Charles Nikitopoulos, professor emeritus of UMass Lowell’s Dept. of Psychology, has launched a local Hellenic heritage page on Facebook called “Acropolis of America.” Please join if you want to follow his postings. This is the latest:

Based on artwork of Leo Panas, this mural was painted on the rear wall of Demoulas Market on Dummer Street, since torn down. The dome of the Holy Trinity Church is not part of the mural, but if you stood across the street in the right spot it was clearly visible. The scene depicts the Acre’s Greek American community in the 1930s.

Note that the same painting by Leo Panas, who also taught for several decades at the University, appeared on the cover of one of the first novels by Charles Ziavras, still another local scholar was on the University faculty for a long time. Leo, Charles Z, and Charles N joined the faculty before the University was created out of the merger of Lowell State College and Lowell Technological Institute. The driving force behind the merger legislation was then-state Sen. Paul Sheehy of Lowell, who is an alumnus.