In Memory
Andreas Georgakopoulos
It is with great sadness and shock that we inform the ACG community that Deree ’16 graduate Andreas Georgakopoulos, just 23 years old, died in a lethal car accident on Sunday, February 26, 2017.
Andreas was an outstanding student who chose to complement his studies at the National Technical University of Athens, with a Minor in Economics at Deree, from which he graduated with 3.82 GPA in Spring of 2016. He showed tremendous academic potential, and was already becoming involved in academic research with professors of Economics at Deree. He enjoyed biking, skiing, and going on trips.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones.
Germain Isberian
Germain Isberian, a native of Thessaloniki, studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received a BA in Education (cum laude) and an MA in Linguistics. Before teaching at Pierce – The American College of Greece, Germain worked in Thessaloniki as a translator at the Quaker School (then affiliated with the American Farm School), as an administrative assistant at Pinewood International School of Thessaloniki, and as an English teacher at several language institutes.
On September 1, 1970, Germain joined the Pierce English department, where she taught in both the Gymnasium and Lyceum for 36 years until she retired on August 31, 2006. She was a member of the 25-Year Associates since 1995 (after completing 25 years of service at ACG) and was an elected member of the association’s board for 6 years.
An avid theater-goer, Germain shared this passion with her students by introducing them to modern European theater, and also by carefully choosing plays she thought students would appreciate in Stratford and London, before taking school groups there for the annual English department cultural trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace. In the last few years of her tenure, Germain was also the advisor for the Pierce Lyceum English magazine Sunny Days.
Germain Isberian passed away on Sunday, January 1, 2017 in Thessaloniki. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, and loves ones, as well as to anyone who had the pleasure of calling her a colleague or teacher.
Mary Menexian
Mary Menexian was a graduate of the Pierce Class of 1947 and the Deree Upper Class of 1950. Her granddaughter Iris, also a Pierce graduate and Deree student, wrote a moving eulogy for her grandmother that we are honored to share below, along with our deepest condolences:
Mary Menexian – my grandmother – was the most kind, selfless, affectionate, and humorous person I have ever met. She was born in Piraeus and lived in Athens, but she came from a large Armenian family from Smyrna, and therefore she carried with her the ideals of her Armenian ancestors. She was both an American College graduate, as well as a Deree graduate. A very dedicated and reliable worker, she worked in a secretarial position, and later as a marketing specialist at the Embassy of the United States in Athens, where she held a valued position among her colleagues.
She was married to Agop Spartalis and had just one daughter, Christine (Pierce ‘77), and her beloved grandchildren, Paris (Pierce ‘09) and Iris (Pierce ‘15, Deree student).
She was an inspiration. A gentle, but strong influence, always optimistic and stubborn, and always ready to help us overcome difficulties without asking for anything in return.
She was a person you could trust. Someone you knew you could talk to when you were going through a rough patch; someone that you knew could help ease your mind and find a solution, for even the toughest of problems.
I loved my grandma and I feel lucky that I had the chance to meet her. She was a wonderful person, and we will always, always miss her.
