Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis - 1998 Phidippides Award Recipients

For Immediate Release
Contact Information: Alexandros Kambouroglou/Yannis Simonides at (718) 488-9500

Brooklyn, NY - The Board of Directors of Greek American Educational Public Information System, Inc. (GAEPIS), producers of Hellenic Public Radio-Cosmos FM, announce Dimitrios and George Kaloidis as the 1998 Phidippides Award receipients. The award will be given on the evening of October 9th at New York City's Plaza Hotel, marking the Award's fifth anniversary.

Established in 1994, the Phidippides Award is presented by GAEPIS each year to individuals or organizations that exemplify the promotion and preservation of Hellenism, both in the United States and abroad. Previous recipients of the Award include: Jules Dassin and the Melina Mercouri Foundation, Mikis Theodorakis, Andrew Athens and Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki.

As part of the New York Hellenic-American community, Mr. & Mrs. Kaloidis have established themselved as two of the most generous philanthropists benefitting wothy Hellenic causes. Their support of educational, religious and cultural institutions, including the Holy Cross parochial school and parish in Brooklyn, NY, the Greek Orthodox Church of America, the Laconian Society and many others, has been among the largest by area Hellenes.

Dimitrios Elias Kaloidis and Georgia Christou Manolakos were born in Laconia, Greece. They graduated from high school in Athens and emigrated to the United States in 1955 and 1963, respectively, where he commited himself to the restaurant business and she studied computers and business administration. In 1974 Georgia and Dimitrios were married, and have been devoted to each other ever since, in life and in business. Through successful partnerships, they have founded a chain of restaurant, and, have initiated major ventures in real estate. Their current projects include the development of Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows, Queens and one of the largest multiplex cinemas in the country.

Chairman of the GAEPIS Board of Directors, Kostas Angeloudis, in making the announcement of the 1998 Phidippides Award recipients added Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis's support of Hellenic causes has had a direct effect on the preservation of our heritage. "They are among the visionaries who will inspire other leaders in our community to take action and move hellenism into the next century, and the advocacy that we see taking place here in New York has an impact that is felt around the world."

The Award was inspired by the Athenian herald Phiddipides. According to Herodotus, Phidippides was dispatched by Miltiades in' 490 BC to request the aid of the Spartans in defending: Athens from the Persians, who had landed at Marathon. Phidippides said to have accomplished an incredible feat, as he ran 200 kilometers, in two days to reach Sparta. A few centuries after the battle of Marathon, Lucian noted circa 170 AD that it was Phidippides who ran to Athens to announce the victory to the awaiting city. Upon his arrival in Athens, Phidippides is said to have called out "Nenikikamen! (Rejoice! We have won!)", before collapsing dead from exhaustion.

Phidippides' dedication and stamina in delivering the news are inspiration to HPR in its work to bring Hellenic Americans and Philhellenes quality coverage of Hellenic political, social, and cultural issues. It is our belief that our Hellenic-American and Philhellenic communities, well informed, will be better equipped to meet the challenge of preserving Hellenic heritage in the United States.

____________________________

Dimitrios Elias Kaloidis and Georgia Christou Manolakos were born in Laconia, Greece. They graduated from high school in Athens and emigrated the United States in 1955 and in 1963 respectively, where he committed himself to the restaurant business and she studied computers and business administration.

In 1974 Georgia and Dimitrios were married, and have been devoted to each other ever since, in life and in business. Through successful partnerships, they have founded a chain of diners which include The Floridian, the Dakota, the Carolina The Nebraska, The Georgia and The Arch. Their current ventures include the multimillion development of Terrace on the Park at Flushing Meadows and one of the largest multiplex cinemas in the country.

In 1991, they pledged $400,000 over five years to the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in support of the community's school. The pledge was fulfilled in three years, and the Holy Cross parish, in appreciation of their generous donation, named its Parochial School in their honor.

In addition to the original $400,000 gift, Georgia and Dimitrios offered to match dollar for dollar all donations made towards the elimination of the $1,200,000 mortgage on the Holy Cross Cultural and Educational Center, which houses the Kaloidis Parochial School, the Greek afternoon school program and all other community activities, from scouts to senior citizens. Their matching funds contribution added another $400,000 to their original donations. They have also taken out a $1,000,000 Life Insurance with the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church as the beneficiary. Scholarship trusts have been established from the interest and principal of this policy. Demetrios and Georgia pay tuition every year for the three top students of the Kaloidis Parochial School.

Dimitrios has been asked by His Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon to head the committee for the unification of the four Greek parochial schools Brooklyn. "If we do not get involved with education, if we do not provide for the present and. future generations of Hellenism, then we have no reason to exist "as an ethnic entity', he says. "Together we can achieve a lot. With harmony, tolerance and determination we have the capability to put together the best and largest school of the area, not only as a model for all Hellenic communities but for all the ethnic communities of New York.

"We have no children," Georgia says, "but we feel as if we have hundreds of children.... When my husband expressed to me his wish to support the school I thought it was the greatest gift possible. I am very blessed with Dimitri. I find him to be just, creative and a visionary. And he never forgets his humble beginnings… For as many years as we may still live, I want Dimitri and myself to continue with the same appetite for life, and with the same need to serve our culture, our language, our children and our fellow man".