OUR MAIN PHOTO: An artistic rendition of the two clowns of our community, Catsimatidis and Katsos…
ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
Katsos and Catsimatides installed two HUGE plaques on the flag masts with their names standing out as if they were heroes of the American Revolution!! The Federation should act to remove them asap!!
By Nick Stamatakis
Public monuments are not blank canvases for private vanity. They are shared spaces of memory—places where history is honored with restraint, dignity, and a sense of proportion. That is precisely why what has recently occurred at Bowling Green is so troubling.
For generations, the flagpole at Bowling Green has marked a defining moment in American history: November 25, 1783, when the last British flag was lowered, and the Stars and Stripes raised, symbolizing the end of British occupation. The original plaque commemorating that event is measured, historical, and appropriately reverent. A later addition in 1996, offered on behalf of the Greek American community, followed that same spirit—concise, respectful, and grounded in collective pride rather than individual recognition. Under the initiative of Theodore Pavlakos, former President of the Panlaconian Federation, a humble, laconic plaque was installed, mentioning the Federation, the 175 years from the Greek Revolution, and the 100 years of the modern Olympic Games… No names and no bravado!
Against that backdrop, the addition of two large, gleaming plaques dominated by oversized personal names feels jarringly out of place. Instead of complementing the existing memorials, they overwhelm them—visually and symbolically. The prominence given to Lou Katsos and John and Margo Catsimatidis shifts the focus away from the historic meaning itself and toward contemporary figures who, whatever their contributions, are not protagonists of 1783.
=============
PHOTOS ABOVE: Not even the sick ego of Donald Trump would dare do such an atrocity!! But Katsos and Catsimatides installed these two plaques with their names and desecrated one of the most respected places in NYC!!
===========
This is not simply an aesthetic misstep. It raises a deeper question about stewardship. Who gets to shape the narrative of public history? And to what end?
There is a long, troubling tradition of donors stamping their names onto public spaces. But Bowling Green is not a gala hall or corporate lobby—it is a civic landmark. Its meaning belongs to the public, not to those with the means to inscribe themselves into it.
============
PHOTOS ABOVE: The original plaque on the left commemorates November 25, 1783, when the last British flag was lowered, and the Stars and Stripes raised. The small plaque on the right, installed under the initiative of Theodore Pavlakos, former President of the Panlaconian Federation, is a humble, laconic plaque that mentions the Federation, the 175 years since the Greek Revolution, and the 100 years of the modern Olympic Games…
===========
This is not about generosity. Thoughtful donations can elevate public life. But when recognition becomes oversized—literally and symbolically—it veers into self-promotion. When modern names are given prominence that rivals the figures of 1783, the historical balance is not just strained; it is broken.
The earlier plaques understood restraint. They honored the moment and let history speak. The new additions do the opposite. Their scale and emphasis pull the eye away from the event itself, recasting a site of national memory as a stage for contemporary recognition.
Public history demands humility. It demands proportion. Above all, it demands that the past—not present-day benefactors—remain at the center.
The Federation should act immediately: 1) It should reprimand Katsos and make sure he is not elected Parade Chairman next year. 2) It should submit a petition to the Parks Department to remove these egotistic plaques and give them back to Katsos and Catsimatidis to take them home. They are a shame to our community and created an eyesore in New York!!
At Bowling Green, that standard has been compromised.
April 24, 2026, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
The depiction with the clowns is not far from reality… The masonic lodge of AHEPA and the masonic lodge of the Archons are hallucinating. Because these clowns compliment and decorate each other, they seriously think that they are important?
Nick, you are stating the obvious. They are utterly despicable!
There is so much to say about them.
Can the parade chairman tell us why he is ashamed to call himself “Greek”? What is this bulls__t that he is a Hellene, but not a Greek? Is he suffering from an inferiority complex?
Will someone tell him the name does not make the man; the man makes the name! Our Greek ancestors were GREEK and they make us proud to be GREEK!
“Doctor” Lou Katsos does not have a PhD, but we can confirm he is a preeminent Harvard man. Oh, yes! He’s administrator to a Facebook page he created for Harvard’s “Hellenic students”.
The “professor” has not published any books or academic research, peer-reviewed or otherwise. None whatsoever! But he has taken portions of my research publications (with no consent and no attributions) and inserted them in his “keynote speeches” as his own.
Serious people ignore the “doctor”, until they have had enough. I’m at that stage. I’ve had enough of him.
Not a day goes by John Catsimatides doesn’t publicize himself = what a monumental attention whore. Despite the Forbes billions he claims was
made alone still he looks unseemly.
Sick immoral society continues to self destruct.
Bad karma for Lou Katsos not honoring word? Didn’t he promise film director Smaragdis to be Grand Marshall instead of Catsimatides??
He promised to invite him as an “Honoree” or something like that… We haven’t heard anything about it either…
Unable to rise to history, they carve their names into it. Pompous fools.
UPDATE:
I just saw a video of the parade.
As the Evzones were passing the reviewing stand, Dimitris Filios began to flatter Lou Katsos, then turned the microphone over to him. The timing was inappropriate.
The Evzones made a nice background prop while our “hellene” acknowledged Filios’ gratitude and boasted about his work.
When we see the Evzones, we should all be tear-eyed, filled with deep emotions.
We should not be distracted and reminded of how low we have fallen!