ASTORIA – An event full of love and gratitude was held by the Panatha-USA club of Astoria on August 6 for Spiros Pirgiotis.

For 16 years, Pirgiotis served at the Consulate General of Greece in New York and henceforth, after his retirement, he will divide his time between his homeland of Kefalonia and New York. His career began as a driver at the consulate with the current Consul General Dr. Konstantinos Koutras placing him at the entrance of the consulate, with everyone speaking well of his service, but also of his ethos. During the dinner given in his honor, everyone expressed their appreciation for him, but also their gratitude for his work for Hellenism and the Greek-American community.

The event was attended by, among others, Consul General Koutras, Consul Dimitris Papageorgiou, and Panatha-USA President Nikos Bardis. Each spoke highly of Pirgiotis, with him reciprocating with a post on his personal social media account saying: “Great company in a great setting at Panatha, NY. The one who brightened our company was none other than Consul General of our Greece, Mr. Konstantinos Koutras with his son, the good young man Dionysis. I can easily talk about Mr. Consul General and my former boss for hours or days, about the diplomat and, above all, the human being. He was the reformer of the Consulate General with his vast knowledge and upgraded it so much. And I’m not the only one who says it, the entire Greek-American community says it and he managed in his own way to make everyone really love him. I am proud and honored to have had you as my boss. I bow to your majesty. And one more thing, sorry for saying it. When I had my operation at the hospital you came and picked me up and took me to my house in Astoria. Because of emotion I stop here. You are a giant… Thank you.”