[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 18, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF MR. JOSEPH A. PINNOLA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL G. GRIMM

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 18, 2013

  Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life and 
memory of a marvelous Staten Islander, a model citizen, and a devoted 
family man, Mr. Joseph A. Pinnola, 83, who passed away on May 14th at 
his Dongan Hills home.
   Born in Brooklyn, Joseph Pinnola moved to Great Kills in 1966 and 
settled in Dongan Hills in 1974. In 1944, at the age of 14, Mr. Pinnola 
began working at a drugstore to support his family after the death of 
his father. He started his career with Brooklyn Union Gas Company about 
three years later, working as a messenger. Mr. Pinnola served in the 
U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, attaining the rank of staff sergeant 
during the Korean War. On guard duty one night, he sounded an alarm 
that alerted his company to a fire that had broken out in the compound 
where thousands of his comrades lay sleeping. He was also assigned to 
the Army Security Agency, working in cryptography and counter 
intelligence. On at least one occasion, he is said to have cracked a 
key enemy code.
   On his return to civilian life, Mr. Pinnola continued working for 
Brooklyn Union while he took night classes at St. John's University. He 
earned his B.A. in accounting from St. John's in 1954, and was promoted 
to programmer at Brooklyn Union. He would go on to play a large role in 
the development and implementation of the company's computer systems 
throughout the next three decades. In 1982, as he continued moving 
ahead with his career, Mr. Pinnola graduated from the executive program 
in business administration at Columbia University. He was named senior 
vice president and chief information officer at Brooklyn Union in 1991, 
and retired three years later.
   Affiliated with several organizations, Mr. Pinnola served on the 
board of trustees of Brooklyn Hospital. He was also a member of 
Community Board 2 and involved with the Jacques Marchais Center for 
Tibetan Art in Richmond. In his leisure time, he enjoyed jogging, 
cooking, drawing and playing the piano. Above all, he cherished 
spending time with his family and he particularly loved taking 
vacations with his children and grandchildren to Long Beach Island. 
``He was happiest around his family and grandchildren,'' said his son 
Joseph. He courageously supported his family after the tragic death of 
his grandson, Christopher S. Pinnola, in 2007. He is survived by his 
wife of 53 years, the former Anita Adinolfi; his sons, Joseph, Steven, 
Richard and Kenneth; his daughters, Mary Pinnola-Waring and Joyce 
Pinnola; a sister, Nina Perry, and 10 grandchildren.
   In all, Mr. Pinnola led a full life, enjoyed a successful career, 
but above all, always made time for his greatest of all joys, his 
beautiful and loving family.

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