American Hellenic Institute Celebrates Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Convention

From October 8-11, 1999 the American Hellenic Institute celebrated its 25th Anniversary by holding a convention in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1974 in response to the illegal invasion and occupation of Cyprus by Turkey, the AHI has grown into a nation-wide organization dedicated to strengthening U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus and to promoting U.S. interests in the region.

Twenty-five years later we are proud to say that, thanks to the generosity of our members, we own our own building, Hellenic House, located on 16th Street, five blocks from the White House. This is home to AHI as well as to the AHI Foundation which serves as a think-tank for Greek American issues, to AHIPAC which lobbies for our interests, and to AHIBN, a vibrant business network promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of Greek Americans.

The Convention featured an active program of business, social and cultural events and attracted attendance from AHI members and their families from across the nation, including from Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Highlights included:

• A cocktail reception hosted by Ambassador and Mrs. Alexander Philon at the Embassy of Greece;
• A dinner on Capitol Hill at which the speaker was the Hon. Clarence J. Brown, CEO U.S. Capitol Historical Society, former Congressman from Ohio. Following this dinner, guests had the privilege of joining Mr. Brown on a private tour of the Capitol including a rare visit to the floor of the House of Representatives;
• A luncheon at which Professor Charles Moskos spoke on "The Greek American Community in 2020: Will it Still Exist?"
• An Open Forum for the exchange of views between members. This also included a presentation of the video "Greek Immigrant Women Pioneers."
• A Grand Banquet at which the speaker was Mr. Harry Mark Petrakis on "Homer and Hunger: A Search for Roots and Faith."

Social events included sightseeing in the nation's capital and a tennis tournament won by Mr. Ted Golfinopoulos from New Jersey.

AHI takes great pride in the commitment and enthusiasm of its members. It thanks them for their attendance and expressions of support. Together we can forge a winning partnership in the pursuit of our objectives.