John Calamos Sr. presented the Calamos Service Award to Vietnam veteran Harris Pappas at the Washington Oxi Day Foundation’s 13th Annual Oxi Service Awards held at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. last week.
Calamos, the Chairman and Global CIO of Calamos Investments is also a Vietnam veteran who joined the United States Air Force and was ordered to Vietnam to serve as a Forward Air Controller.
Who is the recipient of the Calamos Award by the Oxi Day Foundation
The honoree, Harris J. Pappas was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served one year in Thailand and one year in Vietnam and was awarded two Bronze Stars and three Army Commendation medals for his service.
Pappas credits his success to his father, Jim, and his grandfather, H.D., who came to America from Greece in 1897, and they eventually opened a few restaurants of his own. Jim and his brothers started Pappas Refrigeration Company, a restaurant equipment and supply distributor.
In 1967, the brothers opened their first restaurant, Dot Coffee Shop, in downtown Houston. After their success with the Dot, the brothers then opened the first Pappas Bar-B-Q.
Beginning in 1970, Pappas served as general manager of the three restaurants that the Pappas family owned and operated at the time. Harris has over 50 years of operational management experience in the restaurant industry and is actively involved in general operations of all of the Pappas restaurants as well as the development of new concepts.
“A privilege and honor to attend this ceremony and witness John deliver the Calamos Service Award to his fellow Vietnam veteran, as well as lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” said John Koudounis, Calamos President & CEO.
Oxi Day Foundation Awards
Each year, the Oxi Day Foundation carries out its signature event—the Annual Washington Oxi Day Celebration. This event brings together senior US policymakers and other international opinion leaders and influential Washingtonians, along with prominent Greek-American leaders.
Other recipients of the Oxi Service Award were:
VASILIOS S. HASEOTES SERVICE AWARD
presented to WWII Veterans William and George Stoukides
OXI SERVICE AWARD
presented to Korean War Veteran Constantinos Georgiou
The recipients of the Oxi Courage Awards were:
OXI COURAGE AWARD
Save Ukraine
Courageously rescuing abducted Ukrainian children from Russian indoctrination facilities
OXI COURAGE AWARD
Hong Kong Democracy Activists
Fearlessly and publicly demanding democracy and freedom
METROPOLITAN CHRYSOSTOMOS AWARD
Rabbi Andrew Baker
American Jewish Committee
Director of International Jewish Affairs
The Oxi Day Foundation commemorates the day Greece refused to surrender and proceeded to inflict a fatal wound that brought down the Axis Forces in WWII.
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