Many of the members of the previous Supreme Lodge will continue their responsibilities into the next administrative year. The 2008-09 Supreme Lodge will be comprised of: Supreme Vice President Nicholas Karacostas, Bayside, N.Y.; Canadian President Nick Aroutzidis, Ontario; Supreme Secretary Dr. John Grossomanides, Jr., Westerly, R.I.; Supreme Treasurer Anthony Kouzounis, Houston; Supreme Counselor John Galanis, Elm Grove, Wisc.; and Supreme Athletic Director Dr. Monthe N. Kofos, Marlboro, Mass. The eight Supreme Governors are: Charles Stamoulis, Seminole, Fla.; John Mesogitis, Venetia, Penn.; Louis Arvanitis, Montvale, N.J.; Constantine Calliontzis, Dedham, Mass.; Philip G. Giavasis, Canton, Ohio; Tom Gober, Highland, Ind.; Peter Kaldis, Houston, and Nick Perdaris, Van Nuys, Calif.
Elected to the Board of Trustees are Past Supreme President James Scofield, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Past Chairman of the Board Lee J. Millas, Trenton, N.J. Vasilios Albanos, Ph.D., Darien, Ill., was re-elected to the Board of Auditors.
At the 86th Grand Banquet, AHEPA awarded Past Supreme President and Chairman of the historic Athens Supreme Convention Anastasios Steve Betzelos, its Lifetime Achievement Award which was established to honor those individuals whose body of work and service to the organization are unparalleled. There are only five recipients of this highly coveted award.
"We are very fortunate to count Brother Steve as a member of AHEPA and for all he has done for the organization in his 50-plus years of service to the community," said Supreme President Ike Gulas, adding that the honoree served as a mentor to him and countless other younger Greek Americans.
Betzelos, a lifelong resident of Chicago, served as Supreme President in 1988 and Chairman of the Board from 1999 to 2002. He was instrumental in raising funds for AHEPA's Cooley's Anemia Foundation in the 1980s with a telethon. Moreover, Betzelos served his country in World War II, in the Army Air Corps reserves, and later the Air Force reserves where he retired as a Major.
Daughters of Penelope
The Daughters of Penelope (DOP), a preeminent international women’s organization, elected Barbara Stavis Wolf, Covington, La., Grand President for the 2008-09 administrative year. Elections were held July 5, 2008 at the 86th Annual AHEPA Family Supreme Convention in Athens.
“It is an honor to be elected Grand President in Athens,” said Stavis Wolf, who is a member of New Orleans Nestor Chapter No. 55. “This year will be a poignant year for the Daughters of Penelope as we celebrate our Eightieth Anniversary which will culminate next July in the city of our founding, San Francisco, for the 2009 Supreme Convention.”
Stavis Wolf, a 33-year member of the Daughters of Penelope, has served all major positions at various levels within the organization, including Chapter President for five terms, District Governor, and Grand Vice-President. In 2003, she received the National Penelope of the Year Award. Moreover, Stavis Wolf is a Past Grand President of the Maids of Athena (1976-77).
A graduate of Tulane University, Stavis Wolf received her Law Degree from Loyola of New Orleans. Today she is a Litigation Attorney practicing in Louisiana. She is a member of the Louisiana, American and Federal Bar Associations; Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, and has served in the Louisiana Bar Association House of Delegates.
In the community, Stavis Wolf is a past member of the Board of Trustees for Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans, which is the oldest parish in the United States. Also, she is an active member of Philoptochos.
She was married to the late Richard Wolf and is the proud mother of William R. Wolf, who is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech University.
Elected to the Daughters of Penelope Grand Lodge were: Grand Vice President Elaine Sampanis, West Chester, Ohio; Canadian President Diane Polesello Lygouraitis, Calgary, Alberta; Grand Secretary Christine Constantine, Vernon Hills, Ill.; Grand Treasurer Nicky Stamoulis, Seminole, Fla.; Grand Governor, Zone I Anna-Helene Panagakos, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Grand Governor Zone II Debbie Anton Fletcher, Dayton, Ohio; Grand Governor Zone III Helen Santire, Houston, Texas; Grand Governor Zone IV Jan Spanos, Sacramento, Calif.; and Maids of Athena Grand Advisor Joanne Saltas, Murray, Utah.
Founded in San Francisco in 1929, the Daughters of Penelope is the first women’s organization of its kind established in the United States. It is an affiliate organization of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA). The mission of the DOP is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence.
Gulas in Constantinople
Supreme President Ike Gulas made the first official visitation of his second term to the Ecumenical Patriarchate where he renewed the commitment of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) to issues affecting the Ecumenical Patriarchate in a private three-hour audience with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
“We had a fruitful meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,” he said after the meeting. “His All Holiness briefed us on the current state of affairs and it is abundantly clear that we all must redouble our efforts to protect the future of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We must support the religious freedom that it rightly deserves; that all faiths deserve.”
According to Gulas, the discussion focused on the violation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s property rights by the Turkish government, prospects for reopening the Theological School at Halki, and failure of the Turkish government to recognize the international status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “I am committing our resources to elevate these critical issues to key audiences in Washington and throughout the grass roots of the AHEPA family domain.”
AHEPA was established in 1922, by visionary Greek-Americans to help Greek immigrants assimilate into American society and to protect all from prejudice from the Ku Klux Klan. In its history, AHEPA has joined with the NAACP and B’nai B’rith International to fight discrimination.
For more information about AHEPA, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, 202.232.6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.
