First Greek-American Library Inaugurated in New York City

The inauguration of the first Greek-American library, established and operated in New York City, was celebrated on Friday, January 20, 2012 at the Pan-Macedonian Studies Center in Whitestone, New York.

The inauguration and blessing of the new Greek-American library was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America.

In 1995, Elias Neofytides founded the Pan-Macedonian Studies Center, Inc. along with Mr. Paul Evangelou Esq., Barbara Papigioti and Fotis Gerasopoulos.

Their goal was and continues to be the creation of a complete educational center established to benefit the community; many planned programs and a book collection from both Greece and the United States have been instrumental in the creation of the first Greek-American library in New York; to date, over 5,000 books have been collected and some have been donated to schools and public libraries throughout the United States.

All programs provided to the public by the Pan-Macedonian Studies Center, Inc. are at no cost to the public. The Center is run by volunteers, both young and old, and is under the luminous direction of its current President, Dimitrios Bozirikidis.

Finally, the Greek Consul General Georgios Iliopoulos said that it is a great coincidence that the inauguration of the library occured on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Macedonia’s and Thessaloniki’s liberation.