[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 94 (Friday, June 12, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE OF ANTHONY ``TONY'' GIANNETTA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 12, 2015

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Anthony 
Dominic ``Tony'' Giannetta, who passed away on May 30, 2015, at the age 
of 94. As the founder of Hallmark Homes, Tony helped expand the 
California home building industry and devoted much of his life to 
maintaining it. His kind heart, talent, and contributions to the 
Central Valley will be greatly missed.
  Tony was born on November 7, 1920, in Fresno, California. Raised in 
Fresno, Tony graduated from Edison High School. He married Alice 
Therese Baraldi on November 22, 1942, and shortly thereafter the two 
moved to Marysville, CA, to fulfill Tony's duties in the United States 
Army. After the war the couple moved back to Fresno, where they settled 
and raised six sons.
  During the late 1940's, Tony began his career in the home building 
industry as a carpenter. In 1951 Tony and John Mortillaro formed the 
Quality Homes Construction Company, which merged with the Cetti 
Brothers Construction Company a year later. Under the Hallmark Homes 
name, the company developed 27 subdivisions and built more than 4,500 
homes in the Fresno, Clovis, and Madera areas, in addition to the 
construction of many commercial projects. This made Hallmark Homes one 
of the largest regional builders for three decades, and it marked the 
association of the name Tony Giannetta within the home building 
industry. In fact, the two became synonymous in Fresno.
  Tony was a member of the Building Industry Association of the San 
Joaquin Valley, and served as president in 1967, 1979, and 1980. He 
acted as a Director to the California Building Industry Association and 
was a life director to the National Association of Homebuilders who on 
February 15, 2008 acknowledged him as a 50 year member, and he served 
on various committees for the California Building Industry Association 
including its Legislative Committee, Executive Committee, Insurance 
Committee, and Long Range Planning Committee.
  As a Fresno native, maintaining community involvement was important 
to Tony. In partnership with the Construction Department at Fresno City 
College, Tony provided work experience training for students in the 
building industry. He was also instrumental in creating the National 
Association of Home Builders-Building Industry Association student 
chapters at Fresno City College and California State University, 
Fresno.
  For his contributions to homebuilding and its community, Tony became 
a lifetime member of the Building Industry Association of the San 
Joaquin Valley in 1986 and was inducted into the California Housing 
Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988--the first inductee to come from the 
Central Valley. He was also awarded the Oscar Spano Lifetime Service 
Award in 1988 by his local building industry association.
  In his spare time, Tony enjoyed traveling, playing sports and 
cherished his time with family and friends. He was a devoted husband to 
Alice, his bride of 72 years; a loving father to his sons, Gerald, 
Ronald, Anthony Jr., James, Michael and John; and the kind and generous 
grandfather of 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Tony's 
favorite memories included celebrating the holidays in his home as well 
as gathering for Sunday pasta lunches, a tradition he shared with his 
family.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect that I ask my colleagues in the 
House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Anthony 
Dominic ``Tony'' Giannetta, a Central Valley pioneer and influential 
figure in the California home building industry.

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