Andrew Athens

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Andrew Athens, 2011

Andrew A. Athens (born November 7, 1921 as Andreas Athanassoulias in Chicago ; † March 14, 2013 ibid.) Was an American businessman, philanthropist and war veteran of Greek descent, who received numerous awards for his military achievements and humanitarian efforts.

Second World War

Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor , Athens signed up for military service in the US Army and was promoted to staff sergeant after 42 days of service . He later fought in the rank of captain in Europe and also in the battle of El Alamein . In 1945 he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding achievements . During his stationing in Belgium he met his future wife Louise, whom he married on November 12, 1945 in the Greek Orthodox Church in Brussels and with whom he remained married for 67 years. After the war, he initially stayed in Europe and received awards from the governments of Belgium and Hungary for his work in building destroyed infrastructure. In Belgium he was appointed commander of the Order of the Leopold .

After the Second World War

Economic and political engagement

Andrew Athens at the 2011 Oxi Day Award ceremony

Through Athens' efforts, the Belgian Chamber of Commerce was opened in Chicago. In 1950 he founded the Metron Steel Corporation there with his brother and remained CEO and President of the company until 1991 .

After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus , Athens founded the United Hellenic American Congress and from 1985 to 2011 also served on the Board of Directors of the weekly newspaper The Greek Star, published by UHAC . Athens became the first President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad, founded in 1995, and held that post until December 2006, when he was unanimously elected Honorary President of the Council. The Greek government awarded him the Order of the Phoenix for his services , and he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit by the Republic of Cyprus . Athens was also honored by the US Congress in October 2002.

In 2011, Athens received a Greatest Generation Award from the Washington Oxi Day Foundation .

Humanitarian engagement

For decades Athens was President of the Advisory Board of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and was involved in Orthodox welfare organizations. He co-founded the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes and the International Orthodox Christian Charities , and the mid-1980s of Leadership 100 - endowment fund , the first of hundreds of founders (now 800) generated belonged and the high double-digit millions of dollars for the Orthodox Church. In 1997 he established Hellenicare , a program to set up low-cost clinics to provide medical care to Greek immigrants in the former Soviet Union. In 2000 he received the Medal of Honor from the President of Georgia for his commitment. Athens also advocated relations between Orthodox and Jewish communities, and in 2004 received the American Jewish Committee's first ever Intergroup Relations Award .

US Senator Barbara Mikulski called Athens a "one-man development aid program".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Washington Oxi Day Celebration 2011 Honorees ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Washington Oxid Day Foundation @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oxidayfoundation.org
  2. ↑ a b Congressional Record, V. 148, Pt. October 14, 2002 to October 9, 2002
  3. ^ A b Andrew Athens, co-founder of Metron Steel Corp., 1921-2013 ( Memento of October 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Chicago Tribune, March 22, 2013
  4. ^ Andrew A. Athens - Honorary SAE President . sae.gr, accessed October 25, 2014
  5. ↑ a b Meet Our Founder ( Memento from October 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Hellenicare.org
personal data
SURNAME Athens, Andrew
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Athens, Andrew A .; Athanassoulias, Andreas (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American businessman, philanthropist, and war veteran of Greek descent
DATE OF BIRTH November 7, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH March 14, 2013
Place of death Chicago