- George Averoff
George M. Averoff (1815-1899), alternately Georgios Averof (In Greek: Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ), was a Greek businessman and philanthropist.
Born in the Aromanian (Vlach) town of
Metsovo , Averoff moved toAlexandria while still young. He was known through most of his life for founding numerous schools both inEgypt andGreece .As a benefactor, he contributed funds for the restoration of the Panathenian Stadium in readiness for the
1896 Summer Olympics . This he did at the request of Crown Prince Constantine. The stadium was refurbished in 1895, its second refurbishment in the 19th century, using white marble from MountPenteli pursuant to Averoff's request. The cost was initially estimated at 580,000drachma s but eventually reached 920,000.He also served as a member of the reception committee for the foreign competitors at the Games.
In gratitude for his contributions, a statue of Averoff was commissioned and placed in front of the stadium. It remains there today [http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=
.jpg&oldid=13418291)
] . In addition, a Greek cruiser, the flagship of the Hellenic Navy , was named after him.See also
*
Greeks of Egypt External links
* [http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/olympics/revival/averoff.html His life in short]
* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/averoff.htm About the ship]
* [http://www.mediaconcerto.com/olympic/athens1896/anninos00_96.php About the statue]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7468828 George Averoff] at Find-A-Grave
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