Century Society

Successful business owner and community activist

Lou grew up in South Philadelphia and graduated from South Philadelphia High School.  He started working for his father’s small construction company at a young age and, with his family’s sacrifices, was able to attend Penn State University earning a degree in architectural engineering in 1939. Lou's career was interrupted by World War II. He entered the Navy in 1942. He served as port director in Curacao and also served in Pearl Harbor, Okinawa and Tokyo.  After his discharge in 1946, he rejoined the family business and set about expanding the company to what it is today: one of the region’s most prominent and busiest construction companies.  He led the company for 30 years and continued to report to work into his 90’s.  His vision and organizational qualities helped turn P. Agnes Builders from a company largely devoted to residential work into the construction company that built a patient tower at Lankenau Hospital and renovated the University of Pennsylvania’s famed Palestra and Hutchinson Gymnasium. He was very active in his community, serving on the board of the Boy Scouts of America and the Philadelphia chapter of UNICO National, an Italian-American service organization.  He was on the boards of the Methodist Hospital Foundation and Prudential Savings & Loan.  He was a founding member of the National Society of Architectural Engineers and the Penn State Alumni Association. In 1999, he received the Penn State College of Engineering Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award.

Prominent real estate developer, executive and philanthropist

Anthony Cafaro, Sr. was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1946. Cafaro's father, William, had founded a real estate development company with an eye toward building shopping centers. But Tony was no “trust fund kid.” At the age of 13, his father put him to work as a maintenance worker, then a construction laborer and a surveyor’s assistant. He also gained experience working as an engineering draftsman and purchasing agent. Tony enrolled in Youngstown State University, intent on learning the skills to help the family business. He pledged Alpha Phi Delta’s Beta Omicron Chapter in the Spring of 1965. He graduated in 1968, which turned out to be a very big year in many ways. In July of that year, he married his sweetheart, Phyllis Lucarell. They moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where he was set to begin studying at the Georgetown University Law School. Within months, his career in the law was sidetracked when Uncle Sam called his number in the military draft. Tony was permitted to join the Army Reserves in order to continue his education. He served with the 348th Engineer Company from 1968 through 1974. In 1969 he began working in the Cafaro Company’s corporate office as a leasing agent in the Real Estate Department. In 1982, Tony was appointed president and chief executive officer. During this period he led the company to develop a portfolio of more than 50 enclosed malls and open-air shopping centers comprising more than 30 million square feet of retail space. Cafaro is now ranked among the top 15 mall developers, and the largest privately-held mall company in the nation. In addition to his business responsibilities, Tony Cafaro has always been an active philanthropist and participant in public life, serving on numerous public and private boards. He and his family have donated millions of dollars to schools, hospitals, community organizations and individuals in need. In 1995, Wheeling Jesuit University honored him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree. In 1999, he was named Trumbull County Sportsman of the Year for his work in building Cafaro Field (later renamed Eastwood Field), a minor league baseball stadium in Niles, Ohio, and home to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. In 2013, Real Estate Forum magazine honored Tony as part of an elite group of real estate industry executives, giving each of them the title of “Reap Estate Icon.” Although he officially retired in 2009, he remains active as a “consultant” in the company that bears his name.

Industrialist, university board chair, finance executive

The son of an Italian immigrant, Capone is a prime example of how our earlier brothers succeeded in becoming not only world business leaders but also excelled in representing their university and community. Mr. Capone graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University in 1942 in the midst of World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for the duration of the war on land and sea. He joined the Koppers Company in 1946. After only one year, he was appointed as Supervisor of Accounting. In 1953, moved his family overseas to Sao Paulo, Brazil; where he oversaw one of the company’s many international assets as Manager of Finance in Plasticos Koppers. Bill was named Vice President of Koppers International and Manager of Finance in International Operations in 1964. And in 1966, he was honored in Italy with the highest award possible for a non-Italian national, the order of Cavaliere al Merito della Republica Italiana, in recognition of the role that he and Koppers had played in the advancement of the community of Genoa and the Italian economy as a whole. In 1967, he was promoted to Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Koppers Company, Inc., which he retained until his retirement in 1984, by which time he had been awarded the additional title of Senior Vice President (1978). Capone served on various company boards, spoke and wrote extensively, and received many awards including the American Management Associations’ Distinguished Service Award in 1979. He served as the AMA’s Vice President in charge of the finance council from 1976-79. He received an honorary degree of doctor of laws From Duquesne University in 1972 and was selected as the recipient of the fifth annual Old Main Alumni Recognition Award in 1985. He served as President of the Alumni Association Board of Governors (1967-72) and later as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Duquesne University (1982-87). 

Technology and engineering educator, innovator and inventor

Mario earned a BME ’57 and MME ’59 from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, a master's degree in engineering administration from George Washington University and a doctorate from George Mason University. He has been a professor, research associate and lecturer for 30 years. A registered professional engineer, he has authored well over 100 papers, books, and articles in the fields of technology management, technology entrepreneurship, energy, and systems engineering most notably the book, Technological Entrepreneurism: Enterprise Formation, Financing and Growth and a paper detailing the use of mobile communications with satellites for saving people at sea which is credited with rescuing numerous people. He served as a senior propulsion specialist for Belcom (Bell Labs) on the Apollo manned moon mission. Following that, he was the 100th employee of the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) where he conceived of the Maritime and Mobile Communications Satellite Program (IMARSAT) and the highly successful Rescue Satellite System. He then proceeded to solicit funding for and form Communications Services Corporation (ComServ) whose principal products were to be EKG terminals and the RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tag, the precursor to today’s EZ Pass. The initial patent application was filed in 1970 and the patent was issued in 1973 thus launching what has become a $10 billion industry. He was the counselor on technology and entrepreneurship to the Under Secretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration and also served as a technology advisor or consultant to companies or governmental commissions in China, Japan, and Italy, as well as the American Red Cross, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the International Energy Agency. The founder or principal in a number of technology companies and holder of numerous patents, he was nominated for the Lemelson-MIT Prize (2003), the Presidential National Medal of Technology (2004) and the U.S. Patent Office Hall of Fame (2010). He was chosen as one of the 100 technology leaders in the Commonwealth of Virginia (1997-98), was awarded the Bronze Medal for Outstanding Service from the U.S. Department of Energy, received the Silver Medal of the Senate of France in 2004, honored by the International RFID Congress in London in 2006 and in 2010 was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for NYU-Polytechnic, where he has been a Trustee.

Business leader, benefactor, entrepreneur and university vice-chair

Tony earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Duquesne in 1973. As a student, he displayed his leadership abilities in establishing a scholarship honoring the chapter’s advisor, the Rev. Salvatore Federici and by his activity with Third Alternative, a student-run effort in 1970 that raised several million dollars to save the university from a financial crisis. He went on to get his MBA from Northwestern University and settled in Chicago after graduation. Tony pursued a career in finance. He became a vice president at the First National Bank of Chicago, where he gained a reputation for exacting analysis and innovative solutions. He co-founded Treasury Strategies, Inc. and is currently a partner and director responsible for setting the strategic direction of the firm. The company works with corporations and non-profits to optimize treasury management strategies and assists financial institutions in developing liquidity products and positioning their services in the marketplace. He has testified several times before Congress on financial regulation issues, most recently in July, 2014, and has appeared on multiple media outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox. In 2011, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury & Risk Magazine. He has served on Duquesne University’s board of directors since 2007 and is currently a Vice Chair. Tony gives generously of his time and talents to help organizations serving the disabled and to support his alma mater. He was the lead benefactor for Carfang Commons, the business school’s new team suites in Rockwell Hall. In 2008, he was inducted into the Order of Omega by the Office of Greek Life and in 2010 was inducted into the Duquesne Century Club of distinguished alumni. Tony was instrumental in establishing the Alpha Phi Delta Foundation and has been its greatest single benefactor. A specialist in Italian genealogy, he is the founder of The Abruzzo Project, a leading online resource for families tracing their roots. Tony and his wife, Carol, reside in Evanston, Ill. They are the parents of four adult children.

Nationally recognized leader in intercollegiate sports administration

A native of Philadelphia and graduate of Germantown High School, Ernie enrolled in Temple in 1936 where he played three years on the baseball team. He spent his entire career at Temple in teaching, coaching and administration only interrupted by two stints with the Army in World War II and the Korean War. He became the Temple baseball coach in 1953. During seven seasons, the team compiled an 85-48-3 record including two appearances in the NCAA tournament. In 1959, he was named the university’s athletic director and over his 23 year tenure earned a reputation as a creative athletic director who transformed Temple into a nationally prominent athletic program while maintaining academic standards. Temple won the 1969 NIT championship and hosted the 1976 and 1981 Final Fours. He was an assistant professor for mathematics throughout his tenure as athletic director. In 1982, he was named an executive assistant to the President of Temple University. On the national level, he served a seven-year term on the NCAA Executive Council and a six-year term on the NCAA basketball tournament committee. He was a founder and commissioner of the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC). In 1976, he headed up the NCAA Playoffs Feasibility Study Committee which proposed a post-bowl game playoff-system. Though not adopted at the time, the proposal contained many of the elements that eventually came to be. He originally designed what has come to be known as the Casale’s Master Sports Schedule Book used by over 2,000 universities, high schools and other organizations throughout the United States and Canada. It is now in its 21st edition. He received the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Certificate of Honor and was inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1982, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame and in 2008 Temple named its athletic office “The Ernest C. Casale Intercollegiate Athletics Suite.”

Judge, public servant, children’s advocate

A long serving judge in the Philadelphia Family Court, Cipriani cared passionately about children and dedicated his life to public service. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Temple University Law School and, upon graduation, was drafted into the Army where he served his country as a Provost Marshal at a military hospital in Illinois. He was discharged at the rank of Second Lieutenant and then returned to Philadelphia where he began work as an attorney. He was elected to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 1969 and was assigned to the Family Court division, where he remained for 33 years. He served as Administrative Judge where he introduced new initiatives, including improving the process for the adoption of dependent children. He served as an instructor at the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission Master's Degree Program at Shippensburg University and was appointed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges as Chairman of the Committee of Metropolitan Courts in the United States. Even in his retirement, he served as a part-time hearing master in the floating truancy court. He served on the Boards of the Methodist Hospital, Boy Scouts of America, Temple University Law School, Temple University Law Alumni, Crime Prevention Association of Philadelphia, Big Brothers and the Jenkins Law Library and was very active in the Sons of Italy. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth's Wilbur Hobbs "True Friend of Children" Award in 2005. In addition, the Nicholas A. Cipriani Family Law American Inn of Court, whose purpose is to promote professionalism, ethics, camaraderie and education among the bench and bar, was named in his honor. On April 17, 2008, the Philadelphia City Council voted unanimously to designate 1801 Vine Street as “The Judge Nicholas A. Cipriani Family Court Building.”

U.S. Congressman, lawyer

Born in New Haven, Cretella graduated from Yale University in 1917. He began Yale Law School but interrupted his studies, enlisted in the United States Navy and was in officers training school when the Armistice was signed. He re-entered Yale Law School and graduated in 1921. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar the same year and began practice in New Haven. He moved to North Haven and served as prosecuting attorney from 1931 to 1945 and, with the exception of two years, as town counsel from 1931 to 1970. He served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from1947 to 1952. In 1952, he was elected as a Republican to the 83rd Congress and re-elected for two additional terms (January 3, 1953-January 3, 1959). After serving in Congress, he returned to the practice of law.

CEO, infrastructure expert, philanthropist

Joe was one of four brothers who reactivated Tau Chapter at MIT in 1948 following its WWII hiatus. A young engineer, Joe graduated with his bachelor’s degree and joined the family construction business. Later, Joe formed his own D’Annunzio & Sons infrastructure business. Joe grew D’Annunzio & Sons into a construction powerhouse in the New York and New Jersey area. Construction of several runways and taxiways at Newark’s Liberty Airport is synonymous with the D’Annunzio name. The firm built the control tower at LaGuardia Airport. Many of the highways, bridges and interchanges in the tri state area bear the firm’s seal. The firm developed a mixing process that is now that standard in highway construction. Utility infrastructure, however, is where the firm earned its reputation. Joe engineered and constructed major utility, water and port authority projects from Virginia to Maine.  Wintering in Naples, Fla., Joe and his wife Viola were prime movers behind the establishment of the Naples Italian American Foundation that supports numerous charitable organizations in the southwest Florida area. Joe founded and continues to organize the Italian American Open, a regional golf event supporting the Special Olympics. Joe served in the U.S. Army and is a Gold Sponsor of the Alpha Phi Delta Centennial.

Dynamic hospital administrator and public servant

David D'Eramo received a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Duquesne University and a MBA from Xavier University, where he was first in his graduating class in the hospital administration program. He then attended the University of Cincinnati, where he earned his second master’s degree in community health planning and a PhD. in political science, focusing on business, health planning and organizational theory. Dave served Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford as its President and CEO for 16 years until his retirement in 2004. During his tenure, Dr. D'Eramo led the hospital through an era of rapid evolution in the health care industry. The primary result of this evolution has been the transformation of Saint Francis from a single hospital into an integrated health care delivery system known as Saint Francis Care. The largest Catholic hospital in New England, during his tenure, Saint Francis was recognized seven times as a Top 100 Hospital in the major teaching hospital category. Prior to joining Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, David served as president and chief executive officer of Saint Vincent Charity Hospital, a 492-bed acute care teaching hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Dave is also distinguished in public service and was a member of President Bush’s task force on Faith Based Initiatives. Having served as chairman of a myriad of prominent boards, Dr. D'Eramo served on the boards of the New England Cognitive Center, the Malta House of Care Foundation, The Hartford Club, the Greater Hartford Arts Council and Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc. Dr. D'Eramo is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a diplomat and fellow of the American Academy of Medical Administrators. On the national level, Dr. D'Eramo is a member of the American Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Dave’s current project is Dynamo Camp in Pistoia, Italy. The camp serves the needs of children with chronic illnesses. Dave and Judy currently make their home in Charleston, Rhode Island and Naples, Florida.

Professional football player, businessman and community leader

Al was born in New Kensington, Pa. and attended Arnold high school and then Duquesne University.  At Duquesne, he was an all-American center on an undefeated football team and played in the 1941 Blue-Gray Game and the College All-Star Game.  He earned a bachelor’s degree and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1942.

Before he could begin his professional football career, he had a military obligation to fulfill. A lieutenant in the Navy, he was a landing craft skipper who made nine landings on D-Day on the beach at Normandy. He and his crew were preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He reported to the Redskins in midseason in 1945 not having touched a football in four years.  He went on to play nine seasons notably as a center snapping to the legendary Slingin’ Sammy Baugh.  With the limited rosters of that era, he was a two-way player who averaged nearly 60 minutes a game some seasons.  He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1950 and was honored with Al Demao Day in 1952. Following his retirement from football he worked as a salesman for Milton S. Kronheim & Co., a liquor distributor, which he had done during his off-seasons.  He eventually was named vice president of sales for the company’s restaurant and hotel division until his retirement in 1986. He was deeply involved for many years with charitable groups and activities, including the Gallaudet Special Olympics, fundraising for muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis organizations, the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation.  He also helped out with the St. John's College High School football team and coached Catholic Youth Organization and Boys Club teams. He was a founder of the Redskins Alumni Association in 1957 and the Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon.  He was also a founder of the NFL alumni organization in 1967, serving on the board and participating in fundraising programs for needy former players. In 2002, in honor of the Redskins’ 70th anniversary Al was named one of the 70 greatest Redskins.

Meteorologist, television personality and community figure

A native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, Joe attended Wheeling Central Catholic HS in West Virginia, where he was a standout basketball player. He attended Duquesne University and served as president of Psi Chapter. After graduating in 1952, with a degree in mathematics and physics, Joe earned a master’s degree in meteorology from the University of Chicago in 1953. He served four years of active duty with the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of commander of the weather detachment at Greater Pittsburgh Air Force Base. In 1956, he co-founded DeNardo and McFarland Weather Services, Inc. He later sold his interest in the business to become a full-time meteorologist for WTAE Channel 4 and WTAE Radio. Joe currently serves as WTAE’s weather consultant and also spent 10 years reporting on weather for KDKA-Radio. During his 45 year on-air tenure, he would visit schools almost every Wednesday speaking to an estimated half a million students. Joe has been honored by many meteorological societies for his outstanding achievements in the field. He was honored by the National Television Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and holds memberships and certifications from several nationally recognized organizations. In addition to his professional achievements, he is known for his generosity in the community. He received the Vectors Pittsburgh Man of the Year Award for community service and numerous other awards for his ongoing commitment to organizations throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio. He is a member of the Air Pollution Control Association and serves as a member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and Medical Cancer Center Council. He was chairman of the Moon Township Parks and Recreation board for 22 years, and after serving as a board member at Duquesne University for 22 years, remains active on the board as a member emeritus. Joe is the chairman of Project Bundle-Up — a joint effort of WTAE Channel 4 and the Salvation Army to provide winter clothing for children in need. Project Bundle-Up has raised $10 million since 1986 and has helped more than 200,000 individuals. Joe and his late wife Dolores have two sons, three grandsons, and one granddaughter.