[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 145 (Thursday, October 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MR. FRANK STELLA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 8, 2009

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is with joy that I rise today in tribute 
to Mr. Frank Stella, an icon of Metropolitan Detroit, who will 
celebrate his 90th birthday on October 30, 2009.
  A successful entrepreneur and eternal philanthropist, Mr. Stella 
embodies the American Dream. The son of Italian immigrants, he bravely 
served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during the Second World War and 
founded the F.D. Stella Products Company, a food service distributor, 
in 1946. His company is today a preeminent national supplier and 
designer of restaurant equipment.
  Over the past six decades, Mr. Stella has not just built a business 
in Detroit: he has built a legacy in service to the community. His 
involvement spans prominent educational and medical institutions, civic 
and business organizations, and charitable and political causes. He has 
served as a Board Member to the University of Detroit--Mercy for more 
than two decades, in addition to the Board of Directors for the Detroit 
Medical Center, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Club of 
Detroit, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall, and the National Italian 
American Foundation of Washington, D.C., among many, many others. The 
impact of his philanthropy was recognized by five of our country's 
presidents and three of our state's governors.
  Frank Stella has received many awards, though none can fully capture 
his contributions to the public and private arenas. His catalogue of 
honors only begins to highlight the gratitude of those he has served: 
Mr. Stella was awarded the decoration of `Grande Ufficiale,' the 
Government of Italy's highest honor; named `Michigander of the Year' by 
the Detroit News and `Executive of the Year' by the Detroit Executive 
Association; received the George Romney Award for Lifetime Achievement 
in Volunteerism, the Urban League Warrior Award, and the Bnai Brith 
Award, to name just a very few; and was granted three honorary 
doctorates.
  As he turns 90, and is joined by his family, friends, and colleagues 
in celebration, Mr. Stella is unsurprisingly choosing to honor this 
landmark occasion with a fundraiser for four of his favorite 
charities--the National Italian American Foundation Scholarship Fund, 
Orders of the Sons of Italy in America, Italian Language Inter-cultural 
Alliance, and Boys Town of Italy. These charities proudly celebrate 
Italian-American culture while inspiring new generations of civic 
involvement and generosity, fitting tributes to Mr. Stella's continued 
work.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Frank 
Stella for his lifetime of service and dedication. I wish Mr. Stella a 
joyous 90th year full of health and happiness.

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