American
Foundation
for
Greek
Language
and Culture
*
AFGLC *
AFGLC HONORS JAMES SCOFIELD.
JOURNALIST AND PAST SUPREME PRESIDENT OF AHEPA, FOR LIFE CONTRIBUTIONS
Tampa, Florida: The American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture is proud to recognize the contributions of Mr. James Scofield, journalist and Hellenic activist, to the cause of Hellenic education in America. AFGLC honored Mr. Scofield’s lifetime of service at the gala concluding their recent spring Educational Forum in Tampa. In particular they wished to call attention to his facilitating role in concluding the partnership between AHEPA, the oldest and largest Greek American organization, and AFGLC, which will result in Interdisciplinary Centers for Hellenic Studies to be set up around the nation in the name of AHEPA-AFGLC.
In honoring Mr. Scofield, Professor Chris P. Tsokos, President, AFGLC, stated “We are indeed pleased to honor the former Supreme President of AHEPA, for his outstanding and dedicated leadership of the order of AHEPA, his many contributions to the Hellenic spirit and his valuable advise and support for the realization of the AFGLC-AHEPA partnership.”
Mr. Scofield, a native of Cincinnati, graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He served in the navy during the Korean War and entered the profession of journalism. In addition to working as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Indiana and Illinois, he spent more than thirty years in editorial and executive positions on the St. Petersburg Times, from which he recently retired. He is a recognized expert in electronic newspaper library research systems, and was chairman of the international committee that established the first industry-wide standards in that field. He has received numerous awards for his journalism and librarianship and has served as International Chairman of the News Division of the Special Libraries Association.
In addition to his professional excellence, Mr. Scofield has distinguished himself by his level of civic and Church involvement. He was named an Archon Megas Ekdikos by Patriarch Athenagoras. A founding member of St. Stefanos parish in St. Petersburg, he has also served the Church at the diocesan and archdiocesan levels, helping to establish the Orthodox Observer newspaper and chairing the committee that organized the archdiocese’s Department of Communications.
Following in the footsteps of his father and uncles, who campaigned against discrimination towards immigrants in the 1920s, James Scofield has been an active leader of The American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA), helping to pass anti-Ku Klux Klan legislation in Georgia during his tenure as Supreme President in 1990. He documented the oppression of Greek immigrants at the hands of hate organizations in the paper, “Forgotten History: The Klan vs. Americans of Hellenic Heritage in an Era of Hate,” which was also read into the Congressional Record in 1997. This was, in fact, the fourth document of Mr. Scofield to enter the Record.
Prior to becoming Supreme President of AHEPA, Mr. Scofield had also served as Supreme President of the Sons of Pericles. He is an active Mason, and has chaired the Hellenic Heritage Selection Committee of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Awards. He has also been the chairman of the AHEPA Hellenic Cultural Commission, president of International Strategist, and president of the American Hellenic International Press Association. He has been honored by inclusion in “Who’s Who in America”, “Who’s Who in the Media and Communications”, “Who’s Who Worldwide” and “Who’s Who in Free Masonry.” In 1994 he received the prestigious Ellis Island Award, honoring the contributions of distinguished Americans of immigrant origins.
Mr. James Scofield being
honored by Professor Chris P. Tsokos, President of AFGLC.
Mr. Scofield is married to the former Jessie Axiotis and resides in St. Petersburg, Florida. AFGLC is proud of the accomplishments of this distinguished son and defender of the Hellenic heritage, and grateful for his patient mediation in the collaboration between AHEPA and AFGLC. The Interdisciplinary Centers created as a result of this partnership will stand as an appropriate testament to the zeal of James Scofield for the riches of Hellenic culture.
