What’s been happening:

This is a tribute to my mother, Carol Psomiadis, and my father, John Kamateros. My mom and dad divorced when I was 2. Dad moved back to Greece while my mom (with the help of my grandmother Victoria) raised me to be a decent young man. Her devotion and support helped me find the courage and strength to complete my studies at Penn State Abington. My father and I were nearly polar opposites, both in personality and political views, but he was my dad and I loved him regardless of our differences. He was proud of me. He also supported my college studies and reminded me to keep my eyes and efforts fixated on graduating. I would go see him in Greece almost every summer. My visits would culminate with us not talking as we often had heated disagreements, especially about the past. One summer, while I was still attending Penn State Abington, we had a serious argument that ended with me not wanting to see him ever again. On my 30th birthday in May 2004, I graduated from Penn State Abington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a respectable 3.48 overall GPA and 3.81 major GPA. I was satisfied with my success and pleased that I could share my graduation with my mother, who was always by my side. My father, however, was not aware that I graduated. In early May 2008, I received a dire phone call from Greece. My dad was on his deathbed and wanted to see me. I flew to Greece, we talked, forgave each other, and I showed him my graduation photos. He died knowing his son graduated from college, the first member of his side of the family to do so. I love you dad and thanks mom!