LIFE

1920 US CENSUS (3 Jan 1920, Altoona City, Blair, PA):
Nicholas NOTOPOULOS (26y) year of immigration to US: 1902; naturalized in 1909; General manager Cigar store
James NOTOPOULOS (20y) year of immigration to US: 1910; Store Manager Cigar & Billiard
John NOTOPOULOS (19y) year of immigration to US: 1911; Manager Cigar & Billiard

James A. NOTOPOULOS (23y) student Jesus College, Oxford
SS "AMERICA"
dep.: .. Sep 1928, New York
arr.: 6 Oct 1928, Plymouth, ENGLAND
(Clyde K. Kluckholm (23y), student Christ Church College Oxford, also on board)



James Anastasios NOTOPOULOS (24y)
SS "OLYMPIC"
dep.: 11 July 1929, Southampton, ENGLAND
arr.: 17 July 1929, New York
residence: 1104-14 St, Altoona, PA



James NOTOPOULOS (24y) student Jesus College, Oxford
SS "HOMERIC"
dep.: .. Sep 1929, New York
arr.: 5 Oct 1929, Southampton, ENGLAND



James A. NOTOPOULOS (24y)
SS "EUROPA"
dep.: 16 July 1930, Southampton, ENGLAND
arr.: 21 July 1930, New York
residence: 1104-14 St, Altoona, PA

1930 US CENSUS (1 Apr 1930, Altoona, Blair, Pennsylvania):
Anset [= Anastasios?] N. NOTOPOULOS (53y) (b. Greece) emigrated to USA in 1898
Helen NOTOPOULOS (43y) (b. Greece) emigrated to USA in 1904
- Nicholas A. (25y) office manager
- James A. (23y) student
- George A. (22y) employé theatre
- Constantine A. (20y) employé theatre
- John A. (18y)
- Alexander A. (13y)
- Victor A. (11y)

CITY OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
JOHN J. MCMURRAY
MAYOR

NOVEMBER 23, 1933

To Our Citizens: -

It is most proper to commemorate an event whose threads find a fitting
place in the development of our city's history.

The seventy Greek families scattered throughout our city will observe the
35th anniversary of their permanent settlement. These families are
comprised of four hundred men, women and children, two hundred of whom are
naturalized citizens of the United States. No where will you find more
loyal, more faithful or more law abiding citizens, and as good citizens,
they have always been more than ready to do their share in any movement
undertaken for the good of the city.

But always towering above this small group is the pioneer or them all - a
man of the highest spirit and one who has just cause to be proud of the
splendid record he has made for himself. I refer to Mr. A. N. Notopoulos [James' father].

In 1896 Mr. Notopoulos seeking a suitable place to permanently locate,
visited Altoona. He remained here only long enough to look the city over
and then left for Chicago, where he spent the following two years, returning
to Altoona in 1898. He rented a small store room on Eleventh Avenue next to
the old First National Bank building and opened a small hat cleaning
establishment. Mr. Notopoulos was not content to remain long in this
business but was eager for advancement.

From this small beginning he has progressed steadily until today is the
owner of eight theatres, three being located in Altoona and five in nearby
towns. In these theatres he employs over one hundred persons with an
approximate annual payroll of seventy-thousand dollars. Today Mr.
Notopoulos is one of the largest taxpayers in our city.

Mr. Notopoulos has also been active in the religious life of our city and
in 1918 was instrumental in organizing The Holy Trinity Church of the Greek
Orthodox faith.

On August 29th, 1903, Mr. Notopoulos was united in marriage with Miss Helen
Vaveris at Tripolis, Greece. To this union seven sons were born who show
promise of following in the footsteps of their father.
It is my hope that our Greek population of which we are so proud, will
continue to prosper and retain the high ideals of their race.

JOHN J. McMURRAY, Mayor.
(excerpt from: AREA HISTORY: Greek-American Colony 35th Anniversary, Altoona, Blair County, PA on internet)


Professor at Amherst College, Massachusetts
James A. Notopoulos was Hobart Professor of Classics, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut


Notopoulos went to Greece with a Guggenheim Fellowship and a grant from the American Philosophical Society.
He made recordings all over Greece in 1952-1953.
These recordings were later issued on Moe Asch's Folkways label:
- Folk Dances of Greece (FE 4454; previously released as Folkways P 454)
- Folk Dances of Greece (FE 4467)
- Modern Greek Heroic Oral Poetry (FE 4468)



James A. NOTOPOULOS (48y)
+ Jean NOTOPOULOS (44y)
+ Joseph J. (13y)
+ Philip J. (8y)
SS "NEA HELLAS"
dep.: 28 July 1953, Piraeus, GREECE
arr.: 13 Aug 1953, New York
residence: 26 Bishop Rd., W. Hartford, Connecticut


The James A. Notopoulos Collection (ca. 50 reel-to-reel audio tapes) is at Harvard University (Widener Library, Room C, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138)

At the Libarry of Congress (American Folklife Center; Archive of Folk Culture): AFS 10,943-10,967: Twenty-five tapes of Greek heroic poetry, folk tales, and folk songs collected by James A. Notopoulos, 1952-1953.