Over the weekend, the Sons of Pericles hosted their centennial celebration in the birthplace of their order, Manchester, New Hampshire. Despite a week of cold weather, AHEPA family members from all over North America journeyed to New England to celebrate at the sold out Centennial Gala on Saturday Evening.
The weekend started with a welcome reception at the Manchester Historic Association’s Millyard Museum, in which many artifacts from the Sons of Pericles Mother Lodge Chapter (Queen City #1, Manchester) were on display along with memorabilia donated or lent to the Centennial committee by former SOP and their families all over the country. After a brief program, SOP Supreme President Basilios Ronstadt and his lodge presented a check to the Millyard Museum for $35,000 to help underwrite ongoing and upcoming projects that will document immigration to Manchester, as well as to perpetuate the preservation of the history of the Order’s birthplace.
After an AHEPA sponsored lunch and networking event on Saturday afternoon, the SOP Supreme Lodge, along with the MOA Grand Lodge, initiated new members in order to properly reactivate Queen City Chapter 1 of the SOP.
Saturday evening’s sold out gala featured remarks by U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, both Greek Americans representing the state of New Hampshire. Congressman Pappas pointed out that we are the beneficiaries of the journey, struggle, and hard work of our ancestors, and that the success of the Sons of Pericles, enduring as an organization for a century, attested to that.
Congresswoman Goodlander described the SOP as a “beating heart of the Hellenic diaspora,” and said they “have kept the rhythm of our culture alive and bridged the world that our ancestors left with the world that they helped to build right here in America.”
The remainder of the evening featured greetings from MOA Grand President Stephanie Owens, DOP Grand Advisor to the MOA Helen McClure, AHEPA Supreme President E. Chris Kaitson, as well as a video highlighting the history of the Sons of Pericles as an organization and the contributions they have made to society over the past 100 years.
Highlights of the Centennial Program included a Salute to the SOP Founders, which honored the eleven Manchester men who started the organization back in 1926. The SOP were honored to have the descendents of founder and first Supreme President William A. Vasiliou in attendance to receive a founder’s award on behalf of their ancestor. Vasiliou’s granddaughter, Angeliki Vasiliou, spoke of her grandfather’s life and how “he lived it with integrity, principle, and a relentless excellence in everything he ever did,” and encouraged all current and future Sons of Pericles to do the same.
Twenty Past Supreme Presidents of the Order were in attendance and received honors from the Sons of Pericles Supreme Lodge. Their service and experience in the Order was highlighted in the program’s feature segment “Sons of Pericles Reflections – From the Decades.” Living PSPs from each decade, 1950s – 2020s, spoke about what the Sons of Pericles meant to them and how it changed their lives. Representing their respective decades were PSP Nick Theodore (1953-1954) via video, PSP Dean Stavrakas (1967-1968), PSP Craig Clawson (1972), PSP Peter A. Pappas (1983-1984), PSP Mike Paxos (1999-2000), PSP Demetrios G. Vidalis (2008-2009), PSP Andreas E. Christou (2015-2016), and PSP Timothy Noitsis (2020-2022).
Rounding out the weekend was a memorial service for departed members of the Sons of Pericles held at the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Manchester. After the service, guests were invited to visit the St. George library, which holds all the archives of the Mother Lodge Chapter of the Sons of Pericles. Supreme President Ronstadt, along with Supreme Governor George G. Kalyvas and Past Supreme Presidents Paul Pavlakos and Alec Economakis donated $5000 in order to refurbish the library at St. George and ensure that the SOP archives are safe for years to come. Additionally, they initiated more new members into the Queen City Chapter and were celebrated by the community of St. George and the brothers of AHEPA Manchester Chapter 44, who helped this entire weekend come into fruition.
Photos from the event can be viewed HERE, and the Centennial Video will be made available shortly on sonsofpericles.org.
