George D. Behrakis Honored at National Hellenic Society Heritage Weekend and Classic
Leadership 100 Chairman Emeritus George D. Behrakis, renowned philanthropist and pharmaceutical industry entrepreneur, was honored at the annual National Hellenic Society (NHS) “Heritage Weekend and Classic” retreat, held October 6-9 at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. His portrait, painted by artist Euripides “Rip” Kastaris, will be inducted into the permanent collection of the Greek American Story at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago.
Along with Behrakis, the NHS honored brothers William Antholis, Director and CEO at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and Emeritus Managing Director of the Brookings Institution and Kary Antholis, HBO President of Miniseries and CINEMAX Programming and Academy Award-winning producer , and Emmy Award-winning legendary actor, John Aniston.
Topped off with a concert by one of Greece’s top singers, Thanos Petrelis, and his band at an awards gala, the three-day event, which included inspiring activities, programs, and entertainment, attracted over 350 prominent Greek American NHS members and guests. The event is an offshoot of the "Telly Savalas Golf Open." Heritage Weekend re-purposed to what Savalas began in the 1980s, distinguishing itself by offering not only entertainment, golf, à-la-carte activities such as race-car driving, hiking, desert tours, and water sports, but also an educational and cultural program that attracts prominent Hellenes and Philhellenes. They include public servants, business owners, scientists, educators, journalists, authors, and entertainers from around the world.
Behrakis was born in Lowell, MA and studied at Northeastern University before working for Johnson & Johnson, where he and his team discovered the medicine, Tylenol. His experience in the pharmaceutical industry spans several decades, and he founded and sold several pharmaceutical companies. His philanthropy and generosity has benefitted a host of organizations from the Greek Orthodox Church to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for a wing of Greek and Roman art bearing his and his wife Margo’s names. Behrakis has sponsored the visits of dozens of Greek physicians and medical experts to study at Boston’s leading medical campuses and colleges. He has received numerous awards, recognitions and honorary degrees. He is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The NHS was founded by NHS Chairman, George Marcus, founder of Marcus and Millichap and Essex Properties, George Behrakis, George Stamas, Dr. George Korkos, John Payiavlas, all prominent members of Leadership 100, and several others. They developed a new model for a Greek organization that they thought was needed, a non-competitive entity that served multiple roles. The NHS strives for the "perpetuation of those values and ideals that are embodied within the Hellenic heritage - classical ideas associated with ancient Greek democracy including the pursuit of knowledge, education, the arts and civic responsibility."
