BOSTON, MA – The Alfa Omega Council of Boston in its annual dinner at the Westin Copley Place Hotel, attended by more than 300 guests honored anchor Maria Stephanos from Fox 25 News of Boston with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis served as Master of Ceremonies.

Stephanos is one of Boston’s most experienced and respected journalists. She began at Fox 25 as a reporter and later she became the station’s main anchor. Her versatility has led to numerous high-profile assignments. She’s covered local, state, and national elections, Democratic and Republican conventions, and a variety of breaking news stories. Her political coverage has taken her from the halls of the Massachusetts State House to interviews with three U.S. presidents.

She came to FOX25 from WJAR-TV in Providence, RI where she covered spot news.  Her career has also included reporting for WCBS radio, WABC radio, NPR radio and WNBC radio.

Stephanos received an Associated Press award in 2000 for her feature reporting. She holds a master’s degree in mass communications from Emerson College.

She is married to an award-winning illustrator and editorial cartoonist, Dame Stephanos, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone magazine, and many other publications. The couple has two children, Isabella (16) and Liam (14).

Council President Athanasios Liakos presented the award to Stephanos with many praises for her achievements. Stephanos thanked the Organizations and the guests and she expressed her pride about her Hellenic American Heritage. Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, Consul General of Greece Ifigenia Kanara, and attorney Dimitris Nionakis also delivered praises.

The Peter Agris Memorial Journalism Scholarships were given to six students: Maielena Balouris, Madeline Bilis, Jenifer Ann Charoni, Alyssa Giannirakis, Alexa Marie Liacko, and Samantha Sedlack. Each student received $5,000. The scholarships have, for 22 years, provided over $500,000 in financial support to 100 students from the Greek-American community through the United States.

Agris, who died 25 years ago, founded the AlphaCouncil and published the Hellenic Chronicle newspaper, which closed a few years ago.

The Council was established in 1976 by a group of friends and businessmen in Boston and it comprised of Greek-Americans who excel in business, education, academia, law, medicine, politics, and science. Its goals, according to its website, are: “to unite Americans of Hellenic ancestry in order to promote and encourage loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America, cultivate the ideals of Hellenism, strive toward maintaining positive Greek-American relations, recognize the achievements of those individuals or groups who have excelled in their professions or fields of endeavor, help alleviate the wants of the poor and needy, and establish, maintain, and aid religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities.”

Since its inception, the Council has contributed over $2,000,000 to various philanthropic causes, not including the annual Peter Agris Scholarship Awards.

The Council also honored former Mayor of Boston Tomas Menino. The award was received by his son-in-law William Fenten. The Makredes Ensemble provided live Greek music.