100 Years: From Greece to Chicago and Back. This item is unavailable.100 Years: From Greece to Chicago and Back

Growing up in Chicago during the 1930s, `40s and `50s was a life rich in tradition, family and memories. Nick Thomopoulos in 100 Years chronicles the vibrant life of the neighborhood surrounding the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. He tells of the tragic death of his father and the difficulties and joys his immigrant mother faced in raising five young children in an emerging metropolis unlike Zakynthos, Greece. Because of the Great Depression, World War II, the Greek Civil War and the hardships in Greece, Marie received only an occasional letter from her siblings. In 1962, Marie, with Nick, returned to Greece 42 years after she left. Three of her five siblings did not know she was coming, and her husband’s lone sister did not know the family was even alive. The story describes the excitement of reuniting with the family.

Nick Thomopoulos was born in Chicago and grew up in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood. He attended public schools, as well as afternoon Greek school at St. George Church. Nick received a bachelor's degree in business and a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). He served two years in the army, worked eight years in industry, and is now a professor at IIT. He wrote three books. Throughout the years, he has served as a consultant in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Nick is married to Elaine (Cotsirilos) Thomopoulos, and they have four children and five grandchildren.