Alexander Gus "Alex" Spanos ( English Alexander Gus "Alex" Spanos ; September 28, 1923 , Stockton , California , USA - October 9, 2018 , ibid.) [1] - American developer and philanthropist [2] , billionaire , owner of a sports club " Los Angeles Chargers " (1984–2018) [3] [4] . Founder of AG Spanos Companies, one of the largest developers of apartments in the USA [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] . One of the richest Greeks in the United States and the world [10] [11] , whose fortune Forbes magazine estimated at $ 2.4 billion (2018) [12] . The father of Dina Spanosa .
| Alex Spanos | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Άλεξ Σπανός English Alex Spanos | ||||
| Birth name | English Alexander Gus Spanos | |||
| Date of Birth | September 28, 1923 | |||
| Place of Birth | ||||
| Date of death | October 9, 2018 (95 years) | |||
| Place of death | ||||
| Citizenship | ||||
| Education | ||||
| condition | $ 2.4 billion (2018) | |||
| Company | ||||
| Position | founder | |||
| Company | Los angeles chargers | |||
| Position | owner | |||
| Awards and prizes |
| |||
As one of the most active members of the Greek community in the United States and the diaspora as a whole, he was a member of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew (Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate ) [1] [13] [14] , the American-Greek Progressive Educational Alliance (AHEPA) organizations [15] [16] .
Winner of the Aristotle Awards from AHEPA (1984) [17] , Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1986) [18] [19] , Athenagorah Prize in Human Rights (2004) [20] , commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III ( Cyprus , 2004) [17] and the Order of Honor ( Greece , 2008) [21] .
One of the largest private financial donors of the US Republican Party [22] .
Member of the Hall of Glory of the Order of De Molay (1997) [23] .
Content
Biography
One of the six children in the family of Greek immigrants Konstantinos and Evantia Spanos from Kalamata ( Peloponnese , Greece) [24] . At the age of eight, he began working at the bakery / pastry shop Roma Lunch, which belonged to his father [25] .
In 1942, he dropped out of college, and as a pilot joined the training program of the Air Force of the US Army , which he did not graduate as a result and began to serve as a shooter of a tail gun-and-cannon installation during the Second World War . Later he graduated from the Pacific University.
In 1951, he borrowed $ 800 from a local banker to purchase a van, which he then used to sell sandwiches to labor migrants working in the agricultural sector in the San Joaquin Valley .
In 1955, having earned his first million dollars by that time, he began to invest in real estate, and at the suggestion of his accountants began to build apartments.
In 1960, Spanos established AG Spanos Companies, which by 1977 had become the largest developer of apartments in the United States. The headquarters of the corporation, which has 10 subsidiaries, is in Stockton.
In 1984, Spanos acquired for $ 48.3 million a 60% stake in the professional club San Diego Chargers (today Los Angeles Chargers). Having repurchased securities from several small co-owners in the next 10 years, he began to control 97% of the team’s shares.
He was one of the founders and chairman of the advisory board of the organization “FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy & Hellenism” [26] , as well as a founding member of the charity foundation “Leadership 100”. Both structures provide financial support to the institutions of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to preserve and promote Greek Orthodoxy and Hellenism in the United States. He was president of the Archdiocesan Council of the American Archdiocese [27] .
Author of the book " Sharing the Wealth: My Story " (2002) [28] .
He died on October 9, 2018 at the age of 95 [29] [30] .
Personal Life
In 1948–2018, he was married to Fay Papafaklis (died August 8, 2018) [31] [32] , whose family originated from the island of Symi (Greece) [33] . The couple had four children [4] [21] .
Memory
The following sports facilities in California are named after Alex Spanos:
- (Stockton)
- Alex G. Spanos Stadium ( Stockton)
- Alex G. Spanos Sports and Recreation Complex ( )
- Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center ( University of California, San Diego )
- ( )
and:
- Alex G. Spanos Heart & Vascular Center ( Sacramento ) [34]
Notes
- 2 1 2 Alex Spanos passed away at 95 - A proud Greek American, self-made billionaire and philanthropist . Greek News - Greek-American Weekly Newspaper (October 10, 2018).
- ↑ Alex Spanos Donates $ 1 Million to Fire Victims . The National Herald (October 4, 2007).
- ↑ Alex G. Spanos . Los Angeles Chargers .
- ↑ 1 2 “Failure” is an unknown word . ellines.com.
- ↑ Leadership . AG Spanos Companies .
- ↑ Alex Spanos to be honored at the Annual Business Conference . Greek News - Greek-American Weekly Newspaper (March 20, 2006).
- ↑ AG Spanos Apartment Complex in Houston Wins Prestigious Awards . The National Herald (September 1, 2006).
- ↑ Alex G. Spanos . Order of the Mole .
- ↑ The Leader (2005).
- Gree The Greeks in the billionaires' list for 2018 . ellines.com.
- ↑ Meet the Greeks, Greek-Americans in Forbes Worlds Billionaires List 2018 . The National Herald (March 8, 2018).
- ↑ Alexander Spanos & family . Forbes .
- ↑ Members / Mr. Alex Spanos . archons.org.
- ↑ From the Archons: Alex G. Spanos to Receive 2004 Athenagoras Award . Greek News - Greek-American Weekly Newspaper (October 4, 2004).
- ↑ 50 Wealthiest Neopr (February 24, 2018).
- ↑ Archon Alex G. Spanos Honored with Athenagoras Award . The Archon (2004-2005).
- 2 1 2 Alex G. Spanos To Receive 2004 Athenagoras Award At The Annual Archon Grand Banquet in New York . Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America .
- ↑ Ellis Island Medal of Honor Database | Alex G. Spanos . Neco.
- ↑ 80 Named as Recipients of Ellis Island Awards . The New York Times (1986).
- ↑ The Athenagoras Human Rights Award . Archontes of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
- ↑ 1 2 Mr. Alexander G. Spanos . Faith Endowment.
- ↑ Spanos Family .
- ↑ DeMolay International | Hall of Fame . Order of the Mole.
- ↑ Honorary Degrees to Alex And Faye Spanos . Greek News - Greek-American Weekly Newspaper (May 16, 2004).
- ↑ Order St Andrew. 2004: A Tribute to Alex Spanos . YouTube . Archontes of the Ecumenical Patriarchate .
- ↑ Our Members . Faith Endowment.
- ↑ The Leader (2002).
- ↑ Sharing the Wealth: My Story (January 1, 2002).
- ↑ Greek-American Alex Spanos, Chargers Owner, Passes Away at 95 . The National Herald (October 9, 2018).
- ↑ Alex Spanos, Chargers and dies at 95 . Associated Press .
- ↑ In Memoriam - Statement on the Passing of Faye Spanos . Los Angeles Chargers (August 8, 2018).
- Mem In Memoriam: Family Releases Statement on the Passing of Faye Spanos at 92 . The National Herald (August 8, 2018).
- ↑ American Hellenic Council Honors LA Chargers Owner Dean Spanos . The National Herald (April 5, 2017).
- ↑ Alex G. Spanos Heart & Vascular Center . Dignity Health.