No. 004
Note:
John Zonars and Efrosyne Floridis were married in 1921. John, a trained attorney, came to the United States in 1904 from Saranta Ecclesies, in Eastern Thrace, and Efrosyne came from the same area in 1920. John chose not to practice law; instead he established with his brothers, Harry, Charles and Constantine, the Zonars' Confectionary Company at 10 S. Main Street in 1905, and later he, his brother Constantine and Floros Floridis, opened the Golden Pheasant Restaurant on South Main Street. Following this, the three operated the Oakwood Club at 2414 Far Hills Avenue until their retirement. John and Efrosyne had three children: Demetrius (Demet), Marie and George. In 1921 John Zonars, George Steffens, George K. Lembesis, Otto Zavakos and Speros Pandely compiled the guiding rules of the church.
No. 005
Note:
See No. 004
No. 011
Note:
George and Luludia Chakiris, newly wed, came from Asia Minor first to Middletown and later, in October 1915, settled in Dayton. They left Greece since George was not willing to serve in the Turkish army during WWI. Mr. Chakiris was born in Brussa in Asia Minor and Luludia was born in a small village near Xanthi in Thrace. George was very religious and had a classic chanter's voice. He was educated in many languages at the Seminary of the Holy Sepulchre and at the Brothers Christian School, both in Jerusalem. He furthered his education at the Greek Universal College of Damascus while serving as an adjunct language professor. When The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Dayton was formed in 1921, George became the first chanter, (psalti), a position which he held until his death in 1945. George and Luludia had six children: Demetrius, Jane, Helen, Peter, Magdalene, and Evanthia. This photo shows them with four of their children in the early 1920's.
No. 012
Note:
Demetrius, the son of Sevaste and Panayiotis from Saranta Ecclesies, married Athena Tepelides in Dauyton in 1931. Demetrius came to Dayton in 1917 at the age of 17 to join his sister Evdokia Michael. Athena immigrated to New York at the age of 9 with her family. Demetrius worked at various restaurants as a chef; during WWI, he was hired to work as a carpenter at the old Wilbur Wright Field (now Patterson Field). After the war, he continued to work as a chef at the Seville Restaurant. He died at he age of 57. Athena worked at the Blue Bird Baking Co. for 25 year. They are the parents of seven children: Peter, Toula, Bessie, Theodore, Chris, Marge and Nicholas.
No. 013
Note:
This photo shows Harry George (center) with his wife Georgia Thomas George and their children Nicholas, Daphne and Katherine, Harry's mother Katerina and brothers Anesti (l) and Peter (r). Harry (Haralambos) George (Keramefs was his original name) emigrated from Constantinople and came to Dayton on November 6, 1911. He worked for two and a half years at the NCR Brass Foundry and later, in 1914, bought the Pony House Restaurant on Jefferson Street. In 1925 he owned George's Grocery at 449 West Third Street, where the current Montgomery County Administration building now stands. His two brothers, Anesti and Peter, helped him in the business along with two other people. The family residence was at 325 West Fourth Street.
No. 014
Note:
Vasiliki was born in 1885 in Tripolis, Greece and in 1903 she married Harry Chakeres in Dayton, Ohio. Helen, of Irish descent from Springfield, Ohio, married Phil Chakeres, brother of Harry.
See also Box 4, Scrapbook # 3, No 181
No. 034
Note:
Panayiotis and Efrosyne Zavakos of Greece had four sons and two daughters: Konstantinos, George, Leonidas, Demetrios, Theona and Vienikin Son Konstantinos and Maria (Drogaris) Zavakos (1885) had ten children, five sons and five daughters. The boys' names were Otto, George, Chris, Louis and Prokopios. The daughters' names were Pota Manos, Eleni Graffos, Eveggelia Silver, Georgia Aliferis and Angeline Pappos. In the above picture, taken in 1885 in Greece, are Konstantinos and Maria Zavakos.
No. 035
Note:
Otto Zavakos, son of Konstantinos, came to Chicago in the late 1880's and to Dayton in 1904. He worked at many jobs including washing dishes, polishing shoes, and selling flowers. His younger brother George, who joined him from Greece in 1906, worked at NCR; while there he was able to sell a patent to John H. Patterson. This enabled them to buy a poolroom with two bowling lanes for extra income. Otto was married to Bernadina, a girl of German descent whose father was in the bowling business. This was the start of their love for the sport of bowling. They were known as the “bowling kings of Dayton.” In 1916 Otto and George with Gregory Manos opened their first Billiards at 238 South Main Street. The previous year, in 1915, another brother, Louis, joined them in Dayton; Otto, George and Louis were partners in business and in 1930 they opened the Royal Recreation and Bowling Alley in two locations, 32 West 5th Street and 128 North Main Street. After Louis married Julia Stathes, he and Otto remained as partners while George went into various businesses by himself, including Lyric Lunch and Soda Grill, Recreation Bowling and Billiards, and Rose Marie Candies and Confectionery. Otto died in 1957.
Louis Zavakos was an entrepreneur as well as a great benefactor to the Annunciation Church and Greek American organizations such as AHEPA. In business he was an innovator, introducing the idea of renting space in the factories around Dayton for housing pool tables and bowling alleys. By 1937 the Zavakos brothers owned the National Bowling Lanes with 44 lanes at 1155 Brown Street. By 1970, Zavakos Enterprises owned 29 bowling alleys and before Louis died in 1984, they owned 30 bowling alleys in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Some of the bowling establishments of Louis K. Zavakos: Royal, National, Riverdale, Capital, Palace, Varsity, Timber, Driftwood, Miami, Hoover, W. Milton, Springfield, Forteners, Congress, Montgomery, Urbana, Batavia, Recreation, Covington, Sports Bowl, Linder, Greenfield, Holiday, Belmont, J & J, Lexington,
