Stamatina
Catsoulis Bazacas
A Greek Pioneer's Story
By: Zoye Marino Fidler
(as published in the Fall 1998
edition of the Newsletter of the Greek Heritage Society of Southern California)
There's something about photographs that trigger the memory, bring back happiness
and anticipation. At 93, Stamatina Bazacas
has looked over the old, worn yellowed kaleidoscope of her life many times and told her
friends from the Greek Heritage Society a little bit about herself. Always the question:
which pictures should be chosen - the precious portraits, or the candid family shots? And,
the Greek Heritage Society in reviewing some photographs learned a little bit of the
delightful history.
Her new life
was going to be both exciting and difficult. Coming from the small village of Astros, she
found San Pedro filled with many things to see, many new experiences waiting to be
embraced almost all at once. She knew she was in a strange land, and since her family,
although loving, were so busy working, and were rarely home, the new life was
overwhelming. Her comfort, which had been in the Greek Orthodox church, was not nearby. It
would be several months before she could go to liturgy. She eventually learned how to go
to church using the local transportation called the Red Car. All in all, Stamatina found
her new life lonely. She missed her mother and sisters a great deal. Her life at 18th
and Gaffey was typical of so many immigrant families in 1922. The home was shared by
brothers, a sister-in-law, a cousin, his wife, a niece and nephew. The washing, ironing
and cleaning were chores expected of Stamatina. Everything was done by hand. It was no
wonder she often cried herself to sleep. "1
thought," Stamatina reflected, "when I came to America, I would have servants,
instead, I became the servant."
Becoming Americanized meant going to school, and Stamatina enrolled in her first
English class. However, as often was the case, her sister-in-law's jealously kept
reminding her that the privilege of attending school had not been given to her. This, and
the desire to keep peace within the family forced Stamatina to make the sacrifice and give
up the opportunity for an education. Life was not all work. There was a large Greek
community in San Pedro, including several people from her own village,
Astros. Picnics,
social gatherings, the important Greek name day celebrations, much visiting with members
of the community was ongoing. At one such event a visitor came from the Los Angeles area.
Athanasios (Tom) Bazacas, noticed Stamatina. Although other bacheIors were indeed
interested in Stamatina it was the older suitor, Tom, who had commented to a friend,
"I’ll wait until she is a little older; then I'll marry her," who
eventually won her heart.
Stamatina and Tom were married June 6, 1926, in the home of her brothers by a Greek
Orthodox priest from the small, but beautiful Annunciation church, known to the Greek
community of Los Angeles as the San Julian church. At first the brothers were not pleased
that Tom was a suitor as he was several years her senior. As the years went by Gust and
Ernest saw what a loving relationship Stamatina and Tom had, and were happy for their
sister. The newlyweds honeymooned in Santa Barbara and returned to Los Angeles. A home was
built in the Morningside area near Van Ness and 80th Street, and the Bazacas family
continued to live in this home for the next 35 years.
Athanasios (Tom) Bazacas was born to John and Katherine Bazacas in Almyros, (near
Volos) Greece, January 8, 1889. His mother's first cousin brought him to America in 1905,
the year of Stamatina's birth. Although he was younger, by using the name of his cousin
Nastas, he came to the United States as an 18 year old. Tom came directly to Los Angeles
and worked in the Alexandria Hotel, (where so many young Greek immigrants first got their
start) as a bus boy for four years. He earned enough money to invest with some patriotes
(fellow Greeks) in a small hotel thinking this was a good investment. However, the
partners soon found the hotel "guests" had been paid to live there to make it
look as if it were a thriving establishment.
Even though this was a difficult lesson, it did not keep Tom from finding another
way to make a living. In late 1910 he became a fruit/vegetable wholesale-retail seller
with a horse drawn wagon, and by 1920 became the proud owner of a motor truck, which could
easily service the rich and faithful clientele of Beverly Hills.
From the beginning, Stamatina and Tom were heavily involved in their Greek
community. As it was the practice for only the male child to go to school, many of the
women who came from Greece, at that time, were illiterate. Stamatina, however, had learned
to read and write in Greece, and often wrote letters for women who were unable to do so to
their families in Greece. Tom belonged to one of the first men's society in Los Angeles
known as the "Adelphotis" regularly visited with the sick at hospitals and in
homes. Tom was also a member of the Panarcadians, Ahepa, Silogon Kalavriton.
When World War II broke out the Greek Ladies of the Southland worked in their own
section for the Rec Cross. They would go
weekly to collect clothes and roll bandages. Stamatina
and others, with sewing skills, made shirts, pajamas, nightgowns to aid in the war effort. When the war ended, Stamatine continued to sew
for the Red Cross for 20 years.
The Bazacas' had two children, Katherine (Kathy), born in 1927 and John, born in
1930. Kathy spoke recently of her parents:
"Dad loved to dance and mother didn't," she revealed, "so at the various
social functions he would dance with all the ladies. We often went to the beach, had
friends over where music was always a part of our life...we had a good life considering
the hard times of the thirties. We had rabbits and lots of fruit trees in the back yard. Dad even made wine and beer in the garage."
As for Stamatina, Kathy clearly recalls, "Mother is a very religious woman, who reads
her Bible daily as well as the lives of various saints. Her church is very important to
her and she rarely misses Sunday services as well as weekday services. I learned to drive
at the age of 12 so I could take her and pick up her friends along the way from 80th
Street to San Julian Church, in Los Angeles. I had to make sure they wouldn't miss any of
the services."
Throughout all the years, from 1922 until 1956 the desire to return to Greece was
ever present. At that time, Stamatina joyously returned to Greece, travelling with
Stamatina Nicholas, a cousin [Dr. Frank Nicholas' mother]. There she found both her mother
and sisters still living. She journeyed again in 1964 and 1985 to visit family and
relatives. To this day one sister is still living in Greece.
Tom
and Stamatina had two grandchildren, Tina born in 1955 and Tom born in 1957. But her
beloved husband Tom died in 1959. Stamatina now lives with her daughter, Katherine, in
Newport Beach where she continues to do the cooking, and weekly has her son John,
grandchildren, and great grandchildren come for her wonderful traditional Greek dinners.
The photographs are memories, and the
Greek Heritage Society enjoys sharing these
wonderful memories. Stamatina tells her pioneering stories
of preserving culture while mingling with the new for Greek women to understand and enjoy.
She shares them beautifully, and each time she shares, the Greek Heritage Society has
itself blessed. Blessings are the memories friends share. They are returned with love. Our
wish is to return them now. /Stamatina
Bazacas, may you continue to be blessed with good health!! |
