In 1949 William Helis asked me to go to Greece with him to inaugurate the opening of the AHEPA wing of the Evangelismos Hospital, and the various small hospitals that we had caused to be erected throughout Greece. We flew to France and from there took a small boat to Greece. The entire trip was pleasant. I was introduced as a representative of both the Greek War Relief and of AHEPA at all the various ceremonies. Although William Helis was a smart businessman, as smart as they get, he did not like to speak in public. As a result, I was the official spokesman in Greece for the Greek War Relief and for the AHEPA. Helis and I spent around thirty days in Greece before returning to the United States.

(William G. Helis was involved in the petroleum industry during the depression and had amassed enormous wealth. His philanthropic works were legend. In 1937 he purchased a mansion in Washington D.C. at the cost of $100,000, then an enormous sum, which he gave to the Greek Government to use as the Greek Embassy.)