Throughout her extraordinary life, Fannie Angelos, LL.B. '51, forged many new paths:
- She was a woman in a profession—the law—that was dominated by men.
- She was a Greek American—and at the beginning of her legal career, one of only a handful of women with her ethnic background to practice law in the United States.
- Her lawyering life lasted nearly 40 years. In fact, she continued to work up until her death on April 9, 2015.
Fannie Angelos was born in Greece in 1927, the eldest daughter of John Angelos and Frances Melissanos Angelos. She arrived in the U.S. as a young child who did not know a word of English. She studied hard and excelled at both Patterson High School and what is now Towson University. In 1947, while working full time, she enrolled at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She said that she was inspired by her grandfather and great-grandfather, both of whom practiced law in Greece. She graduated in 1951 as a top student, one of three women in her class. She embraced the law with great energy, creativity and integrity.
“Fannie Angelos was a trailblazer for the thousands of women who have attended the University of Baltimore School of Law in the years since she graduated,” UBalt School of Law Dean Ronald Weich says. “She was deeply committed to UBalt and its students until the very end of her remarkable life.”
In recognition of her impressive legal career, her tireless advocacy for equal opportunity, and her extraordinary character and spirit, in 2013 the School of Law named its prestigious legal education preparatory program, the Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence, in her honor. She took an active role in the program, enthusiastically serving as a mentor to the students, and meeting with them to discuss how to succeed and overcome personal and institutional barriers. Her passion, spirit, and courage continue to inspire UBalt law students to pursue their dreams.
Trailblazer. Advocate. Friend. Fannie Angelos was all of these and more. Today we continue to celebrate her life and her many accomplishments—she embodies the Greek philosopher Aristotle's ethical cornerstone of "doing and living well."
Thank you, Fannie. You make all of us proud to be part of the University of Baltimore School of Law.