Honours and Awards

Ninos Agioritis

Broadway Business Improvement District Greg Botting Walk of Stars

In 2008, the Broadway Business Improvement District (BBID) inducted Ninos Agioritis into its “Walk of Stars” in front of the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon. In giving him this awareness, the BBID stated:

“Nino Agioritis has been synonymous with Saskatoon’s Broadway District for over 40 years. His extensive contributions to Broadway and the surrounding community during that time have been critical to the vitality of the area. His generosity and thoughtfulness have been key ingredients to Broadway’s success.”

Research Source: Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, November 25, 2008, p. 21.
Photo Source: St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, “Spirit” , Winter 2016, p. 16

Awarded in 1995:
Efstathios William Barootes

The Order of the Phoenix is awarded by the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic to Greeks and foreigners who have distinguished themselves in the fields of public administration, science, arts and letters, commerce, industry, and shipping.   It is also conferred on foreigners who have contributed to improving Greece’s stature abroad in these fields.

Two Greek Canadians from Saskatchewan have been honoured as officers of the Order of the Phoenix.

James P. Chrones

James P. Chrones was awarded the Hellenic Red Cross Medal in July 1953.  The Medal recognized his service to the people of Greece during World War II – specifically his leadership in northern Saskatchewan for organizing donations to provide food, clothing, medical supplies, and other forms of relief in Greece.  The award was given by the King of Greece.

James Girgulis

James Girgulis was inducted in 1975 into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in the sport of shooting.  The following is the citation for his induction:

“Born in Kastron, Greece, James “Jim” Girgulis came to Saskatchewan in 1910 and took up trapshooting soon after his arrival.

Jim was active as a participant, administrator and coach. As secretary he was instrumental in the development of the Saskatoon Gun Club. Girgulis is a life member of the Saskatoon Gun Club, the Edmonton Gun Club and Amateur Trap Shooting Association. Girgulis maintains that his greatest achievement was coaching George Genereux to a gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.

As a participant, Girgulis has an impressive record of personal successes. He was a member of the 1939 and 1941 Saskatoon Gun Club Trapshooting teams that won the Canada Team Trap Shooting Championship. These teams were inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. Throughout his competitive career, he has won every major trap shooting event in Western Canada.”

Source:  Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame

Celia Kachmarski

During the 2019 annual supreme convention of the Order of AHEPA, the Daughters of Penelope (DOP) elected Celia Kachmarski (Girgulis) as Grand President.  She was the first Canadian to be elected to this position and served for two years.

Prior to her election to this position, she was recognized for her outstanding and distinguished service to the Daughters of Penelope organization and to her community.  She was selected by DOP delegates as the 2016-17 International Penelope of the Year.

Celia joined the Daughters of Penelope when she was a resident of Saskatoon.  She is the daughter of Cleo Girgulis, who was elected in 1961 as the first Grand Vice President of Canada of the Daughters of Penelope.

James (Dimitrios) Kosmas

An Archon is an international honour extended to individuals by His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the worldwide Orthodox Christian Church.  The title recognizes outstanding service to the Church.  It is given to individuals who are distinguished and respected leaders of the Greek Orthodox community.

James (Dimitrios) Kosmas has received this honour and is one of only two Archons in Saskatchewan.

Spero Leakos

Spero Leakos was inducted in 1986 into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in the sport of baseball.  The following is the citation for his induction:

“Baseball and Spero truly go hand in hand. While he has developed an interest in all sports, it’s baseball that received most of his attention. He played the game in various age divisions and had strong interest in soccer and hockey and coached and played baseball at the University of Saskatchewan and the city level. For many years, he and 29 other shareholders were associated with the Saskatoon Gems baseball team.

In 1958, the Leakos family took over the team and Spero became the general manager and the club name was changed to the Commodores. Some of his players from the 1961 squad, John Boccabella, Tim Cullen and Ray Lamb eventually played in the majors. When the Western Canada Baseball League folded, Spero coached teams in the Northern Saskatchewan League. He helped out at the midget and junior level and led his Junior Commodores to the national title in 1970.”

Source:  Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame

Katherine (Chrones) Metrakos

Katherine (Chrones) Metrakos was born in Weyburn and moved with her family to Saskatoon in 1930.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1945 and a medical degree from McGill University in 1949.

She married Julius Metrakos and together, they gained international recognition for their genetic research and academic articles on the causes of epilepsy.  They received several awards, including the Penfield Award from the Canadian League Against Epilepsy (1987), Hellenic Benevolent Society Award (1992), and an award from the World Federation of Neurology (1994).

Ms. Metrakos served as director of the Neurophysiology Laboratory and founder of the Convulsive Disorder Clinic at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.  The Laboratory is now named after her.

Awarded in 1999:
Kenneth Peter Pontikes

The Order of the Phoenix is awarded by the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic to Greeks and foreigners who have distinguished themselves in the fields of public administration, science, arts and letters, commerce, industry, and shipping.   It is also conferred on foreigners who have contributed to improving Greece’s stature abroad in these fields.

Two Greek Canadians from Saskatchewan have been honoured as officers of the Order of the Phoenix.

Chris Ridis

Chris Ridis emigrated to Saskatoon from Greece in 1958.  Trained in Europe and North America, he entered many international hair-styling competitions and returned with many trophies in recognition of his talents.  He practiced his profession in Saskatoon at the Marvel Beauty Salon and later, at his own salon, Coiffures by Chris.

In 1961, during the New York International Beauty Show, he was awarded the Master Trophy in Hair Shaping and the World Supreme Trophy in Permanent Waving.   During the 1960s, he was one of ten members of the Canadian National Hair Fashion Committee.

Photo Source:  Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, March 18, 1961