Retired Journalist
James M. Mezilson is a retired journalist and founding member of the National Hellenic Museum. Mr. Mezilson joined the Chicago Sun in 1942 working his way up from copy boy to street reporter. Mezilson stayed with the Sun until just before the 1947 merger with the Chicago Times which transformed the two into the Chicago Sun-Times. For Greek Americans, Mezilson’s career as a journalist began in 1939 with his column ‘Periclean Patter’ in the pages of the Thessaloniki (later the Greek Press). He wrote a regular column in the pages of the Greek Star, The National Herald, Hellenic Chronicle, Athene Magazine and the AHEPAN until at least 2000. During his sixty years as a regular columnist, Mezilson succeeded to serve as a bridge between the average American and the average Greek American reader. Between 1948 and 1954, Mezilson was on the staff of United States Senator Paul Douglas. Mr. Mezilson is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while also receiving both the Order of St. Paul (1985) from Archbishop Iakovos as well as the Order of St Andrew (1990). Among his ongoing involvement in American civic life were Mezilson’s sustained efforts on behalf of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.
