[CHICAGO, IL, USA) For about a half century, the first face you saw upon entering a gym hosting the annual National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament was that of Lynne Bouzeos. She was waiting at the front desk – whether it be Cicero Stadium or Fenwick High School or a few other gyms throughout the years – with a wide smile and warm embrace. In our hearts, she was the “First Lady of the NHIBT.”
On January 23, at the age of 97, she passed peacefully in South Florida. She will be sorely missed.
Phil and Lynne (c. 1980’s)
Lynne was married for 63 years to Phil Bouzeos, a former Champion athletic apparel account executive and equipment manager for the then Chicago Cardinals NFL team. Phil and his brother Tom Bouzeos ran the tournament on and off and/or together for the last half of the 20th century and into the second decade of the 21st. The Bouzeos brothers are synonymous with all-things NHIBT. Both were present at the inaugural tournament in 1933 and both are NHIBT Hall of Famers and Honorary Stewards.
While Tom and Phil (both now deceased) were the public faces of the tournament, everyone associated knows Lynne was instrumental to operations. From taking 20 to 50 phone calls, forwarding messages and accepting packages and other items, working the front desk of course and also cooking for a dozen or more guys and gals once a year as we took hours upon hours to finalize brackets, game times and gyms, little would have been accomplished without Lynne’s devotion and literally thousands of hours of volunteer work throughout the decades. She became a defacto mother figure to hundreds of NHIBT players and others.
Born Russian Orthodox Christian, Lynne and her Greek American husband Phil had three children of their own – Dean, Dawn, and Darcy. Each went on to become high achievers and outstanding members of the community. Combined, they produced five grandchildren and six great grandchildren for Phil and Lynne.
The only shot Lynne ever took at an NHIBT tournament. Fenwick H.S. (c. 2015). We coaxed her into it, for posterity. Glad we got the shot
A “Celebration of Life” memorial service for Lynne is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 at 11 am at Riverside Country Club, 2520 S. Des Plaines Avenue, North Riverside, IL.
May Lynne’s memory and loving spirit cast a giant beacon for all eternity.
The 2025 NHIBT is scheduled for March 28-30 in Lombard, IL.
