ABSTRACT
A physician who never practiced in the United States because his credentials went unrecognized, “Doc” Andrews became the first leader of the Bellevue community. While Hellenic settlement in Bellevue began in force after the turn of the century, the history of the Greek community begins in 1884 with the arrival of Constantine Andreades, who came to be known as Gus Andrews. While internal dissention was commonplace, the Greeks enjoyed cordial relations with the larger community. The discrimination and persecution that marked the early years of some Greek settlements was largely absent in Bellevue. Certainly, too, the early success of the Andrews’s and other Greek businessmen did much to shape a positive public perception. The Ahepa rift took years to mend, and was at least partly responsible for growth of the competing Greek-American Progressive Association. Members of the Greek community live throughout Bellevue and Bellevue County.
