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Ιστορία

Ο Σύλλογος Αποφοίτων του Αμερικανικού Κολλεγίου Ελλάδος (ACG) ιδρύθηκε το 1928 από τους αποφοίτους του Pierce. Σκοπός του είναι η εκπροσώπηση, η υποστήριξη και η δικτύωση όλων των αποφοίτων μελών. Το 1981, διατηρώντας τους ίδιους σκοπούς, τροποποίησε το καταστατικό του και συμπεριέλαβε τους πτυχιούχους DEREE μεταξύ των μελών του.

Σήμερα, παρότι η έδρα του Συλλόγου είναι στην Αθήνα, χιλιάδες μέλη του ζουν και διαπρέπουν επαγγελματικά σε δεκάδες χώρες σε όλο τον κόσμο αποτελώντας τους καλύτερους πρεσβευτές των ποιοτικών εκπαιδευτικών προγραμμάτων του Αμερικανικού Κολλεγίου Ελλάδος (ACG). Το Σχολείο δίνει την δυνατότητα στους μαθητές να αποκτήσουν γερές βάσεις γνώσεων στο αντικείμενο της επιλογής τους, να σκέφτονται δημιουργικά, να μιλούν άπταιστα αγγλικά και να χρησιμοποιούν τις νέες τεχνολογίες. Να έχουν δηλαδή όλα τα εργαλεία για την προσωπική και επαγγελματική τους επιτυχία.

Από το 1928 ως σήμερα, 100 σχεδόν χρόνια ιστορίας δεν μπορούν να περιγράφουν λεπτομερώς σε μια ιστοσελίδα. Πολλές εκδηλώσεις έχουν παραλειφθεί για λόγους συντομίας και το πιο σημαντικό, δεν κατέστη δυνατό να αναγραφούν τα ονόματα όλων των μελών που εργάστηκαν εθελοντικά, πολλές ώρες για τον Σύνδεσμο σε Διοικητικά Συμβούλια και/ή Επιτροπές, αποστολές κλπ.

Το Δ.Σ δεν αποτελείται μόνο από τις/τους Προέδρους που αναφέρονται εδώ για τη θητεία που έχουν υπηρετήσει. Υπάρχουν πολλά μέλη του Δ.Σ, των οποίων ο ενθουσιασμός, η φαντασία και η αφοσίωση κράτησαν τον Σύλλογο ζωντανό.

Είναι σημαντικό να αποτίσουμε φόρο τιμής στον ρόλο που διαδραμάτισαν όλοι οι απόφοιτοι όλα αυτά τα χρόνια, οι οποίοι ήταν και συνεχίζουν να είναι ισχυροί δεσμοί μεταξύ του Συλλόγου και του δικού μας ALMA MATER.

Ας κρατήσουμε ζωντανή την ιστορία μας!

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1928
1930
1939
1940
1941-1944
1944
1944-1946
1951
1952
1954
1957
1960
1963
1964
1965
1966
1971
1972
1974
1975

1928

The Association is established.

1930

The first statutes in English are compiled with an emphasis on the granting of scholarships for the school.

1939

The Association officially becomes a corporation with a 9 member Board. The first alumni lunch, the Banquet, is organized and established as an annual event in honor of alumni, with the sole exception of the years of occupation.

1940

During the first days of the war, the Association, having made an appeal for help to all graduates at home and in the U.S., offers substantial assistance in the form of money and personal help, thanks to graduates.

1941-1944

During the occupation, the Association with little means at its disposal, helps families with missing persons and founds a soup kitchen to feed children.

1944

The Association restarts functioning normally, with elections, boards and committees; procedures that had ceased during the 4 years of war and occupation. The Association doesn’t have its own offices, therefore, Board meetings are held at graduates’ homes.

1944-1946

The Association founds an English language night school for employed females.

1951

Attempts are made to create an alumni core in Cyprus, similar to the one that had been created in the United States.

1952

The Mills Prize is established, awarded each year to a graduate of the College who is distinguished not only for his/her academic performance but also for his/her spirit of cooperation and ethos.

1954

The Association responds to the events occurring in Cyprus by sending protest resolutions to hundreds of American and European universities as well as to international organizations. It also enlists the help of alumni in America and raises awareness of the great national problem worldwide.
At that time, the Board sets the objective to bring graduates together via committees and events organized, both cultural and social. In addition, the Board strives to raise money for scholarships with the assistance of its members. Until 1968, they have offered over 100 scholarships, partial or complete.
The social events of the time manage to raise enough money for the purposes of the Association. Simultaneously, the Association, being a woman’s group, participates in the National Council of Women as well as in international clubs.

1957

The President of the Association, by invitation of the State Department, travels to America and takes part in an international women’s club meeting. That year, at the International Conference on women’s rights in Mexico, Greece participates with 5 representatives: three of whom are graduates of our school.

1960

The Association helps the Welfare School to not only be shut down by the then Ministry of Welfare but also to overcome their internal operational problems by offering money along with volunteer work.

1963

A revolutionary act back then, the Association prevents the mansion of Angeliki Hatzimichali in Plaka from being rented out as a tavern. It converts it to the group’s meeting point and, through the Alumni Committee, offers it for the daily use of alumni. Having survived, today it belongs to the municipality of Athens that has turned the building into a museum of folk art, a longstanding objective of the Association.
Since then a long-term effort is launched in order to assist children who live in the public mental hospital under unacceptable conditions. Leafing through old records, one will find many other charitable donations despite the Association’s limited means.
Events were and continue to be made with the help of our committees to aid children with Thalassemia. For this reason the Red Cross offered the Association an honorary diploma.

1964

The statutes of 1939 are amended, the modification planning having begun from 1957.

1965

Trees, named after alumni, are planted on the school’s grounds and the money gathered is given towards scholarships.

1966

The Alumnae Prize is established for high school. This prize is awarded jointly by the Association’s Board of Directors and the School. During the last years, there has been a switch and the Mills Prize is awarded to a lyceum alumnus on the day of the Banquet and the Alumnae Prize to a DEREE alumnus on Commencement day.

Over the years, the Αssociation, whenever requested, has always been at the school’s disposal to overcome any difficulty and there are numerous times that the Association has made a positive contribution. Many years ago it made a strong effort to assist the high school to achieve recognition and equal status with that of public schools, a benefit for both students and teachers. Whenever a problem would arise from the State, the Association would rush to aid the College. For example, during the dictatorship of ’67, when the Ministry of Education wanted to shut down the College because it considered it a greenhouse of “subversive ideas”. Another instance was when, after discussions with the administration of the school the Association strived for years, unfortunately unsuccessfully due to legal obstacles, to establish a primary school that would supply PIERCE with new students.
In the late 60’s it decided to raise money for the purchase of a privately owned space that would house the Association.

1971

The Association purchases for 360,000 drachmae the clubhouse we have today at 3, Kartali St. Moreover, the Board tries to convince the Council Committees of Boston that a Local Board needs to be held in Greece (an old request of all the Boards of Directors) and, on the other hand, sends minutes of their meetings locally to the Association’s boards abroad. Then for the first time, the American College of Greece is represented at the Boston Council Committees by fellow alumnus Ms. Magganari, a professor at the University of New York. Later on, due to technical reasons, this representation is discontinued.

1972

The College is named in honor of Greek American DEREE, Darachani, thanks to the large donations he has given towards the school, mainly the library. The Board hosts a big reception in honor of Mr. DEREE.

1974

During the invasion of Cyprus, the Board of Directors, in cooperation with all committees, provides whatever assistance it can to Cyprus by fundraising among alumni and sending clothes and blankets. At the same time, they open a bank account towards the cause and the Board “adopts” a young Cypriot child.

1975

President Ms. Dasiou is invited to participate as an ex officio in meetings of the Board to elect a new President for the schools, granted full opinion and vote. From then onwards, a Council Board is usually held in Greece. There are visits of Board members, but the ACG President occasionally attends meetings in Boston.

88 years of history cannot be described on a web page in detail. Many events have been omitted for reasons of brevity and most importantly, it wasn’t possible to list the names of all the members who have voluntarily worked long hours for the Association on Boards and/or Committees. The Board is not comprised only of Presidents who are mentioned here for the terms they have served. There are many members of the BOD, whose enthusiasm; imagination and dedication have kept the Association alive. It is important to pay tribute to the role all graduates have played throughout all these years, who have been and continue to be strong links between the Association and our own ALMA MATER.