Thalia Potamianos Lecture Series

 

The Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series

The Overseers of the Gennadius Library are pleased to announce the establishment of the Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series on the Impact of Greek Culture. The program is being made possible by a generous 10-year commitment totaling $1 million from Phokion Potamianos, an Overseer of the Gennadius Library. Mr. Potamianos named the lecture series in memory of his grandmother, a distinguished Greek physician, academic, and philanthropist.

This significant lecture series is the result of a visionary initiative by Mr. Potamianos and will examine the reception and continuing relevance and impact of Greek thought and culture. Mr. Potamianos hopes the program will create a stimulating environment to draw both the academic community and the general public to the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Gennadius Library.

Every year, a highly distinguished, internationally renowned scholar will be selected to conduct research and develop programs on a topic relevant to the Gennadius Library. The research will culminate in a minimum of three annual public keynote lectures, at least one of which will be delivered in the American School’s Cotsen Hall in Athens and one in the United States. These talks will be accompanied by publications, podcasts, and other appropriate media to maximize exposure and engagement. They might also be enhanced by a related event such as a theatrical performance, a concert, or site visits.

 


 

Overseer Phokion Potamianos and his grandmother, Dr. Thalia Potamianos

 

Overseer Phokion Potamianos (left) and his grandmother, Dr. Thalia Potamianos (right)

ABOUT THALIA POTAMIANOS

The lecture series will honor the life of Dr. Thalia Potamianos, an Epirote who was born in Constantinople in 1914 and came to Greece at the age of 8. With an innate gift of high intelligence, the fierce determination shaped by her life experiences, and financial support from her four siblings, Thalia earned a doctorate in microbiology with high honors from the University of Athens. She became an influential doctor, scientist, and philanthropist who led a life dedicated to the public good and public service.

In the 1950s, Dr. Potamianos founded Greece’s first alcoholism and toxicology treatment center. She made this the heart of her medical research, establishing a treatment center at Aghia Paraskevi, publishing research, and forming a methodology on the topic that came to be the standard in the early days of the study of alcoholism in Greece.

Marked by her experience as a refugee, Dr. Potamianos defined her life by her philanthropic actions. During World War II, she was active on the front lines and behind the scenes, working to organize food committees and using her medical practice as a cover to shelter elements of the Greek resistance and Greeks of the Jewish faith.

In the years immediately after the war, this exemplary citizen helped create centers of care for dispossessed families, orphaned children, and veterans in refugee areas. In partnership with American and other philanthropists, she created centers for education and financial support for veterans. Together they established the Greek American Organization for the Care of Dispossessed Greeks. To recognize her service to the country, the Greek government awarded Dr. Potamianos with their Gold Cross of the Order of Beneficence.

Dr. Potamianos (née Dervos) was the wife of Phokion Potamianos, a prominent maritime attorney. Together they raised two daughters, Helen and Lydia. In 1961, Dr. Potamianos passed away from cancer at the age of 47.

News

More News

May 14, 2024

Emily Wilson Captivates Crowd with Lecture on The Wisdom of Stories

Renowned classicist Emily Wilson captivated a full house on May 8 at St. Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue in New York City, as she explored the theme of “The Wisdom of Stories.”

Read More

December 31, 2023

Our Year in Review - 2023

Watch the year in review and see how your financial support touches the lives of so many people!

Read More

October 4, 2023

Emily Wilson Captivates Crowd with Lecture on The Vulnerability of Heroism

Renowned classicist Emily Wilson lectured on The Vulnerability of Heroism to a capacity audience at Cotsen Hall, at the Gennadius Library, while thousands more watched online.

Read More

May 12, 2023

Gala 2023 - Video Archive

Watch a reply of our 2023 Annual Gala

Read More

September 29, 2022

Emily Wilson to Present on The Myth, Magic, and Mystery of the Ancient Greeks:  Exploring the Connections to Contemporary Culture

The Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens will launch its 2023-24 Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series, featuring esteemed classicist and translator of Homer's "Odyssey," Emily Wilson.

Read More

March 21, 2022

Dr. Peter Frankopan Presents Second Thalia Potamianos Lecture at Georgetown University

Dr. Peter Frankopan presented his second Thalia Potamianos lecture at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Read More

October 8, 2021

First Thalia Potamianos Lecture a Resounding Success

A capacity crowd attended Cotsen Hall and thousands more watched online as Dr. Peter Frankopan delivered his first lecture of the Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series.

Read More

September 3, 2021

Dr. Peter Frankopan to Present First Lecture of Inaugural Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series at Cotsen Hall

World-renowned historian and award-winning author will give lecture, "Global Greece: A History," on October 7, 2021.

Read More

February 3, 2021

Dr. Peter Frankopan Selected as Inaugural Speaker for the Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series

World-renowned historian and award-winning author will present lectures entitled “Global Greece: A History.”

Read More

June 2, 2020

Phokion Potamianos Establishes Thalia Potamianos Annual Lecture Series on the Impact of Greek Culture

We are pleased to announce that Gennadius Library Overseer Phokion Potamianos has established a new lecture series that will examine the reception and continuing relevance and impact of Greek thought and culture.

Read More