Sisters Freda and Sula Soter created this endowment in 2002 to honor their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Soter were ethnic Greeks born and reared in Katirli, Turkey. Following the 1920’s Greco-Turkish war, Greek residents in Turkey had to relocate in Greece. Under the “Exchange of Populations,” 2,000,000 Greeks left Turkey and 200,000 Turks left Greece. Athas later immigrated to the United states, returning to Greece only to marry Helen and bring her back to the US. Becoming American citizens was a high point in their lives; they never forgot their roots, being happy to be Greek-Americans with the emphasis on Americans. Half of the fund income will go to the Beckley Concert Association and half will go to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church for its outreach and beautification efforts as well as arts programming.