June 27, 1999

by Professor Michael C. Geokas

For the first time ever, a special Health Care Research Center, was established on Wednesday June 23,1999, during a lovely ceremony at the School of Public Health, of the world renown University of California, at Berkeley. The new Research Center, devoted to the study of Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare, is named in honor of a distinguished American Hellene, former California State Senator Nicholas C. Petris, of Oakland.

The Research Center, which is commensurate with the high standing of our thriving Omogenia in California, will focus on consumer protection, on affordability and access to health care (especially by low and moderate income consumers) and on the role of information in consumer choice. Furthermore, research studies at the Center will evaluate concentration, regulation and competition within the Health Care Sector.

To launch the Nicholas C. Petris Center, the California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, allocated $2 million, which was part of a court settlement of an 1970s antitrust case brought by the State against the Levi Strauss company.

Presiding at the ceremony was Carol T. Christ, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley and a number of prominent Californians were at hand, to honor Senator Petris. Some of the attendees were, William T. Bagley, a distinguished Member of the Board of Regents of the University of California (which comprises a total of nine campuses), George Christopher and Art Agnos, former mayors of San Francisco, the Dean of the School of Public Health, Dr. Edward Penhoet, the new Director of the Center Richard Scheffler, Professor of Health Economics and Public Policy and of course Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who brought with him the $2 million check, members of the Petris family, Petris loyalists, his former staff and many others.

Mr. Lockyer spoke at considerable length about the brilliant 37 year legislative career of Nick Petris, first in the California Assembly and subsequently in the State Senate. "Several hundred bills, he said, were introduced by Senator Petris and it is impossible to adequately review his enormous work and contributions, on behalf of the citizens of California. Nick Petris was the first to raise the alarm about pollution and toxic substances, and he even proposed, about 20 years ago, the eventual phasing out of the internal combustion engine." In addition, Senator Petris served for many years in the finance committee of the State Senate and was always a staunch supporter for the budget of the University of California.

Nick Petris attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate and is a graduate of Stanford University School of Law, where he was a classmate of Warren Christopher, the former Secretary of State. Nick Petris enjoys extensive name recognition within California (otherwise known as the golden boy of the State) and is blessed with a galaxy of friends and admirers in America and in Greece.

He is a life long democrat and a friend of the late Andreas Papandreou, and participated (together with some UC Berkeley Professors), very vigorously, in the efforts which culminated in the release of his friend from jail, during the junta's tenure. In his book entitled Balkan Ghosts, Robert D. Kaplan describes how the efforts of many Americans finally succeeded to spring Andreas Papandreou from jail. President Lyndon Johnson, reportedly advised the Greek Ambassador: "You tell Papa-what's his name, to release the other Papa-what's his name". Andreas Papandreou was released and went temporarily into exile in Sweden and then to Canada.

The contributions of Nick Petris to the State of California, to the Greek-American Community, and to the Greek Nation, during his long years of service in the California legislature, have been enormous. This man is truly exceptional (he speaks Greek fluently, quotes Greek philosophers in his speeches, and never... lost an election!). Thus, this scholarly, articulate and eloquent politician, constitutes a remarkable case study, for all of our young people, who aspire to run for public office in America.

Nick Petris, with his brilliant political career and his astonishing popularity among minority groups in "the United States of California" (population about 32 million and rising), represents a magnificent paradigm, which illustrates, the powerful influence of the Hellenic Heritage, on his remarkable successes and his solid accomplishments, as a veritable American politician.

Nick Petris, is simply, a man for all seasons, who for decades, has been a source of pride for California Hellenes and for Hellene Americans, from coast to coast. This is why, the emotional ceremony at UC Berkeley (the greatest University in the World, as he said), coupled with the State Attorney General's extraordinary accolades, during the launching of the Nicholas C. Petris Research Center, were in effect, a very special and distinct honor, bestowed on this stellar member of our Community, right here, in the most populous State of the Union.

We are extremely proud of Nicholas C. Petris and his new Research Center at UC Berkeley.

BRAVO NICK, Εύγε.

Michael C. Geokas,M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.

(E) Professor of Medicine and

Biological Chemistry, UC Davis

and,

PRESIDENT, Demokritos Society of America

A THINK TANK, for issues of Hellenism