Peter J. Philliou of Winchester, MA, husband of Helen, father of Dimitrios, Thea, and Christine, brother to Philip and George, grandfather to four, and great-grandfather to one, passed away  Philliou of Berkeley, CA, four grandchildren and one great grandchild, passed away on January 6 at age 86.

Born in Astoria, Philliou turned down the chance to play baseball for the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers in order to focus on academics. He attended MIT, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He also earned master’s degrees from Columbia and Northeastern Universities, and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University.

He worked for General Electric, and then for Draper Lab as part of a team that fulfilled President Kennedy’s Space Race goal: in 1969 the United States became the first country to put a man on the moon.

Philliou was a lifelong scholar, taught extensively at various institutions of higher learning, and was a dedicated volunteer at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lexington, MA.

For many years, Peter was a dedicated volunteer for the family parish, the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lexington, MA

Donations can be made in his memory to the MIT Class of 1951 Fund for Excellence in Education and the Memorial Fund for Current Purposes, 600 Memorial Drive, Room W98-500, Cambridge, MA 02139-4822.