Greek parade marshals named

Most Americans hate April 15 because it is income tax day, but this year, many Greek-Americans will be celebrating with a parade up Fifth Avenue, which will be televised for the first time.
An estimated 200,000 people are expected to flock to Manhattan for New York City’s 76th annual Greek Independence Day parade, the largest outside Greece. The theme of this year’s parade is “Religious Freedom.”
The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, the organizers of the parade, announced recently that the Grand Marshals will be Anna Vissi, Greece’s most popular recording artist, Archon Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, a defender of the Greek Orthodox faith and Nick Davatzes, Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of cable TV’s Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Network.
Davatzes, a former U.S. Marine, winner of the National Humanities Medal, graduate of St. John’s University and Bryant High School in Astoria, is credited with creating both the A&E Network and the History Channel, two of the most successful stations on basic cable. France has awarded him the “Chevalier des Arts et Lettres” and in 1999, Davatzes was inducted into the Broadcast and Cable (TV) Hall of Fame.
Davatzes also sits on the Board of St. John’s University, which has awarded him an honorary doctorate. Noting that 40 percent of the students there come from homes with an annual income less than $30,000 he said, “We need more institutions like that.”
Limberakis, who served as a U.S. Senate page while in high school, is a practicing radiologist who operates a leading outpatient facility in Philadelphia. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University Medical School, Limberakis received the Charles A. Dukes award, Duke’s highest recognition for his extensive volunteer service to the University. The title “Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate” is the highest honor that the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church invests in laymen.
He is also the National Commander of the Order of St. Andrew, comprised of prominent Orthodox churchmen in the U.S. who are charged with defending and supporting the Patriarchate, which they assert is subject to oppressive religious persecution in Turkey.
Cyprus-born singer and entertainer Anna Vissi, the Honorary Grand Marshal of the parade, is a mega-star in Greece and her native country, having sold over 9.5 million albums worldwide. Born in 1957, Vissi entered a musical conservatory in Cyprus at age six. By age 16, Vissi made her first TV appearance. Shortly afterward, her family relocated to Athens, and Vissi entered the National Conservatory there. During that period, she also studied law at the University of Athens.
While Vissi is little known outside of the Greek community, she has performed at such prestigious venues as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden in New York. Vissi has received complimentary reviews in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times and has been dubbed “The Greek Faith Hill.”
Parade Chairman John Catsimatidis, himself an Archon and chair ofthe Federation’s Religious Freedom Committee said, “Grand Marshals are people who have shown leadership in the community and are role models for our youth. I look forward to this being the most spectacular parade in our history.”