Andrew P.Poppas, a 4-star General of the US Army, will be one of the Grand Marshalls
By Nick Stamatakis
In a much-needed atmosphere of unity, the Federation of New York had its first, long-awaited “Panomogemniaki” meeting in Stathakeion on Thursday evening and made some significant announcements. Philip Christopher (who is now vice-chairman of the Parade, with Yiannis Stroumbakis as the Chairman) announced that Andrew P. Poppas, a 4-star General of the US Army, will be one of the Grand Marshalls this year (for his bio, please link here), an excellent choice in my opinion. Some other names were referred to in the background as honorary guests or marshalls for the Parade of March 30th.
Helleniscope insists on its preference for Greek-Americans who have excelled in various fields – this is the model we should present to our youth. Let’s not forget that the youth has always been the central focus of our parade, and it should be inspired by models of moral character, adherence to our culture and traditions, meritocracy and excellence, the ultimate Hellenic and American ideals.
The various committees gave their reports, and got the first donations to several events – similar to last year’s. The presence of accomplished Greek-Americans such as Peter Gerazounis and Lou Katsos is especially noteworthy. This is the kind of people we would love to attract to participate in our affairs energetically. Peter Gerazlounis will head the “Journal Committee” and has plans to involve many organizations in raising funds. Yiannis Stroumbakis is in charge of the most important dinner/gala at Ziegfield Theater and also the breakfast before the Parade.
Lou Katsos made a special reference to the director Giannis Smaragdis and his likely presence in the Parade as an honorary guest. He spoke of the significance of Kapodistrias, the first Governor of Greece, for the success of the Greek Revolution of 1821, and the new movie by Smaragdis about his life… As you know, a Committee has been formed to help with the fundraising of the remaining $1.5 million for the movie’s budget. The filming of “Kapodistrias” will start on May 10 in Bucharest, while on May 9, Smaragdis will formally become a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in Salzburg, Austria, in a ceremony with global publicity.
Bishop Athinagoras and Fr. Evagoras gave the prayers for the meeting and presided over cutting the traditional “Vassilopita.” Bishop Athinagoras had a few heartfelt words of faith to deliver to the meeting, and he was once again impressive with his sticking to Orthodox tradition and his emphasis on Hellenism. He is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise troubled Church, and hopefully, he will continue in the same spirit… Helleniscope’s piece of “Vassilopita” was cut at the intersection where the “lucky coin” (“φλουρί) was, and it was deemed that it belonged to us – we are the “lucky winners” of the “vasilopita” coin!!! Happy New Year to all!! The Consuls of Greece and Cyprus, Mrs Kanara and Mr. Firilas, pledged their support to the Parade at any needed level.
Finally, I would be remiss not to mention that Thursday night was the first night in the five years I have been publishing Helleniscope that so many people present greeted me with gratitude! I had used critical words for many of those present, but never out of malice and always with the common interest in mind. It was great, for a change, to see that this was widely recognized – even in private… Helleniscope has been offering constructive criticism in all directions and will be here as long as God gives us the power to perform this necessary function… Thank you from the bottom of my heart!…
PS. We should not forget that the Federation has been divided for several years. The cooperation of the two sides for the Parade over the last few years has proved that there is plenty of room for peaceful coexistence. Helleniscope has supported the intervention of our “wise elders” in forming a 3-member committee to lead to elections by June. All of us should bring into the Federation the younger generations of Greek Americans. Tens of thousands live in a 10-mile radius around Astoria and are full of energy and new ideas. Unfortunately, the disastrous “Past Presidents” who proved their inability (and also committed illegal acts on some occasions – not to mention fistfighting in this same building) insist on totally unreasonable rules, such as a “2-year service on the Board for someone to serve in office”. Are you out of your mind? Is this how you will bring “renewal”? After 4-5 years of COVID-19 and legal and other fights, this is supposed to be a fresh start! Not a re-installation of the same old faces!!
January 18, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
Καλη επιτυχια στο εργο της Ομοσπονδιας για την Παρελαση της 25 Μαρτίου 1821 στην ΝΥ.
Nick I don’t know the players or the issues so can’t say too much about this. But it does seem logical that you keeping a spotlight on this issue has been very helpful in things moving in the right direction. Great work! Our community is small and needs honor and unity!!