Eugene Eugenides, the prosperous shipping industrialist, focused his extensive philanthropic activities on Greek education in science and technology which culminated, after his death in 1954, with the establishment of the Eugenides Foundation.
Born in 1882 in the East Thracian town of Didimothicho and educated at the Robert Academy in Constantinople, Eugenides started a shipping business there which he transferred to Piraeus in 1922. He subsequently established the Home Line, the first shipping link between Greece and North and South America.
Since its founding in 1956, the Eygenides Foundation has provided funds for comprehensive scholarships for study here and abroad to top technical students, the preparation and publication of various high quality technical books, and the establishment of a Centre for Technical and Vocational Training. This vast edifice houses an extensive scientific library, unusual technical exhibits designed to supplement classroom instruction, an auditorium and lecture hall, and, of course, the Eugenides Planetarium.
The Foundation has been administered since its inception by Marianthe Simu, the philanthropist’s sister and executrix of his estate. Mrs. Simu is a familiar sight at the Eugenides Foundation where any day of the week she may be seen taking a personal interest in the Foundation and overseeing its activities.
