Press Releases

AHI Member Dr. Takey Crist Donates Cypriot Artifacts and Rare Books to Support Greek Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

WASHINGTON, DC—In May of 2009, longtime AHI member Dr. Takey Crist donated a large collection of Cypriot artifacts and rare books to support the Greek studies program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

Dr. Crist is a UNC alumnus and a successful obstetrician, gynecologist and the founder of the Crist Clinic for Women. “My second steadfast commitment in life is the preservation of my Cypriot heritage,” said Dr. Crist.  

The Crist Collection at UNC consists of approximately 150 rare books on Cypriot and eastern Mediterranean history and 40 artifacts consisting of mostly pottery and sculptures from the Early Bronze Age to the Classical period representing roughly 2000 years of Cypriot history. 

Dr. Takey Crist is the founder of the Cyprus Museum in Jacksonville, NC.  “I began reading about the antiquities and the desecration of churches in occupied Cyprus. I talked about it with some friends in Cypriot Organizations, and I decided to buy Cypriot antiquities so that Cyprus’s cultural heritage might be preserved. In the summer of 1990 I went to Cyprus with my friend Marios Evriviadis, and we bought old costumes and other folk items. A few weeks later a container appeared at my house. When I realized that I didn’t have enough room to house everything, I thought of starting a museum,” stated Dr. Takey Crist.

The American Hellenic Institute congratulates Dr. Crist for his lifetime efforts to preserve and promote his Cypriot heritage.

For more information on the Cyprus Museum visit this link:

http://www.cyprusmuseum.com/link.php?id=139

For more information on the Crist Collection at UNC visit this link:

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For additional information, please contact C. Franciscos Economides at (202) 785-8430 or at pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our Web site at http://www.ahiworld.org.

The American Hellenic Institute is a nonprofit public policy organization that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and also within the American Hellenic community.

1220 16th Street, NW | Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone 202-785-8430 | Fax 202-785-5178 | www.ahiworld.org

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AHI News Flash:

01-21-09 AHI Executive Director Interview with the Greek News

Letters to the Editor:

08-07-09 AHI Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post

08-06-08 The Washington Times Prints AHI Letter Regarding Cyprus