Rhode Island HR 6383: HOUSE RESOLUTION EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF FRANK J. MONTANARO, SR.

Bill Text

2017 -- H 6383
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LC002998
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF FRANK J.
MONTANARO, SR.
Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Casimiro, Morin, and Kennedy
Date Introduced: September 19, 2017
Referred To: House read and passed

WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House mourns the passing of Frank J. 1
Montanaro, Sr., a highly-respected and widely-admired local and national labor leader; and 2
WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Montanaro was the cherished husband of sixty 3
years to Madeline Montanaro, the beloved father of Laurie Montanaro, our friend and colleague, 4
Frank A. Montanaro and his wife, Joy, Gina Montanaro Eckman and her husband, Michael, and 5
Diana Montanaro, and the very proud grandfather of Alexandria, Frank J., Michael, Jake, Karissa 6
Montanaro, and Kelsy Lawton; and 7
WHEREAS, A native of Cranston's Knightsville neighborhood, Mr. Montanaro was a 8
son of the late Frank A. and Matilda Montanaro, and the brother of Ann O'Connell, William 9
Montanaro, Angela DiRaimo, and the late Helen Harrison. He served our country with honor in 10
the United States Air Force during the Korean War; and 11
WHEREAS, Mr. Montanaro began working as a milkman on Federal Hill before joining 12
the Cranston Fire Department in 1959. While serving as a firefighter, he became active in the 13
union and was elected Vice President of Local 1363, the International Association of Fire 14
Fighters. In 1964, he was named President, a post he held for the next seventeen years; and 15
WHEREAS, Earning the moniker "lion of labor", Mr. Montanaro was appointed as a 16
member of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO Executive Board and later as a member of the Rhode 17
Island AFL-CIO Executive Committee. In 1992, he was elected President, and also served as a 18
General Board Member of the National AFL-CIO; and 19

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WHEREAS, Memories of this remarkable man, who helped to transform our state, and 1
unite and shape organized labor, include his service as President of the Rhode Island State 2
Association of Fire Fighters, a member of the state Labor Relations Board ultimately serving as 3
Chair, and a member of the Democratic National Committee; and 4
WHEREAS, Mr. Montanaro's work has extended well beyond his efforts with the labor 5
movement. In 1986, he was elected as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention 6
from District 24, and has been an active member of the Rhode Island Democratic State 7
Committee, the Board of Directors of United Way of Rhode Island, Chairman of the Board of 8
Trustees for the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, Chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield of 9
Rhode Island, and was honored with the Community Humanitarian Award from the DaVinci 10
Center in 2006; and 11
WHEREAS, Most recently, Mr. Montanaro served as one of the four Rhode Island 12
electors who cast a vote for President when the Electoral College met on Dec. 19, 2016, at the 13
State House; and 14
WHEREAS, Frank Montanaro, Sr. did not travel the path of least resistance, and in doing 15
so, left the Ocean State a far better place because of his life's endeavors. His commitment and 16
advocacy for working families improved the lives of many Rhode Islanders and set a standard for 17
excellence in public service that is an inspiration to us all; now, therefore be 18
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and 19
Providence Plantations hereby expresses deepest sympathies on the passing of Frank J. 20
Montanaro, Sr.; and be it further 21
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 22
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mrs. Madeline Montanaro, and Mr. Frank 23
Montanaro, Jr., and Family. 24
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LC002998
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