FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
Queens community leader Jimmy Kaloidis dies at 85
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Community leader, philanthropist
and entrepreneur
Dimitrios “Jimmy” Elias Kaloidis
died on the morning of Sept. 16
in Greece. He was 85 years old.
In 1955, Kaloidis emigrated to
the United States from Petrina,
Greece, a village in the Laconia
region of the country. At the age
of 21, Kaloidis set out to begin
his decades-long career in the
hospitality and restaurant business.
He married fellow Laconian
Georgia Christou Manolakis in
1974. Together, the pair founded
several successful restaurants
and diners throughout New York
including the Georgia Diner in
Elmhurst.
In 1997, the New York City
Parks Department awarded
Kaloidis and his business partner
George Makkos a long-term
concession to operate Terrace on
the Park in Flushing Meadows
Corona Park. Over the next
20 years, the pair established
Terrace’s reputation as a prominent
event and hospitality venue
in the tri-state region.
“We’re all heartbroken
because we lost a great friend
and leader of the local community
and Greek community.
He was a very philanthropic
person who donated to charities,
hospitals and any organization
that touched his heart,” said
Makkos.
In addition to being an entrepreneur,
Kaloidis was an avid
philanthropist and humanitarian.
Th roughout their lives, he
and his wife supported various
Hellenic causes and many religious,
educational and cultural
institutions in the United States
and Greece.
Th rough a signifi cant fi nancial
donation, the couple paid off
the mortgage of the Holy Cross
Parochial School, now known
as Th e Dimitrios and Georgia
Kaloidis Parochial School.
“While distance has kept
them apart from us, they have
always held the school close to
their hearts as we have held them
close to ours,” read an offi cial
statement on the school’s website.
Other institutions to which
Kaloidis donated include the
Greek Orthodox Church of
America, the Laconian Society,
New York-Presbyterian Queens
where the couple helped to
establish a cardiac diagnostic
unit at the hospital’s Kyrenia
Heart Center and Cosmos FM,
a Hellenic public radio station.
“I’ve known Jimmy since he
took over Terrace on the Park.
Th is was a man whose heart
was as big as he was. He shared
a great deal with all of us, both
with his heart and with his dollars,
supporting a multitude of
wonderful organizations both
large and small. His memory will
live on forever in all of his good
works and kindness he showed
so many of us. I am grateful that
I got to know him. I will miss
his name day, one of the cherished,
yearly events held to celebrate
with the community. He
may be buried in Greece but he
will always be a part of us here in
Queens,” said Victoria Schneps,
the president of Schneps Media.
In 1994, the American Order
of St. Andrew the Apostle honored
Kaloidis as “offikion”
or Archon of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. He also served as
a member of the Archdiocesan
Council of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America and
on the board of trustees of the
Hellenic Cultural Center.
In 2002 and 2003, the
Kaloidises received the Ellis
Island Medal of Honor by former
Brooklyn Borough President
Howard Golden and former City
Council Speaker Paul Vallone Sr.
“Jimmy was one of the kindest
individuals I’ve ever met. He
came to this country as a poor
immigrant, worked hard and
became a successful businessman
and philanthropist. He had
a heart of gold and cared deeply
about education and our youth.
Together, with his wife Georgia,
he was the generous benefactor
of the DGK Parochial school
at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
Church in Bay Ridge. In Greek,
the word “philanthropy” means
Jimmy Kaloidis
kindliness, humanity, benevolence
and love to mankind.
Jimmy Kaloidis exemplifi ed all
these things. He was a special
individual and will be greatly
missed,” said Assemblywoman
Nicole Malliotakis.
He will be buried in Mystras,
Sparta on Sept. 19 at Mystras
Grand Palace Resort & Spa.
Kaloidis is survived by his wife
Georgia, who has requested that
in lieu of fl owers, donations be
made to the DGK Parochial
School at 8502 Ridge Blvd. in
Brooklyn.
Photo credit: The Kaloidis family
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link