DUKAKIS Arthur G. of Wellesley, Massachusetts sadly departed from our earthly home to enter a heavenly one on Wednesday, July 1st. The dearly loved husband of Patricia Laganas Dukakis,
Arthur treasured his childhood years in Lowell, Massachusetts. He graduated from Clark University and pursued his graduate studies at George Washington University.
A veteran of our United States Army, Arthur began his government career with the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer. He served in various diplomatic posts abroad and in Washington where he worked in the Public Affairs office of the then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Following this tour of duty, he became the assistant to the Dean of the Foreign Service Institute, the training branch of the State Department. He served at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece and at the Consulate in Thessaloniki, Greece. As a State Department public servant, he facilitated the immigration of persons to the United States, sought their employment and fostered the privilege of proudly earning their citizenship in our United States. Following his tenure with the State Department, Arthur joined the Department of Commerce in Washington. He worked with the Census Bureau and was assigned the position of Regional Director in Boston overseeing census operations in the Boston region comprising of New England, upstate New York and Puerto Rico. He was recognized for his years of outstanding service with the Department of Commerce and his leadership of an unprecedented five censuses. He received the greater Boston Federal Executive Board’s first Lifetime Achievement Award and in Washington, he was the recipient of the Gold Medal, the highest award for excellence..
Working as a public servant gave him many rewards that can not be measured. His years of tenure have been rich in experience . He met challenges, experienced many changes, gradual and also radical, innovations and advances.. He enjoyed many passions...his career was one of dedication, excitement, respect, pride and love for our country and the respect for the capable people who surrounded him. He had a passion for Greece, the country of his heritage and ancestry , the country which, for him nurtured his love for her people, language, culture traditions and music . His passion for quietly helping people both professionally and personally nurtured his soul..He had an exuberance for life, for family, for his friends whose friendship he cherished.
His home in Kennebunkport, Maine delighted him with summer days of joy, tranquility, relaxation, a welcomed respite from schedules and a time to be a “happy chef”.
He enjoyed serving his community as: President of his beloved Saint Demetrios Church...
President of the Maliotis Cultural Center...
Trustee of the American Farm School ...
An Archon of the Order of St. Andrew of the Ecumenical Patriarchate..
A Mason of the Massachusetts Lodge 5770...
He held membership in the Alpha Omega Council, the Athens Chapter of the Ahepa, The Hellenic Square and Compass Club...
Arthur, cousin of the former Governor Michael Dukakis, is survived by his wife, Patricia, his brother, Stratos and his wife, Eva of Chelmsford; many cherished cousins and dear friends, near and far. He will be sadly missed by his loving sisters and brothers in law, Mary, Olga and Tula Laganas of Lowell, Theda and George Triantafel of Andover; George S .George of Needham; Charles Sarantos of Lowell and his nieces and nephews...
Visiting hours on Monday, July 6th at St. Demetrios Church..57 Brown Street...Weston, Massachusetts from 4 to 8 o’clock. Funeral on Tuesday, July 7th at St. Demetrios Church at 10 o’clock in the morning..Friends and Family are kindly invited..Interment at Westlawn Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts .
If you wish, expressions of sympathy may be directed to:
The Arthur G Dukakis Memorial Fund at St. Demetrios Church 57 Brown St. Weston, Massachusetts 02493
or to The Friends of the Maliotis Cultural Center P.O. Box 300189 Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130
or The American Farm School U.S. Office 1133 Broadway - Suite 321 New York, New York 10010