The Impact of Giving

Two years ago, Dr. Vasilis (Bill) Molos returned to York University to become the Director and Research Lead of the HHF Greek Canadian Archives (HHF GCA). He joined a dedicated team of scholars that Associate Professor and HHF Chair in Modern Greek History Sakis Gekas had assembled. They quickly got to work preserving and narrating the history of Greeks in Canada.

A Pivotal Year
This past year saw significant acquisitions, extensive digitization projects, innovative research, and expanded public outreach. Thanks to Michalis Mouratidis’ donation, the HHF GCA now holds one of the world's largest collections of Greek diaspora newspapers. This collection will enable scholars to rewrite not only the history of Greeks in Canada but also the history of the Greek diaspora. This was one of several noteworthy acquisitions. The archive now contains 115 film reels recorded by Amice Calverley, which document the Greek Civil War from the front and life in Greece from the 1930s to the 1950s. The HHF GCA has also accepted 31 boxes of rare books that belonged to the late Christos Ziatas.

The HHF GCA put out a call for materials, and the community responded generously. Former Member of Parliament John Cannis loaned 157 photographs, correspondence, media releases, and other records documenting his early life and political career, which have been digitized and will be available in early 2025. The Hellenic Canadian Lawyers Association have donated their organizational records. Dr. Stan Draenos contributed two detailed itineraries from former Prime Minister of Greece Andreas Papandreou’s 1983 state visit to Canada. Areti Koleci, Marina Sterghiou, Dr. Christopher Grafos, and AHEPA Canada have also donated rare monographs, photos, records of women’s auxiliary societies, and other documents. These diverse materials chronicle Greek Canada’s rich and varied history.

As the archive has expanded its collections, HHF GCA archivist Maria Paraschos and York University Library colleagues—Anna St. Onge, Julia Holland, Michael Moir, and Taylor Tryburski—have processed previous acquisitions. Materials preserved by John Sotos, Frances Themeliopoulos, the Cephalonica-Ithaca Association of Toronto, and George Papadatos are now available to researchers. One hundred twenty cassettes recorded by Dr. George Thaniel have been digitized, and efforts to digitize the Basil Avramis collection are underway. The physical holdings page of the HHF GCA website is routinely updated to include links to finding aids, digitized materials, and relevant collections in Omni, the library catalogue. The HHF GCA eagerly anticipates welcoming more visitors to animate its growing archives and help support the advancement of migration and diaspora history and Greek Canadian studies.

A Hub of Interdisciplinary Research
Alongside this acquisition and cataloguing work, the HHF GCA has emerged as a hub of interdisciplinary research activity. It coordinates and supports seven projects, four of which feature an oral history component. Affiliated researchers have completed over 100 hours of interviews, and 65 interviews are already available on the HHF GCA’s digital portal. PhD Candidate Effrosyni Rantou highlights the portal’s significance as “a platform where history is made by them (the Greeks in Canada) and for them,” emphasizing its coverage of diverse contexts, historical periods, and themes. For Rantou, the portal serves as a “reflection of the Greek diaspora; somewhere to look so we can understand ‘ourselves.’” PhD Candidate Theo Xenophontos shares this perspective, describing the HHF GCA and its digital portal as a site for timely reflection on the invasion and occupation of Cyprus: “As we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic events of 1974, it is imperative to utilize this digital portal and archive of media materials to better understand the totality of the Cypriot Canadian experience in all of its diversity.” Rantou believes the portal should not be regarded as a static repository; rather, it is both “an object of research [and] an invitation for an intergenerational contribution.”

The HHF GCA digital portal has been accessed by scholars and students from six countries, as well as from all of Toronto’s universities. Tomée Tzatzanis found the portal invaluable while writing an essay on Greek transnational identity during the years of the junta. Tzatzanis particularly benefited from Makis Andrikopoulos’ interviews, especially his reflections on “his refusal to screen propaganda films at his theatre.” Dr. Christopher Grafos highlighted the value of HHF GCA resources for his course, “Greeks in the World: A History of Greek Migration,” describing the materials as “an indispensable part of creating engaging lectures with alluring images and documents for students to see.” Dr. Grafos further described the HHF GCA as “a source of infinite value to students looking for primary sources,” adding that “without this resource, it would be difficult for students to do the work of historians as it relates to Greeks in Canada.”

Over the past two years, the HHF GCA team has shared its findings at events in Canada, the United States, and  Greece. It has published reflections in its online journal, ‘i plateia,’ and introduced itself at numerous meetings and luncheons, outreach events, and through local press outlets. In the coming years, its researchers will write new histories of the first migrants, Cypriot and Pontian Canadians, community leaders, Greek studies programs, as well as the activities of regional and professional associations, women’s auxiliary societies, and Greek Canadian literary figures. The HHF GCA team have built a strong foundation and charted a clear path forward.

An Opportunity to Contribute
Dr. Molos attributes the HHF GCA’s progress to the “Greek Canadian community’s enduring commitment to preserving its heritage.” He notes that “the project’s achievements are the result of sustained efforts by stakeholders, researchers, and volunteers.” This success is a testament to the partnership between the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and York University, the vision of the Greek Canadian History Project team, and the support of colleagues at York University Libraries. Most importantly, it is a tribute to every donor who helped make the community’s archive a reality.

The five-year gift that established the HHF GCA has driven tremendous growth, but it also set an expiration date for this initiative. As the project transitions to its next phase, it calls on the community to secure a sustainable future for the HHF GCA. To support the continued growth of the HHF GCA, please visit donate.hhfgca.ca

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