Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

News Release

AHEPA Lauds Passage ofBrumidi Congressional Gold Medal Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), a leading association for the nation's 1.4 million American citizens of Greek ancestry, and Philhellenes, applauds Congress for passing S.254/H.R.1609, a bill to award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Constantino Brumidi-the "Artist of the Capitol."
"We appreciate the leadership and effort of the Hellenic Caucus and the Italian American Congressional Delegation for seeing this bill through to passage," said Supreme President Ike Gulas. "Brumidi represents the best of the American immigrant experience, becoming a citizen as soon as he was able and embracing our nation’s history and values."
Brumidi was born in Rome of a Greek father and Italian mother. His artwork adorns numerous rooms in the U.S. Capitol, including several committee rooms, the Office of the Vice President, and the President's Room. Brumidi's crowning achievement is "The Apotheosis of Washington" in the eye of the Capitol dome.
"On behalf of the entire AHEPA Family, it was a pleasure working with our Italian-American friends at the National Italian American Foundation and the Constantino Brumidi Society on this worthy project," added Gulas. "Today's accomplishment is the culmination of four years of hard work by my predecessors, Past Supreme Presidents Franklin Manios and Gus James, who saw the importance of coalition-building and a proactive outreach campaign on Capitol Hill, and I am humbled to be president during the bill's passage. I am proud AHEPA's been instrumental in every part of the legislative process while educating the community about Brumidi,s significance."
H.R.1609 had 307 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. S.254, which passed the senate in 2007, had the support of all 100 senators.
The AHEPA Family expresses gratitude to: lead sponsor U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL); Italian American Congressional Delegation Co-Chair John Mica (R-FL), and U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Zack Space (D-OH), Rick Renzi (R-AZ), and John Sarbanes (D-MD) in the House of Representatives; and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in the Senate for working diligently on the bill.
When completed, the gold medal will be displayed at the Capitol Visitors Center as part of an exhibit honoring Brumidi and a posthumous presentation will be made by Congress.
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