2017 -- H 6383

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LC002998

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

     EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF FRANK J.

MONTANARO, SR.

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Casimiro, Morin, and Kennedy

     Date Introduced: September 19, 2017

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House mourns the passing of Frank J.

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Montanaro, Sr., a highly-respected and widely-admired local and national labor leader; and

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     WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Montanaro was the cherished husband of sixty

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years to Madeline Montanaro, the beloved father of Laurie Montanaro, our friend and colleague,

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Frank A. Montanaro and his wife, Joy, Gina Montanaro Eckman and her husband, Michael, and

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Diana Montanaro, and the very proud grandfather of Alexandria, Frank J., Michael, Jake, Karissa

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Montanaro, and Kelsy Lawton; and

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     WHEREAS, A native of Cranston's Knightsville neighborhood, Mr. Montanaro was a

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son of the late Frank A. and Matilda Montanaro, and the brother of Ann O'Connell, William

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Montanaro, Angela DiRaimo, and the late Helen Harrison. He served our country with honor in

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the United States Air Force during the Korean War; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Montanaro began working as a milkman on Federal Hill before joining

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the Cranston Fire Department in 1959. While serving as a firefighter, he became active in the

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union and was elected Vice President of Local 1363, the International Association of Fire

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Fighters. In 1964, he was named President, a post he held for the next seventeen years; and

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     WHEREAS, Earning the moniker "lion of labor", Mr. Montanaro was appointed as a

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member of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO Executive Board and later as a member of the Rhode

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Island AFL-CIO Executive Committee. In 1992, he was elected President, and also served as a

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General Board Member of the National AFL-CIO; and

 

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     WHEREAS, Memories of this remarkable man, who helped to transform our state, and

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unite and shape organized labor, include his service as President of the Rhode Island State

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Association of Fire Fighters, a member of the state Labor Relations Board ultimately serving as

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Chair, and a member of the Democratic National Committee; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Montanaro's work has extended well beyond his efforts with the labor

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movement. In 1986, he was elected as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention

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from District 24, and has been an active member of the Rhode Island Democratic State

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Committee, the Board of Directors of United Way of Rhode Island, Chairman of the Board of

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Trustees for the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, Chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield of

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Rhode Island, and was honored with the Community Humanitarian Award from the DaVinci

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Center in 2006; and

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     WHEREAS, Most recently, Mr. Montanaro served as one of the four Rhode Island

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electors who cast a vote for President when the Electoral College met on Dec. 19, 2016, at the

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State House; and

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     WHEREAS, Frank Montanaro, Sr. did not travel the path of least resistance, and in doing

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so, left the Ocean State a far better place because of his life's endeavors. His commitment and

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advocacy for working families improved the lives of many Rhode Islanders and set a standard for

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excellence in public service that is an inspiration to us all; now, therefore be

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby expresses deepest sympathies on the passing of Frank J.

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Montanaro, Sr.; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mrs. Madeline Montanaro, and Mr. Frank

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Montanaro, Jr., and Family.

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LC002998

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