At the beginning of this century. desperate conditions in Greece coupled with the opportunities available in the United States brought thousands of Greeks to our shores. During these early years. nearly one in four Greek males between the ages of 15 and 45 left Greece for America. Although those first Greek immigrants by and large had very low educational levelsin fact. opportunities for education was one of the major incentives for leaving their homelandthey brought with them skills. energy and a zest for life that enabled them to quickly improve the condition of life for themselves and their children. Today many of our most prominent citizens are of Greek ancestry. William Tavoulareas. president of Mobil Oil. and John Brademas. an eightterm Congressman who is now president of New York Universty are just two among the thousands of GreekAmericans making outstanding contributions to our national life.
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immigrants