RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1, 2018
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners honoring Angelo Gianopulos for his service in World War II
Body
WHEREAS, Angelo Gianopulos was born in 1923 to George and Christina Gianopulos, who were Greek immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Angelo grew up in Garfield Park and attended Marshall High School, where he played on the infamous basketball team of 1943 that was one of the best in the country; and
WHEREAS, drafted right after high school graduation, Angelo reported for service at the LaSalle Street station and 48 hours later he arrived at the Oklahoma border for 8 weeks training in the Army; and
WHEREAS, Angelo was then sent to the swamplands of Louisiana where he had another 6 weeks of rough training, then moving on to New York and Myrtle Beach; and
WHEREAS, he was then sent to England for pre-invasion maneuver training where he had to endure battling rats and snakes; and
WHEREAS, under the command of General Bradley, his first major battle in World War II was the Invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach; and
WHEREAS, Angelo suffered a concussion and nerve damage from bombs and spent a month in the hospital. Once he recovered, he went on to fight many more battles under General Patton; and
WHEREAS, after 3 years of service in the United States Army, two and a half of which were on the battleground, Angelo was discharged in July of 1945, one of the first soldiers to return home; and
WHEREAS, Angelo received three gold stars for the Invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Ardennes Forest, and the Battle of Bastogne; and
WHEREAS, after six to eight months at home recovering from the war, Angelo went to work for the YMCA and went back to what had brought him so much joy in the past - basketball; and
WHEREAS, soon after, he was accepted to DePaul University and played basketball under Ray Meyer; and
WHEREAS, after finishing school, Angelo took over his father’s restaurants and night clubs such as the London House and Trade Winds where Nat King Cole performed. Angelo booked bands such as the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and Dick Jurgens; and
WHEREAS, Angelo married Sophia and had three children; George, the late Donna and Carol. The couple now has eight grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, today Angelo lives in Mt. Prospect and has been honored for his service in World War II numerous times by different organizations, including an Honor Flight. He has given speeches at the Arlington National Cemetery and at the Baltimore Recruiting Battalion; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby honor Angelo Gianopulos for his service in World War II; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent record of proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Dated: November 1, 2018
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; KEN DUNKIN; MARTIN J. DURKAN; JOSINA MORITA; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Susan T. Morakalis, General Counsel