The Pheidippides Award ceremony was held at the Union League Club in New York, one of the most historic buildings in Manhattan.
For the 31st consecutive year, the Hellenic American Educational Public Information System (GAEPIS) and the Greek radio station Hellenic Public Radio Cosmos FM honored individuals who have dedicated part of their lives to the promotion of Greek culture and the support of the Greek-American community. This year’s honorees were Steve and Angela Zervoudis , who received the award in front of a crowd of representatives of the Greek diaspora.
The award bears the name of a man who history has placed at the center of one of the most emblematic moments of the ancient world. According to Herodotus, Pheidippides was the Athenian runner sent by Miltiades in 490 BC to seek the help of the Spartans against the Persians who had landed at Marathon, and managed to cover approximately 200 kilometers in two days . Endurance, dedication to the mission and refusal to retreat in the face of exhaustion, were the inspiration for the modern marathon. These are precisely the virtues that the award seeks to recognize in people who embody them in their daily activity for Hellenism.
This award is not new. It has been awarded every year since 1994 , recognizing individuals and organizations for their continuous contribution to Hellenism, culture, tradition and heritage.
The long list of previous honorees includes names such as Mikis Theodorakis , Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki , Michalis Cacoyannis , John and Margo Katsimadis , as well as Jules Dassin with the Melina Mercouri Foundation, a wide range of personalities who connect the worlds of cinema, music, politics and business with the common denominator of love for Hellenism. Last year, the 30th award was presented to former US Ambassador to Greece George Tsounis , while previous honorees include AHEPA and the Cypriot organizations FCAO and PSEKA .
Behind the award is an organization with deep roots in New York Greek life. GAEPIS was founded in 1987 with a mission to promote and preserve Greek heritage in the United States through communication and education. Cosmos FM operates under the auspices of GAEPIS and is the only Greek-American radio station broadcasting on the FM frequency of the greater New York area, while reaching listeners around the world via the internet. For decades, the station has served as a voice of the community, where the Greek language, music and news are heard daily by the Greek diaspora on the East Coast.
The event was attended and greeted by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America , whose presence gave the evening a special ecclesiastical and community weight. The Archbishop congratulated GAEPIS and Cosmos FM for their long-standing contribution to informing and preserving the Greek cultural identity in the United States, while also highlighting the work and contribution of the Zervoudis honorees, and underlining their significant contribution to the Greek-American community and to the promotion of the values of Hellenism. The Archbishop’s presence at such an event reflects the way in which the Archdiocese of America is connected to every aspect of Greek-American life, from worship and education to culture and public recognition.
The event brought together a large number of representatives of the Greek-American community at the iconic Union League Club, a venue that in itself conveys a message: the Greek-American community celebrates in spaces that belong to the core of American public life, not on its periphery. The choice of venue, the steady annual tradition, and the quality of previous honorees create an image of maturity of a community that is not content with introversion, but seeks to engage with the broader American society from a position of dignity and self-confidence.
Pheidippides ran 200 kilometers without stopping, to deliver a message to its intended destination. The award that bears his name honors those who, in a different way but with the same perseverance, bring the message of Hellenism to the world around them, year after year, without interruption, without tiring.
