Saturday, March 22, 2008

Panayotis Stavros Elias Lambrakopoulos, 42, an attorney with the Board of Veterans' Appeals, died Feb. 21 at his home in Chevy Chase of congestive heart failure resulting from treatment of Hodgkin's disease.

Mr. Lambrakopoulos was born in the District to parents who had immigrated to the United States from the village of Vasta, Greece. He grew up in Bethesda and Chevy Chase. At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, he was active in a number of theater productions and was a senior editor of "Chips," the school's literary magazine. He received the Brown University Book Award as a junior and a scholarship from the Order of AHEPA, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, when he graduated in 1983.

He received a bachelor's degree in history from Georgetown University in 1986 and worked for two years as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. James Florio (D-N.J.). Mr. Lambrakopoulos received a law degree with honors from Georgetown University in 1991.

He began his law career by following in the footsteps of his father, who worked for more than 30 years for AMVETS, a veterans service organization. Mr. Lambrakopoulos worked for the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals, initially as a judicial intern to Judge Jonathan Steinberg and then as a law clerk to Judge Donald L. Ivers.

In 1996, Mr. Lambrakopoulos joined the Board of Veterans' Appeals as associate counsel responsible for reviewing and assisting in the disposition of appeals by veterans and their dependents.

In 1997, he was appointed staff attorney with the Senior Staff Attorney's Office at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court. Two years later, he returned to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, where he served as counsel until his death.

Mr. Lambrakopoulos received awards for his writing and achievements during his years at the Board of Veterans' Appeals and hoped one day to become an administrative law judge.

His Hodgkin's disease was diagnosed when Mr. Lambrakopoulos was a 20-year-old college junior, but he underwent radiation and 16 months of chemotherapy, graduated a semester early and resolved to live a full life. He loved traveling across the United States and in Greece. Fluent in English, French and Greek, he knew the best places to eat in cities around the world.

He was an active member of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the District.

Survivors include his mother, Elaine Lambrakopoulos of Chevy Chase; and two sisters, Evanthia Lambrakopoulos and Stavroula Lambrakopoulos, both of Chevy Chase.

-- Joe Holley