Baltimore, February 5, 2024
 
Dear members and friends of the Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage,
 
Welcome to our webpage. Here you will find a lot about our organization and its vision, our
various iterations and activities in the five decades of our existence, and our published
books and recorded past events.

As some historians of the future might say, we are well into the post pandemic era, with the
world around us trying to regroup amidst a multitude of crises in culture, politics, economic
security and livelihood of people, and international peace.

In our own corner of cultural heritage, there is widespread perception of growing
indifference to the lessons of the past, increasing reliance on the pseudo-intelligence of
computers and their derivatives, and further fragmentation of peoples’ sense of self with
devastating consequences on well-being and mental health.

This multifarious crisis often feels like degradation or collapse of the post-WWII world, but
we see it as a challenge and an opportunity.

Now more than ever societies like ours need to redouble efforts to preserve the great
lessons of the past. Not at all in an archival or academic way, but as a fertile source of
wisdom and inspiration. Our own Greek heritage has achievements that changed human
lives and formed the foundations of prosperity, stable and collaborative ways of living in
organized and just societies and, very importantly, human creativity and personal fulfillment.
And this fact refers not only to our classical history, but also our “Byzantine” past and
certainly also our modern struggles in building a Hellenic nation in Greece with its known
challenges and also the experiences of our diaspora in Europe, the United States, Australia,
and elsewhere in the world.

It is our duty, but also great honor, to accept this challenge as a mission and move forward
to rally our communities, preserve the wisdom and bring it to light, showcase its significance
for the modern Western world, and help inspire a more creative and fulfilling future for
everyone.

Without a doubt, today is not the easiest time to spread the word compared to several
decades ago, when our audience also involved Americans familiar with Europe and Greece
through the experiences of WWII and American efforts at European reconstruction but also
the -now vanished- Greek curricula in college. In many places, our classical heritage is
falling from grace under the influence of ephemeral political agendas to which universities
have fallen prey for one hour another reason.

But it is not the mission of academia or other such institutions to uphold the importance of
Greek civilization. At the end of the day, it really falls upon us. For us it is not an issue of
debate. It is our heritage and our pride. And it is our honor to preserve, cherish, and share.
For us and the generations to come. And thus, stay tuned for more initiatives bringing to
light the modern significance of classics and toddler contributions of the Hellenic past,
always with respect to alternative views and opinions.

  
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and hearing your reactions and your
thoughts.

And we invite you to join us as members and friends and share the excitement of debating
and forming a robust Hellenic viewpoint for the modern world.
 
On behalf of the SPGH Board,
 
Vassilis E. Koliatsos, M.D.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees