Interviews
Conversations with voices from our community and across the Greek world.
Peter Kalitsopoulos, Recording the Legacy of Olde Greektown
With camera in hand, Peter Kalitsopoulos has recorded many historic moments in the Philadelphia Greek community. One such image shot in the 80’s, captures a group of Evzones standing tall in front of Independence Hall. The…
Billy Phillips, Service To Country And Community
A decorated Vietnam veteran and police officer in the city of Philadelphia for 25 years, Billy Phillips (Vasili Philippou) has served country and community. “I was one of a handful of Greek-American volunteers that joined the…
John Zafiropoulos, A Greek And The Sea
John Zafiropoulos has never been far from water. Born and raised on the island of Crete, he witnessed the WWII invasion by the Germans that devastated and shaped his early life. By the time he was…
In Memory Of Marika Trizonis
Marika Papouris Trizonis, who left us in the spring of 2015, was a treasure in the Greek-American community of Philadelphia. She hailed from Aretsou, a beautiful suburb of Constantinople. After the Asia Minor catastrophe in 1922,…
Harry Papadakes, Founder And Historian Of St. Sophia
West Norriton, PA – One of the original founders of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox church, Harry Papadakes, is also an American Army veteran, who followed a similar path to the United States, paved by his father.…
George Gatsoulas, Maverick of The Golden Age of Greek Radio
Before there were iPhones, the internet and cable, bringing you the Greek news, there was the radio. During the golden age of Greek radio in Philadelphia (1975-2000), some five radio programs and several radio station broadcasts…
A Life Dedicated To Church, Family And Community, Despina “Bessie” Zantopoulos
Wayne, PA – Bessie Zantopoulos has witnessed the transition of the Philadelphia Greek community from its’ early beginning and lived a life dedicated to its’ future. Poised, humble and well manured (at the age of 87),…
Nicholas L. Gianopulos Preserving our History
Philadelphia, PA – Nicholas L. Gianopulos, PE, is currently Chairman Emeritus of Keast & Hood Co., Consultant Engineers in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, and was a founding member of the firm, formed in 1953 from the…
Hidden Mosaics: An Aegean Tale – A Novel By Alexander Billinis
When Osman, a Turk, met Yiannis, a Greek, by chance, in Izmir – known to Greeks, and to history, as Smyrna – both men still believed, to a greater or lesser extent, the national mythologies of…
Chrysovalantis Stamelos, Reflecting On Hello Anatolia And Future Projects In Izmir
Izmir, Turkey – His film, Hello Anatolia, garnered accreditation from screenings at Harvard University, Yale University, The American College of Athens, and his own alma mater, Syracuse University. Hello Anatolia is a personal journey of identity.…
Dr. Nick Tsirakoglou, Nurturing The Greek Community
Newtown Square, PA – If you were born into the Greek community around the suburbs of Philadelphia in Delaware or Chester counties, there’s a good chance that Dr. Nick Tsirakoglou was there to welcome you. He’s…
Let Me Explain You, A Novel By Annie Liontas
Stavros Stavros Mavrakis is the Greek immigrant patriarch at the center of Annie Liontas’ debut novel Let Me Explain You. He has a premonition that he has just ten days to live, and proceeds to send…
