AT ATHENS AT FOUNDED 1881 SUMMER 2020 NUMBER 75 American School professors with Regular Members at the Sanctuary of Zeus in Ancient Nemea IN THIS ISSUE Dealing with New Annual Lecture Boura Appointed Centenary of Ion 3 COVID-19 4 Series Established 5 Philoi President 6 Dragoumis’s Death Conservation of Meet Our Regular “Flipping” the Whitehead 7 Roman Wall Paintings 8 Members 9 Program 10 Scholars Regular Members Paying it Forward Publications Office New Publications 11 Visit Crete 12 13 Provides Support 14 by School Staff Q&A with Online Student Center Fond Farewells 16 Tellos Panos 18 Communications 19 Renovation 22 SUMMER 2020 2 Jenifer Neils, Director of the School Adapting to a Pandemic Needless to say, it has been an unusual spring at Our amazing students, whom you will meet Board of Trustees the American School. Up until Friday, March 13, in this 75th issue of the Newsletter (page 8), were the Regular Members were enjoying the warm more than satisfied with the academic program, Alexander E. Zagoreos, Chairman weather and the nearly empty archaeological Mellon Professor Sylvian Fachard’s leadership, William T. Loomis, President sites and museums, the Loring Hall renovation and their extensive travels from the Albanian Constantine M. Dakolias, was humming along, and we had a spectacular border to Crete. We are now doing our best to Treasurer lecture series in the offing. Then, for the first livestream many of the events we all enjoy at the Jacqueline C. McCabe, Secretary time since World War II, we had to shut our School: Tea Talks, Wiener Laboratory lectures, gates, close down the libraries, cancel our forth- Gennadeion tours, and much more to come. We Stathis Andris coming optional trips to Delos and Turkey, and encourage you to watch these live or explore our Joan Bingham Jane E. Buikstra send our staff home—thankfully only tempo- website’s catalogue of over 550 archived Cotsen R. Nicholas Burns rarily. As is universally acknowledged, Greece Hall lectures and events. Jonathan Z. Cohen handled the coronavirus pandemic very astutely, We hope to see many of you back here in Henry P. Davis‡ Jack L. Davis and as a result we all felt safe and after a week of Athens soon, and in the meantime, we will stay Robert J. Desnick shutdown most of us returned to work. in touch virtually. Paul D. Friedland Elizabeth R. Gebhard Andrew S. Georges Mark L. Lawall, Ex Officio Mary R. Lefkowitz J. Robert Maguire George Orfanakos, Executive Director George M. Marcus Arianna Packard Martell Theo Melas-Kyriazi Nassos Michas Sebastien Missoffe Building for Future Generations William Slaughter Charles W. Steinmetz Phaedon T. Tamvakakis In December of 2019, the American School support and visionary leadership. On pages Judith Ogden Thomson commenced the long-awaited expansion and 19–21, we highlight some of the notable benefac- Andreas M. Zombanakis renovation of Loring Hall. The new Student tors who contributed to this campaign. Thanks Emeriti/ae Center is the final major capital project for our to their efforts, we have raised $6.7 million of Edward E. Cohen main campus in Athens, and it will benefit our our $9.4 million goal, inclusive of a maintenance Hunter Lewis* students and scholars for generations to come. endowment. We are deeply grateful to the gener- Herbert L. Lucas Despite the pandemic and ensuing govern- ous donors who have already named rooms and Robert A. McCabe* Marianne McDonald ment restrictions, we have made significant spaces in the Student Center and invite others to Mary Patterson McPherson progress with the Student Center. The School consider the remaining opportunities. † James H. Ottaway Jr. applauds all those who have worked tirelessly Ultimately, this living monument will not David W. Packard Hunter R. Rawlings III to keep construction on track. On page 16, we only house students and scholars but also Malcolm H. Wiener† feature a conversation with General Manager honor donors and historic figures from the Tellos Panos, who provides fascinating insights School’s glorious past. We hope you will join *President Emeritus †Chairman Emeritus into the project. us in Athens for the Student Center inaugura- ‡Treasurer Emeritus Unquestionably, this important initiative tion on Saturday, June 5, 2021 (see back cover). would not have been possible without financial Please save the date! NEWS OF THE AMERICAN SCHOOL 3 % For more COVID-19 updates, visit ascsa.edu.gr Dealing with COVID-19: Menoume Spiti As COVID-19 spread around the world, the American School responded swiftly and decisively. On March 13, the School officially closed its gates to the public, and three days later, it was no longer acces- sible to its own resident members. Within the week, most of the students returned to their homes in the U.S. to wait out the pandemic, while those few who stayed in Greece were apartment-bound except for trips to the grocery store and exercise excursions. After a week, most of our ad- ministrative staff returned to their offices (unless they had children at home because of school cancellations), and library per- Above: School guards take the temperatures of all guests entering the facilities. sonnel managed to work from home with Below: Blegen Library equipment is sanitized regularly to help mitigate the spread of germs. the unfailing help of Tarek Elemam, the School’s Information Systems and Tech- halted. The ubiquitous Athenian cats took Library followed suit with a gradual re- nology Manager. over the streets, wandering freely, while opening plan that began on June 3. Mem- In the early days of the crisis, the dogs looked down unhappily from their bers and fellowship holders are welcome to School made special accommodations to balconies. It was a particularly gorgeous use the School’s libraries, laboratory, and support and facilitate scholarly research, spring with clear blue skies (perhaps be- the Corinth and Agora research facilities including allowing members to bor- cause pollution was reduced by 45%). The after consultation with the director and row books from the Blegen Library and fragrance of orange blossoms was almost relevant department heads. Meanwhile, offering expanded access to its publica- intoxicating, and the peach-colored roses Head Chef Takis Iliopoulos has resumed tions such as Hesperia and the Agora in the garden were extraordinarily bril- serving weekday lunches, which diners can and Corinth series. The School put forth liant. The chirping of birds seemed much enjoy in the Lower Garden (while sitting at a valiant effort to carry out its academic louder without any background noise, or least two meters apart). programs, but they eventually fell victim maybe they were just happier. The School looks forward to welcom- to the pandemic. On March 25, the School The lack of a traditional Easter was cer- ing everyone back as soon as conditions postponed its 2020 summer programs, tainly a disappointment for everyone, but allow and emerging from the crisis even and on May 11, the School made the we made do with a gathering of members stronger than before. In the meantime, we difficult and disappointing decision to via Zoom from the School garden. At mid- are happy to assist you in any way we can cancel its Regular Program for 2020–2021. night, as fireworks exploded over Mt. Lyka- and wish you a safe and relaxing summer. However, we are permitting deferments in vettos, Athenians lit candles and shouted hopes that accepted Regular Members can “Christos anesti!” from their balconies. join us in 2021. At that time, we expect all Bereft of its members, friends, and our facilities will be fully reopened and the colleagues, the School’s familiar intellec- renovation of Loring Hall to be completed. tual and collegial atmosphere is noticeably For seven weeks, Athens became absent. However, we have been taking eerily but pleasantly quiescent, with no small but measured steps to return to planes or helicopters buzzing overhead, some semblance of normalcy. The Blegen no cars honking (although car alarms still was finally reopened on May 4, but only to went off), and most construction projects members by appointment. The Gennadius SUMMER 2020 4 Maria Georgopoulou, Director of the Gennadius Library GENNADIUS LIBRARY Phokion Potamianos Establishes Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series on the Impact of Greek Culture Overseers of the Gennadius Library Andreas M. Zombanakis, Chairman Nassos Michas, Vice Chairman Phaedon T. Tamvakakis, Secretary-Treasurer Nicholas G. Bacopoulos Catherine Boura, Ex Officio Edward E. Cohen Costa Constantine Jack L. Davis Anastasios Kriekoukis Panagiotis Laskaridis Mark L. Lawall, Ex Officio Natasha Lemos Anastasios I. Leventis William T. Loomis, Ex Officio Constantine (Deno) Macricostas Lana J. Mandilas Mark Mazower Anne McCabe E. Leo Milonas Phokion Potamianos Robert L. Pounder Curtis Runnels Susan Buck Sutton Nicholas J. Theocarakis Left: Overseer Phokion Potamianos Right: Dr. Thalia Potamianos Maria Vassalou Alexandra C. Vovolini Chiona Xanthopoulou-Schwarz The Overseers of the Gennadius Library and impact of Greek thought and culture. Kathryn B. Yatrakis are pleased to announce the establish- Mr. Potamianos hopes the program will Alexander E. Zagoreos* ment of the Thalia Potamianos Annual create a stimulating environment to draw Emeriti/ae Lecture Series on the Impact of Greek both the academic community and the R. Nicholas Burns Culture. The program is being made pos- general public to the American School and Apostolos Th. Doxiadis sible by a generous 10-year commitment the Gennadius Library. Michael Dukakis totaling $1 million from Phokion Potamia- Mr. Potamianos remarked, “It is my Edmund L. Keeley Anthony G. Lykiardopoulos nos, an Overseer of the Gennadius Library. hope that this lecture series will highlight Olga Maridakis-Karatzas Mr. Potamianos named the lecture series the wealth and depth of the Gennadius Helen Philon in memory of his grandmother, a distin- Library collections and how these reflect Petros K.