Takis Spyridon Vandoros died on April 15. 2024, at Maplewood of Sauk Prairie, nestled along scenic Wisconsin River where eagles nest and soar, 15 miles from his home in Middleton. During the 89-1/2 years of his life, Takis radiated an exuberance and zeal for life, learning, laughter and beauty which endeared him to family and friends, students and colleagues, near and far. A man of many talents, he had to overcome a childhood of hardship to achieve his goals and do justice to his distinguished father who died when he was just 5 years old.

Born 5000 miles away on December 7, 1934, in Athens, Greece, Takis was the son of Olga Legaki and Spyridon Vandoros, a prominent artist and accomplished violinist, fluent in four European languages. His father's work is represented in the National Gallery Art Museum in Athens, the art holdings of the National Bank of Greece, the Greek Parliament Library and various private collections. The art and books in Takis's home instilled a deep appreciation for both throughout his life. After his father's premature death from cancer in 1939, Takis and his mother and the entire population of Greece endured an invasion and 3-1/2 year Axis occupation during World War II, followed by a 5-year Greek civil war.

Takis survived through grueling hard work, talent, physical fitness honed by basketball and swimming, and encouragement from a number of his father's friends. Like his father but without his father's advantages, he became proficient in four languages---English, German and French in addition to Modern Greek. He read many works in English and during a memorable chance encounter in Athens with Somerset Maugham, told him about one of his books he had read and enjoyed. Takis worked full-time while attending university, earning a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Political Science from Panteion University of Athens. Driven by his own passion for books and the inspiration of his father's book collection, he established a book retail outlet in Athens for several years, before becoming a translator for The National Mortgage Bank of Greece, and then for The Chase Manhattan Bank, Athens. After receiving the Cambridge certificate to teach English as a foreign language, he became an Instructor of English at the Hellenic British Union, Institute of English Studies in Athens.

His life changed when he had an opportunity to pursue his longstanding interest in history and teaching at the university level: Receiving a scholarship in Modern European History at University of California-Los Angeles, he moved to the U.S. and earned a Master's degree. Building on that degree, he pursued doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researching German history in the 20s and 30s, passing prelims and achieving dissertator status. He guest lectured in German at Freie Universität, (West) Berlin one summer. For five years, he was a Teaching Assistant in the Department of History, for courses on Modern European History, Roman History and Ancient Greek History. He also served as Instructor of Modern Greek at UW-Madison for six years.

In 1981, Takis's love of books, bolstered by his European history and language proficiency, drew him again into that world. He established T.S. Vandoros Rare Books, specializing in 19th and 20th English literature in first editions. Several years later, he became a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers of America (ABAA), went on to chair its Midwest Chapter and serve a four-year term on the ABAA National Board of Governors. He issued catalogues and exhibited at ABAA international book fairs in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago and participated in International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) congresses in Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Bologna and Scandinavia/Finland. His clients included private collectors, dealers, university libraries and even the U.S. Department of the Interior which was replicating Eugene O'Neill's library.

Throughout his busy academic years and life as an antiquarian book dealer, Takis kept up his close ties to Greece, visiting at least once yearly usually with his wife Eileen to spend quality time with relatives and friends—many from his childhood. He never tired of saturating himself in his homeland's culture and history, and soaking up sun and sea in locations of surpassing beauty such as the island of Hydra in the Aegean and Methoni with its Venetian fortress on the Ionian sea. A strong swimmer and adept spear-fisher,Takis and friends would set out in wetsuits in an inflatable motor boat for excursions that usually yielded tasty fish to enjoy in happy comaraderie.

Takis was an enthusiastic hiker with the agility of a mountain goat—a useful skill in climbing some of Greece's tallest mountains including Olympus, and---continuing into his early 80s---the Areopagus, the rocky outcropping below the Acropolis. Good balance also came in handy when he fearlessly walked on ice-covered Lake Mendota during Wisconsin's cold winters---an activity he found immensely exhilarating and continued to do until age 88. During the warm months, he rarely missed an opportunity to walk with Eileen along the UW-Madison lakeshore.

He had a lifelong appreciation for art and music. Though his mother had to sell a number of his father's paintings to make ends meet, much remained and eventually became his. He saw many of the great art museums of Europe and the U.S., more than once. He loved classical music and opera, Greek popular music and singing—he had a resonant small baritone. And a memorable whistle. One of the thrills of his life was meeting and dining with the great Mikis Theodorakis at a concert in Milwaukee during the musician's exile from Greece in the 1970s for his opposition to its military dictatorship. For years Takis was a passionate and talented Greek and Balkan folk dancer, hardly ever missing a weekly dance evening with Madison Folk Dance Unlimited. He was invited to join Narodno, Madison's Eastern European folk ensemble, which he reluctantly relinquished when he got too busy.

Among the many things Takis will be remembered for was the ease with which he could meet new people and engage them in conversation; his readiness for outspoken political discussion; his high spirits and infectious laugh; his eagerness for new adventures; and his sense of humor, fun and mischief. Particularly late in his life, seeing infants and toddlers and congratulating their parents gave him great joy.

He is survived by his wife of 51-1/2 years, Eileen, whom he met in California, married in Seattle where her family lived, and adored as she did him throughout their long relationship. Also surviving him are cherished relatives and extended family members in Greece and Germany. He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Edith Jakob and son Alexander. He will be deeply mourned, missed and remembered by all who knew and loved him including his many friends across the United States, Europe and as far away as Hong Kong. A collective toast to you, beloved Takis: Your free and vibrant spirit will continue to inspire us and resonate in our hearts.

The family is deeply grateful for the quality care he received at Meriter Hospital in Madison and Maplewood of Sauk Prairie with the assistance of Agrace Hospice.

Anyone who wishes to remember Takis with a donation is encouraged to consider one of the global charities aiding people and areas in crisis. Private services will be held at a later date.