FILE - Vardis J. Vardinoyannis attends a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2017. Vardinoyannis a powerful and pivotal figure in Greek shipping and energy who survived a terrorist attack and cultivated close ties with the Kennedy family has died in Athens at age 90. Vardis J. Vardinoyannis, a powerful and pivotal figure in Greek shipping and energy who survived a terrorist attack and cultivated close ties with the Kennedy family, died Tuesday in Athens.
After graduating from the naval academy in 1955, he served as an officer until his forced retirement and exile on a then remote Greek island due to his opposition to the military dictatorship that governed the country from 1967 to 1974. “Behind his always serious gaze, he concealed many facets: from boldness and dynamism in business competition to countless charitable initiatives, many of which he preferred to keep anonymous.”