James George Calys

“The whole earth is the tomb of great men and their story is not given only on stone over their native soil but abides everywhere without visible symbol, woven into the stuff of other men's lives.” -Pericles

The year was 1948 and a young Greek immigrant found himself washing dishes in a diner in Lincoln, Nebraska, pondering his world and his future. The world he had come from, the small village of Leka on the island of Samos, had been devastated by World War II and the subsequent Greek Civil War. James “Jim” Calys, or Dimitri Kalymnios as he had been born in 1931, was alone in America, with an education interrupted by war, scant knowledge of English, and limited job skills.

“I was paid fifteen dollars a week washing dishes,” Jim recalled, “but when you have zero, fifteen is a lot.” But he knew that he couldn’t provide for himself and a mother and siblings still in Greece on that fifteen dollars.

Jim’s solution was not an unusual one for young men of the time. He would “Join the Air Force and See the World!” as a popular recruiting slogan boasted. In his desire, however, to escape from a kitchen in Nebraska, he ironically found himself at Forbes Air Force Base (Topeka, Kansas) on a kitchen crew serving three meals a day to several thousand service men!

The Air Force turned out to be a turning point for Jim. “I learned responsibility and how to get organized,” he once reflected, “because the troops had to be fed no matter what.” Those attributes would serve him throughout life as he raised a family, ran a business, and fulfilled leadership positions in his church. Long after his Air Force years, he would continue to cook for family and friends, always in quantities sufficient for “the troops”.

Airman Calys, now with a military paycheck, would also meet Frances Vallas, a young Greek American woman who was born and raised in Topeka. They were married in 1953 and two years later would move to the Kansas City area, settling in the suburb of Mission. Here Jim and Frances bought a home and raised three children, George (G.J.), Mary, and John.

By the early 1960s, Jim had completed in much of his education and had become an associate in the accounting firm of Wolkow, Levy, and Crosby. Only a few years later he successfully completed his Certified Public Accountant exam and saw his name added as a partner. The firm went through a variety of changes over the years and Jim ultimately became the managing partner. After selling the firm to his partners in the 2000s, he retired from full time practice. His partners maintained an office for his use and regularly consulted with him about tax and audit issues. By April 15, 2018, he had finished 60 consecutive years of tax preparation.

The Greek community was a significant part of Jim’s life. He served several terms as treasurer and parish president of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri. As an astute businessman, Jim played a central role in the finances and fundraising that allowed the parish to purchase land and build a new church at 120th and Wornall Road. Kansas Citians still recall the Greek food festivals of the 1970s held at Crown Center which raised money for the Annunciation; Jim was the financial watchdog that made those festivals successful.

Greece was never far from Jim’s mind. He loved to converse about his early life there, but tellingly, rarely mentioned the horrors of the war years. He travelled numerous times to Greece with Frances, his children, and with other relatives. One only had to name some location in Greece or some Greek food item or some Greek relative and he would be off and running with a story, a recollection, or an anecdote. He loved spending a Saturday afternoon in the company of his Greek compatriots, many of whom were refugees as he was. He and his cronies proudly wore the badge of “DP” which stood for the Displaced Person designation that appeared on his papers when he first came to America.

Jim is survived by Frances, his wife of 65 years, and three children, George Calys (Kelny Denebeim), Mary Calys (John Hugo), and John Calys (Tammie). He is also survived by eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, his brother Emanuel Calys (Dorothy) of Topeka, sister Irene Hagifotinou and niece Toula Hagifotinou.

A Visitation is from 5:00 pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday, October 3 at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home at 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri with Trisagion at 6:00pm. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:00am on Thursday, October 4 at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Christian Church at 12001 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri.

“He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not see his like again.” -Shakespeare