Ένα άρθρο της Διευθύντριας της Γενναδείου Βιβλιοθήκης, κ.
Μαρίας Γεωργοπούλου που δημοσιεύθηκε στο περιοδικό της Αμερικανικής Σχολής Κλασικών Σπουδών του περασμένου χειμώνα, εξιστορεί πως μία δωρεά της οικογενείας Μακρυκώστα, για την ανέγερση της
νέας πτέρυγας "Ιωάννης Μακρυγιάννης" της Γενναδείου Βιβλιοθήκης τιμά τον Μακρυγιάννη και προβάλει το έργο του. Η δωρεά που αφιερώθηκε στους γονείς του
κ. Ντίνου Μακρυκώστα τιμά και το Κροκύλειο και μας κάνει όλους περήφανους!
Macricostas Family Shares Inspiration for Historic Gift
Maria Georgopoulou, Director Gennadius Library
When the Ioannis Makriyannis Wing of the Gennadius Library is inaugurated on June 2, 2018, Constantine (Deno) and Marie Macricostas, along with their sons, Stephen and George, will have another important moment to add to their family’s compelling history.
Through the Macricostas Family Foundation, they have donated $1,500,000 to name the wing after General Ioannis Makriyannis (1797–1864), who served valiantly in the Greek War for Independence, and helped lead the fight for Greece’s first constitution.
Honoring Makriyannis
Avoriti, the village where Makriyannis was born in the region of Phocis, is immediately adjacent to the village of Krokilio, where Deno Macricostas’s mother was born, and which his father, a refugee from Asia Minor, later adopted as his own. To say that Makriyannis is a hero in this village is an understatement; Krokilio is the base for the Makriyannis Society, which hosts an elaborate Makriyannis Festival every four years, and a smaller one every other.
Deno and George speak passionately about General Makriyannis and the ideals for which he stood, but it is especially moving to hear the ways in which the Greek patriot’s spirit is woven into their own family’s story. The work ethic, resourcefulness, and selflessness of Deno’s par-ents, Stefanos and Anastasia Armaos Macricostas, made a strong impression; and the way of life in Krokilio reflected the mantra Makriyannis preached: “We, not I.”
“One of the things we really like about Makriyannis is that he was a very unselfish leader, much like George Washington and our Native American chiefs, but unlike many of our current leaders in government and corporate America,” states George. He continues, “Many of the other generals had their own agendas in establishing the early Greek state, but Makriyannis didn’t seek any glory. He led by his deeds and his actions.” Makriyannis played a vital role in the revolt of September 1843, mobilizing the population to pressure the monarchy into granting a constitution that would allow the people to elect their own leaders. The constitution was signed in March 1844, 12 years after the Greek War for Independence ended.
Deno explains, “We chose Makriyannis as a way to honor my mother’s village and Makriyannis’s contributions to the Greek state. Makriyannis never went to school, so he didn’t know how to read or write. He taught himself to do so later in life, which enabled him to write his famous memoirs in demotic Greek.” He reflects, “This reminded me of my father Stefanos, who never learned to read or write. In a sense, it felt very appropriate to name it after Makriyannis, not only to honor him, but to honor my mother’s village, and both of my parents.”
Family Legacy
Deno’s parents—and their community in Krokilio—lived the simple life, high up in the lush, green mountains. There were six springs, but none of the homes had running water or electricity. People lived from the earth and domestic animals, making their own houses, flour, and wool. They worked hard and helped one another. Deno never lived in Krokilio, but he remembers visits with nostalgia, as does his son. George shares, “My grandparents are buried there, and I understand the significance the village has for my dad’s side of the family.”
As a boy raised in Piraeus, Deno attended a Greek-French private school, thanks to his father’s determination to educate his children well. “My parents were very kind, generous, giving people. I have very good memories of them, even though it was a tough time, growing up through the German occupation and the civil war,” he recalls. The family survived on the outskirts of Piraeus, where they could keep animals and had access to the fields. Deno still has fond memories of milking his family’s goats with a clear view of the Parthenon.
Deno relates his father’s remarkable story—of arriving in Greece as a 10-year-old refugee from Asia Minor, surviving on scraps, and eventually purchasing goats, cows, and property on the fringes of the refugee camp, little by little—with emotion and pride. “My father had a tremendous work ethic—tireless—and he was a risk-taker. I learned from him how to stretch anything. We can do a lot with less. He was a survivor. I’m a survivor. He was my idol.”
Deno left war-torn Greece in 1954 after finishing high school to further his education in the U.S. He learned 60 words of English a day to keep up his grades and maintain his visa. After college, he became an engineer, and founded his own high tech company out of a garage in 1969. Later, Deno took the company public, and grew Photronics (NASDAQ:PLAB) into the global leader in reticle technology, with 1,500 employees in five different countries. He admits, “Financially, I never imagined to get that far in my life.” Deno is still active as chairman of Photronics.
The values that his father passed down to him are those that Deno passed down to his own sons. George, former CEO and Chairman of RagingWire Data Centers, a company he founded in 2000 and recently sold, speaks with equal pride about his family’s legacy: “I learned about scarcity of resources from my parents and grandparents. I learned the values of love, compassion, and caring from them. The stories of Krokilio and the experience of visiting there helped me learn the importance of thinking about your village or your community and fellow people, more so than of yourself, and to make decisions in terms of what’s best for your corporation, for your town, and for your country.”
The love and respect this father-son duo have for one another is apparent, as they start and finish each other’s thoughts and chuckle at shared memories.
From left: former School Director James Wright, George Macricostas, and Deno Macricostas in front of the new wing during the renovation
A Generous Gift
They first learned about the West Wing project when George was on a tour of the School as a guest of CyArk, a nonprofit organization conducting work—in coop-eration with the American School—that he sponsored to create digital models of 10 Hellenic cultural heritage sites, including the Fountain of Peirene at ancient Corinth. On the tour, James Wright, Director of the School at the time, mentioned that the Gennadius Library happened to hold a set of 24 paintings commissioned by General Makriyannis and executed by a painter of the last name Zographos. Hearing Makriyannis’s name caught George’s attention. “The big thing for us was learning that the paintings still existed and could be viewed by the public, not just the nobility,” he emphasizes.The paintings, based on Makriyannis’s own sketches and on-site descriptions, depict the most important battles in the long Greek struggle for freedom. Four copies in watercolor were presented to the Kings of England, France, Russia, and Greece. The set presented to King Otto of Greece was believed to be lost, and purchased in Rome in 1909 by John Gennadius.
George recounts that he called Deno in the U.S. immediately after the tour, not only to tell him about the discovery of the Makriyannis paintings, but also about “the amazing staff and mission of the American School.” They decided to see what they could do to help the School finish the wing. As George puts it, “While we were new to the American School, we were very impressed with its rich history and incredible storehouse of artifacts and information, which, combined with its location next to the Gennadius Library’s own extensive collection and the dedicated staff of both, make these two entities a world treasure for humanity.” He adds, “With the paintings, we were inspired by the chance to do something to immortalize the name of General Ioannis Makriyannis and his accomplishments, so that current and future generations never forget his selfless contributions for the people and the country of Greece.”
Both Deno and George look forward to the inauguration and to what the Ioannis Makriyannis Wing, including its new state-of-the-art exhibition hall, will make possible in terms of revealing the history and culture of modern Greece to new and familiar audiences alike. Deno anticipates the trip with characteristic energy: “I love history. I have a thirst to see things, learn, and explore, even though I’m 82 years old. My legs are still strong!” Thanks to support like that of the Macricostas Family Foundation, the American School’s impact on advancing knowledge of Greece remains strong, as well.