John Polyzoides was an eminent and gifted orthopaedic surgeon whose career in the West Midlands, England began in 1973. Amongst his very fine surgical achievements he pioneered the development of an original knee joint replacement, the Rotaglide Total Knee System.
With his English wife, Jean, he founded the ‘Friends of the British Committee’ and their total commitment to the return of the Parthenon Marbles would be sustained for decades.
He was also an author and rightly proud when his historical memoir of Alexandria, ’Alexandria City of Gifts and Sorrows’ was published in 2014.
In 2000 John very successfully organised a marathon swim for Christopher Stockdale between the sacred Isle of Delos and the Isle of Paros. The success of the swim raised the international profile of the Marbles and necessary funds to further help the cause.
Sadly, John passed away on the 23rd December and we are able to reflect on John’s contribution as a lifetime friend to the campaign to reunite the Parthenon Marbles and his unique friendship with Christopher Stockdale.
‘How to sum up fifty years of friendship and express adequate condolences as we try to relate to the awful sense of loss that prevails and will endure since we heard the news of John’s passing.
I have come to the conclusion that the loss of a colleague, acquaintance or friend, though a cause for great sadness bears little comparison to the loss of someone you love.Their death diminishes us in every way and, in short, life both physical and mental takes on differing hues that will permanently alter the many colours in our lives.
My love for him and details of our wonderful friendship are permanently etched at length within the text of my homage to the Marbles ‘Swimming With Hero'.
John touched the lives of an immeasurable number of folk. He was a great and exemplary surgeon and wise physician always able to give patients hope when all seemed lost. People loved him. His knowledge of all things meant he could hold a dinner table in his grasp recounting with authority,wit and wisdom endless stories. He didn’t treat fools lightly but was never quick to judge and enjoyed the company of a huge cohort of loyal and true friends.
Sadly they all will be feeling as I do now.
Over these last few days I have wrestled with the adequacy of any words or memories that can best pay tribute to an unparalleled life. John’s full life has left a lasting sense of difference and just as rivers continually flow so does my gratitude and infinite joy for knowing him.
Our hearts and minds will remain full of love for the dearest of men’.
Christopher Stockdale
Professor Paul Cartledge, also fondly remembers John and Jean hosting an amazing Marbles reunification get-together, starring Nana Mouskouri on Paros. "John also published an engaging and enlightening memoir of his Alexandria days, which I read for him in draft. RIP John."
Alexandria, City of Gifts and Sorrows, From Hellenistic Civilization to Multiethnic Metropolis A.J Polyzoides, published in 2014
"I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Polyzoides in 2014. I’d been on an interrail trip after finishing my nursing degree, travelling by trains and tired busses from Munich to Athens. It was the kind of trip where you spend most of your time lost, but stumbling upon perfect experiences. My Grandad Eddie had been passionate about my trip and had recommended that I take a boat from Piraeus to visit his friend on the island of Paros.
August was sun-burnt when I was welcomed to Paros by Apostolos and his wife Jean. We ate at a restaurant on the beach and I can still remember the taste of the grilled squid I had after weeks of dinners eating out of tight pockets. Apostolos reminded me of my Grandad and it was immediately clear why they had been friends. A passionate Paros-phile, he had me travelling by bus to archaeological mines of Parian marble. I bought a small marble heart for my Mum which still sits on the mantelpiece of my Mum & Dad’s house in Liverpool.
Jean, Apostolos and I visited the archeological museum in Paros, where we set eyes on the gorgon medusa. Surviving that experience, Apostolos talked passionately about the ‘Parian Marble’, a revelatory text discovered on the island, a segment of which, Apostolos informed me, is hidden away in a museum in Oxford!
I was captivated by Apostolos’ stories. We walked among the limewashed buildings, passing the church where he and Jean were married and it was clear to me, how happy and full of love their lives were.
I didn’t know Apostolos beyond my brief visit, but it hurt me to hear of his passing. A wonderful man whose memory will live on in the people that he touched. I’ll never forget my trip to Paros and the love of myself and the O’Haras travels by boat, train and bus this week to Jean and Apostolos’ family.
Apostolos Polyzoides, a great friend to my Grandad: Eddie O’Hara."
With love forever,
Luke
Apostolos (John) Polyzoides, Luke O'Hara and Jean Polyzoides in Paros in 2014
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