With the 90th Anniversary of the Greek Community in Wilmington at hand, it’s a great time to reflect on our past and how we got to where we are as we look to the future.
November 30, 1939
The community kicked off the fund raising for the proposed church at the Broom Street property recently purchased from the Trustees of the T. Coleman and Alice duPont Estate via Equitable Trust Company. The event was held at the Hotel duPont. Co-Chairmen were restauranteur James Boines and Wilmington banker, J.K. Johnston.
According to newspaper articles, $35,000 was pledged toward a goal of $150,000. In attendance were many civic and business leaders of many faiths. Over 200 people were in attendance, including Archbishop Athenagoras, of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America, Demetrios Sicilianos, Minister of Greece to the United States, Delaware Governor Richard McMullen, Wilmington Mayor Walter Bacon, and Washington attorney, Achilles Catsonis.
This photo, from the Delaware State Archives, shows (L to R) Demetrios Sicilianos, Archbishop Athenagoras, J.K. Johnstone, and James Boines.