[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15184-15185]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF FRANK MANCUSO

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I wish to speak in memory of a 
distinguished public servant and a dear friend, Frank Mancuso, who 
passed away on June 19 at the age of 82.
  Frank was born in Italy, but he grew up and lived in and around 
Hartford and Enfield, CT. Although he worked as a union leader and 
served as a decorated member of the Army Air Corps in the campaign in 
the Pacific during World War II, he was most well known to the citizens 
of Connecticut for his dedicated work in public office and the humanity 
with which he fulfilled his duties.
  In 1963, with no prior political experience, Frank was elected as the 
first mayor of Enfield. Four years later, he rebounded from a short 
political setback to lead the reform ``Eight Slate.'' They campaigned 
on the promise to build the schools and city infrastructure that 
Enfield needed not only to keep pace with its recent population 
explosion, but also to ensure its continued growth in the future. Frank 
held true to his campaign promises and served as mayor until he was 
selected in 1975 by Gov. Ella Grasso to be the State director of civil 
preparedness. The self-styled ``master of disaster'' worked under the 
subsequent administrations of William O'Neill and Lowell Weicker, Jr.
  Frank loved politics, but he was a pragmatic public servant who went 
out of his way to build a consensus when it was best for the community. 
He was an upbeat and straight-shooting leader with a disarming sense of 
humor. In the eyes of his colleagues, it was Frank's guidance that led 
Enfield to be named as one of the country's best small cities.

[[Page 15185]]

  Frank, who was born in Italy in 1922, attributed his love of 
democracy to dark memories of Mussolini's fascist dictatorship. But it 
is clear that his service was equally motivated by a commitment to his 
community. When Frank retired from statewide politics in 1992, he 
remained connected through activities such as chairing building 
committees at local schools in Enfield. A recent editorial in the 
Hartford Courant rightly called him ``Enfield's Ambassador'' and the 
town's ``chief cheerleader.''
  The residents of Enfield honored Frank by naming a park after him, 
but he has already left his mark throughout the town, which grew up 
under his tireless leadership, and on his friends and colleagues, whom 
he touched with his selflessness.
  I offer my deepest condolences to Frank's children Donna, Douglas, 
and Francis, to the entire Mancuso family, to the people of Enfield, 
and to the countless others whose lives were enriched by Frank 
Mancuso.

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