Greek American Community Services Co-founder John P. Psiharis provides an insider’s look into the history of one of Chicago’s most important institutions.
CHICAGO---Founded in 1986, Chicago’s Greek American Community Services (GASC) was an integral part of the local fabric. Shuttered in 2002, one of Chicago’s most important institutions left a proud history of service to the Greek community. That legacy is chronicled in a new book by GACS Co-founder John P. Psiharis, called Working to Preserve Our Heritage: The Incredible Legacy of Greek American Community Services. It’s the first book in a series called, “Hellenism in the Heartland”. Psiharis spoke about his new book and the series.
About seven years ago, Psiharis discovered a small box of photos, forgotten in the back of a closet. He looked through them, and the memories came rushing back. “If someone found these photos years from now,” he explained, “they’d never know who these people were, and what their hard work resulted in.” He reflected on the passing of many of the people in the photos. That’s when he realized that as co-founder of GACS as well as a past president and executive director, it was up to him to tell this story.
Soon after, he mentioned the project to GACS co-founder, Elaine Thomopoulos, who also served as the group’s vice president, administrator, and Cultural and Arts Program director. Additionally, both were co-founders of the Greek American Nursing Home Committee (GANHC). Likewise, she had a collection of documents and other ephemera. Elaine, also an author, joined forces with John to mine their treasure troves and help detail the group’s legacy.
“We quickly realized there was too much content for one book. So in order to properly tell the story of GACS and GANHC, along with the early years of the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly (CLESE), and an overview of Chicago’s Greek community during this era, we settled on a multi-book series.”
Working to Preserve Our Heritage, the first book in the ‘Hellenism in the Heartland’ series, focuses on GACS. Through its cultural and arts programming, the group celebrated, promoted, and preserved the Greek American cultural heritage. “We touched so many lives through social services and adult day care programs, plus we helped build a better interethnic understanding and cooperation. We also gave birth to GANHC. The book also details the early years of CLESE.”
Psiharis also noted the contributions of the late John Rassogianis. “As a board president and director the Cultural and Arts program, John’s contributions were significant. We were a great team, and it was wonderful to collaborate once again with Elaine and John for this project.
The group met regularly at National Hellenic Museum in Chicago to scour their archives, as well as the museum’s collections.
“The book is a labor of love,” Thomopoulos stated. “We finally had a use for all those old documents and materials we’d saved. John did an amazing job documenting this history as well as remembering all those that were so vital to our work, including Dr. Theodore Kioutas and Chris Tomaras. We thank the museum, as well as Journalist Steve Frangos for his insights.”
Book two in the series, Breaking Ground: Inside Chicago’s Nursing Home Movement, authored by Psiharis, is due April 2024. Book three, Hellenes in the Windy City: The Greeks in Chicago, 1970-2000, co-authored by Psiharis and Thomopoulos, is slated for a late 2024 release. Two additional books are envisioned for publication in 2025.
Published by Greek American Press, an imprint of Psihco, LLC in Chicago, Working to Preserve Our Heritage is available in hardcover through Amazon and Barnes and Noble; and ebook on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, and more. For more information, visit GreekAmericanPress.com.
