Stratos Simitzis

Stratos Simitzis entered the world of publishing in 1961 when he married Tessa Levanti, the owner and publisher of the newspaper "Ellinikos Vorras." As a co-owner and director of "Ellinikos Vorras," he introduced photocomposition and offset printing to the Greek daily press. From 1967 to 1969, he served as the publisher of the evening newspaper "Esperini Ora." He left "Ellinikos Vorras" at the beginning of 1976. In 1964, he was elected as a Municipal Councilor—receiving the most votes—with the political group of Dr. Athanasios Kazinaris. He was removed from office by the dictatorship in 1967 and returned to the Municipality of Thessaloniki in 1974. From 1965 to 1966, he was elected Vice President of PAOK, and during 1972-73, he served as President. He is a graduate of the American College "Anatolia," a member of the Society for Macedonian Studies, and formerly a member of the Rotary Club and the Propeller Club. He is a member of the Union of Periodical Press Journalists and a member of the International Federation of Journalists and Writers on Tourism. He was a columnist (until recently) for "Ellinikos Vorras," a contributor to the magazines Epiloges and Filoxenia kai Tourismos, and a press and publicity consultant for Olympic Airways and Olympic-Victoria. Currently, he is a correspondent for the monthly economic review Asfalistiki Agora (founded in 1977), a representative of the "Economic Industrial Review" (founded in 1934), and a freelance contributor to newspapers and magazines. He has been honored with a medal by the "Association of Publishers of Northern Greece" for his contributions to the Greek press.