February 28, 2008
Lecture series to commemorate trustee's extraordinary contributions to Clark
"We are very pleased to be a part of this lecture series as it commemorates the life work of a man who made extraordinary contributions to our community," said Stephen Pezzella, Acting President and CEO, Fallon Clinic Foundation. "The Fallon Clinic Foundation aims to enrich the lives of people in the Worcester area, and this educational series in memory of Alex Drapos goes a long way to accomplishing this objective."
"Alex was a wonderful Clarkie, a loyal trustee of the University, a model citizen of Worcester, and a distinguished attorney who helped scores of great Americans make their way from immigration to citizenship to success. We are grateful to the Fallon Clinic Foundation for the gift and consider it doubly appropriate that it is being made in the year of the 50th anniversary of Alex's class graduating from Clark," said Clark President John Bassett. "We look forward to the Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture Series becoming a signature event for the legal and judicial communities of Worcester, as well as for the pre-law students at Worcester's colleges and universities."
Mr. Drapos died on July 10, 2006. After graduating from Clark in 1958 with an A.B., Drapos earned his law degree in 1961 at Duke University and embarked on a long, distinguished career in commercial, banking and immigration law. He practiced at Fletcher, Tilton and Whipple, PC, in Worcester, where he was a director. He was a member of the Worcester County and Massachusetts Bar Associations and of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Mr. Drapos remained actively involved with Clark throughout his life, serving on his reunion committee as president of the Alumni Association and as a member of the University's Board of Trustees. His six-year term on the board concluded in 2004. Mr. Drapos was a longtime, generous supporter of the University as a member of the Jonas Clark Fellows. He also contributed to the University's New Century and Clark 2000 capital campaigns, and also established the Evangelos and Theodora Drapos Endowed Scholarship at Clark. In recognition of his unyielding support of Clark, Mr. Drapos received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award presented by the Alumni Association.
Beyond Clark, Drapos was involved in numerous community, civic and cultural organizations. He served as vice president of the Fallon Clinic Foundation, and he was chairman for two terms of the board of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. He was also the chair of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, a director at First Massachusetts Bank and president of the Worcester Research Bureau.
In addition, Mr. Drapos held substantial leadership positions with the Worcester County Music Association, the Hellenic Arts Society, and the Worcester Economic Club. He was a member of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Visions 2000 Committee and was involved with the American Farm School in Greece and was a fundraiser for a variety of causes.
He was recognized for his remarkable commitment to Worcester in 1994, when the Telegram & Gazette Visions 2000 Committee named him "Citizen of the Year." He also received the National Conference of Christians and Jews Award.