Benefactor
Christos Theologos Papadopoulos graduated from Anatolia College in 1893 and, two years later, completed his studies at the Missionary School of Merzifon. After graduation, he served as pastor of the Protestant church in Thyateira (Akhisar) and later emigrated to the United States with his family. In 1907, he founded the first Greek Protestant church in Chicago.
In October 1894, when Turkish troops reached the gates of the school in Sassoun (a region in Armenia), Rev. Papadopoulos courageously stood before them, preventing them from entering. Overnight, he and his family sewed an American flag, which he raised, declaring that they were under the protection of the United States of America. However, the wave of massacres soon reached Merzifon on November 15 of the same year.
This handmade American flag, a symbol of courage and protection, was later donated by the Papadopoulos family to Anatolia College, where it is preserved to this day. It stands as a lasting testament to Papadopoulos’s commitment to peace and human dignity.
