Kokkalis Foundation Chairman Mr. Socrates Kokkalis has received the 2008 Phidippides Award by the Board of Directors of New York’s Hellenic Public Radio for his contribution to Hellenism through the work and achievements of the Kokkalis Foundation, the Kokkalis Program at Harvard, and the Athens Information Technology Center.
The award gala dinner took place on Wednesday, November 12 at the Harvard Club of New York and featured Harvard Kennedy School Dean Dr. David Ellwood as keynote speaker. The ceremony was chaired by New York State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris and greeted by the President Emeritus of New York University and former Democratic Party Congressman Dr. John Brademas. Accompanied by his spouse Eleni and his sons Petros and Socrates, the Chairman of the Kokkalis Foundation thanked the president of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Public Radio Mr. Alexandros Xenopoulos and said he considered the award a great honor, expressing his belief that as a non-profit organization of the Greek Diaspora, Hellenic Public Radio is a point of reference and beacon of Hellenism in the New York area.
On the occasion of the award gala, Mr. Kokkalis also met with the board of the Olympiacos Soccer Club of New York and thanked them for their love and passion for Olympiacos. The award gala was attended by the Greek Ambassador in the United Nations and the Consuls General of Greece and of Cyprus in New York, prominent members of the Greek Diaspora, Harvard academics and senior management, and Harvard Kokkalis Fellows.
Named after the classical Athenian herald Phidippides, the award is given on an annual basis by the Hellenic Public Radio to individuals or to organizations, for their efforts to promote Hellenism. Past awardees include Jules Dassin, Mikis Theodorakis, Gianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, Senator Paul Sarbanes, and the Onassis Foundation, among others.
