TNH's All-Time Greek-American Football Team
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
S O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of E ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek- Americans N c v A wEEKly GREEK-AMERIcAN PUblIcAtION www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 17, ISSUE 852 February 8-14, 2014 $1.50 Messenia to TNH’s All-Time Greek-American Football Team Minnesota: Harry Agganis and Sen. Pappas Alex Karras Top Our Talks to TNH Greek Gridiron Stars By Andy Dabilis By Constantinos E. Scaros It’s too bad the best of Greek- American football players over Minnesota Senate Presi - the years couldn’t have been as - dent Sandy Pappas has deep sembled at the same time, be - roots in that state. She was cause they probably would have born in Hibbings, a small put up a better performance in city in the Northeastern Super Bowl XLVIII than did the Minnesota, about 100 miles Denver Broncos. south of the Canadian bor - From Ohio State All-Ameri - der. Though relatively un - can Gust Zarnas in 1935, who known throughout the played offensive guard for the United States, Hibbings is Chicago Bears and Green Bay the birthplace of quite a few Packers and is in the College celebrities, including home Football Hall of Fame, to the Su - run hero Roger Maris and per Bowl-winning Seattle Sea - basketball legend Kevin hawks today, which have safety McHale. It is also the town Chris Maragos, the community in which iconic folk singer has produced a wealth of college Bob Dylan was raised. and professional football all- Senator Pappas also has stars who would have proved a deep roots in Greece. Her formidable team. grandfather, Vasilius Pana - The National Herald has as - go polis, emigrated from the sembled a list and asks you to small village of Katsaros, in pick who your favorite was, a the Messenia region of the difficult choice given they played Peloponnese, to Minnesota over a span of eight decades, about 100 years ago, joining during which the game changed legions of immigrants from so much. numerous countries who What stayed the same was the found employment in the arête they possessed, the drive for iron ore mines, she told excellence and virtue, and how TNH. Panagopolis went into AP/MAtt SlOcUM so many of them embodied the the restaurant business, Pap - As 115 million viewers watched Super Bowl 48 on Feb. 2, jersey of Seattle Seahawks’ #42. Sure enough, Chris Maragos heart of Hellenism and their up - pas said, and then pro - countless Greeks surely noticed the name “Maragos” on the (shown above, after the Seahawks won), is Greek-American. bringing and family values. ceeded to work for the City It is difficult to choose who of Hibbings. was the best because a handful Pappas graduated from of them showed the kind of talent Metropolitan State Univer - Kefalonia Earthquake that comes along so rarely, such sity in St. Paul – the Min - Damages Homes and as Harry Agganis, The Golden nesota state capital and Greek, a two-way All-American “twin city” to Minneapolis – Infrastructure; Calls at Boston University from 1948- and then, as a Bush Foun - For Diaspora Aid Begin 52 – a first round draft choice at dation fellow, earned a MPA quarterback by the Cleveland from Harvard’s Kennedy Browns to replace Otto Graham. School of Government. Yachts are seen knocked off Agganis died at 26 while play - (The “Bush” in question their stands at a damaged ing for the Boston Red Sox, and here is not a member of the dock after an earthquake in would have been the first real presidential Bush Family, Lixouri on Kefalonia on two-sport star. Had he chosen Monday, Feb. 3. A strong football, he would have been Continued on page 8 earthquake with a paired at Cleveland with running preliminary magnitude back Jim Brown, called by many between 5.7 and 6.1 hit the greatest player the game has Kefalonia before dawn ever seen. Monday, sending scared But there was Alex Karras, a Archbishop residents into the streets just monster defensive tackle from the over a week after a similar University of Iowa who destroyed quake damaged hundreds of opponents while playing for the I S S buildings, reviving memories Detroit Lions from 1958-70 – not Anastasios I N I of a disaster in the 1950s. including a suspension for gam - K O Related story on p. 11. R U In New York E Continued on page 9 By Constantine S. Sirigos TNH Staff Writer Arvanitaki Fills Carnegie Hall, Delights Audience HALC: New NEW YORK – His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania By Constantine S. Sirigos Love is a good word to char - Plans under was the featured speaker of the TNH Staff Writer acterize the feelings of per - celebration of “The Feast Day of former and audience alike. She the Three Hierarchs and of NEW YORK – Eleftheria Arvan - flashed her radiant smile Greek Sun Greek Education,” hosted by the itaki and her passionate fans throughout the concert, and her Archdiocese’s Department of filled Carnegie Hall with kefi on listeners expressed their love Greek Education at Manhattan’s February 1, her unique voice with applause, shouts of praise By Constantine S. Sirigos Metropolitan Club. and style simultaneously ex - and whistles. TNH Staff Writer Ioannis Efthymiopoulos, pressing and transcending her “Kalispera – Good evening,” PhD, National Director of Greek Hellenic essence. Arvanitaki welcomed the audi - NEW YORK – Greek-Americans Education, whose department The musicians – whom Ar - ence between songs. “Yassou have long debated whether the sponsored the event, welcomed vanitaki acknowledged through Eleftheria” some of the 2800 of community merely needs to up - the guests to the ornate ball - the evening – were welcomed the standing room only crowd grade its existing organizations, room of the Metropolitan Club, with applause as they walked responded. “A big thank you to better fund them, or create new and acknowledged Antonis H. onstage, but the warmth and all of you,” she said. ones. The challenges and oppor - Diamataris, the publisher of The volume seemed to lift an obvi - She continuously invited tunities generated by develop - ously emotional Arvanitaki them to participate, and parts ments in Greece and Cyprus – in - Continued on page 6 above the floor that has held the of the hall resonated with the cluding the deepening of their greatest musicians of the 20th voices and rhythmic clapping of relationships with Israel, and the and 21st century. fans of all ages and ethnic back - concerns about the community’s The first song, with its an - grounds. future, have shifted the focus for For subscription: cient, mystical tones and exotic Arvanitaki flashed her versa - some people from discussion to 718.784.5255 rhythms, represented her reper - tility with the second piece, immediate action. [email protected] toire well. Music critic Christina which began like the first but Organizations like The Hel - Roden wrote for the program, ended with a jazzy climax of lenic Initiative, which focuses on “her musical vocabulary has im - wild flute and drums. She fol - helping build a new Greece, and partially embraced Orient and lowed with the poignant “Edo Standing on the very spot where Dimitri Mitropoulos conducted the Hellenic American Leader - occident, tradition and moder - the New York Philharmonic in the 1950s, Eleftheria Arvanitaki nity.” Continued on page 4 brought Mediterranean warmth and mystery to New York. Continued on page 9 2 COMMUNITY THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 8-14, 2014 GREEKS AROUND THE US GOINGS ON... n THRU MARCH 2 Xephantoma! RSVP now, do not Theater Season in Toronto's Greek Community WASHINGTON, DC – Heaven on be left out! Thursday, Feb. 20 Earth: Art of Byzantium from 7PM at the Chian Cultural Cen - Greek Collections will be pre - ter, 44-01 Broadway in Astoria. By Frances sented at the National Gallery Traditional Tsiknopempti Feast, Themeliopoulos of Art from Oct. 6 2013-Mar. 2, Live Greek Music with Gregoris 2014. In the first exhibition de - Marinakis, Vicky Palma & the This year marks the 105th an - voted to Byzantine art at the Mikrokosmos Ensemble. Special niversary of the Greek Commu - Gallery, some 170 rare and im - guest appearance by Betty Har - nity of Toronto (GCT). If you portant works, drawn exclu - lafti. Valet Parking is available. were to ask around about some sively from Greek collections, For more information & RSVP: of the well-established traditions the exhibit will offer a fascinat - (718) 204-8900 or cos - at the community, you would ing glimpse of the soul and [email protected]. Tickets are surely hear about Theatre Nefeli. splendor of the Byzantine Em - also available at the Cosmos FM Over the past 23 years, pire. Recognized masterpieces, office: 23-18 29th Street in As - through many fiscal challenges, many never lent before to the toria. Ticket price is $75. the Greek Community of Toronto United States, will be on view has stayed true to its vision to with newly discovered and pre - n FEBRUARY 22-23 preserve and integrate Hellenism viously unpublished objects PALM DESERT, CA – Be Greek in Canadian society by devoting from recent archaeological ex - for a Day (or a weekend!) The $150,000.00 CDN over each of cavations in Greece. The exhi - 18th Anniversary Palm Desert those 23 years to its cultural pro - bition is organized by the Hel - Greek Festival 2014 will take grams including Greek Language, lenic Ministry of Education and place on Saturday and Sunday, Greek Dancing, and Greek The - Religious Affairs, Culture, and February 22nd & 23rd at the St. atre. Sports, Athens, with the collab - George Greek Orthodox Church The Polymenakion Cultural oration of the Benaki Museum, of the Desert at 74-109 Larrea centre in Toronto, the hub for Athens, in association with the in Palm Desert.