Euro trash
"Some would say it was a way to satisfy my ego," Argyros said of his position in the EP. "It was a rewarding experience to represent the interests of Greece and Europe as a whole."
During his five-year term on the European Parliament, Argyros was a member of the parliamentary Committee on Monetary and Economic Affairs and was partly responsible for establishing the Euro as the new European currency. "I am strongly in favor of the Euro because you cannot have an effective single market without a single currency," said Argyros. "It is as if you had 50 states, where people can move and work freely, but with a different currency in each state; there is a tremendous cost in currency exchange."
According to Argyros, European economies would suffer without a common monetary unit. "Europe needs a counterweight to the dollar, to reflect its economic power," he added.
While in the Parliament, Argyros was a member of the Transatlantic Policy Network, which attempts to unify Europe and America in trade, economic policies, and research and development. As a member of the Committee on Employment and the Committee on Research, Development and Energy, Argyros played a part in the liberalization of the European power market.
"The creation of a common energy market and the liberalization of that market has tremendous benefits as far as consumers are concerned," said Argyros. "Competition and prices drop, and a unified system is entirely more efficient than 15 separate grids, all state controlled."
Argyros graduated in 1964 from Athens College, similar to an American high school, where he first learned of Amherst College. "Robert Frost, who was in Athens giving poetry readings, gave me a wonderful description of Amherst," said Argyros. "I was impressed by his depiction of Amherst and the benefits of a small liberal arts school over a large university."
Entering Amherst with sophomore standing, Argyros studied under the tutelage of, among others, Professor of Chemistry Richard Fink. Argyros majored in chemistry and earned a Master's in 1969 and a Ph.D. in 1973 in material sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But before moving on to MIT, Argryos created many lasting memories at Amherst. "One of the things I remember very vividly about my time at Amherst is getting a one dollar parking ticket when I was working in the chemistry lab at four in the morning," Argyros said. "I spent endless hours in the laboratory."
Not only does Argyros remember Amherst for its academics, but also for its social scene. "On the night of a blackout, a food fight broke out at Valentine," Argyros said.
Before completing his doctoral at MIT, Argyros spent a year with the World Bank in Washington D.C. As a consultant on developing countries, he spent some time in Tunisia. This experience helped him secure a position upon leaving MIT with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in Vienna, Austria.
It's not all Greek to him
Meanwhile, the 1967 military coup in Greece personally affected Argyros, who had come to America for an education, but whose plans to return to Greece were interrupted by the non-democratic takeover.
"I strongly objected to any sort of military rule," said Argyros. "Although I can't describe myself as somebody who actively resisted, I was quite involved. I was president of the MIT student body, and we did a lot of things to protest against the Greek dictatorship."
As a result of such protests, Argyros' passport was revoked and he was unable to enter Greece until 1974 when Greece underwent another change in power. By then, Argyros was working with UNIDO in Vienna. "America was an interesting place, full of challenges, but there is a certain nostalgia after being away from home for 10 years," Argyros said. "If you can't satisfy that nostalgia, then you want to be as close as possible."
Argyros returned to Greece in 1977 and worked for four years as the CEO of his family's textiles company. He went on to become Chairman and CEO of a fertilizer company from 1981 to 1984 before returning to the family business in 1988. At that time, Argyros was also elected to the presidency of the Federation of Greek Industries, a body that represents all Greek businesses, both industrial and non-industrial. "I always had a knack for the duties that are required in a public office and the international nature of the position intrigued me," Argyros said. He then ran in the nationwide election to become one of Greece's 25 representatives in the European Parliament.
His victory as member of the Liberal Party led to his service in the international body, which serves as a democratically legitimizing counterpart to the European Union's political Council of Ministers and executive European Commission. "Now I am back again with the family business," said Argyros, "I didn't want to be involved in politics for too long and make it a profession. Five years was enough."
Leaving a legacy
Argyros will return to Amherst for his son Alexandros' graduation in the spring. An economics major, Alexandros follows his sister, Elli '00, a geology major, in attending Amherst. Alexandros plans to work for Morgan Stanley in New York City upon graduation.
Looking back on where his life has taken him, Argyros recalls his Amherst experience as a valuable starting point, evident in his continued relationship with the school. "I got a tremendous education at Amherst. It is something I cherish very much," said Argyros. "I learned to look at things from a different angle from what I was used to at the time. I learned to search for the inner meaning of a lot of things. My whole experience, even after 30 years, is very valuable to me now."