Philadelphia, PA – Born on December 27, 1938, John Sporidis grew up in one of the oldest Greek communities outside Greece, in Alexandria, Egypt. His father, Philippos, hailed from Constantinople, and his mother from the isle of Chios. John attended the Greek elementary school in Alexandria and then the French Gymnasium there, before acquiring a degree in shirt-making. The social changes in Egypt in the early 50’s, which ultimately led to the decimation of the Greek element there, took him to Zimbabwe (then still called Rhodesia), where he married his also Alexandrian wife, Eleni, in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Salisbury (now Harare). His enterprising nature then led him to Zambia, where he managed a large clothing factory until 1974. He and his family returned to Greece for a few years, but in 1991 his two sons’ business ventures brought him to the United States, where he has since settled in Philadelphia. He and his wife are currently living at the Athenagoras Manor of the St. George Senior Housing Complex.
As part of his work over the years Mr. Sporidis has traveled to dozens of countries the world over, Australia being the single continent he has not set foot on. His extensive travels have given him a wealth of experiences and acquaintances and of course a lifetime of memories. His Alexandrian Greek origin, coupled with his natural talent, gave him also the foundation for becoming a veritable polyglot: he speaks eight languages, namely Greek, English, Arabic, French, Italian, German, Zulu, and Swahili.
This cosmopolitan ambassador of the Greek enterprising spirit is still shining at the St. George Senior Housing, selflessly and generously helping his fellow Greek seniors with their needs, using his remarkable worldly knowledge. In October of 2013 our Metropolitan honored Mr. Sporidis for his contributions to the St. George Community.