STELLA LOUIS JATRAS

 

BIOGRAPHY

Stella L. Jatras, nee Katsetos, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the fourth daughter of Greek immigrant parents. In 1953, she married George Jatras, also the offspring of Greek immigrant parents, and began a long and varied life as the wife of a career U.S. Air Force Officer.

As a career military officer’s wife, Stella Jatras traveled widely and lived in several foreign countries where she not only learned about other cultures but became very knowledgeable regarding world affairs and world politics. She lived in Moscow for two years, where she worked in the Political Section of the U.S. Embassy. She also lived in Germany, Greece and Saudi Arabia. Her travels took her to over twenty countries.

Prior to the Bosnian Civil War, Mrs. Jatras’ primary interest in foreign affairs centered on the Soviet Union and the issues of the Cold War. She and her husband lectured on their experiences in the Soviet Union at The Naval War College, the Air Force Command and Staff College and to many civic groups.

With the advent of the war in Bosnia, Mrs. Jatras immediately recognized the bias of the Western media, especially in the United States, and began her efforts to present to the American people a more accurate view of that tragic situation. Her letters and articles have been published in The Washington Times, The Washington Post, the Arizona Republic, the Patriot- News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), and the Los Angeles Times, as well as a number of magazines and periodicals. In addition her writings have had worldwide distribution via the Internet.

In recognition of her efforts on behalf of the Serbian people Mrs. Jatras was honored in September 1998 at a luncheon given for her in Washington, D.C. by the Serbs of the Capital Area. Later that same month she was the Guest of Honor at the annual convention of the Serbian Unity Congress, also in Washington, D.C. In June 1999, Mrs. Jatras was the main speaker at the 54th Annual Serbian Day Celebration of Canadian Serbs in Niagara Falls, Canada. In her speech she stressed the bond between those of Serbian and Greek heritage because of their shared Orthodox Christian faith. In recognition of her devotion to the Orthodox Faith and her dedication to helping the Serbian people, Father George Alexson of St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church (Falls Church, Virginia) presented Mrs. Jatras the piece of the traditional St. Basil Day bread (Vasilopita) which he dedicated to the Serbian people in 1998.

Stella Jatras and her husband currently live in Sterling, Virginia, about 25 miles west of the nation’s capital. They are the proud parents of two sons and grandparents of three granddaughters.