[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF ANTHONY ATHANAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Anthony Athanas, who 
passed away last Friday in Massachusetts at the age of 93. Anthony 
Athanas was a prominent Albanian American, the founder and president of 
the Anthony's fine family of restaurants, and one of the most 
illustrious business personalities in Boston.
  Anthony Athanas was an institution in the Albanian American 
community. Not only was he an Honorary Consul of the Republic of 
Albania in Massachusetts, Anthony Athanas was a founding member and on 
the Board of Directors of the National Albanian American Council 
(NAAC). He was the community's senior statesman, a winner of the NAAC 
Lifetime Achievement Award.
  In 1999, he and I were members of an historic joint Congressional and 
Albanian/American delegation to Kosova, Albania, and Macedonia right 
after the Kosovar war. Anthony told me this was one of the most 
extraordinary trips he ever took. Upon arriving in Kosova, he kissed 
the ground and said he never thought he would see the day Kosova would 
be free. Yet, during this trip, he told a gathering crowd of more than 
3000 people in Vranoc, a town which was 80 percent burned by the Serb 
army, ``Today you are free; tomorrow you will become an independent 
nation.'' All his life he wanted to visit a free Kosova. It was an 
honor to be with him when he finally saw it with his own eyes.
  Anthony Athanas was born in Albania in 1911 and came to the United 
States at the age of 5, where he settled with his parents in New 
Bedford, Massachusetts. His first jobs were peddling fruits and 
vegetables from a cart, selling newspapers, and lighting wood and coal 
ovens in restaurant kitchens. He worked his way through various 
positions in restaurants and hotels throughout New England and New 
York, gaining invaluable knowledge from chefs, managers and owners. In 
1937, he opened his first restaurant, Anthony's Hawthorne, in Lynn, 
Massachusetts. In the following years, Anthony opened several other 
successful restaurants.
  In 1963, Anthony Athanas opened what would become his flagship 
restaurant, Anthony's Pier 4, on a Boston Harbor pier. The restaurant 
was an instant success, garnering acclaim and awards from around the 
world. Through the years, the restaurant has hosted heads of 
government, United States presidents, religious leaders, notable 
artists and writers, athletes, and a virtual who's who from the 
entertainment world.
  Anthony Athanas also served on the Boards of several prominent 
organizations, including the National Restaurant Association, and was 
awarded a number of honorary degrees and doctorates.
  Anthony Athanas personified the American dream. From humble 
beginnings in Albania, he rose through the ranks to become a successful 
businessman, a national role model, and a vocal advocate for Albanian 
issues. He serves as an example to us all of the kind of achievement 
and success possible for those who are capable and willing to strive 
for something better. He will sorely be missed.

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