Object ID
2009.1.7.5
Object Name
Photograph
Date Created
1927
Object Entities
Mike B Spanakos, Stella Spanakos (is related to)
Object Description
A black and white formal photograph of a young man. He is seated facing away from the camera, but looks at the camera. He is wearing a suit, vest, and tie, and is wearing a ring on his left ring finger. At the bottom of the photograph, in white writing, it reads, "Mike B. Spanakis 1927"
Origin
This photograph was donated by Pete M. Spanakos.
Petros and his identical twin, Nikos, were born on July 26th, 1938 in New York City and raised in Brooklyn. They graduated from the College of Idaho in 1960 with boxing scholarships. Petros received a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School in 1965. He spent most of his career as a counselor in the New York City Board of Education. Both Petros and Nikos were inducted into the Halls of Fame of Fort Hamilton High school (where they attended High school,) The College of Idaho, and the Greek-American fraternal order, A.H.E.P.A. Petros was the ten times unprecedented, undefeated Golden Gloves champion from 1955-1974. Petros won a Bronze medal in the 1959 Pan-American Games. Both Nikos and Petros were on a team with Muhammad Ali.
The photograph is of Petros and Nikos father, Michael. Michael passed through Ellis Island at the age of 16 in 1912, and his future wife, Stella, passed through Ellis Island in 1908 at the age of 6. Neither was educated over 6th grade. They were married in 1927 in Cavanaugh's Resaurant. Stella was honored by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the Waldorf Astoria as the 1962 New York State Mother of the Year and was the runner up to the National Mother of the Year for the same year. In 1964, she was honored by US Senator Kenneth Keating as the USE Greek American Mother of the Year at the NY Plaza Hotel. She officially led the 1964 Greek Independence Day Parade down 5th Avenue.
Petros and his identical twin, Nikos, were born on July 26th, 1938 in New York City and raised in Brooklyn. They graduated from the College of Idaho in 1960 with boxing scholarships. Petros received a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School in 1965. He spent most of his career as a counselor in the New York City Board of Education. Both Petros and Nikos were inducted into the Halls of Fame of Fort Hamilton High school (where they attended High school,) The College of Idaho, and the Greek-American fraternal order, A.H.E.P.A. Petros was the ten times unprecedented, undefeated Golden Gloves champion from 1955-1974. Petros won a Bronze medal in the 1959 Pan-American Games. Both Nikos and Petros were on a team with Muhammad Ali.
The photograph is of Petros and Nikos father, Michael. Michael passed through Ellis Island at the age of 16 in 1912, and his future wife, Stella, passed through Ellis Island in 1908 at the age of 6. Neither was educated over 6th grade. They were married in 1927 in Cavanaugh's Resaurant. Stella was honored by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the Waldorf Astoria as the 1962 New York State Mother of the Year and was the runner up to the National Mother of the Year for the same year. In 1964, she was honored by US Senator Kenneth Keating as the USE Greek American Mother of the Year at the NY Plaza Hotel. She officially led the 1964 Greek Independence Day Parade down 5th Avenue.
Rights and Reproduction
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For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org
Any other use, such as exhibition, publication, or commercial use, is not allowed except by written permission in accordance with the NHM Image Rights and Reproduction Policy.
For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org
Citation
Photograph, 1927, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/3450. Accessed 04/26/24.