Professional Baseball Player Nick Markakis Joins AHEPA

Outfielder Receives Prestigious AHEPA Harry Agganis Award

WASHINGTON (June 17, 2009)—Professional Baseball Player Nick Markakis, of the Baltimore Orioles, joined the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), a leading association for the nation's three million American citizens of Greek heritage, and countless Philhellenes, on May 29, 2009, at an induction ceremony held at Camden Yards, announced Supreme President Ike Gulas. Markakis joins Lord Baltimore Chapter 364, one of the largest in AHEPA Capital District 3.



Markakis (left) receives the AHEP Harry Agganis
Award from Tanionos.

"We are thrilled to welcome Nick Markakis into AHEPA," said Gulas. "He is a rising star in Major League Baseball and an invaluable asset to the city of Baltimore, its citizens, and the surrounding community. We believe he embodies the ideals of a model Ahepan."

For his excellence in athletics, Markakis was presented with the 2009 Harry Agganis Award by AHEPA National Athletics Program Deputy Director John Tanionos. The award is named after Harry Agganis, a legendary multi-sport athlete of Greek heritage who died prematurely at 26 from a pulmonary embolism. Agganis played professional baseball for the Boston Red Sox.

Just in his fourth season in the Majors, Markakis, a right fielder, is a career .298 hitter, and last year was third in the American League with a .406 On Base Percentage (OBP), and fourth in the American League in Runs Scored, tallying 106. He was a perennial All-Star during his minor league career.

Previous recipients of the AHEPA Harry Agganis Award include: Professional Football Placekicker Matt Stover, Olympic Diving Champion Greg Louganis, World Champion Decathlete Tom Pappas, and Professional Football Player Fred Smerlas.

District 3 Governor Steve Mavronis conducted the pre-game induction ceremony.

The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.

AHEPA was established in 1922 by visionary Greek-Americans to protect all from prejudice from the KKK. In its history, AHEPA has joined with the NAACP and B’nai B’rith International to fight discrimination. It has grown to become the largest membership-based association for Hellenic-Americans and Philhellenes in the world.

For more information about AHEPA, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, 202.232.6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.

(Posting date 5 August 2009)

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) is the largest and oldest American-based, Greek heritage grassroots membership organization. Its scope is international with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, and Cyprus, and "sister" chapters in Australia and New Zealand under the auspices of AHEPA Australasia. AHEPA was founded on July 26, 1922 in response to the evils of bigotry and racism that emerged in early 20th century American society. It also helped Greek immigrants assimilate into society. Today, AHEPA brings the ideals of ancient Greece, which includes philanthropy, education, civic responsibility, and family and individual excellence to the community. The AHEPA family consists of four organizations: AHEPA, Daughters of Penelope, Sons of Pericles and Maids of Athena. For more information about the organization or how to join, contact AHEPA Headquarters (202-232-6300) or visit the organization's newly redesigned website at http://www.ahepa.org.

HCS maintains an extensive archives of AHEPA articles and press releases which readers are invited to browse under the AHEPA Family Releases section of the site archives at http://www.helleniccomserve.com/archiveahepa.html.


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