Physical holdings at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections in Scott Library at York University.
Archival Fonds
George Papadatos fonds
Contains significant material related to the political and cultural life of Greeks in Toronto.
Included are speeches, newspapers, posters, audio and visual, and organizational materials of anti-dictatorship activity in Toronto during the time period of Greece’s military junta.
Documents capture political life on Toronto’s Danforth Avenue, York University, and other contexts. The collection also documents musical, poetry, and other intellectual activity centred on Greek themes in Toronto. Concerts and other events display the transnational aspect of Greek immigrant life in Canada.
Material is mainly centred on the period 1969 – 1984.
Cephalonica-Ithaca Association of Toronto fonds
Contains an assortment of documents that traces the organization’s proceedings from the mid-1970s forward.
While consisting mainly of documents that highlight how the diasporic organization managed its operations and events in Toronto, the collection also includes interesting historical pieces that illuminate how the process of migrating from Greece intersected with the medley of everyday life, pressures of integration, and Canada’s growing commitment to multiculturalism.
Included in the collection are financial records, mission statements, event details and planning records, organization correspondence, and other materials related to the association’s affairs.
George Thaniel fonds
Contains personal publications written by George Thaniel, including his curriculum vitae and the complete collection of The Amaranth journals.
Fonds also consists of audio cassette recordings* used by Thaniel in the course of his work as professor of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Toronto.
Recordings include interviews with Modern Greek authors and poets, poetry and prose readings, live theatre recordings, and music performances, in addition to discussions and lectures. Audio recordings further include Thaniel reciting his own poetry, as well as a memorial that was recorded posthumously following his sudden death in June 1991.
Material is mainly centred on the period 1971-1991.
*Digitization pending
Frances Themeliopoulos fonds
Contains materials related to the Greek school system in Toronto as well as a resource related to a Greek Community of Toronto initiative seeking to advance issues related to Greek women.
Fonds also includes a meeting minutes package from a Toronto District School Board meeting designating the month of March as Greek Heritage Month.
Greek Community of Toronto fonds
Contains photographic material that documents events and individuals related to the Greek Community of Toronto. Many events are captured in the donation, including various galas, parades, and charity golfing tournaments.
The collection centers on the period of the mid-1980s to the early-1990s.
This fonds is currently being processed.
Trifon Haitas fonds
Contains audio-visual materials that reveal and document the lives of Greek Canadians.
Since the 1980s, Mr. Haitas has used his recording materials to capture some of the Greek community’s largest and most important events. He has also amassed a large interview collection where Greek immigrants speak of the events and themes that have shaped their lives.
This fonds is currently being processed.
John Cannis fonds
Contains photographs, correspondence, media releases, and other records documenting the early life and political career of former Member of Parliament John Cannis.
This fonds is currently being processed.
Basil Avramis fonds
Contains recordings of the Avramis Greek Show, which aired on Rogers Television and Global Television, featuring interviews with members of the Toronto Greek community and visitors from Greece, special events and celebrations, and performances.
Recordings include the show itself as well as raw footage. Also included is one file of correspondence belonging to Basil Avramis.
This fonds is currently being processed.
John Sotos fonds
Contains textual records documenting John Sotos' involvement in various associations, including the Hellenic Canadian Congress, the Greek Canadian Federation of Ontario, the Greek Community of Metropolitan Toronto, and the Canadian Ethno-cultural council.
Records also document the development of the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and the Hellenic Studies program at York University.
Dimitris Mantalas fonds
Contains photographs taken by Mantalas both at his photography studio on the Danforth as well as for publication in his satirical newspapers Free Speech and The Broom.
This fonds is currently being processed.
Amice Calverley fonds
Contains 16mm films shot on a Bolex camera documenting life and culture in Greece from the 1930s to the 1950s, including the Greek Civil War period.
This fonds is currently being processed.
Stan Draneos collection
Contains detailed itineraries of former Prime Minister of Greece Andreas Papandreou's 1983 visit to Canada.
Michail Vitopoulos fonds
Contains photographs documenting anti-military dictatorship resistance that took place in Toronto during the 1970s.
This fonds is currently being processed.
Marina Sterghiou fonds
Contains monographs, newspaper articles, and accounting records documenting the activities of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Cathedral ("Panagia")'s Philoptochos (Ladies' Auxiliary) from 1983-2001.
Hellenic Canadian Lawyers' Association fonds
Contains records documenting the founding and the activities of the Hellenic Canadian Lawyers' Association (HCLA).
This fonds is currently being processed.
Special Collections
Michail Vitopoulos collection
Rare book collection that captures the political, artistic, and literary life of Modern Greece. The collection speaks to the polarizing turmoil of Greek history, the emotion, and the overall context that shaped Greece’s period of emigration.
The collection is currently being transliterated, with over 1,000 titles and books systematically organized.
Hellenic Heritage collection
Rare book collection consisting of donations from the Hellenic Heritage Foundation, George Papadatos, George Thaniel, Trifon Haitas, Torry Koutsoulianos (Nisyrion Association of Ontario, Canada, “Panagia Spyliani”), and others.
Greek Canadian newspapers
Consists of issues from the Greek Community of Toronto's Hellenic-Canadian Chronicles (Ελληνοκαναδικα Χρονικα) newspaper as well as issues of Dimitri Mantalas' satirical newspapers Free Speech (Ελεύθερος Λόγος) and The Broom (Η Σκούπα).
Michalis Mouratidis Greek collection
The largest collection of Greek Canadian newspapers, books, and other ephemera available in Canada.