[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15215]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING THE D'ANTONI FAMILY

 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to speak about a 
great West Virginian, Lewis D'Antoni, and his extraordinary family. I 
do so because the D'Antoni family is being honored tonight for the 
countless lives they have influenced and the untold students they have 
inspired to reach for the stars. At its annual dinner in Charleston, 
the Education Alliance of West Virginia will celebrate the D'Antonis. 
And I wish to add my salute to this remarkable family and to thank its 
patriarch for all he has done for the people of West Virginia in a 
lifetime of almost 99 years--as a dedicated educator, as an innovative 
coach, as an inspiring man of integrity and industry.
  Lewis D'Antoni had a long career as an educator but he is best known 
throughout West Virginia as the ``coach's coach.'' And for good reason! 
He was one of West Virginia's greatest high school basketball coaches, 
with 450 victories, including a State championship, while coaching at 
Mullens High School in Wyoming County. He believed in fast-forward 
basketball even before there was a shot clock. So it should not 
surprise anyone that two of his sons, Mike and Dan, have been advocates 
of the run-and-gun offense in their NBA coaching careers. And with Mike 
named just this week as the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers--
reunited with point guard Steve Nash--look for a lot of full-court play 
at The Forum this season.
  All four of the children Lewis parented with his late wife, Betty Jo, 
are accomplished and respected throughout West Virginia. Their youngest 
son, Mark, was an Academic All-American basketball player at Coastal 
Carolina College and is a partner in a Charleston law firm. And their 
daughter, Kathy, is an assistant state superintendent of schools in 
West Virginia and the author of two books on adult education. The 
D'Antonis personify the power of families--working hard, supporting 
each other and standing together, no matter how tough times may get. 
These are the values of the D'Antoni family. These are the families of 
the West Virginia family.
  Lewis D'Antoni's father, Andrea, came from Italy to West Virginia in 
1910. He was so proud to be an American that he initiated what is 
probably a very unique tradition in any American household, especially 
these days. Every April 15, after paying his taxes, Andrea D'Antoni 
would open a bottle of wine and celebrate Tax Day with the entire 
family. Kathy D'Antoni remembers stories of how happy her grandfather 
was to pay his taxes because, as she explains, ``he loved America and 
he wanted to show his appreciation and to give something back to this 
great country.''
  That has been the hallmark of the D'Antoni family ever since Andrea 
D'Antoni's Tax Day celebrations. That certainly has been the hallmark 
of Lewis D'Antoni's life work--through his many years as a coach, a 
teacher and school administrator. He taught discipline on the court and 
in the classroom. He emphasized that success depends on ``how well you 
prepare'' and ``how you react to the ebb and flow'' of the game. And 
never, ever give up. And that has also been the hallmark of the careers 
of his children, Mike, Dan, Mark and Kathy. All have given great 
service to their communities, their State and their country.
  The Education Alliance is a non-profit organization that works to 
keep students in school and on track to graduate through various 
programs, including mentoring. And every year, at its annual dinner, 
the organization honors West Virginians who have had a positive impact 
on the lives of students, as role models for discipline and hard work. 
This year, the Education Alliance is honoring the D'Antoni family whose 
own lives bear witness to the fact that talent is unstoppable, that 
tenacity has rewards and that dreams can come true. They have lived 
lives that made Andrea D'Antoni's dream come true--that the D'Antoni 
family name would be honored in America and in West Virginia.

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