People like Andrea Tantaros Are Turning America into an unworkable society of left and right, and shame on her for besmirching the country her father called home: she says of Obama on CNN today: "Obama was elected....unfortunately!" -- If Andrea Tantaros, daughter of a Greek immigrant, cannot see that she is tarnishing the eulogy she gave for her father, then she is smoking crack or worse. Wake up, Andrea, this country belongs to all of us, and what your father worked so hard for, you in your stupidity and anger, are now destroying. thanks. Is this what you want your father to hear in heaven, that his daughter is helping to destroy America? A very very sad day in America, Ms Tantaros. You should be ashamed of yourself. I know your father in heaven is for sure ashamed of you for that sick ugly comment. Maybe you don't like Black people? I guess your life as a second generation Greek-American did not teach you manners. sigh!
People like Andrea Tantaros Are Turning America into an unworkable society of left and right, and shame on her for besmirching the country her father called home: she says of Obama on CNN today: "Obama was elected....unfortunately!" -- If Andrea Tantaros, daughter of a Greek immigrant, cannot see that she is tarnishing the eulogy she gave for her father, then she is smoking crack or worse. Wake up, Andrea, this country belongs to all of us, and what your father worked so hard for, you in your stupidity and anger, are now destroying. thanks. Is this what you want your father to hear in heaven, that his daughter is helping to destroy America? A very very sad day in America, Ms Tantaros. You should be ashamed of yourself. I know your father in heaven is for sure ashamed of you for that sick ugly comment. Maybe you don't like Black people? I guess your life as a second generation Greek-American did not teach you manners. sigh!
And sweet Andrea, who can diss Obama in TV and say the fact that he was elected fair and square -- "unfortunately" -- is a bad thing for America, this is how she speaks of her dear Dad, with respecet and love, but she cannot muster the same rspect and love for her adopted country. Why? O America, with people like Andrea Tantaros on TV now, I cry for thee..
Her dad was a great guy. The daughter? A sad, sick American who does not understand democracy, only rightwing politics of hatred.
TO WIT
Konstantinos A. Tantaros 1944-2009My Father, My Friend, My Inspiration
Categories: My Father
Eulogy of Konstantinos A. Tantaros
Delivered by Andrea Kostantina Tantaros
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
December 10, 2009
* * *
I looked up the synonyms for the word "extraordinary" in a thesaurus, but none of them was in any way sufficient to accurately describe the true measure of Konstantinos “Harry” Tantaros, as a businessman, as a father, as a grandfather, as a husband, as a brother, as a friend to so many of you, and, finally, as the relentless force of nature, who swept into all of our lives and that has now left all of us much too soon.
I’m uncertain that I can accurately capture the full measure of our personal sense of grief and overwhelming sense of loss within the family. There are no words for that.
Nor can I do full justice to his struggles, by adequately describing the challenges and sacrifices that he made during his seven decades' journey on earth.
A description cannot convey how completely organic was his sense of identity and the larger-than-life personality that always filled and uplifted every room he ever entered.
He also projected an overwhelming assuredness about anything and everything to do with the business of getting on in life. His certitude never wavered, no matter the challenge.
When most people would have folded, he pressed on because he optimistically believed that he’d triumph through hard work.
That tendency to accept a challenge and run a risk, was enhanced by the decisive way that he made decisions – in business, and in every other sphere of life.
It was that determination and decisiveness which served him well on a stormy night in the Adriatic Sea, when his ship foundered and went down.
Harry’s born optimism and passion for life willed his 13-year-old body to swim through the long hours of darkness to finally reach shore, on a night when all the others drowned.
It was that acceptance of risk and hunger for opportunity and adventure that prompted him to, so confidently, leave behind his tiny village of Paleros, Greece at the age of 15, to serve aboard a merchant marine vessel, transporting oil to locations across the globe.
He saw much of the world during his seafaring years, but eventually, he decided upon a new home.
He arrived in the United States with only $30 in his pocket, but his spirit soared at the opportunities available here. He started at the bottom and never doubted for a day that he would eventually succeed. After all, if he could battle Poseidon and win, he believed that he could overcome anything.
His life then was long hours working in a restaurant for extended family for no pay.
But his optimism sustained him and helped him to persevere when times were so tough.
You ask, “How bad was it?”
It was this bad: He had nowhere to live. And he was so desperate to succeed, at any price that he set up shop in a cardboard box, down in a diner’s boiler room. But he wasn’t discouraged – frustrated, maybe, but not discouraged.
It was this bad. He once tried to wash his underwear in a bucket back in the kitchen, but, unfamiliar with the right ratio, he disproportionately used far more bleach than water.
After a long soak, when he finally lifted the trunks from the bucket, only the elastic waistband remained.
He looked up and exclaimed: “God, how poor can I be? I don’t even have underwear.” It didn’t matter. He had his mind made up and he knew his dream.
Despite the temporary discomforts he faced, he was always happy to be here and grateful for an opportunity to succeed in America.
We’ll never forget Harry’s decisiveness. And we’ll always know in the decades to come, know how to respond to adversity simply by asking, “What would Dad do in this situation?” Because we know intuitively exactly which road he’d take.
Well, maybe not exactly. Some of the things Harry did no one could have anticipated.
The midnight-shift cook at the Pied Piper diner, for one, didn’t expect to meet Harry after midnight.
He had been throwing out the potatoes when no one was looking, so that he wouldn’t have to peel them.
He never expected to find my father waiting for him inside the dumpster on that cold January night, when dad jumped out and caught the cook right in the act.
That story, and so many others, will keep us laughing for decades when we think of his quick wit and unique delivery.
This exceptional sense of humor, as expressed through his comments and constructive criticism—often unsolicited—made the pill of tough love easier to swallow.
Granted, given his manner of expression, his love was less likely to be delivered to you in a figurative Tiffany’s box than it was dumped in your lap with a back-hoe, but that, occasionally, rough and colorful means of transmittal certainly didn’t diminish the depth of his feelings for people.
He delighted at the chance to help someone. He always remembered the words of his father. My grandfather’s directive, was if you can do good for someone, do it.
My father always took that suggestion to heart.
His acts of generosity are too numerous to list, but I'd like to share one, in particular, with you.
When a family in the Greek community was facing foreclosure on their home, and did not have a car, Harry reached out to them.
He gave them my mom’s car, gave the dad a job in one of his restaurants, and then spent days to help train him in every aspect of the operation from dishwashing to cooking.
Eventually, he placed them in one of his fully staffed and operable restaurants, so that they could get back on their feet. That was Harry. He’s helped many more families put bread on their table.
His heart was just as big as his personality, his drive and intolerance for mediocrity, as evident as his work ethic. He would never hire anyone for a job that he could do himself, or that he could outsource to one of his children. For this, I am truly grateful.
He was fiercely loyal and pushed his kids to work as hard as he did, for he knew that if he could build our endurance, we would never go hungry.
He had the natural ability to make anyone feel comfortable, unless of course, they were trying to date my sister or me.
He reminded us how rich, full, meaningful and good one life can be by finding constant delight in the little things . . . like professional cheerleaders.
He had strong views about everything, from what piece of land would make the best location for his next restaurant, to why earrings don’t belong on men.
After meeting my mom in a diner in New Jersey, he decided to pursue opportunity in Pennsylvania. He opened the Park Manor Diner with only $38.
He came home excited after its first day of operation. When he returned to the motel where they were staying, he couldn't contain himself because he'd multiplied his initial investment and doubled what he had been making prior.
“We’re rich!” he celebrated. But my mom was sad. She missed her family, and felt lonely with a young baby and another on the way.
My dad insisted they keep going.
And keep going he did.
Though my father worked long enough and hard enough to realize many accomplishments, his true appetite was always for the actual act of succeeding, rather than the trappings of success, which I don’t believe he gave a fig about.
And I can surely tell you that he never found fulfillment in material things, and he never pursued them in the aspirational way that some people pine for them.
His particular brand of magic didn’t depend on material possessions to generate, no; Harry’s innate personality was plenty.
He was the toughest boss I’ll ever have and one of the strongest personalities that one could ever meet and, as long as I knew him, you never got the sense that he had any wish to be anyone other than who he was. This comfort in his own skin is what underpinned all his other wonderful attributes.
Harry appreciated excellence in others, too. He always taught us to appreciate the skills and experience that professionals had earned, be they lawyers, doctors or judges.
Harry encouraged us to honor the sacrifices that others had made to pursue excellence.
Harry said "steel sharpens steel" and he encouraged us to associate ourselves with those who had earned respect.
He wasn’t afraid to tell people, even men, that he loved them, and he wasn’t afraid of dying. He just wasn’t ready to go yet, and leave his family: his soul mate in life and business – his wife, Barbara, his four children, and his two young grandsons, the apples of his eye.
When he was still a little boy, he once saw a U.S. Navy ship, docked in the bay of his town. When he first saw the stars and stripes on its flag, he thought that it was the most beautiful flag in the world, and that one day he would go there because of its promise.
As we remember him today, a flag is flying in his honor over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC.
A fitting tribute, for a man who loved this country with a passion seldom seen by most that were born here.
You could often hear my dad exclaim with a sparkle in his eye, “What a country,” when acknowledging his many blessings.
Today we say, "Thank You" for the way he touched our lives, and made them exponentially better, even though God decided he was needed up above.
…Something tells me heaven will now be watching a lot more Fox News.
I feel privileged and humbled by my father’s example. It's both inspirational and demanding. He was the most, extraordinary man ever I have ever met - or, that I will ever meet.
I’m simply lucky to be his daughter.
Just as he used to say: "What a country" . . . What a man . . . What a legacy.
And sweet Andrea, who can diss Obama in TV and say the fact that he was elected fair and square -- "unfortunately" -- is a bad thing for America, this is how she speaks of her dear Dad, with respecet and love, but she cannot muster the same rspect and love for her adopted country. Why? O America, with people like Andrea Tantaros on TV now, I cry for thee..
Her dad was a great guy. The daughter? A sad, sick American who does not understand democracy, only rightwing politics of hatred.
TO WIT
Konstantinos A. Tantaros 1944-2009My Father, My Friend, My Inspiration
Categories: My Father
Eulogy of Konstantinos A. Tantaros
Delivered by Andrea Kostantina Tantaros
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
December 10, 2009
* * *
I looked up the synonyms for the word "extraordinary" in a thesaurus, but none of them was in any way sufficient to accurately describe the true measure of Konstantinos “Harry” Tantaros, as a businessman, as a father, as a grandfather, as a husband, as a brother, as a friend to so many of you, and, finally, as the relentless force of nature, who swept into all of our lives and that has now left all of us much too soon.
I’m uncertain that I can accurately capture the full measure of our personal sense of grief and overwhelming sense of loss within the family. There are no words for that.
Nor can I do full justice to his struggles, by adequately describing the challenges and sacrifices that he made during his seven decades' journey on earth.
A description cannot convey how completely organic was his sense of identity and the larger-than-life personality that always filled and uplifted every room he ever entered.
He also projected an overwhelming assuredness about anything and everything to do with the business of getting on in life. His certitude never wavered, no matter the challenge.
When most people would have folded, he pressed on because he optimistically believed that he’d triumph through hard work.
That tendency to accept a challenge and run a risk, was enhanced by the decisive way that he made decisions – in business, and in every other sphere of life.
It was that determination and decisiveness which served him well on a stormy night in the Adriatic Sea, when his ship foundered and went down.
Harry’s born optimism and passion for life willed his 13-year-old body to swim through the long hours of darkness to finally reach shore, on a night when all the others drowned.
It was that acceptance of risk and hunger for opportunity and adventure that prompted him to, so confidently, leave behind his tiny village of Paleros, Greece at the age of 15, to serve aboard a merchant marine vessel, transporting oil to locations across the globe.
He saw much of the world during his seafaring years, but eventually, he decided upon a new home.
He arrived in the United States with only $30 in his pocket, but his spirit soared at the opportunities available here. He started at the bottom and never doubted for a day that he would eventually succeed. After all, if he could battle Poseidon and win, he believed that he could overcome anything.
His life then was long hours working in a restaurant for extended family for no pay.
But his optimism sustained him and helped him to persevere when times were so tough.
You ask, “How bad was it?”
It was this bad: He had nowhere to live. And he was so desperate to succeed, at any price that he set up shop in a cardboard box, down in a diner’s boiler room. But he wasn’t discouraged – frustrated, maybe, but not discouraged.
It was this bad. He once tried to wash his underwear in a bucket back in the kitchen, but, unfamiliar with the right ratio, he disproportionately used far more bleach than water.
After a long soak, when he finally lifted the trunks from the bucket, only the elastic waistband remained.
He looked up and exclaimed: “God, how poor can I be? I don’t even have underwear.” It didn’t matter. He had his mind made up and he knew his dream.
Despite the temporary discomforts he faced, he was always happy to be here and grateful for an opportunity to succeed in America.
We’ll never forget Harry’s decisiveness. And we’ll always know in the decades to come, know how to respond to adversity simply by asking, “What would Dad do in this situation?” Because we know intuitively exactly which road he’d take.
Well, maybe not exactly. Some of the things Harry did no one could have anticipated.
The midnight-shift cook at the Pied Piper diner, for one, didn’t expect to meet Harry after midnight.
He had been throwing out the potatoes when no one was looking, so that he wouldn’t have to peel them.
He never expected to find my father waiting for him inside the dumpster on that cold January night, when dad jumped out and caught the cook right in the act.
That story, and so many others, will keep us laughing for decades when we think of his quick wit and unique delivery.
This exceptional sense of humor, as expressed through his comments and constructive criticism—often unsolicited—made the pill of tough love easier to swallow.
Granted, given his manner of expression, his love was less likely to be delivered to you in a figurative Tiffany’s box than it was dumped in your lap with a back-hoe, but that, occasionally, rough and colorful means of transmittal certainly didn’t diminish the depth of his feelings for people.
He delighted at the chance to help someone. He always remembered the words of his father. My grandfather’s directive, was if you can do good for someone, do it.
My father always took that suggestion to heart.
His acts of generosity are too numerous to list, but I'd like to share one, in particular, with you.
When a family in the Greek community was facing foreclosure on their home, and did not have a car, Harry reached out to them.
He gave them my mom’s car, gave the dad a job in one of his restaurants, and then spent days to help train him in every aspect of the operation from dishwashing to cooking.
Eventually, he placed them in one of his fully staffed and operable restaurants, so that they could get back on their feet. That was Harry. He’s helped many more families put bread on their table.
His heart was just as big as his personality, his drive and intolerance for mediocrity, as evident as his work ethic. He would never hire anyone for a job that he could do himself, or that he could outsource to one of his children. For this, I am truly grateful.
He was fiercely loyal and pushed his kids to work as hard as he did, for he knew that if he could build our endurance, we would never go hungry.
He had the natural ability to make anyone feel comfortable, unless of course, they were trying to date my sister or me.
He reminded us how rich, full, meaningful and good one life can be by finding constant delight in the little things . . . like professional cheerleaders.
He had strong views about everything, from what piece of land would make the best location for his next restaurant, to why earrings don’t belong on men.
After meeting my mom in a diner in New Jersey, he decided to pursue opportunity in Pennsylvania. He opened the Park Manor Diner with only $38.
He came home excited after its first day of operation. When he returned to the motel where they were staying, he couldn't contain himself because he'd multiplied his initial investment and doubled what he had been making prior.
“We’re rich!” he celebrated. But my mom was sad. She missed her family, and felt lonely with a young baby and another on the way.
My dad insisted they keep going.
And keep going he did.
Though my father worked long enough and hard enough to realize many accomplishments, his true appetite was always for the actual act of succeeding, rather than the trappings of success, which I don’t believe he gave a fig about.
And I can surely tell you that he never found fulfillment in material things, and he never pursued them in the aspirational way that some people pine for them.
His particular brand of magic didn’t depend on material possessions to generate, no; Harry’s innate personality was plenty.
He was the toughest boss I’ll ever have and one of the strongest personalities that one could ever meet and, as long as I knew him, you never got the sense that he had any wish to be anyone other than who he was. This comfort in his own skin is what underpinned all his other wonderful attributes.
Harry appreciated excellence in others, too. He always taught us to appreciate the skills and experience that professionals had earned, be they lawyers, doctors or judges.
Harry encouraged us to honor the sacrifices that others had made to pursue excellence.
Harry said "steel sharpens steel" and he encouraged us to associate ourselves with those who had earned respect.
He wasn’t afraid to tell people, even men, that he loved them, and he wasn’t afraid of dying. He just wasn’t ready to go yet, and leave his family: his soul mate in life and business – his wife, Barbara, his four children, and his two young grandsons, the apples of his eye.
When he was still a little boy, he once saw a U.S. Navy ship, docked in the bay of his town. When he first saw the stars and stripes on its flag, he thought that it was the most beautiful flag in the world, and that one day he would go there because of its promise.
As we remember him today, a flag is flying in his honor over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC.
A fitting tribute, for a man who loved this country with a passion seldom seen by most that were born here.
You could often hear my dad exclaim with a sparkle in his eye, “What a country,” when acknowledging his many blessings.
Today we say, "Thank You" for the way he touched our lives, and made them exponentially better, even though God decided he was needed up above.
…Something tells me heaven will now be watching a lot more Fox News.
I feel privileged and humbled by my father’s example. It's both inspirational and demanding. He was the most, extraordinary man ever I have ever met - or, that I will ever meet.
I’m simply lucky to be his daughter.
Just as he used to say: "What a country" . . . What a man . . . What a legacy.
posted by dan at 7:57 AM
9 Comments:
compare Andrea Tantaros comment about Obama with how the Polish people turned out for the funeral of their presidents, even though not all of them voted for him, they still showed respect. most likely, Andrea would laugh and applaud if Obama died in a plane crash, i can see her smiling now. Sad that a Greek immigrant's daughter comes to that! YUCK!
She uses her looks to get herself on TV, where she spouts vile nonsense, but she's obviously a hideous person inside.
Few people pay attention to what she's saying, because they're just staring at her, but if they did they'd see it's all vitriol, ignorance and flat-out stupidity.
As a fellow Greek American, I'm embarrassed.
dear recent anon
WOw....good to get all POV feedback here. thanks
Leave her alone. She is a true American using her right to free speech. Stop hatin yu commie bastards! Go to other countries where they control you like the old USSR for example.
she IS a good person, but her politics are a bit strange, that's all. she has gone off the deep end of the Tea Party people. she should know better
As a Greek American I can honestly say the ignorance in all of your bull questioning her patriotism and love for this country simply because she speaks for what she believes in is the perfect example of you left wing nut jobs trying to rid freedom of speech. Amazing your opinions and motives are pure yet your opponents never are. Ironic
Dear Greek American,
re my "questioning her [POV] simply because she speaks for what she believes in is ",,,is my POV, no? freedom of speech. I am not left wing or right winger. I am sane wing.
SEE CAPS FOR COMMENTS
As a Greek American I can honestly say the ignorance WTF? ....in all of your bull WTF? questioning her patriotism and love for this country simply WTF? because she speaks for what she believes in is the perfect example of you left wing nut jobs WTF? trying to rid freedom of speech WTF? . Amazing your opinions and motives are pure yet your opponents never are. NO, SHE IS PURE TOO. Ironic NO.
This country was built by immigrants who came to this country in poverty looking for opportunity. Ms. Tantaros forgot that when she went to her extremest views. President Obama stands for people who have literally no voice in this country. The poor need help not the rich and greedy.
Andrea's father, was a poor immigrant who wanted a better life for his future family. He and his wife sound like excellent examples of the American dream fullfilled. Andrea needs to wake up and realize that type of sacrfice he made. Her euology of her father is commendable, but what happend to her is sad.
I am a Conservative, son of immigrants, who knows the sacrifice my grandparents and parents made by coming to this country being poor and fullfilling the American dream. The first Black man as President! Mind blowing for Republicans and some Democrats alike!
Dear Anon at 7:32 am above
YOU took the words right out of my mouth, YOU said it well. YES YES YES...She SHOULD know better, but these things happen sometimes in the USA where children of immigrants get sidetracked and brainwashed by rightwingers....SIGH
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