Former Hellenic College Dean Dr. Lily Macrakis Reposes in the Lord

The former Dean of Hellenic College, Dr. Aglaia ‘Lily’ Macrakis fell asleep in the Lord on Sept. 17 in Boston at age 99. Dr. Macrakis served as Dean of Hellenic College from 2002 to 2011, following an academic career that began with a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship and continued at Regis College in Weston, MA, where she began as a lecturer in 1964 and rose to become Chair of the Department of History. Macrakis also founded the Greek Studies program there.

“Dr. Macrakis brought to the deanship unprecedented energy and vision, leading to new programs and courses that enriched the Hellenic College student experience in unprecedented ways,” said HCHC President Dr. Demetrios Katos. “She was a force of nature that worked tirelessly, in her retirement no less, for her students whom she loved and admired like grandchildren. Dr. Macrakis was erudite, charming, industrious, persistent, and solicitous. I was blessed to have her as my dean and colleague.”

Added Fr. Nicholas Trianatafiliou, HCHC’s 20th President from 2000-2016, “Dr. Lily worked for the self-fulfillment of every student and professor under her Deanship. Her brilliance and acuity advanced Hellenic College Holy Cross. She loved her calling and shared her enthusiasm and expertise with us for a decade. Throughout her career Dr. Lily made it her mission to know every student personally and worked tirelessly with each one, crafting the most meaningful vision of career choice for each. She will always be loved and remembered for her brilliance and selfless dedication.”

The Radcliffe Institute Fellowship put Dr. Macrakis’ academic career back on track following the birth of her three children. There she began her work on the biography of Greek statesman Elftherios Venizelos; a biography that became her dissertation at Harvard that ultimately led to publishing Elftherios Venizelos (1864 – 1910): The Making of a National Leader. Dr. Macrakis was instrumental in establishing the Greek Studies Group of the Center for European Studies at Harvard and taught as visiting professor of the Seferis Chair of Modern Greek Studies while there.

Dr. Macrakis (nee Chryssanthacopoulou) was born July 6, 1926 in Athens, Greece and was able to pursue her intellectual gifts and passion for history in spite of the German occupation of Greece and the Greek Civil War. She left Greece, determined to marry her future husband, Michael S. Macrakis, who had left Athens to pursue a PhD in physics at Harvard. Dr. Macrakis lived for many years in Belmont and Cambridge, MA, and is survived by her children, Stavros and Michele, as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband in 2001 and daughter, Kristie, in 2022. May their memories be eternal!