George Theodosios Frantzis (January 13, 1911 – May 30, 1970) was a

Greek-American Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest es ...

lawyer, school principal, community leader and supporter of the sponge industry in

Tarpon Springs Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,484 at the 2010 census. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US. Downtown Tarpon Springs has long been a focal po ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Career

He was involved in war-relief efforts during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Frantzis founded the Kalymnian Island Refugee Relief Committee for war relief in 1942. In January 1943, Frantzis helped Tarpon Springs obtain a 70-ton marble altar from Mount Pentele, in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, that was part of Greece's entry into the 1939 New York World's Fair, held in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York. Frantzis was a special secretary to the Greek community of Tarpon Springs and written to the Greek Embassy in Washington, D.C., for the marble to be used in the community's new

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officially the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, is a church and shrine in the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is administered by the Greek Orthodox Archdi ...

. When the Tarpon sponge industry was in trouble in the 1950s he led efforts to restore it. Frantzis also organized the Committee for Reorganization of the Sponge Industry in 1955, serving as the group's first president.
. Frantzis owned several local businesses. His family has been active in the community for generations.

Writing

Frantzis wrote ''Strangers at Ithaca: The Story of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs'' (St. Petersburg, FL: Great Outdoors Association, 1962; ), an account of the sponge diving, sponge divers and development of the Greek community in Tarpon Springs.

Award

Frantzis is listed as a

Great Floridian Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs. The Great Floridian 2000 program honored deceased individuals who made "significant contribution ...

as part of the Great Floridians 2000 program sponsored by the Florida League of Cities and the

Florida Department of State The Secretary of State of Florida is an executive officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established since the original 1838 state constitution. Like the corresponding officials in other states, the original charge of th ...

. The Great Floridian plaque for him is located at the site of his retail building at 715 Dodecanese Boulevard.

Personal life

Theodosios "Ted" Frantzis is his son and Fanitsa Meehan his daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frantzis, George 1911 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American educators 20th-century American lawyers American writers of Greek descent Businesspeople from Florida Florida lawyers People from Tarpon Springs, Florida American school principals Writers from Florida Greek emigrants to the United States

Career

Writing

Award

Personal life

See also

References