanding teachers. Either way, a red apple was envisioned as part of the centerpiece decorations.
Many events were going on within the community to benefit the nursing home, and it was difficult to compete against the momentum we worked so hard to create. There was also a lot of fundraising for the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center. Since these were two mega projects that collectively required several million dollars to accomplish and were long-held community goals that kindled a sense of enthusiasm and ethnic pride, it became more difficult to compete for dollars and attendees.
In all, an impressive array of outstanding Greek Americans who played key roles in the evolution of the omogenia were recognized for their contributions to the community. They were leaders who were distinguished in their respective fields and through their vision, time, talents, and treasure, helped to make our community a better place. It was inspiring to us that the award attained a level of prestige and respect within the Greek community."
The Greek Press, December 8, 1996. Elaine Thomopoulos collection.
Invitation to the Eleventh Annual Heritage Awards Dinner Banquet. November 16, 1997. Elaine Thomopoulos collection.
Dr. Theodosis Kioutas accepts the GACS Heritage Award on behalf of the Greek-American Nursing Home Committee, November 16, 1997. Pictured (L-R): Peter Maroutsos, John Rassogianis, John Psiharis, Athanasia Papadopoulos, and Dr. Theodosis Kioutas. John Psiharis collection.
Michael Chioros, president of the Hellenic Foundation, accepts the GACS Heritage Award on behalf of the organization. November 16, 1997. Pictured (L-R): Peter Maroutsos, Athanasia Papadopoulos, John Psiharis, and Michael Chioros. John Psiharis collection.
Dr. George Dalianis, chairman of the International Orthodox Christian Charities-Midwest Region, accepts the GACS Heritage Award on behalf of the organization. Pictured (L-R): Peter Maroutsos, Athanasia Papadopoulos, John Psiharis, and Dr. George Dalianis. John Rassogianis (right) is in the background. John Psiharis collection.
Irene Antoniou presents the GACS Heritage Award to Cook County Commissioner Maria Pappas at the 12th Annual Heritage Awards. October 9, 1998. John Psiharis collection.