We (Charis, Cheryl, Phoebe, Andreas) all are terribly sad , we share our best wishes for strength and condolences with Tom, Sun Mi, and Alex's family.

Alex ("Alekos") was like family, an "uncle" to our children. We saw Thomas grow from 6 years old to adulthood, a terrific young man, Aleca become a proud and successful woman, and Becka/Eve go through life on her own terms as befits a descendant of a heroic Greek revolutionary (Bouboulina!).

I met Alex soon after he joined the Fund, and had the good luck to become a friend and colleague. Over the years, we worked together on many wide ranging research projects. He had an amazing talent to think through the theory as well as the deep practical implications. All this with a good humor, and a love for life -- not to mention his wonderful barbecues!

Alex, we miss you already, we and the world are the poorer for your untimely passing. We celebrate your life, passion, and all the people whose lives you touched and who will forever remember you for the kind and brilliant and generous person you were.

Dear Sun Mi,

Heartfelt condolences to you, Tom, and family. Alex was smart, wise, generous, and forever courageous. I was so happy he was in your life and know he was grateful for all the joy you gave to him. 

David

I have known Alex since he came to Anatolia, in the Boarding Department at the age of 12.  I have memories of playing basketball together at Anatolia. 

He came to Harvard as a freshman when I was a senior there in 1977-78.  

I remember we spent together a couple of Chistmas holidays, around 1980-81.  Archontis Pantsios would also join us.  We stayed in his dorm.  We had fun.  The entire school was shut down and we were there by ourselves.  He had a dorm room at Radcliff.

And then he went to Minessota for his graduate studies.  I recall him carrying a  large black bag full of economics-textbooks when he travelled to Greece for the summer holidays.  "This is my insecurity" he would tell me.  He used to stay in my apartment in New York City.

Once I visited him in Halastra. It was summer time. His father was a very impressive man. His mother-in-law was very caring.  His two older brothers were married then.

We met again when his son, Tom, was a baby.  It must have been an annual Economics Association conference in New York City.  I recall a large group of us, former Anatolians, went to dinner together.  It was probably around 1983-85.

Around 2005 I was in the procees of creating an economics research department at Eurobank in Greece.  I had offered him to come back to Greece and join us.  After some thought, he declined.

During the Greek crisis we also interacted.  He had urged me to work together on a paper, on the concept of "citizens's ownership of reforms in Greece."    I did not have the time to do it.  But I used to mention it in public that ALEKOS MOURMOURAS is the economist who first talked about ownwership of reforms.

He had visited me in Athens a couple of times (2002, 2005).  I found electronic  pictures and posted two of those.

The last time we met was in Vienna in 2011.  We were in an economics panel together.  We went to dinner that night.  Athanasios Vamvakidis was also there with his wife.

I keep thinking of him.  Iam shaken by his passing away.  His life path was similar to mine.   It is like a piece of me going away.

I am very sorry.

Dear Tom and Sun Mi,

Whenever I think of Alecos, a colorful photo pops up in my mind. It is really a vivid memory of Alecos entering, at twelve years of age, his dormitory room at Anatolia College. He was accompanied by his father and, I think, by at least one of his brothers. As usual, Alecos was wearing his best smile and spoke softly and with excitement. His father was very serious and, I think, a bit apprehensive. Just like my own parents three years earlier, I’m sure he was just trying to make sense of what his son was getting into. Perhaps he was also trying to get some assurance or confirmation that Anatolia would be a safe place for Alecos, that he would obtain a good education there, and that he would become a valuable person to his family and society. I was Alecos’ “room daddy” that year. Since that time, I’ve considered him as one of my best friends.

Alecos quickly distinguished himself as one of the brightest, most inquisitive and most thoughtful scholarship students in his class. It is not a secret, he also turned out to be one of Anatolia’s most treasured students. Like Alecos and many other students, I view the years we spent at Anatolia as years of growth and transformation. Those were also years we deep and lasting connections.

Even though Alecos and I did not communicate as much as perhaps we could (I blame myself for that), we did keep in touch over the years. He and I got reunited at the University of Minnesota when he was a Ph.D. student there and I, a visiting Ph.D. student from Yale. In addition to reminiscing about our common past, Alecos and I bounced research ideas off each other, and shared insights on problems of mutual interest. We also had fun playing basketball in the courts of the St. Paul campus (like we did countless many times back at Anatolia) and got to know each other’s future spouses and families.

Several years later, when my wife, Heidi, and our expanding family moved to State College, PA, Alecos and his family visited us for a weekend there. It was satisfying to see our boys play with Tom in our backyard in the hot summer weather under the refreshing water of our sprinklers.

Since that time, Alecos and I saw each other a good number of times in Greece, in D.C. and Virginia. About two years ago, I heard about his battle with cancer and facetimed him. He was upbeat and optimistic – I did not expect anything less. This was a very emotional reunion for me.

I cannot digest the idea that I will not see Alecos again. I will never forget his infectious laughter and I will miss it and him dearly. But I will also cherish the good times we had together.

Hang in there, Tom and Sun Mi.

My sincere condolences for the passing of our beloved Alex. Huge loss to the society. In a few days, August 30, it would have been his name day.

Τα θερμά μου συλλυπητήρια για το χαμό του αγαπημένου μας Αλέκου. Τεράστια απώλεια της ανθρώπινης κοινωνίας. Θα ήταν η ονομαστική του γιορτή σε λίγες μέρες, 30 Αυγούστου.

It is with sadness that we learned from one other of the untimely death of our childhood friend and primary schoolmate. May you rest in peace Aleko.

My sincere condolences to his wife Sun Mi and his son Thomas.

My beloved None,

Your memory is eternal! (Aiwnia sou i mnimi)

your last message crashed me so much that for a whole year I struggled every day to write you something as you asked for but I never managed to collect my mind, to collect a few words to say to you, after the unpleasant news of your illness.

A proud life that I had you my godfather, I will always remember your last visit to my house with Thomas. We talked a little, but I think we enjoyed it.

You were only 16 when you married my parents in Chalastra.

I will ALWAYS remember you and always thank you because you were the one who gave the testimony of faith for me to God at my baptism and made me a "spiritual son" and I a "spiritual father" (godfather), this great act of personal salvation of man.

May God rest your soul and have you forgiven.

YOUR MEMORY IS ETERNAL.

Dear Tomas and Sun Mi please accept my heartfull condolences.

Stavros V. Falegkas

You left us so early and we will miss you enormously! You were a wonderful and caring person that touched the lives of so many, as attested by many of your colleagues and friends.  May you rest in peace. Aionia sou i mnimi!  My sincere condolences to Sun Mi and Tom. 

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Alex was great in his achievements!  He left a footprint in IFM.  He was my best friend.  We spent a lot of time together in the cold of Minnesota.  He was persuing his Ph.D. in Economics, I in Chemical Engineering.  We met in the Dorm in West Bank. He was very thoughtful and very sincere.  I will miss him!  I believe, every person who knew him will miss him.

My condolences to his son Thomas and his wife Sun Mi.

May he rest in peace!

Sun Mi and Thoma,

I’m sharing my sincere condolences. Alex left us really early. I know that he fought hard and with all his heart and I know Sun Mi that you stood by him all the way and did everything within your power to comfort him. I am truly sorry that I didn’t have the chance to see Alex for one last time but I feel relieved to know that he had Tom and Sun Mi by his side. 

Alex was a man that achieved a lot but he will always stay in my heart and my memories as “kiddo” - as his brothers used to always call him. He was my brother in law but to me he was more like a brother. It never mattered how long we hadn’t seen each other because we would immediately pick a conversation as if we had seen each other only moments ago. 

May he rest in peace, he will always stay in my heart. 

Sun Mi and Tom, stay strong.