Spiro’s Finest Hours
From 1972 to 1984 the Greek Radio Hour, with disco cavalaris (disc jockey) Spyridon “Spiro” Demetrios Savvides, served to entertain and inform with music and news from the homeland. This was only one of the many endeavors Spiro developed in his varied career.
See Greek Radio Hour for more on this topic.
Spiro with Greek Radio Hour tapes and document files by John Nicon
Beginning In Pireaus Greece
Demetrios and Penelope Savvides
Spiro was born on November 30, 1927, in Pireaus, Greece to parents Demetrios Savvides from Istanbul and Penelope Matzaridou from Bursa, Turkey. Spiro’s first employment was in a machine shop and he eventually became a marine engineer. He worked for a while on an electric railroad in Greece and eventually used his engineering diploma by going to sea.
Spiro in the Greek Navy
While in the Greek Merchant Navy he met an American sailor in Calcutta, India, an encounter that would aid him in the future. He was assigned to a ship with a crew from the island of Chios, Greece, but as the only ”foreigner” in the crew he was disliked. At the age of 23, Spiro jumped ship in Baltimore, Maryland, and found his way to New York City. There, he found his sailor friend from Calcutta who gave him a Social Security card bearing another person’s name. Despite his reservations and the risk involved, Spiro used the card to find work in New York.
Life with Cookie
It was there he met New York-born Ekaterini “Kay” or “Cookie” Galanos. They were married in 1953 three days after they met. They have three children, Penelope, Eleni and Michael. Shortly thereafter Spiro returned to Greece to get his legal papers in order.
Wedding in New York: Eleni Galanos, Kay, Spiro, Stamatis Galanos
Spiro and Kay, circa 1990
Back in New York, Spiro saw a Boeing Company advertisement seeking engineers to help design rockets. He applied, was hired and came to Seattle, Washington, by himself in 1957. His family followed a few months later and Spiro worked until the rocket program ended. He then worked on the Supersonic Transport (SST) and 747 programs until he tired of getting up early and sitting at a desk. He wanted something more and entered the insurance business.
At the same time, he joined with four Greek partners, George Serpanos, George Erhos, James Anas and Angelo Trivelas, to open the Continental Pastry Shop in Seattle’s University District. Spiro slowly bought out their interests and managed the business.
Greek Translations
Spiro at work in 2011 by John Nicon
Also during this time, Spiro was assisting Greeks and Greek-Americans with document translation and interpretation. Knowing he would always need something to fall back on he began training to become a symbolografos, a Greek notary public. As opposed to a U.S. notary, the symbolografos is responsible for preparing all legal documents except those that will be presented in court. Since 1971, Spiro’s primary business has been The Greek Affairs Bureau specializing in Greek legal services and translations.
Spiro reviewing correspondence by John Nicon
It began with help of another symbolografos and the Greek Consulate in San Francisco, California. Files of documents prepared over the years number more than 3000. His love of the law and learning something new from his clients continues to sustain him. He also opened a travel agency, Cosmos, having chosen the name because of his interest in urging people to experience travel throughout the world. He stayed current by making as many as five trips to and from Greece each year.
Spiro wants to be remembered as a smiley person, one who is happy, accurate in his work and appreciative of his good fortune. His smiling eyes, his subtle wit and his ever-present concern for others belie any limitations that have come with age. When he compares his early life “sleeping on boards with now sleeping on an expensive mattress” he says, “So how can I complain?”
By John and Joann Nicon, August 2011
Sources
Video interview with Spiro Savvides, July 2011; correspondence between Spiro and Church of the Assumption, February, 1998; statement from George Maroutsos, March 29, 2010; Matt Barrett’s Travel Guides - Archival link. Photos from the Savvides family collection unless otherwise noted.