Dino Pappas

Dino Pappas, age 89, passed away on June 7, 2016 in San Diego, California. Born in East Chicago, Indiana, on June 15, 1926, Dino was the son of Chris Papadopoulos and Magdalene Tsamboukos, both of St. George, Nemea Corinth, Greece. Dino graduated from Purdue University, January 28, 1951, with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering – the first step to his 52-year career in engineering, construction and management services. Dino started out with the Ralph M. Parsons Corp. in Los Angeles, California – a job opportunity that would prompt his family to move from Indiana to California. Dino’s long international career began in 1960 with NATO’s Souda Naval Base, on the Greek island of Crete. This project also enabled him to connect with his Greek roots, meeting his extended family in Athens and Nemea. On a subsequent assignment in Athens, Dino met and married his former wife, Irene Lavda, mother of his two daughters. Athens remained a special place for Dino because of his heritage and family – he lived there for 10 years and later returned with every opportunity often inviting family and friends to his favorite spot, the Athens Hilton. Dino managed numerous large-scale engineering projects in Europe and the Middle East for Parsons and the Frank E. Basil Co. These projects include: the Aviano Air Force Base in Italy, military installations in Turkey and Egypt. Near the end of his career, Dino managed two multi-billion dollar projects in Saudi Arabia: King Faisal Air Base in Tabuk and Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj. Dino was a Vice President of the Systems Division of the Parsons Corp before retiring to San Diego, CA in 2003. Projects Dino worked on in the U.S. include: the Pascagoula Shipyard; General Dynamics Electric Boat project; and the O’Hare Airport Expansion. Dino lived overseas for most of his career: Athens, Greece (1973-1983); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the late 80s; Manila, Philippines (2000-2003). He also lived in Washington, DC in the early 90s. When not working, Dino enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling, cooking, painting, hunting with his friends in Rapidan, Virginia, and fishing in the Midwest and California. Dino is survived by his two sisters, Katherine Bevash and Dina Zachary; his two daughters, Madeleine and Elena Pappas; and his grandchildren, Melina and Nikiforos Pappas. The memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 10 am at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 3459 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California 92007 with interment at the El Camino cemetery.