Casa Emigranti Italiani 

Born in Calitri, Avellino, in 1942, Tony began working as a carpenter apprentice following his graduation from fifth grade. He would eventually end up near Pisa where he worked for many years.

In 1973 he emigrated to the USA where he joined his sister ( Tony had 4 brothers and two sisters, 2 brothers are now dead).

In the USA he began working almost at once as a carpenter first in South Windsor and then Farmington: his lack of English turned out not to be a problem as he could understand the blue print and work from there!

In 1978 he joined Heublein Corporation , then a major employer in the Hartford area, where he spent two years working as a carpenter and another 14 working in shipping and receiving until 1994 when  the company closed its Hartford presence.

Tony is the father of two and grandfather of 4. And you know when he is in the club by his towering voice!  

Nato a Calitri, Avellino, nel 1942, Tony iniziò a lavorare come apprendista falegname dopo il suo diploma di quinta elementare. Ha lavorato per molti anni in provincia di Pisa.

Nel 1973 emigrò negli Stati Uniti dove ha raggiunto sua sorella (Tony aveva 4 fratelli e due sorelle, 2 fratelli sono morti).

Negli Stati Uniti ha iniziato a lavorare quasi subito come un falegname in South Windsor e poi Farmington: la sua mancanza di inglese non si è rivelato essere un problema poiche'poteva capire i disegni e lavorare da lì!

Nel 1978 entra a far parte della Heublein Corporation, un importante datore di lavoro nella zona di Hartford, dove ha trascorso due anni a lavorare come falegname e 14 in spedizione e ricevimento fino al 1994 quando la società ha chiuso la sua presenza ad Hartford.

Tony è padre di due figli e nonno di 4. E sai quando è nel club dalla sua voce imponente!

Tony at the club

Tony and President Sal Bordonaro

Daniella Menichino and her paintings were featured in thsis article in the Hartford Courant and her paintings, some of which are reproduced below, are part of a book!

The following articles appeared in the Hartford Courant on April 3, 2013 and the story features Tony's granddaugther Daniella Menichino!

APRIL 3, 2013

THE HARTFORD COURANT

PURE INSPIRATION: STUDENTS SHARE WORDS, SHOW ART AT WETHERSFIELD HIGH POETRY SLAM; WETHERSFIELD

For Savannah Casasanta, poetry smooths the stormy ups and downs of life.

"I write to let out all the emotion that builds up in a healthy way," said the 17-year-old high school junior. "Poems are the healthiest form of relaxation I can think of."

Casasanta was one of 15 students who read their poems at the first Wethersfield High School Literary Magazine Club poetry slam Tuesday night.

With 75 members, the club is the largest at the school, said the club's advisor, computer teacher Tracy Riordan.

"I'm so thrilled," Riordan said, referring to the event that came together in the last few weeks. "We had tons of extra kids."

The club produces a literary magazine called Pieces that also includes artwork three times a year, Riordan said. The club uses art to inspire poetry and vice versa, she said. Poets are presented with art and asked to compose verse, while artists are challenged to produce art inspired by poetry, she said.

"It's art and poetry and it comes together," said Ruth George, an English as a second language teacher at the high school who helps produce the literary magazine.

Student poets recited works about everything from heartache to bullying to the joy of running at the WethersfieldLibrary.

Casasanta, who is also an artist, based her poem titled "Against Each Current" on a drawing she did of a tattooed mermaid.

"I'm a big believer in people being themselves, going against the current, challenging society," she said.

Her poem imagined a storm, "crazy, unstoppable, unbelievable, gorgeous ... against everyone's current."

Sophomore Joseph Wallowitz was inspired by the joy and freedom he feels when running to write his poem, "Free Slave." He imagined the happiness and fear that an escaping slave felt.

"Leave, leave, leave; Run, run, run; Don't get caught ... I'm free!" Wallowitz, 16, said, reciting from his verse.

Shivangi Vansadia, 16, was inspired to write her poem "Accept Me" by a friend who was bullied in middle school.

"Accept me for my failures; Accept me for my stupidities ... Accept me for who I am," she said, reading from her work.

Sophomore Daniella Minichino's poem was intensely personal, reflecting "a typical teenage problem that got a little more intense."

"The glass keeps cracking; And I am almost halfway stuck," she said, reading from her untitled poem.

For Minichino, 15, poetry and art are ways to express her emotions. "Paper is pretty much my best friend," she said.

Riordan said she is inspired and amazed by the work and growth she sees in the literary club members.

"I think they are inspirational," she said. "I think they are smart. I've seen them grow exponentially."