By Sophia A. Niarchos
Mr. Louis Katsos was honored by AHEPA’s Delphi Chapter 25 Wednesday night at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park.
Kostas Vlasis, the former Deputy Foreign Minister in Greece for Hellenes Abroad, who shares a common heritage with Mr. Katsos as a fellow Arcadian, was introduced by Chapter President Theodore Klingos. Mr. Vlasis noted his compatriot’s excelling in business sector accomplishments in real estate design and construction; in academics and education; and in family life with his wife Barbara, two children, and four grandchildren.
“He is a true philanthropist and true Greek. He supported the vital work of AHEPA in education, philanthropy, social responsibility, and advancing Hellenic ideals and in preserving our language, history, tradition, and Greek Orthodox faith. Thank you, Louis, for what you have offered through all of these things. To be honest with you, the most important privilege of having served as deputy minister for diaspora Greeks was the opportunity to meet people like Louis, people like you, Greeks who may live far from their homeland but whose love for Greece remains strong in their hearts. No matter how successful you are, you have always remained loyal to your Greek DNA and made great efforts to support Greece and promote our nation’s ideals throughout the world.”
Mr. Vlasis also thanked AHEPA for recognizing his efforts in digitizing consulate services when challenged by the pandemic, work for which he had been recognized by the century-old organization this past summer with the 2021 AHEPA Academy of Achievement Award in Public Service. “AHEPA is a true leader in enhancing the bonds between Greeks abroad and our motherland,” he asserted.
Archbishop Elpidophoros offered the invocation and also addressed the gathering. He recognized Mr. Katsos’ role as the founder of the Eastern Mediterranean Business Cultural Alliance which “in this year of Greece’s bicentennial…contributed mightily to the understanding of what the Greek Revolution meant to Greece and to the whole world.” He also acknowledged the AHEPAN’s support for the construction of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine.
In his remarks related to Mr. Katsos’ 40 years of work for the preservation of Hellenic institutions and ideals, Consul General Dr. Konstantinos Koutras noted the areas of concern upon which Mr. Katsos has shed great light for Greek-Americans as well as U.S. government officials.
These include the conversion by Turkey of Aghia Sophia in Constantinople into a mosque as well as its suppression of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the continued Turkish occupation of Cyprus and its provocation of Greece with regard to territorial matters; Hellenic history and culture; and “the Greek diaspora worldwide.” Furthermore, he stated, Katsos “has been consistently advocating for closer relations between the United States and Greece.
Taking to the podium, Mr. Katsos emphasized what he called the most important thing, which was “to be here with you, with all of you and to break bread for the first time” since the outbreak of the pandemic.
He reiterated the issues of concern that had been raised earlier in the evening and said, “The struggle will continue. We’re not going to stop.” He called attention to the impact of his initiating the discussion about the Hellenic Revolution, especially “the influence of the revolution not only on the world…during the time period we are talking about, but also on the United States. We were the ones who brought up how in fact the Hellenic revolution affected the abolitionist movement and the women’s suffrage movement, something that has rarely been discussed.” He highlighted the “storm of intellectual discussions” created by the discussion of the Hellenic Revolution.
“The people of the U.S. have always been with the Hellenic people. Always, always, including in the revolution.”
Katsos told the attendees that during the Greek revolution, the USA was only prevented from declaring war even on the Ottoman Empire and supporting Greece during that period for economic reasons that include sales of opium by Americans who bought opium in the Ottoman Empire and sold it to China for four times the price. He ended his comments by highlighting the great amount of money being dropped for decades to politicians in the U.S. by the Turkish government and his disappointment in the job “we have done” relative to that.
Remarks were also made by AHEPA District #6 Governor Dean Moskos, and a congratulatory message from AHEPA’s Supreme President was read by Executive Director Michael Papafotis.
After receiving the Delphi Award from Mr. Klingos and his fellow chapter board members for his dedication to the Order of AHEPA, Mr. Katsos was also presented with a second award, a bronze eagle, by former Delphi Chapter 25 president Argyris Argytakos who told the crowd that there had been skepticism that this year’s journal for the event would have enough content due to the pandemic. He credited Katsos for making this year’s journal the largest ever, describing him as the “Energizer Bunny” because “he keeps on going.”
Among the 150 AHEPAns, business colleagues, and friends attending this prestigious event were Fr. Alex Karloutsos and Presbytera Xanthi, Chair of the Friends of St. Nicholas Dennis Miehl, Vice-Chair of the Archdiocesan Council and Board member of the Friends of St. Nicholas Mr. John Catsimatides and his wife Margo, and President of Atlantic Bank Nancy Papaioannou. Mayoral Candidate Eric Adams also was present and spoke about the success of immigrants and ethnic-Americans in New York and around the country.
