Council Member & Archon
The AHEPA Family Mourns the
Passing of Past Supreme President John George
Plumides Contact:
Charlotte, NC - AHEPA Marathon Chapter No. 2
The AHEPA family and the
entire Charlotte community is deeply saddened by
the passing of Past Supreme
President John G. Plumides who died Sunday
evening May 15, 2005 in
Charlotte, NC. He was 78. Brother Plumides
served two terms as Supreme
President first in 1963-1964 and again in 1986-1987.
"Brother John Plumides was an Ahepan of superlatively high
standards,
complete integrity, and
boundless enthusiasm, for whatever task he took in
hand. No one, whose privilege
it was to know him will ever forget the
candor of his speech, yet the
ability to be as subtle and persuasive as a small
child when the occasion
demanded." stated Supreme President Franklin R.
Manios. "Who shall
forget the courage of his convictions and the warm and
glowing brightness of his
friendship. Our deepest sympathies are with his
devoted and lovely wife,
Mary, their three sons, their four grandchildren,
and to all of their extended
family."
Brother Plumides held
numerous offices throughout his storied AHEPA
career.
He first joined Marathon
Chapter No. 2 in Charlotte, NC in 1950 and became
a Life member. At 36, he
became one of the youngest Supreme Presidents in
the organization's history.
He became Supreme President for a second term in
1986-1987. He also served as:
District Governor of Capital District No. 3,
Supreme Counselor, Supreme
Secretary, Supreme Vice President and numerous
times as Supreme Convention
Chairman. He served as Chairman of the AHEPA
Cyprus and Hellenic Affairs
committee. John was the presenter of the first
"AHEPA Socrates
Award," awarded in 1964 to Time and LIFE Publisher Henry
Luce. The presentation was
pictured on the Editorial page of LIFE
magazine.
John was also active with the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
serving on the Archdiocesan
Council for over 25 years and served, as Counsel, to
His Eminence Archbishop
Iakovos. He was a member of Leadership 100. In 1972, His
All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras made Brother Plumides an Archon
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Order of St. Andrew the
Apostle, receiving the title
of "Megas Notarios." He also served on the
Board of Trustees of Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Charlotte
for over 15 years and served
as President for seven years and as YIASOU
Festival Chairman for two
years.
John Plumides attended the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for
both Undergraduate and Law
School. He began practicing law in August 1953.
From 1953-1955, he served in
the United States Army during the Korean
conflict. In 1956, he joined
with his brother Michael and formed the
Plumides Law Firm, which
still exists today. He youngest son, Gregory
practices law in the same
office. One of his proudest moments as an
attorney occurred in April of
2003 when the Mecklenburg County Bar featured him, as one
of the "Heroes of Our Bar," and the North Carolina Bar
Association
recognized in the same year
for 50 years of practice. During his career,
he
won numerous Court of Appeals
cases that changed both civil and criminal
law
in North Carolina, including
one case that went to the United States
Supreme
Court.
In 1964, he was chosen for
the delegation and joined in the flight aboard
"Air Force One",
along with Lady Bird Johnson, President Harry S. Truman,
Archbishop Iakovos and 10
other dignitaries personally representing
President Lyndon B. Johnson
at the funeral of King Paul of Greece. He
received the King George
"Medal of Honor" in 1966.
John was extensively involved
with the Democratic National Party on local
and national levels. He won
the Democratic primary for the 8th
Congressional District seat
of North Carolina. He was chosen twice as a delegate to the Democratic
National Convention. He also served as one of President Jimmy Carter's
National campaign managers. President William J. Clinton
recognized him for his
support during both his campaigns and presidencies. John
received the North Carolina
"Distinguished Citizen Award" from then
Governor Terry Sanford.
A native of Charlotte, he was
the son of George John Plumides of
Constantinople, Asia Minor
and Panagiota (Cockinos) of Nisiros, Greece.
Brother John is survived by
his wife of 42 years, Mary (Louzis), three
sons George, John and Gregory
and his wife Anna, all of Charlotte. He was the
proud grandfather of four,
Christina, William, Caroline, and Clarkson;
many nephews and nieces. His
brother and partner in their law practice, Michael
G. Plumides, predeceased
John.
A Prayer Service will be held
Wednesday evening, May 18, 2005, 7:30 p.m.,
at the Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, 600 East Boulevard, Charlotte,
NC. The number for the
church is 704-334-4771. Funeral Services will be
held Thursday, May 19, 2005,
2:00 p.m., at Holy Trinity Cathedral. In
lieu of flowers the family
requests that donations be made to the AHEPA
Marathon Chapter No. 2 or to
the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral Foundation of Charlotte,
NC. The address for the Marathon Chapter No. 2 is: In Care Of N. Markos
Kontos, Treasurer, 600 East Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28203.
Donations should be made
payable to the AHEPA Marathon Chapter No. 2 and
earmarked for the John G.
Plumides Scholarship.
In tribute to John George
Plumides:
"When good men die, their goodness does not perish,
But lives, though they are gone." - Euripides
May the memory of dearly
Brother John George Plumides be eternal.
