The Ahepan Spring 2017 - 34


AHEPA FAMILY CHAPTER NEWS

AHEPA Mourns Passing of
American Hero, Philhellene
Brother John Glenn, Jr.
AHEPA mourned the passing of American Hero, and Brother Ahepan,
John Glenn, Jr., Dec. 8, 2016, announced Supreme President Andrew
C. Zachariades.
"Brother Glenn was a true American Hero and Philhellene,"
Zachariades said. "Brother Glenn exemplified a lifetime of extraordinary service to America as a heroic combat pilot, a trailblazing
astronaut, and upstanding public servant in the United States Senate
for four terms. We are proud and honored to call him our Brother.
May his memory be eternal."
Then-Senator John Glenn received the 1993 AHEPA Pericles Award
for excellence in public service by then-Supreme President John
Economou, Akron, Ohio, at the 31st AHEPA Biennial Congressional
Banquet in Washington, DC.
In acceptance, Glenn saluted AHEPA for its philanthropic work
and said receiving the award was an honor he would never forget. He
also spoke about the importance of Greece and shared the concerns
of Greek Americans on Cyprus
and the FYROM name-recognition issues.
"Greece is one of only a
handful of countries that has
fought with the United States in
every international conflict we
fought in this century," Glenn
told the audience. "Today,
Greece stands alone as the only
Balkan nation that is a democratic ally, and I say we owe it to
Greece and to ourselves to do everything we can to contain and end the
nightmare of violence which continues to engulf that part of the world."
On Cyprus, Sen. Glenn said in his acceptance, "For as long as I am
in the Senate, I will continue to stand with you in seeking the removal
of Turkish troops from Cyprus and for a just, lasting and negotiated
settlement in the country."
On FYROM, he added the United States must ensure "the legitimate concerns of Greece are fully addressed-and it means actively
discouraging any kind of provocative behavior on the part of Skopje,
such as placement of the Star of Vergina on that country's flag."
Brother Glenn was a member of AHEPA Stanton Chapter 92,
Steubenville, Ohio.

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THE AHEPAN · Spring 2017

AHEPA Mourns Passing
of Former Congressman
and Ahepan, Benjamin
Gilman
AHEPA mourned the passing of former U.S.
Congressman, and Brother Ahepan, Benjamin
Gilman, announced Supreme President Andrew C.
Zachariades.
"Congressman Gilman was an outstanding public
servant and distinguished World War Two Veteran,"
Supreme President Zachariades said. "A true philhellene, the Order was honored to count him as a
Brother. May his memory be eternal."
AHEPA honored Rep. Gilman, who chaired the
House International Relations Committee, with the
AHEPA Pericles Award for excellence in public service
at the 1996 Congressional Banquet. He also was honored for his strong support of human rights, justice
and international law on the policy concerns of the
Greek American community. In acceptance, Brother
Gilman noted the importance of the grassroots' input
in the formation of policy, stating, "our nation is a land
of immigrants which gives us a unique foreign affairs
perspective." He also stressed the importance of
Greece for peace and stability in the region. As chairman, he held a congressional hearing exclusively on
the Cyprus issue-at the time it was the first hearing
in recent memory.
Brother Gilman was a member of AHEPA Chapter
455, West Nyack, N.Y.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ahepan Spring 2017
