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Nicholas Econopouly August 4, 1924 - December 11, 1999On December 11, 1999 at 7:55 a.m., while laying in bed with his wife, Angela at his side, Nicholas left his friends, family and students. His final words to his wife, Angela were"I Love You." As he had done throughout his life, he left on his own terms asking to be sent home from the hospital rather than enduring more operations that would lengthen his life, but do little to improve the quality. Through his life, Nicholas taught thousands of students in the US and Greece and has left a part of himself in his students, friends and family. One of Nicholas' greatest qualities was the ability to initiate discussion and debate. He would engage in the classroom, at the tavema on the beach, in the car, on the mountaintops and anywhere else he happened to be at the time. That is what made him such a great teacher. He helped people to think, question and explore, traits he felt were becoming more obsolete in the modern world. A short column is not enough space to list the accomplishments of a life that lasted over 27,000 days....besides that Nicholas was not overly concerned with receiving recognition for his accomplishments-he was more interested in the results. What he has accomplished in the past is not as important as how the future of those who came in contact with him, directly or indirectly through those who knew him, will be affected by the time he spent here...and what they will do with their lives to make the world a better place. John Colombotus, a cousin and great friend wrote the following passage after Nicholas' death. When Lois and I last saw Nick, barely two months ago, he talked openly about his impending death-with acceptance and without self-pity and about how thankful he was for having lived long enough to celebrate his 75th birthday. He never expected, he said, to live that long. He compared the uncertainty he felt about the outcome of his earlier bout with prostate cancer-with the certainty of his impending death. He was at peace. Nicholas' physical presence may have left us on December 11, 1999, but his spirit is alive and well in his wife, Angela, his four children, Matt, Cindy, David and James, and their mother, Riva, his brothers, John and Gus, his family, friends, and thousands of students around the world. Please visit his memorial web site at www.acsgreece.com/Nick Econopouly
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