Our History
HELLENIC UNIVERSITY CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA
A Brief History
Paideia, the pursuit of education or learning, is an integral part of Hellenic culture and the ideal to which the Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia is dedicated. The pursuit of paideia has been achieved in great and growing numbers of Americans of Greek descent – men and women born into the long Greek heritage of learning, reared in this nation’s wealth of schooling, and endowed with the capacity to profit from both. For such individuals, and by such individuals, the Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia was founded on March 27, 1936 – the first, and only, organization of its kind in the Philadelphia area. The founding members of the Club were:
Miss Theresa Chletcos Rev. Demetrios Papantoniou
Dr. Nicholas Hetos Dr. George Perakos
Mr. Xenophon Ides Dr. Peter Petropoulos
Dr. Abraham Michaels Mr. Phokion Sober
Mr. Harry Nickles Dr. Constantine Stephanis
Mrs. Kively Padis Dr. Peter Theodos
Dr. Nicholas Padis Mr. Aristides Zangakis
Dr. Nicholas Padis served as the first President. The first organizational meeting of the Club was held on October 26, 1936, at the Christian Association of the University of Pennsylvania. At that meeting, the membership numbered 16, a constitution was adopted, and a name selected – The Greek Professional Club of Philadelphia. Although it was later changed to The Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia, the original Club initials, EΣE, signifying “Ellinikos Sillogos Epistimonon” (Hellenic Professional Association), have been retained.
The Club’s first official function was a banquet on November 19, 1936, held at the Manufacturers Club, with His Eminence Archbishop Athenagoras as the guest speaker. The following year, the Club members planned a formal celebration to commemorate the Greek Day of Letters which honors the Three Hierarchs of Greek Orthodoxy. The event was held on February 2, 1938, when the Club attended church as a group and one member delivered a speech before the congregation. The Philadelphia Greek-American community responded so enthusiastically that this observance became a firm tradition with the Club and is observed annually on the last Sunday in January.
1936 – 1945
Outstanding in the prewar years was the institution of the Annual Dinner Dance, a formal function by which the Club members observe the Greek Day of Letters and dedicate themselves to worthy intellectual aims. The first Dinner Dance was held on February 5, 1939, at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel. From the beginning, the Dinner Dance has been highlighted by addresses by distinguished individuals. Notable speakers over the years
have included: Archbishop Athenagoras; Harold A. Stassen, signer of the United Nations Charter, governor of Minnesota and president of the University of Pennsylvania; Carlos P. Romulo, signer of the United Nations Charter and president of the United Nations General Assembly; John Brademas, U. S. Congressman from Indiana and president of New York University; Peter Liacouras, president of Temple University; Paul Sarbanes, U. S. Senator from Maryland; Michael Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate; and Nicholas Gage, author of Eleni and New York Times journalist.
As important as the caliber of the speakers was the disposition of the Dinner Dance profits. The profit from the first Dinner Dance ($226.00) was sent to the Greek Orthodox Preparatory Theological Seminary. Profits from the second Dinner Dance went into a newly formed Scholarship Fund; those from the third and fourth were given to Greek War Relief.
The Dinner Dance was suspended during World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It was reinstituted in 1946, and from that time to the present, the Annual Dinner Dance profits benefit the Club’s Scholarship Fund.
Also established during this period was the Club’s Friday night lecture series. In keeping with the spirit of paideia, these lectures covered cultural, historic, and practical themes and were presented by guest speakers and Club members.
During the war years, the Club, under the leadership of its female members, continued to function. A large part of the members’ energies was channeled into war-related work with the Emergency Aid Bazaar and the Greek War Relief.
1946 – 1969
With the arrival of peace, the Club regained its prewar vigor. The membership and activities expanded greatly during its second and third decades. New members were added, especially young graduates. The Constitution was revised and the Club was formally chartered as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of Pennsylvania on March 8, 1947.
Since then, official monthly board meetings, consisting of the Officers, the Board of Directors, and Committee Chairpersons, have taken over the general business of the Club, formulating policies, establishing budgets, and overseeing the work of the various committees.
The program series, comprising four or five lectures, branched out to include practical as well as cultural subjects. Lecture topics focused on Greek themes, both ancient and modern, and practical subjects such as income taxes and salesmanship. The broad range in subject matter continues to the present day.
The most notable postwar expansion was in the area of social activities which included Christmas, New Year, and masquerade and card parties; teas, picnics, fishing trips, and square dances; group outings to the theater, Robin Hood Dell, the beach, baseball and football games; and the very successful annual Parents Day Luncheon or Tea. It was in this period that the Club gave prompt approval to the Philadelphia Federation of Hellenic American Societies to which we have sent delegates since its beginning. A significant fact is that nearly all of the Federation’s early presidents were members of the Hellenic University Club.
1970 – 1979
Early in the 1970s, the Club formed its own theater group and presented two Greek comedies in Greek to the greater Philadelphia community.
In the early seventies, the Hellenic University Club Library was created to make books on a wide variety of Hellenic subjects, in both Greek and English, available to the Club members. Over the years, books were purchased by the Club or donated by members and friends. The books circulated through special exhibits and loan requests.
To mark the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976, four major events were organized by the Club under the banner “The Hellenic Perspective.” Contributions of Greek-Americans to the Social Sciences, the Arts, the Natural Sciences, and the Humanities were focused upon. Three of the events were symposia held at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University. The fourth was a concert and exhibit of fine art by Greek-American artists and was staged at the Balch Institute.
In 1976, the Club’s logo was redesigned, and at the suggestion of Dr. Nicholas Padis, included the Athenian tetradrachma from the fifth century B.C. This ancient coin depicts the owl which was sacred to the Greek goddess Pallas Athena, the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and knowledge. The spray of olives represents the tree which is traditionally Athena’s gift to mankind.
Another highlight of the decade was the Club’s 40th anniversary celebration during the 1976 Annual Dinner Dance. Dr. Nicholas Padis, the first president, served as toastmaster; Peter Liacouras, then dean of the Law School and later president of Temple University, was the guest speaker; and the 40-year members of the Club were honored.
During this period, Club activities increased with the inception of the Spring Arts Event, featuring exhibits and concerts by local artists and musicians. Other special events included opera and theater trips to New York City and the annual canoe trip in the Southern New Jersey Pine Barrens.
The 1970s also saw the sons and daughters of founding and first generation members joining and becoming active in the Club.
1980 – 1989
In 1980, the Club hosted the Modern Greek Studies Association’s international symposium at the University of Pennsylvania. This two-day event featured scholars addressing a large audience on “The Emerging Role of Women in Modern Greek Society.”
During the 1980s, the Club launched a major scholarship fund-raising drive which raised over $30,000 in three years. A goal of $100,000 by 1990 was established for the Scholarship Fund in order to grant more and larger scholarships. The entire scholarship program was reorganized with the creation of a new Hellenic University Club Scholarship Fund, which became an umbrella for the various scholarships granted by the Club, and the creation of the Scholarship Fund Investment Committee, which is responsible for the management and investment of the funds.
This decade marked the celebration of the Club’s 50th anniversary in March 1986 with a gala dinner dance at the Merion Cricket Club honoring the founding members and past presidents.
1990 – 1999
In the 1990s the Hellenic University Club Library was expanded. The collection of books grew to well over 200 volumes that refer to the Hellenic heritage and Hellenic culture and its influence through ancient, medieval, and modern times. Its diverse subject matter makes it a source for scholarly research as well as personal literary enjoyment. Additionally, a special section on children’s literature was created. In 1992 the Library Development Fund was established. It grew to nearly $9,000 through the generous support of members and friends.
In 1994 at the University of Pennsylvania the Club organized a half-day symposium commemorating the 2,500th anniversary of the birth of democracy. Entitled “Democracy: The Legacy, The Present, The Future,” this event drew a large audience of Club members, friends, and academicians.
In February 1996 the Club’s 60th anniversary was celebrated at the Annual Dinner Dance. Dr. Constantine Papadakis, President of Drexel University, was presented with the Club’s first Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the field of education.
2000 – Present
In 2000 the Club welcomed the new Millenium with a series of programs featuring outstanding Greek- Americans in the Philadelphia region. In a special ceremony on the Day of Greek Letters in January of 2002, the Hellenic University Club Library Collection was transferred to the Center for Hellenic Studies at Temple University. This permanent location allows for increased access and use of these books by Club members, faculty and students.
The Athens 2004 Olympics was the topic of two programs: “Greece & the Modern Olympics” preceding the Olympics, and a post-Olympics panel presentation, “Reflections on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.” In the spring of 2004 the Club organized and presented a full-day Symposium titled “Metropolis: Athens and Philadelphia” at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The program featured four distinguished Penn professors as speakers, ancient Greek drama, Greek antiquities, and ancient athletics.
In February of 2005 the Club’s 22 Emeritus Members were honored at the Annual Dinner Dance celebrating their fifty or more years of continuous membership.
In June of 2007, after 4 years of work by the Strategic Planning Committee, the revised Constitution and Bylaws was ratified by the members at the Annual Business Meeting.
In all of the Club’s activities since its beginning, there is much that would please the founding members and much to satisfy the present membership of more than 350. However, no activity surpasses in significance the Hellenic University Club Scholarship Program. Through it, the concept of paideia is affirmed, and by it, the Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia measures its stature.
The Hellenic University Club Scholarship Program
From its inception the Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia set a goal of establishing a scholarship to assist worthy Greek-American students with financial need. In 1939 the first annual scholarship was awarded. This was later named in honor of the late Dr. Michael Dorizas of the University of Pennsylvania, a widely respected educator, lecturer and athlete. Until 1959 direct donations were made to educational institutions or direct scholarship grants were made to students.
In 1959 the Club changed the grant program to an interest-free loan program which continued until 1969. In 1971, however, the award again became an outright grant, and the sum of $1,000 was awarded annually to a deserving individual with outstanding academic qualifications and financial need, selected by the Club’s elected Scholarship Committee.
In 1986 the first Dr. Nicholas Padis memorial Graduate Scholarship ($2500) was awarded in honor of the Club’s first president and founding member. This scholarship is offered annually for academic excellence.
In 1988 Mrs. Peter Theodos established the Dr. Peter A. Theodos Memorial Graduate Scholarship in honor of her husband, the Club’s third president and founding member. This $1,500 scholarship is available annually to medical students and is funded by Mrs. Theodos.
The Christopher Demetris Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of their young son by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Demetris. Other scholarships have been awarded through the Psalidas-Perlmutter Undergraduate Scholarship, given in memory of their parents by members Drs. Howard and Foulie Perlmutter; the George P. Pavlos Memorial Scholarship given from the estate of deceased member George P. Pavlos by his children; and the Andrew G. Chressanthis Memorial Scholarship, given in memory of this former member and Scholarship Committee Chair from the estate of Angeline Chressanthis.
In 1999 the first Paideia Undergraduate Scholarship, a merit scholarship for the child of a member, was awarded. In 2001 Dr. Maria G. Hetos established the Nicholas S. Hetos, DDS, Memorial Graduate Scholarship to honor her husband, the Club’s fifth president and founding member. This $2,000 scholarship is offered annually to a dental student. In 2004 Mr. Louis Vastardis established a trust in the amount of $30,000 in memory of his wife Goldie S. Vastardis. Each year a $1000 Goldie S. Vastardis Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Hellenic University Club, is offered from this trust to a student who is the child or grandchild of a St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church parishioner. From 1998 until 2003 each scholarship recipient was awarded an additional $1000 grant from the Nicholas and Paris Panagos Charitable Trust.
In 1995 a major fundraising effort was launched titled “Scholarship Fund Drive 2000.” The goal of this drive was to increase the existing scholarship fund to $200,000 by the year 2000. This would enable the Club to increase the level of funding for the existing scholarships and to assist more students as the cost of higher education continues to rise. In June of 2000, the Scholarship Fund balance was $220,000, surpassing the goal set in 1995.
In 2006 two new scholarships were established. Member Mrs. Anastasia Ververelli will fund the Dimitri J. Ververelli Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship for Architecture/Engineering to honor her husband Dimitri J. Ververelli, a past president of the Club. The $2,000 grant was awarded for the first time in June of 2006. Mrs. Effie Liacouras established our first endowed scholarship in honor of her husband with a gift of $50,000 to the Scholarship Fund. The George C. Liacouras Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $5,000 will be offered annually to an undergraduate student attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It was awarded for the first time in June 2007.
The revised Constitution and Bylaws, ratified by the members in June 2007, permits undergraduate students who are declared majors in Greek Studies to apply for a scholarship, regardless of their heritage.
In June of 2008, the first Peter G. Pitsakis Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship was awarded in the amount of $2,500. Past President Peter G. Pitsakis (2005-2006), who passed away in January 2008, requested that an undergraduate scholarship be established in his name. Through donations from his relatives and friends and a bequest from him, his legacy of outstanding service to the Club will endure for many years.
Today, the annual scholarships we offer total nearly $40,000 and are awarded through the Dr. Michael Dorizas Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($3,000), the Founders Undergraduate Scholarship ($3,000), the Paideia Undergraduate Scholarship ($3,000), the Christopher Demetris Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($1,500), the Goldie S. Vastardis Memorial Scholarship ($2,000), the Dimitri J. Ververelli Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($2,000), the George C. Liacouras Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($5,000), the Peter G. Pitsakis Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($2,000), the Helen Doukakis Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship ($2,000), the Dr. Nicholas Padis Memorial Graduate Scholarship ($5,000), the Dr. Peter A. Theodos Memorial Graduate Scholarship ($1,500) and the Nicholas S. Hetos, DDS, Memorial Graduate Scholarship ($2,000). We also administer the Anthony Chokas Memorial Scholarshp ($2,000), the Chios Society of Philadelphia “Koraes” Scholarship ($2,000), and the Cyprus Society Scholarship ($2,000).
Since 1971 we have awarded $405,000 in scholarship grants to 207 undergraduate and graduate students.
