That tradition of treating everyone like family is something Frangadakis, 62, learned from his Greek background, and one that he institutes in his 14-member Cupertino dental practice. It's also what helped him win the Ellis medal, which the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations awards to those who promote and honor their ethnic heritage through service to their country and community. Frangadakis is involved in a number of Greek organizations, as well as those that serve his profession.

Frangadakis' accomplishments have won him several honors in the past, but the Ellis medal means a little more. "I don't go around looking for them, but this is the only award besides the Congressional Medal of Honor that's honored by both the House and the Senate," he says. "There was such pomp and circumstance at the ceremony—every branch of the armed forces was there, bagpipers and marching bands. If you had any ounce of patriotism, it came out."

The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are not given out lightly. Previous medal winners are the only ones who can submit nominations, and three of Frangadakis' friends happen to have received the honor: Fanis Economides, a well-known figure in the Greek community; Dr. George Korkos, a plastic surgeon in Milwaukee and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks; and George Marcus, a real estate developer who co-owns two Greek restaurants with Frangadakis. The connection didn't begin there, however. Frangadakis and Marcus grew up across the street from each other in Saratoga and attended Sunday school together.

After receiving word of his nomination, Frangadakis filled out an application, which went to the Hellenic group in the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations. Frangadakis was one of 20 selected from the Hellenic group to receive the award. Overall, 130 received the medal this year, including Ernest Borgnine, dancer Michael Flatley and Archbishop Demetrius of the Greek Orthodox Church. "My mother was overwhelmed to be back at Ellis Island, but for me, it was being in the company of the archbishop," Frangadakis says.

His parents raised him and his siblings in Daly City and in the Cupertino/ Saratoga area and instilled the family with a great sense of responsibility. "My parents worked hard to give me an education, but they always said that it's not how much you make, it's what you contribute," he says. After attending UC-Berkeley as an undergraduate, Frangadakis got his degree in dentistry from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry.

He and his wife, Angie, founded the Frangadakis Family Scholarship Foundation at the University of the Pacific to sponsor dental students of Greek descent, and he's also deeply involved with alumni activities.

Among other activities, Frangadakis is currently the vice president for programs with Elios, a Greek cultural organization that honors nationally known Greeks for their contributions to society. The group also holds the Folk Dance Festival every year in San Francisco, which Frangadakis says is attended by more than 4,000 children.

Though his daughter, who recently gave birth to her first child, couldn't attend the ceremony, the number of guests Frangadakis brought demonstrates that his own Greek tradition lives on. "My family and friends have all done things in life other than their jobs," he says.

His own practice incorporates that same ideal—one associate is a University of the Pacific graduate, two are brothers and another two are cousins. Frangadakis began his practice 38 years ago and has since expanded it to include practitioners in all dental areas. His brother operates a dental laboratory just around the corner from Frangadakis' office that does all the laboratory work for Frangadakis' practice.

Some might call it nepotism, but to Frangadakis, it's just the way it should be. And he has the medal to prove it.