Aquinas-Landmark-Winter-2021

20 AQUINAS LANDMARK | WINTER 2021 A lumni N ews After postponing our 2020 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony due to COVID, we had the unique pleasure of inducting two classes to the Aquinas Hall of Fame in 2021! We congratulate and thank the honorees for their outstanding achievements, their contributions to Aquinas, and their commitment to living out the Christian values taught to them at AQ. 2020 & 2021 HALL OF 2020 INDUCTEES RICHARD J. DIMARCO ’54 Distinguished Career After graduating fromAquinas and pursuing a college education at St. John Fisher College, Richard DiMarco Sr. began working as a mason at his father’s construction business. He served in the Army National Guard Reserve during the early 1960s, but eventually returned to Rochester to work alongside his father and follow in his footsteps. In 1965, Richard was named vice president of the business, which later become known as DiMarco Constructors. In 1972, in response to a shortage of reliable equipment supply companies in the area, Richard and his brother John DiMarco Sr., opened ADMAR. With Richard’s strong worth ethic and genuine approach to building relationships, the company prevailed through the challenging early years. In 1983, Richard decided to dedicate his efforts solely to the equipment side of the business. He relinquished his hands-on role with DiMarco Constructors and was named president of ADMAR. Richard’s down-to-earthmanner of doing business, along with his appreciation for the needs of contractors, helped build the company’s reputation for delivering quality equipment and service. During his tenure as president, Richard also led ADMAR’s expansion into other markets, adding offices inWatertown, which later moved to Syracuse, Albany, and Buffalo. Looking to take a step back from the day-to-day operations of ADMAR, Richard became vice chairman in 2006. His ‘old school’ approach and desire to supply the construction industry with the best equipment contributed to the company’s growth from its humble beginnings in a garage, to what is now a ten-location operation. SALVADOR F. LECCESE ’60 Distinguished Career After graduating fromAquinas, Sal attended the University of Notre Dame fromwhich he graduated in 1964 with a degree in Civil Engineering. In 1965, Sal moved to San Francisco to join the Bechtel Engineering group on the construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit. This was followed by time as a VISTA volunteer in Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii. He returned to Rochester in 1968 to rejoin his family’s business, LeCesse Corporation. After working his way up from scraping floors to an executive position, he bought out his father and uncles in 1978. LeCesse was responsible for many landmarks in our area including the Rochester Convention Center, and countless grade schools, high schools, and university buildings. One of his last projects before selling the business was Aquinas’ Wegman Napier Gymnasium. Sal moved full-time to Orlando, FL where he expanded his business in the development and construction of multifamily housing. Along with his cousin and partner Sal LeChase, LeCesse Development Corp (LDC) has since developed over 25,000 units and $3 billion worth of award-winning, affordable, and conventional apartments. In 2021, LDC has construction properties in seven states with a total pipeline of over $1 billion in value. Sal is a current member of the Multifamily Advisory Board of the National Association of Home Builders, and the Advisory Board of the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate at Notre Dame. From 1981 to 1987 Sal proudly served on the Aquinas Board of Trustees during which time the first women were enrolled at the school. The changes made were instrumental in giving Aquinas new direction, which strengthened the school and put it on the road to what it has become. ANTHONYM. IACOVANGELO ’59 Meritorious Service After graduating fromAquinas and enrolling at St. John Fisher College, Tony soon realized he had a daring desire to serve his country and enlisted in the Marine Corp, where he served for four years. He has always been proud of his service to his country and of the hard work, discipline, teamwork, passion, and perseverance it taught him. Throughout his life Tony has lived by the Marine Corp motto Semper Fidelis – “always faithful.” In 1965, Tony returned to Rochester and worked in construction before obtaining a job at Eastman Kodak Company. While working full time, Tony returned to St. John Fisher College where he earned his accounting degree. In 1971, he began working as an accountant and eventually, Tony became part of the State of New York’s Investigation of Nursing Home Fraud and Misuse of Public Funds. Tony stayed with the division until 1982 when he joined brothers Frank and Bernie in a new company called Faber Homes. Since then, Faber Homes has built over 2,500 homes and townhomes around Monroe County, and has grown into a highly respected company. As the company grew, so did Tony’s desire to give back. He began the Golf Tournament for QUAD A, a division of the Rochester Area Foundation, and also became involved with the Aquinas Founders’ Classic. Tony has also done charitable work with Monroe Community Hospital, Sisters of Mercy, and a number of other organizations. On behalf of Faber, Tony agreed to and assisted with the company’s construction committee that provided assistance to Aquinas on many of its construction and renovation projects including the Fine Arts Building, Student Union, Cafeteria, Field House, and Stadium.