Τhe Morning Cometh Society was established by Anatolia College in recognition of those individuals who have graciously established a planned giving program for the benefit of Anatolia College.
Members of the Morning Cometh Society join a long and valued tradition that began in the early 1910s, when Anatolia’s hospital in Asia Minor was able to expand and become the medical center for north-central Asia thanks to the significant bequest of Mrs Ella R. Towle of Grinnel, Iowa. The hospital’s expansion into a new four-story building made it possible for its staff to treat thousands of patients.
Almost a decade later, In the early 1920s, Anatolia received another significant gift when the H.H. Johnson, the attorney of the Charles M. Hall Educational Fund (endowed by an Oberlin graduate and entrepreneur) impressed by George White’s and Jesse Marden’s, devotion to the humanitarian causes of the School in the Near East, agreed to donate $50,000 to Anatolia.
Just as these inspiring examples laid the foundation for Anatolia College’s achievements today, Morning Cometh Society members’ extraordinary commitment will spur the next great accomplishments of our School.
Benefits
Members will receive a small gift upon their decision to make a planned gift to Anatolia College. In addition they will receive periodic updates about Anatolia College’s campaign progress and programs, free access to Anatolia College’s Bissell Library, Anatolia College’s President’s Report and invitations to special events and seminars.
Members of the Morning Cometh Society
The following individuals have graciously established annuities or trusts to benefit Anatolia College and/or have included Anatolia in their estate plans:
- Anonymous
- Constantine C. Danou & Nancy S. Danou
- Albert H. "Chip" Elfner, III
- Galatia Koffa '47
- Harry Lambrousis '53
- Aliki & Albert Modiano
- George Nasioutzik '50
- Eleni Tsitropoulou-Diamantidi '36
- Samuel Wierstainer & Kyriaki Adamidou-Wierstainer '60
Donor Profile
The legacy of Nancy Horton
Greek American benefactor Nancy Phyllis Horton (1912-2016) was an extraordinary woman, known for her writing and philanthropic work, as well as her deep love and admiration for Greece. Following her death at age 103 in 2016, Anatolia College was one of four designated major beneficiaries in her will, receiving a substantial gift of $1.2 million to endow high school scholarships in honor of her father, George Horton.
Nancy was unique; a well-educated woman who showed great empathy throughout her life seeking social understanding, and a strong passionate advocate for truth and justice, who struggled to keep the historical memory and the past alive, while turning her gaze to present, future and next generations.
Born in Smyrna (Izmir) in August 1912, Nancy Horton was the daughter of Katerina Sakopoulou and George Horton (1859-1942), a remarkable Philhellene, journalist, poet, and writer who served as U.S. Consul in both Athens, and in Thessaloniki. During the Turkish War, he served as U.S. Consul General in Smyrna and witnessed the destruction of the city in 1922. He was responsible for saving thousands of Greeks and other Christians in Asia Minor at times, exceeding his diplomatic authorities.
Upon his return to the United States and his retirement in the same year, he organized campaigns and fundraising events for the relief of refugees. The tragic faith of Smyrna and the Christian populations in Asia Minor, as well as the reluctance of the allied forces to intervene, were documented in his special report to U.S. State Department and his monumental book "The Blight of Asia" published in 1926. Horton, known also as “Lord Byron” in his time, used to read to Nancy the New Testament in Greek “the language that God speaks” as he used to say.
Nancy Horton grew up in her mother's family home in Voula, near Athens. After being educated in the US, she returned to reside in Greece. Ms. Horton maintained a deep respect and advocacy for her father’s work on behalf of the Greek people. She inherited his devotion to justice and humanitarian values, and lasting love of poetry, literature, Greece, Asia Minor, and Smyrna. She cherished every aspect of her father's legacy and tried to keep the flame of his contribution alive, together with the history of her family and the struggles of the Greeks. "You are born as a human being, you become a diplomat, but you are a Philhellene, just as you are a poet," Nancy always said of her father.
Following in her father’s footsteps Nancy presented a remarkable body of poetry full of images, colors and flavors of Greek nature. Her first poem drew inspiration from the Lemon Forest of Poros highlighting the special bond of the Hortons with the region of Troizina and Argolida. She also wrote prose and translated Modern Greek poems into English. Her academic and philanthropic work was highly acknowledged. The Greek State granted her honorary Greek citizenship, and the Asia Minor Refugee Associations constantly praised her for keeping the memory of Smyrna alive.
Nancy Horton’s involvement with Anatolia began in the 1990s. As former Anatolia College President William McGrew recalled, “She was drawn to Anatolia’s history, particularly with regard to its Asia Minor origins.” Although the family also had a home in Washington DC, Nancy Horton lived most of her life in Athens. She never forgot her own family’s history and roots in Smyrna and her links to the struggles of the Greek people. Her generosity is a lasting testament to the ideals, history, and educational mission of Anatolia College and has already brought transformative change to the lives of young students.
*With information retrieved from www.kathimerini.gr, http://ahepahellas.org, www.porosnews.gr, and the Anatolia College publication “The Anatolian 2017”.
Planned Giving
For more information, please contact:
Anatolia College’s Boston Office
18 Tremont Street
Suite 704
Boston, MA 02108
Τel: 617.830.5077
Fax: 617.742.3215
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or
Anatolia College Development Office
John Kennedy 60
Pylaia, 555 35
Tel: 30.2310.398349
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More
