Celebrating a historic educational institution

It was just after World War II and young Antonis Papadopoulos was graduating from elementary school. The son of refugees from Asia Minor, he lived alone with his mother, following his father's death, in Toumba, one of Thessaloniki's poorest districts. Knowing of his love for letters, the family's friends and acquaintances encouraged him to apply to Anatolia College. He was accepted and given a scholarship that opened up an entirely different world to him. He dove into the amply stocked library, devoured literature, he joined clubs, which, he says, "taught him about democratic procedures and work ethics," and he stayed after class to participate in extracurricular activities before making the 5-kilometer walk back home.

Papadopoulos is not the only Anatolia alumnus who believes the college changed his life. Many youngsters from rural parts of Greece who earned scholarships to...