2015 Cigar Night Journal

AHEPA

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CREED

American

To promote and encourage loyalty to the United States of America; allegiance to its flags; support to its Constitution; obedience to its laws; reverence to its history; and to encourage its members to always be profoundly interested and actively participating in the political, civic, social, and commercial fields of human endeavor and always to strive for the betterment of society.

Hellenic

To always remember Hellas, the mother of civilization, the champion of Christianity and Democracy; to promote understanding of the Hellenic people and Nation; and to revive, cultivate, enrich and marshal into active service to Humanity the noblest attributes and highest ideals of Hellenism.

Educational

To champion the cause of Education; to support the American system of public schools to keep them free of religious prejudice; to promote and augment the educational advantages of this country; and to open, establish and maintain new channels for facilitating and dissemination of culture and learning.

Progressive

To instill progress in every one of its members and to utilize every means available for the perfection of the moral sense in its members; to promote good fellowship among them; and to endow them with the spirit of altruism, common understanding, mutual benevolence and helpfulness.

Association

To keep its members united, and to arouse mankind to the realization that tyranny, wherever it may exercise its baneful power, is menace to the life, prosperity, welfare, honor, and integrity of every citizen; and that the preservation of our liberties can be assured by being united and ready to back up our Government, the Champion of Liberty and the defender and protector of all oppressed and down-trodden people.

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messages President’s Message Brother AHEPANs,

I am excited, honored, and humbled to serve as the president of Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54 for the 2015/2016 year. Chapter #54 is an amazing brotherhood of intelligent, passionate, and dedicated individuals whose sole objective is to promote Hellenic ideals and improve the lives of our brothers. If you are a new AHEPA brother or are considering becoming a member, I would recommend that you check our website at AHEPA.org, contact our members, and see what we are all about. Through the collaborative efforts of our members, AHEPA stays at the forefront of whatever is happening in the state and in the country that will affect Greek Americans.

AHEPA was founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, and our mission is to promote Hellenism, education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, and family and individual excellence. Through our efforts, we provide scholarships to Greek school and public high school graduates, offer economic help to our community, donate funds for cancer research, and contribute to other worthy causes.

New Jersey, and this entire country, is experiencing dramatic changes that affect our lives.

If you are considering becoming a member of AHEPA, I suggest you “take the plunge.”

There is no better way to stay informed, get involved in shaping the future of our youth and community, and spread Hellenism.

Sincerely, Christopher Morgan Chapter #54 President

Chairman’s Message Dear Brothers and Friends,

Welcome to Alexander Hamilton’s Fifth Annual Cigar Night! It is such an honor and a privilege for me to chair this event here, at our favorite meeting place, The Graycliff. I would like to thank you all for your participation and great support for tonight’s event.

The Order of AHEPA as a fraternal order for the last 93 years, has

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(continued from page 3) played a tremendous role in charity, culture, education, and civic and family excellence. Our chapter, Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54, is no exception and has diligently followed these steps for the last 90 years. We are proud to say that we have reached this significant milestone and testament to our chapter’s faith in these AHEPA ideals.

Without your wholehearted support, we would not be able to continue our passions: serving those less fortunate than us and offering opportunities to those who might exceed our own expectations. So we thank you again for enabling us to continue our efforts for this great organization. I would also like to thank the executive board for their cooperation and extra thanks to the entire committee for making this a very successful evening.

We hope to see you all next year!

Fraternally, Louis Arvanitis, PSG Events Chairman

2015-2016 CHAPTER OFFICERS Christopher Morgan president

John Kontolios

Michael Kovoros

vice president

secretary

Dionysios Koukounaras treasurer

CIGAR NIGHT COMMITTEE Louis Arvanitis, Chairman Co-Chairmen: Christos Vardakis, Steve Siderias, George Koundouriotis, Tony Papamarkos Other Committee Members: Paul Adams, Kyriakos Christodoulou, John Kallis, DMD, Dimitris Kontolios, Dionysios Koukounaras, Michael Kovoros, Tom Lambros, Jerry Marcopoulos, Christopher Morgan, Spyro Mozakitis, Constantine Poulos, George Siamboulis, Stelios Socratous, and Paul Vagianos BOARD OF GOVERNORS Paul Adams George Koundouriotis Tom Lambros Jerry Marcopoulos Steve Siderias Christo Vardakis APPOINTED OFFICERS Peter Frangiskou, Chaplain Vasilios M. Nickolas, Captain of the Guard Alexandros Theodosiou, Sentinel Nikitas Zavolas, Athletic Director George Poulos, Warden

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a ninetieth celebration Sometime in the fall of 1924, there appeared in Paterson, New Jersey, Brother George Polos in the capacity of Organizer, who called a meeting of the local Hellenes. The net result of his talk and organization activities, however, were rather negligible, inasmuch as only five members were signed up at that time, and even they felt more or less victimized. These five gentlemen, namely Brothers Nicholas Sarames, James Drenios, George Drenios, Demosthenes P. Carras and John Stampoul, were however the forerunners of the well-known Alexander Hamilton Chapter No. 54 of Paterson, NJ.

Maids chapters were added as well once the relocation of the Church was complete, which made for a strong AHEPA family. Unfortunately, there is only the AHEPA chapter now.

During this time, Brother August Rogokos was sojourning in Greece. On his return trip to the United States, he heard considerable talk and discussion from the newly-formed organization known as AHEPA that was rapidly becoming popular in the Greek circles of the Eastern States. On his return to Paterson, he discussed this with his many friends and heard, to his astonishment, that Paterson had been visited and five converts made but that nothing had been done since that time. At about the same time, the Honorable V. I. Chebithes, with the help of Brothers Kitsos, Socrates Anderson and numerous others had formed the Eureka Chapter No. 52 in Newark, NJ. After further discussion between Brothers Peter A. Adams, August Rogokos and Andrew C. Angelson, Brother Chebithes came to Paterson and addressed the local Hellenes in McNair’s Hall. And to the credit of Brother Chebithes, let it be said, he completely converted practically all of the listeners and enthusiasm reigned. Brothers August Rogokos, Peter A. Adams, and Andrew C. Angelson immediately took charge and signed up twenty-six new applicants, who became Charter Members.

The first year of 1925 proved to be a great success, and during the course of the year, practically all of the paraphernalia, flags, and books were donated by various members. Even in its infancy, this Chapter sowed its temperament, and the first year sowed a few seeds of discontent that it took a couple of years to eradicate.

In 1930, the Marathon Chapter of the Sons of Pericles was instituted in Paterson on April fifteenth with Brother Angelson, Aros and Rogokos as Advisors. Daughters and

History of St. Athanasios & Alexander Hamilton It was largely due to the efforts of the late Archimandrite Chris Angelopoulos and Peter J. Bakos, Spirro Papanou, the first President of the Local Greek Orthodox Community, and a few others - prominent and well-known - that at a general meeting of the local Greeks on October 31, 1921, the decisive step was taken to erect a suitable edifice of worship. The Building Fund Committee, which was entrusted with the task of finding ways and means to raise the necessary funds for the building and given full power and authority to proceed with the actual construction of the church and school, comprised of the following: August Rogokos, Chairman; Peter A. Adams, Treasurer; Andrew C. Angelson, Secretary; Peter J. Backos; John Votsis; D. P. Caras; Basil Johnson; D. Cacoliris; Andrew Spiropoulos; Gus Neragias; P. Laskaris; George Contos; Louis Anastasopoulos; and Soterios Mountzouroulias. Their first official act was to launch a subscription drive during the months of March and April 1928, which netted more than $2,500. The success of this campaign can be attributed to the untiring efforts of Peter A. Adams, August Rogokos, D.P. Carras, and the Archimandrite Arsenios Saltas, the then Pastor of the Church there, and to the unlimited interest and cooperation of the local chapter of the AHEPA. The building of the Church and school was completed in the winter of 1928 with a cost of $79,000, which the AHEPA Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54 became responsible.

Later, the men from the AHEPA chapter became the first St. Athanasios Board of Trustees for the Greek Church and School.

Membership Alexander Hamilton has always had a large membership ranging from 120-140 members until 2007 when it dropped down to 89. With the support of all the brothers and extra effort, the membership improved by 110% to 182 members.

Currently, our chapter is the third largest chapter in the AHEPA domain.

Charity Charities have always been a large part of the drive in Alexander Hamilton. The members have continuously

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supported the national projects, such as the Hospital in Thessaloniki, the wing of Evangelismos in Athens, the seven health centers in Greece, the Statue of Truman, St. Basil’s Academy, the Statue of Liberty, and the Elitis Center for Hellenic Studies at Rutgers University, just to name a few. AHEPA national projects were not the only thing the chapter has been focused on though, for when St. Athanasios decided to relocate in the 1970s from Paterson to Paramus, the chapter was generous once again and donated $11,500 for an AHEPA room in the new building.

Plus, the annual support to St. Athanasios to date has never stopped.

The most fruitful of the chapter fund-raisers was the Canister Program, which supported the 5th District Cancer Research Foundation. To date, Alexander Hamilton has donated $120,000 for the cause. The first Canister Collection Team consisted of Nikolas Bayetis, Charlie Caravoulias, Thomas P. Contos, John C. Betts, Constantine Christakos, Savvas Veros, Nikolas Constandelis, John Pangis, and Louis Demison. Now, there is a new Canister Collection Team, which includes Louis Arvanitis, Tom Lambros, Christopher Mavridis, George Poulos, Dimitris Kontolios, and Steve Siderias. The chapter is looking forward to continue supporting the 5th District Cancer Research Foundation in addition to some other causes: Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, *Bone Marrow Registry, “Buddies of NJ” HIV/AIDS Center, *St. Nicholas Shrine, *Autism, *Special Olympics, *Relief for Greece, and other humanitarian causes.

Education One of our most well-known contributions to the

community is our scholarship program, something Alexander Hamilton started many years ago by giving scholarships to high school graduates. The last six years the chapter has extended the program by having a scholarship ceremony for the recipients who are awarded scholarships upwards of $500. At these events, the chapter also gifts AHEPA medals for the kids to keep as souvenirs along with their certificates. Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54 also gives scholarships to those who wish to participate in national AHEPA programs such as Journey to Greece, AHEPAcademy, and the Hellenic History Tournament.

Another addition of the chapter’s scholarship efforts the last four or five years is awards for Greek school graduates at St. Athanasios, St. George, and Ascension, an extension from the original program where the top Greek school graduate of St. Athanasios received an award. We want to take this time to thank Christopher Mavridis for donating approximately $1000 every year for the Greek school graduates and the late Takis Langas and Nick Astras for having donated money so long ago and helping make the extension of the Greek school scholarship program and the college scholarship program, respectively, such successes.

Years ago, the chapter was involved in another educational effort: the Anatolia College, where Alexander Hamilton sent students to study in Greece and set aside a building fund for $50,000. The interest was to be used for those students who were interested to go on that particular journey and any remainder to be used for chapter expenses. Money remains in the fund, but the Anatolia College is no longer in existence. However, the future is bright, and we hope to continue supporting all of the great causes for which we are passionate for many years to come! *denotes recent causes

June 3, 2015

April 17, 1925

Members of Alexander Hamilton with Scholarship Recipients at the 90th Anniversary Celebration and Sixth Annual Scholarship & Awards Ceremony

Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54 Installation Founding Members of the Chapter

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American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association

! !

Membership Application ! ! !

I hereby Join as a new member into: Reinstate into: Transfer into: ! !! wish to: (Check one only) Chapter!# ________ , District # ________ located in: (City) _______________________ (State/Prov.) _________ ! ! _________ Last Name __________________________________ Suffix (DDS, Esq.) __________ Prefix (Mr./Dr.) ! !!

First Name ____________________________________ Nickname _____________________ M.I. ____________ ! !!

Address _____________________________________________________________________________________ ! !!

City ___________________________ State/Prov. ___________ Zip ______________ Country _______________ ! !

Home Phone ! !! ( ) ____________________________ Work Phone ( ) ______________________________ Fax ( ! ) __________________________ Email ___________________________________________________ ! !

Date of !Birth __________________________ Are you a citizen of the United States or Canada?

Yes No ! !

Were you a member of the Sons of Pericles?

No Yes; Chapter # __________ City & State/Prov. ___________ ! ! !FOR REINSTATEMENT ONLY: Serial # _____________ Date Initiated _____________ ! !! ! I!hereby apply for reinstatement of my AHEPA membership into Chapter # ______________ ! I!!was previously a member of Chapter # ____________ located in ____________________ , __________.

I hereby certify that I have paid by dues up to ___________________, 20_____ to Chapter #___________. !

TRANSFER ONLY: Serial # _____________ Date Initiated _____________ ! !FOR !I herebyMEMBERSHIP ! wish to transfer my AHEPA membership from Chapter #______ located in __________________ , ! ! to Chapter # _____________ located in __________________________ , _____________. ! ____________ ! ! !

I believe! myself worthy of the rights and privileges enjoyed by the members of AHEPA. I know no reason why I should not ! become a member, and I promise, if accepted, to observe the laws and traditions of AHEPA, and will not ! take advantage !! ! of or abuse my privileges as a member thereof. ! !!

Signature _________________________________________________________ Date ______________________ ! !! ! !

Please remit this form to: Attn: Alexander Hamilton Chapter #54 51 Paramus Road Paramus, NJ 07652

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