Weekly Meeting – George Panagiotou, ‘An American Experience’ – Snake River Event Center (Shilo Inn, Idaho Falls)

In 1960, when he was only 18 years old, George Panagiotou legally immigrated to the United States from Greece.  After WWII, Greece had been hard with grinding poverty and constant uncertainty.  However, George is now in America, and America has indeed been everything promised by those who have gone before – the land of boundless opportunity.

George spent over 35 years in the heart of Hollywood.  He is the inventor and designer of world’s first completely heat-free lighting system especial beneficiary to the Medical and Motion Picture Industries, and he has seven separate patents for his inventions.  The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science rewarded George with two Oscar nominations for contributing to the improvement to the “Art of Motion Pictures and Film Production”. One of the rarest Oscars issued by the Academy.  In 1982, NASA used his patented lighting fixture invention, the Mini-Cool, on the camera of the space shuttle STS 8.  The Mini-Cool is still today the only film light to go to space. The Mini-Cool revolutionized the portable camera and video lighting industry (which was exploding at the time) by producing more light with 150-watt lamp than existing 650-watt fixtures at the time, and at only ¼ the size and weight.

George is now very concerned about the America he immigrated to and loves.  It is fast becoming more like the countries from which he fled, and no longer the land of boundless opportunity.  George’s quest now is to help save the America he once knew.

Doors open at 5:30