The Arthur and Mary (Seiradakis) Platsis Endowment for the Greek Legacy was given to the University of Michigan by George Platsis to honor the memory of his parents.
Arthur and Mary (Seiradakis) Platsis, immigrants from the island of Crete in Greece, exemplified the finest traditions of modern Hellenism, including hard work, service to their adopted homeland, and a commitment to education. Arthur Platsis demonstrated his devotion to the United States by proudly volunteering for military service with the 32nd Michigan Infantry in World War I. Upon his return, he served as head chef at the American Legion Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan that cared for veterans who suffered the effects of poison gas attacks. Like many immigrants, Arthur Platsis labored to support not only himself but also family members in Greece. He helped accumulate dowries for his four sisters. Mary (Seiradakis) Platsis also demonstrated her desire for serving others through volunteering for the Red Cross, founding the Battle Creek Friends of Greece during World War II that shipped clothes to her wartorn homeland and providing relief to the orphanages of Kandanos and Sougia, the village of her grandfather, from 1945-1947, under the United Nations Relief and Reconstruction Act.
It is in the spirit exemplified by these two individuals that their son, George Platsis, created the Arthur and Mary (Seiradakis) Platsis Endowment. Funds from this endowment serve two main purposes: an annual symposium and student prizes for original work relating to the Greek Legacy. Mr. Platsis expressed his aspirations for the Platsis Endowment thus: "Our hope is that the symposia and prize contestants will successfully explore the beauty and significance of the Greek tradition and its relevance to contemporary life and learning."
The Arthur and Mary Platsis Endowment for the Greek Legacy
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium lecture by Gerasimos Santas (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Sara Ahbel-Rappe (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium lecture by Paul Woodruff (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Evans Young (PDF)
09/16/2005 - The 4th Annual Platsis Symposium on Happiness/Eudaimonia
2006 Arthur and Mary Platsis Student Prize Winners Announced!
Call for Submissions - 2008 Student Prizes for Work on the Greek Legacy
4th Annual Platsis Symposium on Happiness Talk Delivered by Stephen White (PDF)
4th Platsis Symposium on Happiness Talk Delivered by Darrin McMahon (PDF)
4th Platsis Symposium on Happiness Talk Delivered by Daniel Robinson (PDF)
3rd Annual Platsis Symposium on Crete Talk Delivered by L. Vance Watrous (PDF)
3rd Annual Platsis Symposium on Crete Talk Delivered by Louis Ruprecht (PDF)
3rd Annual Platsis Symposium on Crete Talk Delivered by Maria Georgopoulou
This link will take you to a website where we have posted Prof. Georgopoulou's lecture with her permission.
Platsis Symposia and Papers
Iconoclasm: The War on Images: 6th Annual Platsis Symposium 09/23/07
Iconoclasm: The War on Images: 6th Annual Platsis Symposium response by John Haldon-Professor of Byzantine History, Princeton University (PDF)
Iconoclasm: The War on Images: 6th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Charles Barber-Art Historian, Notre Dame (PDF)
CITIZEN SOCRATES: the 5th Annual Platsis Symposium on the Greek Legacy 09/29/06
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium lecture by Gerasimos Santas (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Sara Ahbel-Rappe (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium lecture by Paul Woodruff (PDF)
Citizen Socrates: 5th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Evans Young (PDF)
Happiness/Eudaimonia: The 4th Annual Platsis Symposium 09/16/2005
Happiness/Eudaimonia: The 4th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Stephen White (PDF)
Happiness/Eudaimonia: The 4th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Darrin McMahon (PDF)
Happiness/Eudaimonia: The 4th Annual Platsis Symposium response by Daniel Robinson (PDF)
Crete: The 3rd Annual Platsis Symposium
Crete: The 3rd Annual Platsis Symposium response by L. Vance Watrous (PDF)
Crete: The 3rd Annual Platsis Symposium response by Louis Ruprecht (PDF)
Crete: The 3rd Annual Platsis Symposium response by Maria Georgopoulou
This link will take you to a website where we have posted Prof. Georgopoulou's lecture with her permission.
Platsis Prizes
2006 Arthur & Mary Platsis Student Prize Winners Announced!
Previous Prize Winners
Every year, the Arthur and Mary Platsis Prizes award undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan for exceptional work related to the Greek Legacy from its earliest roots through the Classical and Hellenistic eras and as echoed and reinforced in the works of Byzantine and Modern Greek culture. Students in any college and any field are invited to submit work dealing with the relevance of Greek thought and experience for our world today.
There are two main categories of submissions, research and creative work, and there are no restrictions on length or size of works. Entries are anonymously evaluated by the Platsis Symposium Committee. Amounts of prizes are determined by the committee and shall reflect the scope of the work selected. One or more prizes will be awarded every Fall during the Platsis Symposium.
The prizes are supported by the Arthur and Mary Platsis Endowment Fund for the Greek Legacy, named for Arthur and Mary Platsis, immigrants from Crete, Greece, who dedicated their lives to hard work and service in their adopted country of the United States. Arthur and Mary Platsis believed in the power of education. They also believed in celebrating the cultural and intellectual traditions of their Greek heritage.
For more information, please contact Kimberly Johnson.
