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October 20, 2003 |
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About Town Dave Uphoff |
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Minonk native rubs elbows with the rich
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Most people of my age remember the Princess Sweet Shop which was located on Chestnut
Street where the Minonk Foods store is presently located. Tom and Nick Paloumpis started the
sweet shop in 1915 and it remained in the Paloumpis family until the late 1960's. Tom
and Sophie Paloumpis raised three children from their apartment above the sweet shop. Andy
became a college professor and later became president of a large junior college in Tampa, Florida
where he is now retired. Hercules (Herc) took over the sweet shop from his father Tom and
ran it until it was sold in the late 1960's. He later became Principal at Woodland High School.
Mary Paloumpis married Gus Hallick who was a Greek Orthodox priest. She is widowed and
now lives near Milwaukee.
I have been a close friend of the Paloumpis family for many years through Herc Paloumpis and was a guest at the marriage of Herc's son Ted in a Chicago suburb this summer. I hadn't seen Andy in 30 years and he was still the same outward going, witty person that I remembered. He had shaved his head so that he looks like Telly Savalis and he still smokes Lucky Strike straights. I sat next to Mary Paloumpis Hallick at the wedding reception and became engaged in a very interesting conversation about her life. At 80 years of age, Mary is still active and travels to Europe quite often and has authored two books on religion, The Book of Saints and The Story of Icons. Mary said she has had a full life and has been very fortunate to meet interesting and influential people. She was one of 24 persons here in America who were chosen to be the guest of the Eucmenical Patriarch in Istanbul for a week about 4-5 years ago. He is the titular head of the Greek Orthodox Church. She even met Joseph Stalin's daughter Sveltlana about 30 years ago. However, one of the most interesting part of her life is that she is close friends with one of the richest men in the country, Alex Spanos. When Mary was young she would travel each summer with her parents to Tarpon Springs, Florida for a vacation. Tarpon Springs is noted for being the source of sponges and has a large Greek community because most of the sponge divers and workers were Greek. When the sponges disappeared in Greece, many Greeks immigrated to Tarpon Springs to continue their trade. In fact, Mary's mother Sophie Paloumpis knew some of the sponge workers when they lived in Greece years before. It was at Tarpon Springs that Mary became aquainted with Alex Spanos future wife Faye when she was 12 years old. Each summer Mary would visit with Faye and they became close friends. When Faye married Alex, Mary and her husband were invited to the wedding and has remained a close friend of the Spanos ever since. Alex Spanos is one the 100 richest men in the country whose net worth is over $800 million. He is owner of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers, is chairman and owner of the A.G. Spanos Companies, one of the nation's leading builders of apartment communities.
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Mary described to me the start of Alex Spanos fabulous career. She said that Alex worked as a baker in his father's bakery
in Stockton. Alex asked his father for a raise from $40 to $75 a week because he had
a new child and needed more money to live on. His father refused. Alex then asked his
father if he would loan him $800 to start up his own business. Again, his father refused.
Alex then went to the banks to get a loan and was refused there also because his father
had already contacted the banks. Finally, he was able to get a loan and started his business.
He and his wife Faye made sandwiches and would sell them at lunch time from the back of his truck
to the migrant workers in the fields around Stockton. From this humble
beginning, Alex Spanos became one of the richest men in the country.
Mary is invited to many of the Spanos social events. She had just returned from the Spanos 55th wedding anniversary when I talked with her. She said there were over 750 people invited to the anniversary party at the pavilion on their estate in Stockton, California. The party included congratulatory videos sent by famous people from all over the world, including one from President George W. Bush, who is a close friend of Mr. Spanos. Mary has talked to Bob Hope and other famous people over the years at the many parties she has attended at the Spanos. Each time Mary is invited to a party, the women guests are given a gift. Last year at a party, Mary received an envelope with 5 $100 dollar bills. Often times jewelry is given. Mary told me that when she goes to visit the Spanos, she is met at the airport by a chauferred limo and driven to their estate in Stockton. She goes to the Charger games in their private jet and has a police escort to and from the game. Mary said she is really spoiled now because the only way she sees a football game is from the owner's box. Alex's box is complete with a restaurant kitchen, bar, televisions, etc. On the day of the game there is a short order cook to give you whatever you want for breakfast and then for lunch. Mary said that Alex and Faye Spanos are still the same down to earth people they were as kids. While being one of the richest men in the country, Alex Spanos is also one of the greatest philanthropist. He has donated millions to charity and while he has become friends of some of the most influential people in this country he also has remained a friend to those who remember him as a baker in his father's cafe. He and his wife Faye include their old friends as well as their influential friends at their parties and enjoy sharing their wealth with them. That is why Minonk native Mary Paloumpis Hallick is able to rub elbows with the rich and famous. And from what I can tell, she is the still the same down to earth person that I remember from years ago when she used to visit her parents at the Princess Sweet Shop. To learn more about Alex Spanos, click here. |
