Our Archives, Our Heritage by Prof. Alexander Kitroeff
"Our Archives, Our Heritage" is an article authored by Professor Alexander Kitroeff, published in The National Herald, November 18-24, 2023 Edition.
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Several years ago, we were lucky enough to get permission from The National Herald to repost articles that are of interest to our group.
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Note: Information on how to contribute to Meletis Pouliopoulos project "Greek Cultural Resources" can be found at the bottom of this page.
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During a
recent trip to
Boston I was
able to visit
two Greek-American
archives. This
is my idea of
having fun,
though these
involve serious business
because such
collections
contain the
materials
through
which we can
preserve our heritage and pass it on to
the younger generations.
In one of the two archives I visited, I
watched digitized film of the March
25th parade that took place in Manchester, NH in 1966. I also listened to a digitized recording of a New York-based
Greek American radio station mentioning a pro-democracy demonstration during the March 25th parade on 5th Avenue in 1968, the first such parade
under the auspices of the dictatorial
regime established in Greece a year earlier.
Those digitized tapes I found at the
second of my two visits. The first was
no less impressive. It was at the Archbishop Iakovos Library at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, a suburb
of Boston. With permission from His
Grace Bishop Joachim, the Library Director, I had a tour of the Special Collections and the Archive Room by librarian Hilary Rogler. It was an
overwhelming experience. Those two
rooms contain the histories of the Greek
Church, of Greek Orthodoxy in America,
and of Greek America, in the form of
rare books, church publications, and the
personal papers and collections donated
by Greek-American clergy and academics.
The news coming out of Hellenic College Holy Cross has not always been
good. The two schools have faced a series of academic, administrative, and financial challenges over the past few
years and are gradually dealing with
them. But what is indisputably good
news is the richness of the archives in
the Iakovos Library and their usefulness
in preserving the Greek and Orthodox
heritage in America.
The other archive I visited was completely different. It belongs to an individual rather than an institution and is
housed not in a magnificent building
such as that of the Iakovos Library but
in a small townhouse in Stratham, NH,
just over an hour’s drive north of Boston.
This space, which cannot be more than
1,500 square feet – it was difficult to
judge because of the number of stacked
archival boxes I was climbing over – is
the residence of Meletis Pouliopoulos.
It is also the home of Greek Cultural
Resources, the organization he established for the purpose of obtaining, documenting, preserving, archiving, promoting, and providing access to
recordings of Greek music and relevant
traditions, as well as related publications, manuscripts, images, interviews,
and film/video footage for the benefit
of musicians, folk dance troupes, teaching institutions, scholars, performers,
collectors, and the general public.
I have written recently of the need
of funding archives and the sacrifices
that Meleti has made and his precarious
financial situation. But during my visit
he was intent on outlining the future,
what could be done if that funding is
ever secured. Pointing to the parcels
stacked up near his front door he explained that very many Greek-Americans who have heard of his work send
him books, magazines, VHS tapes, and
all manner of materials that relate to
their family history or their community.
All these need to be preserved, and
his work is not simply storing the stuff
in his home, but by digitizing the old
documents which is the best way of anticipating their eventual degradation and
loss. The same applies to old film rolls
and video and audio tapes. Such a
process would cost thousands of dollars,
but Greek Cultural Resources undertakes
that task for free. What is also special
about Meleti’s Greek Cultural Resources
is the advice and help Meleti provides
to institutions that wish to save their history and heritage, as for example the St.
George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Memory Project which has digitized its parish
bulletins going back to 1965. It has also
catalogued its library and is embarking
on a series of interviews with seniors.
Another thing that makes this organization stand out is that it helps, by providing data, again at no cost, to researchers
who need materials for their projects. It
is quite remarkable that an individual
has achieved so much and that he wishes
to help others do the same, to function
as the tide that will lift all boats.
Whether all this work can be continued depends on the support Greek Cultural Resources receives. Symeon Tegos,
Greece’s General Consul in Boston, took
the hour-long journey and visited in
early September. Meleti showed him
around and spoke about his vision and
preservation plan that could benefit
every Greek-American collection in the
United States. The Consul praised the
work on the Consulate’s Facebook page
and is trying to help.
Hopefully Greek America can echo
the Consul’s admiration and also act
upon it. Meleti loses his sunny disposition when he remarks that old papers
go yellow and crumble and old tapes
go brittle and break into little pieces.
Time of is of the essence and this about
our heritage.
Alexander Kitroeff is Professor
Emeritus of History, Haverford College.
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Website for Meletis Pouliopoulos project "Greek Cultural Resources" - https://greekculturalresources.org/index.html
Donate to Meletis Pouliopoulos project "Greek Cultural Resources"
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