Dear friends and family,

It is with much sadness that I learned that Stephane Groueff, my uncle, passed away on May 2, 2006, at the age of 83.  He suffered a heart attack about a month earlier and had been in a coma since then.  On May 3, 2006, only one day later, Lil Groueff, his wife, also passed away, at the age of 89.  These are very tragic losses for the Groueff family, and particularly for Paul Groueff who lost his mother on his birthday and his father the day before.

The church ceremony for the funeral took place on Saturday May 13, 2006, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southampton, New York, the town where Mr. and Mrs. Groueff spent many happy years together.  During this ceremony, a very touching eulogy was made by their son Paul Groueff and also by other relatives including Richard Blanchard, Adam Isles, Timothy Barney and Philip Isles III.  Later that day, a reception was held at the Groueff residence and a fabulous performance was given by soprano Anna Veleva (who is my cousin) and renowned pianist Anna Stoytcheva, in memory of Stephane and Lil Groueff.

Stephane Groueff was admired by many people in Bulgaria, his native country, where he still had quite a few friends and relatives.  Because of that, another ceremony in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Groueff was held there.  It took place on Wednesday May 10, 2006 at the church of Sveti Sedmochislenitsi in Sofia (the city where Stephane Groueff was born), Bulgaria.

Mr. and Mrs. Groueff’s ashes were buried on Monday May 22, 2006 in a cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, next to the graves of some of their other relatives.

Stephane Groueff is survived by his son Paul Groueff, his granddaughter Alexa Groueff, his grandson Ian Groueff, his sister Radka Joy Groueva and his nephew George Rizov.  Lil Groueff is survived by her four children Philip Isles II, Jill Blanchard, Tina Barney, Paul Groueff and by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren including Pauline Longano, Tim Barney, Philip Barney, Philip Isles III, Adam Isles, Alexa Groueff and Ian Groueff.

Stephane Groueff was born in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 26, 1922.  He was the son of Pavel Groueff (sometimes spelled Gruev or Grouev) and Dafina Groueff.  Stephane had an older brother, Simeon and a younger sister, Radka (my mother).  His father was the Chief of Staff for King Boris III, the czar of Bulgaria.  Although Stephane was raised in Bulgaria, he left his homeland on May 1, 1944, at the age of 21, to go study law at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

On September 5, 1944, the Russian Red Army invaded Bulgaria.  Only four days later, the communist were in control of this once prosperous and peaceful country.  They began persecuting anyone who was (or who had been) in any way affiliated with the government of King Boris III, and would unjustly accuse them of being an “enemy of the people”.  Before World War II was even over, nearly 3,000 innocent people were executed by the communist regime.  Such was the horrible fate of my maternal grandfather Pavel Groueff, a very kind man who was admired by many, as well as George Rizov (sometimes spelled Rizoff), who was my paternal grandfather and namesake.

King Boris III died suddenly and mysteriously on August 28, 1943, about a year before the communist takeover.  His brother, Prince Kyril Saxe-Coburg Gotha was executed by the communist government, just like my grandfathers were.  The executions of all these innocent people was one of the horrible injustices that resulted specifically from the spread of communism in Eastern Europe.  In contrast, after the end of World War II, only 11 Nazi leaders were sentenced to death as war criminals in Nuremberg while only 7 leaders were executed in Japan.  In Romania, a country that fought against the Soviet Union, only 4 people were executed while in Bulgaria, a non-belligerent country, a total of 2,730 death sentences were issued by the People’s Tribunals to innocent people who were definitely NOT war criminals.  This was very unfair to the Bulgarian people because King Boris III and many other Bulgarians including a righteous man by the name Dimitar Peshev defied Hitler’s orders to deport the 48,000 Jews who lived in Bulgaria at the time, and spared them from being exterminated by the Nazis.  It is really sad that so many of the people who were associated with King Boris had to pay such a terrible price for their courage.

After hearing all the tragic news about his homeland, young Stephane did not return to his native country and would spent the next 46 years living in exile.  In August 1946, after graduating from college, he moved to Paris, France.  August 1948 was marked by an important event in his life:  The arrival in Paris of the Panitza family.  After Stephane was separated from his family in Bulgaria, the Panitzas became the closest thing to a family to him.  Stati and Mika Panitza considered my uncle Stephane as another son, and as for their own children, their son Sava Panitza was Stephane’s best childhood friend while his brother Dimi Panitza would become a life-long and very close friend of my entire family.

In 1949, Stephane Groueff began his career as a journalist after he got a job working for Paris-Match, which was one of Europe’s most prestigious magazines.  In the summer of 1952, Stephane Groueff wrote his first big scoop, a story about the Egyptian revolution.  In 1954, Stephane entered a contest for journalists in Louisiana and won first prize.  In 1957, after moving to the United States, he became the chief of the New York bureau for Paris-Match and would work there for 20 years.

In 1953, Stephane Groueff met Lillian Fox Isles in glamorous St. Moritz, Switzerland.  In the 1940s, she was a fashion model but later became well-known as an interior decorator.  They were married on May 11, 1957 and their son Paul was born on May 3, 1960.

For many years, Stephane Groueff continued to receive terrible news about his family in Bulgaria:  His sister Radka (my mother) was tortured by the communist militia after she refused to spy for them.  His brother Boubi was unjustly put in prison and in forced-labor camps.  Both his mother and his sister Radka were put in concentration camps.  All this because their family was at one time affiliated with the government of King Boris III.  A few years later, Stephane’s mother developed kidney problems and her health kept deteriorating.

During the 1950’s, Stephane Groueff knew little of about his relative’s lives in Bulgaria other than what he read in the letters he received from them, and back then, all correspondence was censored by the communist government.  What he did know was that his mother and his brother Boubi lived in deep poverty.  He also found out that his sister Radka got married to a quiet man, Sazdo Rizov, another victim of the communist regime.  They had a baby (me!) and named him George after his grandfather, as it was traditional in Bulgaria.

My uncle Stephane sent parcels to my parents often, and they were full of clothes, food, medicine, vitamins and many other necessities, most of which were either not easily obtainable in Bulgaria or simply way too expensive for the average person there.  It was my aunt Lil who would pick what went in these packages.  She shipped clothes for me before I was even born!  After having had several children, she knew exactly what we needed and always sent it to us at least six months in advance.  Most people in Bulgaria were malnourished back then and my mother was no exception.  Soon after I was born, her doctor found out that her milk was not good.  It was my aunt Lil who sent us large supplies of powder milk for me and she probably saved my life by doing so!  She shopped at stores like Lord & Taylor in New York and always made sure we got the very best!

At around the time when I was still a baby, a polio epidemic spread throughout Bulgaria.  It was my uncle Stephane who sent the vaccine (it was smuggled to us by an Air France stewardess) not just for me but for a total of 10 children!  Of course, this was highly illegal but the soviet version of this vaccine was so dangerous that it often caused people to get polio instead of preventing it.  My mother offered one of the vaccines to one of her friends who ended up turning it down because she didn’t think her son Bobby would need it.  Sadly, he later contracted the disease and became partially paralyzed by it for the rest of his life.

My mother, who was in a state of ecstasy every time she received a parcel from her brother Stephane, claimed I was “the best-dressed baby in Sofia”.  As far as I’m concerned, if anything, I was probably the best-dressed kid in Bulgaria!  Thanks to my aunt Lil and my uncle Stephane, I was the first kid (and probably the only one) on the block (if not in the entire country!) to wear blue jeans.  Back in those days, wearing western clothes, or listening to western music, or listening to “capitalistic” radio stations like the BBC was forbidden by the Bulgarian authorities and doing so could easily land one in jail.  Because I was a little kid, somehow, I got away with it.  Among the many things I received from my aunt and uncle were a cool Beatles jacket, a Märklin train set (only the best!) and lots of toys, too.

Although Stephane Groueff did everything he could to help his relatives back home, his ultimate goal was to somehow get them out of communist Bulgaria.  Considering that this was during the height of the Cold War, this was no easy task.

In 1958, Stephane Groueff’s mother, Dafina Groueff was finally granted a visa that would allow her to leave Bulgaria.  Of course, it was her son who arranged for this to happen and it was after an enormous amount of determination and quite a few unsuccesful attempts.  Mrs. Groueff first went to Paris, France, to be reunited with her son Stephane after 13 long years of separation.  Soon after that, she moved to New York so she could be close to her son whose “impossible” dream was finally realized.

To be reunited with their families was one of the most cherished dreams for most Bulgarian refugees like Stephane Groueff, and even more so for his close friend and colleague Anni Tchaprachikoff, who like Stephane also studied in Switzerland.  Anni had not seen her widowed mother Vetka and her only brother Ivan since before the communist takeover in 1944.  To say that she wanted to be reunited with them would be an understatement:  She was willing to do whatever it took to get her relatives out of communist Bulgaria and was obsessed with this idea.  She devised all kinds of schemes to somehow smuggle her relatives out of her homeland but most of them were simply not feasible or even realistic.

However, one day, Anni Tchaprachikoff (who unfortunately recently passed away on July 28, 2006 at the age of 88 in Versailles, France) came up with an ingenious idea, one that actually had a good chance of succeeding:  Anni, who also worked for Paris-Match, found out that the editors of this magazine were considering writing a story about “unusual and little-known vacation places” on the Black Sea.  Of course, such an article would promote tourism and would be free publicity for Bulgaria, something this poor country needed very badly back then.  Both Anni and my uncle Stephane immediately realized that this was the perfect opportunity to use this to their advantage and to make a deal with the government of Bulgaria so that they would grant exit visas to their relatives.  Back in those days, this was something that was very rarely done, as this was during the height of the Cold War and if they allowed people to leave, there would probably not be hardly anyone left there!  While this plan sounded promising, there was no guarantee that it would work.  Because both Stephane and Anni were born in Bulgaria, it was too risky for them to go back there to arrange all this.  It was Dominique Lapierre, also a journalist for Paris-Match, who volunteered to go to Bulgaria to write this article and to make all the necessary arrangements so that his colleages’ relatives would be allowed to leave.  But this was quite a challenging task:  Mr. Lapierre would have to arrange a meeting with Todor Zhivkov who was the president of Bulgaria, and a vicious and cruel Stalinistic dictator.  Finally, a deal was negotiated, thanks to heroic efforts of Dominique Lapierre.

On July 22, 1962, my uncle Boubi, my mother and I, along with Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova (Anni’s mother), boarded a KLM aeroplane, nicknamed The Flying Dutchman and it took us on the Flight to Freedom.  This event would be the biggest turning point in my life!  Even though I was only 6 years old, this was a day I would never forget:  Although this plane could hold over 100 passengers, it was almost empty.  Aside from the flight crew and the four very lucky refugees who just made their grand escape from the Iron Curtain, the only other people on board were Dominique Lapierre (a wonderful person, a great journalist and writer) and photographer Maurice Jarnoux.  I still remember this flight very vividly:  After reaching our cruising altitude, the KLM pilots invited me inside the cockpit of this Lockheed L-188C Electra turboprop airliner and needless to say, I was on cloud nine and in seventh heaven!  It was probably this single event that sparked my interest in aeroplanes and that many years later inspired me to design my very own aviation website.  After a refueling stop in Vienna, we landed in Amsterdam to connect with another KLM flight, this one a Douglas DC-8-32 jet.

When the horizon became too dark, all the birds left on the path of hope and we followed them to Paris.*  --  Sylvie Vartan

Of course, without Anni Tchaprachikoff who came up with this very clever idea, and without my Uncle Stephane who arranged for this “miracle” to take place, and without Dominique Lapierre who executed this incredibly complicated plan flawlessly, none of this would have been possible.  Another person who really helped out was Dimi “John” Panitza, especially upon our arrival in Paris.  Mr. Panitza, who has been a long-time and very dear friend of my family, made some financial contributions that were essential and greatly appreciated.  I am truly grateful for all that these four wonderful individuals have done for me and my family and I consider myself very fortunate to have such great friends and relatives.  I know without a doubt that I would not be currently living in the United States, the land of freedom and opportunity, if it wasn’t for them.  Without their dedication for my family, I would probably still be living under less-than-desirable conditions in a country that was ravaged by nearly half a century of communism.

On August 25, 1962, Paris-Match #698 (the magazine that changed my life forever!) came out.  In it was the 10-page color article that Dominique Lapierre wrote about Bulgaria titled Y a-t-il vraiment des Saint-Tropez au bord de la Mer Noire  (Are there really places like Saint-Tropez on the coast of the Black Sea?).  To find out more about this absolutely fascinating story, please read chapter 26  “My brother Boubi and sister Radka leave Bulgaria” from My Odyssey, my uncle Stephane’s autobiography.

After this amazing transition from the hell of communism to a paradise with freedom, here is what happened to these four lucky individuals:  Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova would eventually move to New York, where she would be reunited with her daughter, Anni Tchaprachikoff, and would live to be over 100 years old!  My mother and I lived in France for four years and in Spain for two years before receiving our green cards, and finally settling in Miami, Florida.  As for my uncle Boubi, he decided to return to Bulgaria, only a few months after he left his homeland, and for reasons that were never completely understood by anyone who knew him.  This was a very big disappointment for everyone in my family and especially for my uncle Stephane, who did everything he could so that his older brother would no longer have to endure the hardships of living in a communist country.  In spite of this, when Stephane Groueff wrote his autobiography, he dedicated it to his late brother Simeon, who “chose the harder road and lived in Bulgaria until his last breath.”  A couple of years ago, on the anniversary of the day when my mother and I left Bulgaria, my uncle Stephane told me that arranging this for us was the biggest accomplishment in his entire life.  Indeed it was!  This single event is the one thing that completely changed my life, and of course for the better, and it was also the biggest turning point in my life.

During the six years (from 1962 to 1968) that my mother and I lived in France and in Spain, my uncle Stephane came to visit us several times, and I always got very excited when he did!  He was a very generous man and would always have lots of presents for me.  He would also take us out to nice restaurants and it was traditional for me to order Filet of Sole (one of my favorite dishes) every time.  When my mother and I lived in Madrid, he treated us to a fun vacation in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.

In 1963, Stephane Groueff became a naturalized U.S. citizen.  After having been a stateless citizen and a displaced person (as many refugees who fled from communist nations were called) for almost 20 years, it must have been a relief for him to finally belong to the United States of America, the greatest country in the world.

On August 5, 1968, my mother and I arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport on TWA flight 803 from Paris. We finally immigrated to the United States after waiting for our green cards for six years.  Again, it was my uncle Stephane who made this possible by sponsoring us.  For 24 years, my mom had dreamed about coming to America and it was her brother Stephane who helped make this a reality.  When we settled in Miami, he gave a car to my mother as a gift to help her get started in this new country.  About a year later, he bought a house in the Coral Gables area for my mom, my grandma Dafina and me.  As I was growing up, I needed braces and it was my uncle Stephane who paid for the orthodontist.  Time after time, my uncle always came through for his family and never let them down.

As Stephane Groueff’s career in the field of journalism progressed, he met many celebrities, including heads of states ranging from President John F. Kennedy, whom he met in the White House, to Fidel Castro, whom he interviewed in Havana, Cuba.  He also met Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Henry Fonda, General Leslie Groves, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Werner von Braun (who put man on the moon), Gary Cooper (who at one time was my uncle’s neighbor in Southampton), William F. Buckley, George Soros and many other well-known people, many of which he became very good friends with.

In addition to having had a very successful career as a journalist that spanned nearly three decades, Stephane Groueff was also an accomplished writer and the author of several books:  His first work, a book about the Mafia in America, came out in 1958.  It was written in French only and was titled Les Caïds de New York  (The Big Shots of New York).  A revised version was published in 1969 and was renamed Les Ministres du Crimes  (The Ministers of Crime).  Both editions of this book were written in collaboration by none other than Dominique Lapierre, the very same person who rescued my mother and I from the terror of communism!  The preface for Les Ministres du Crimes was written by Raymond Cartier who was my uncle Stephane’s mentor.

Dominique Lapierre, who was a very close and dear friend of Stephane Groueff (and his wife Lil, too) for five decades, was the author of many international best-sellers (several of which were made into movies) including City of Joy,  Beyond Love,  Is Paris Burning?,  Is New York Burning?,  O Jerusalem!,  A Thousand Suns,  Freedom at Midnight,  Five Past Midnight in Bhopal and many other great books.  In 1981, Dominique Lapierre and his wife (whose first name is the same as his) founded City of Joy Aid, a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping some of the world’s most underprivileged people and the poorest of the poor.  Through royalties generated from Mr. Lapierre’s international bestsellers, through lecture fees and donations from readers, the organization has helped thousands (if not millions) of people, particularly lepers and children.

Stephane Groueff’s most successful book was Manhattan Project: The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb.  The first edition was in English and it came out in 1967.  It was also translated into several languages.  In June 2000, a paperback version came out.  It can be ordered on the Internet from Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other websites.  Manhattan Project is the definitive work on the development of the first atomic bomb.  This great book received outstanding reviews from General Leslie Groves, Hans Bethe (Nobel prize Laureate), Vannevar Bush (President Roosevelt’s chief advisor), Glen Seaborg (Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission) and The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Stephane Groueff wrote several books that were part of a collection that was coordinated by Raymond Cartier, who was my uncle’s mentor.  These were written in French only and published by Larousse and Paris-Match.  The first of these books came out in 1973.  It was titled L’Homme et La Mer (Man and the Sea) and is the story of modern oceanography.  The next one, L’Homme et la Terre (Man and the Earth) came out a year later and was the history of modern Earth sciences.  The third and last volume of these series, L’Homme et le Cosmos (Man and Outer Space) came out in 1975 and was the story of modern cosmology.  It was co-written by Jean-Pierre Cartier, the son of Raymond Cartier.  Even though the subjects in these books were of a scientific nature, they were written in a manner so that the average person would easily understand them.  Even if you don’t speak French, you will certainly be impressed by the large number of splendid photographs that appear throughout these books.  Just a few years later, text-only versions of all three of these books were published by Presse de la Cité.  Although these books have been out of print for many years, you may be able to obtain used copies on websites such as www.Amazon.com or www.Amazon.fr.

Stephane Groueff was also the author of Crown of Thorns: The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria, 1918-1943.  This fascinating biography tells the story of a fairy-tale kingdom and the 25-year reign of its tragic monarch, Boris III.  The first edition of this book was written in English and was published in 1987.  A Bulgarian version came out in July 1991 and at the same exact time that I made my first visit back to my homeland after a 29-year exile.  Just about every bookstore in Sofia featured this book and typically with dozens of examples in the middle of their displays.  I also saw it on sale in the streets of Sofia!  I made sure to bring back a couple of copies to my uncle Stephane, who had not yet seen this particular edition of his book.  On November 25, 1998, an English paperback version of it came out.  It is still in print and can be purchased from Amazon.com.  This book received great reviews from William F. Buckley, Professor Cyril Black from Princeton University and Zbigniew Brzezinski.  Stephane Groueff brought a unique perspective to the story of Boris III:  His father, Pavel Groueff was a close advisor, right-hand man and the Chief of Staff of the king.  As a kid, young Stephane had seen King Boris many times and throughout his life, he was close friends with the Bulgarian Royal family.  He also met and interviewed King Simeon II (the son of King Boris III), who is the heir to the throne.  Although Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha never officially went back to his native land as a king, he did become the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and was sworn into office on July 24, 2001.  This would be the first time in the history of any country that a king would become the prime minister of his country.

One of the most interesting books that I have ever read is My Odyssey, my uncle Stephane’s very own autobiography.  The first edition was written in Bulgarian and came out in 2002.  The English version came out in February 2003.  It took me about 6 months to read this fascinating 679-page book!  My favorite part is chapter 26  “My brother Boubi and sister Radka leave Bulgaria”.  It describes in detail how my uncle Boubi, my mother and I, along with Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova essentially escaped from the Iron Curtain.  It’s a story that I will never forget and think it’s really wonderful that my uncle Stephane published it in a book.  I have my own rendition of this incredible turning point in my life, and it’s called Flight to Freedom.

In 1979, Stephane Groueff moved to the Watergate district in Washington D.C. after getting a job with the Embassy of Oman as Director of Information.  He worked there for four and a half years.  After his contract was over, he went back to New York.

In 1990, a totally unexpected event took place:  The communist regime collapsed and Stephane Groueff finally returned to his homeland, after having been in exile for 46 years!  Chapter 37, “Return to Bulgaria”, the final chapter from My Odyssey, my uncle Stephane’s autobiography, has a detailed account of his first trip back to his native country.  Of course, going back to one’s place of birth after having been gone for several decades has got to be a very emotional event and an experience that is almost indescribable. That was certainly the case with me when I went back to Bulgaria in 1991, 1993 and 1996.  During these trips, I had some of my most heartwarming experiences ever.  My relatives and their friends greeted me in the warmest manner anyone could imagine.  The hospitality that I received was a most delightful feeling, one that I would never forget.  And as for my uncle, the red carpet awaited him!

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Stephane Groueff went back to Bulgaria several times.  For him, as well as for many other exiles, each trip would be a bittersweet experience.  Although both my uncle and I were overjoyed when visiting family and friends, it was very disturbing to see what was left over from a country that was ravaged by nearly half a century of oppression and tyranny.  Unfortunately, the nightmare of communism wasn’t quite over yet.  Many of the people who once belonged to the communist party were now disguised as “socialists”.  Even though free elections were finally held for the first time ever, many of the voters sided with the socialist party and essentially voted for the same people who enslaved them during all these years!  Of course, this was a big disappointment for Stephane Groueff and exiles like him.  Still, as freedom and democracy are now more and more prevalent there, one must admit that some progress has been made.  Most Bulgarian exiles (including myself) never thought that going back to their homeland would be feasible, not anytime during their lifetimes at least.  Fortunately, things have changed for the better, and hopefully, the situation in this Balkan nation will improve even more.  On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria became a member of the European Union. Hopefully, this integration will improve the economic and political conditions there.

In May 2002, Stephane Groueff received a Doctor Honoris Causa degree from the American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad.  In January 2003, Princess Maria Luisa congratulated Stephane Groueff after Ambassador Elena Poptodorova bestowed the decoration of “Madara Horseman” at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington DC.

On February 2, 2004, The Author’s Guild created a website about Stephane Groueff at www.stephanegroueff.com. It included his biography, information about his works, several pictures of him as well as some newspaper and magazine articles about him.  Unfortunately, this website is no longer accessible.

In 2006, a Bulgarian company set out to produce a documentary film about Stephane Groueff and his family that would be based on My Odyssey, his autobiography.  Several people were interviewed for it in March 2006 including Stephane himself, his sister Radka as well as his close friends Dimi “John” Panitza and Dominique Lapierre.  As soon as it’s completed, this film will be broadcast on Bulgarian television.

I believe that with great wealth comes great responsibility, a responsibility to give back to society, and a responsibility to see that those resources are put to work in the best possible way to help those most in need.  --  Bill Gates  (June 15, 2006)

Although Bulgaria is a small country with a population of less than 8 million people, I am proud to say that it is the birth place of many special people like my uncle Stephane, who have had many great accomplishments and who have made significant contributions to society.  Stephane Groueff’s name appears in several sections of the Wikipedia encyclopedia, including one that has a list of Bulgarians who have made contributions to humanity.  During the early 1950’s, Stephane Groueff worked for Radio Free Europe and was a contributor to the Bulgarian Service of the BBC.  He was also involved with many anti-communist exile activities.  Besides helping my mother and I escape from the hell of communism, he also helped us get situated every time we moved to a new country (France, Spain and finally the United States).  Stephane Groueff also financially supported his older brother Boubi as well as his mother Dafina, and he did so for several decades!  Stephane Groueff was a very generous and humble person, and helped many other people, particularly Bulgarians who were in exile.  Knowing the kind of person my uncle was, I am sure that there are countless of untold stories about him helping people in need.  I know without a doubt that he is the unsung hero in many people’s lives.

The children are our future.  It is up to us, who are the more fortunate, to give them the opportunity to live their lives with dignity and hope.**  --  Sylvie Vartan

After Bulgaria was devasted by half a century of communism, several Bulgarians (who were in exile at one time) formed organizations to help people there, particularly underprivileged children:  Dimi “John” Panitza, a very dear and long-time friend of my family, along with his wife Yvonne, founded the Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation (FDBF) on June 14, 1991.  This organization also created the Alliance for Children and Youth whose mission is to defend the rights of street children and youth, and provide them with decent conditions for their physical, mental, moral and social development, as well as to work on their reintegration into society through partner interaction with recognized public institutions.  Mr. Panitza’s organizations have created and funded many centers, programs and orphanages to help children in Bulgaria.

One of the most well-known Bulgarian-born person in the world happens to be singer Sylvie Vartan.  Her career started with a dream, a prayer and a promise.  When she was still a little girl, she often dreamed about someday becoming an artist.  One day she said a prayer and made a promise:

Dear Virgin Mary, won’t you please make it so that I become an artist, this way I’ll be able to buy my mom a house.  And besides, if I become an artist, I will help the unhappy children of the world.  I take oath and will keep my promise.  And now, I pray that you will help me!***

At the age of 16, Sylvie Vartan recorded her very first song and it became a huge hit in France during the summer of 1961.  In January 1964 and at the age of 19, she performed alongside the Beatles at the Olympia in Paris and more people came to see her than the Fab Four!  On April 12, 1965, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan were married and  became the King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll in France.  After all the fame and fortune, Sylvie did not forget about her parents who had worked so hard after they immigrated to France and she bought them a castle for a home.  She also did not forget about the children and kept her promise with them, too:  In 1990, right after the fall of the communist regime, Sylvie Vartan founded the Sylvie Vartan Association for Underprivileged Children whose main objective is to supply care and shelter to orphaned children.  In 1997, Sylvie Vartan adopted a beautiful Bulgarian girl by the name of “Darina” from an orphanage in Sofia, and even sang a song about her!  On September 29, 2006, Sylvie Vartan hosted a gala whose main goal was to raise money for the underprivileged children.  I attended this very special event, which was held at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo.  It was a night that I will never forget and was the most memorable experience in my entire life!

In an e-mail that I received on November 19, 2005, my uncle Stephane told me that he was very impressed by Sylvie Vartan and especially by her involvement in Bulgarian philanthropy.  He asked me if I could send him her autobiography and I sent it to him for Christmas.  He also remembered the song La Maritza by Sylvie Vartan.  He told me that someone had sent him the 45 from Paris many years ago. He cried of nostalgia after the first time he heard this song and told me that he loved Sylvie ever since.  La Maritza, named after a river in Bulgaria, is a very sentimental song to many Bulgarian-born people and also happens to be my all-time favorite song.

It is giving and caring people like Stephane Groueff and his wife Lil, Sylvie Vartan and her husband Tony Scotti, Dimi Panitza and his wife Yvonne, Dominique Lapierre and his wife Dominique (and many others, too) who bring hope to people in need and who are an inspiration to others.  The world would be a better place if there were more people like them.  A true sign of a really great person who has had success and happiness in life is when they share it with others by giving back to society.

Along with singer Sylvie Vartan, soccer player Hristo Stoitchkov and artist Christo (whose works include the Pink Islands project for Miami in 1983), Stephane Groueff was one of the better known Bulgarian-born people in the world during the second half of the 20th century.  It was also a Bulgarian-American man by the name of John Vincent Atanasoff who invented the first modern computer.

I would like to thank you for letting me share with you the memories of my uncle Stephane and my aunt Lil, and of some of the special people in their lives as well.  They were a truly wonderful couple and will be very much missed by just about anyone who knew them.  Stephane and Lil Groueff were an inspiration and a very positive influence to many people.  Although they are no longer with us, I believe that their legacy will live on and that they will continue to be an inspiration to others for a very long time.


Sincerely,



www.GeorgeRizov.com


*English translation from my favorite song, La Maritza, as sang by my favorite singer Sylvie Vartan.  These lyrics were about a group of four people (that included Sylvie Vartan, her father Georges Vartan, her mother Ilona Vartan and her brother Eddie Vartan) who went to Paris after fleeing from communist Bulgaria.  What’s really amazing is that these same exact lyrics are also quite appropriate for that other group of four very lucky individuals (made up of my uncle Boubi, my mother and I, and Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova) who also fled Bulgaria only to end up at the same destination as Sylvie’s family:  Paris.  What an incredible coincidence!  Original French lyrics:  Quand l’horizon s’est fait trop noir, tous les oiseaux sont partis sur les chemins de l’espoir et nous ont les a suivis à Paris.

**This quote by Sylvie Vartan appears on the Sylvie Vartan Association for Underprivileged Children website.

***English translation from page 89 of Entre l’Ombre et la Lumière  (Between Shadow and Light), the autobiography of Sylvie Vartan.