UNICO to honor Fiano for 70 years of service

Joseph Villanova, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Sep. 14—MANCHESTER — The local chapter of an Italian-American service organization will hold a dinner and charity fundraiser to honor Bolton developer Lawrence "Larry" Fiano for his 70 years of service to the area.

UNICO is a national organization, founded in Waterbury in 1922. The name is an acronym for unity, neighborliness, integrity, charity, and opportunity.

The local UNICO chapter selects a local volunteer to honor every year at a fundraiser dinner, but paused in 2019 due to pandemic-related concerns and restrictions.

Fiano said he has received a number of awards throughout his life and always appreciates the recognition for himself and his family.

"Not that you wouldn't do it without it, I think everyone's got to do something to give back," Fiano said.

A Bolton native, Fiano said he grew up working on his father's farm with his four brothers. When World War II began, government officials prevented him and his brothers from enlisting because of the essential work they did as farmers.

Fiano said he served with the Bolton Fire Department during the war, in place of those who enlisted or were drafted.

"I was really too young to be a member, but it was the war years, a lot of men were missing from the town," Fiano said.

Fiano said after the war, he enlisted in the National Guard with his brothers.

After attending the University of Connecticut, Fiano's family purchased a Boston Turnpike property in 1953 that they turned into the former Fiano's restaurant.

In 1960 Fiano founded a real estate development company and enjoyed a nearly 50-year career building residential properties and creating subdivisions in the Manchester area.

Seven years later Fiano opened and operated Fiano's EZ Coin-Up Car Wash at 266 Boston Turnpike and then the nearby Mar-Lea Miniature Golf and Driving Range in the mid-1980s.

Fiano joined the Hartford Home Builders Association in 1976 and became president of the organization in 1985. In the 1990s, Fiano became president of both the state's Home Builders Association and Area No. 1 of the national Home Builders Association.

Fiano said that in 2003 he was appointed as the state trustee for the National Build-PAC, where he took the state political fundraising organization from the second lowest earning in the nation to the highest.

In 2007, Fiano served as a general contractor for Homes for Our Troops, helping to build a handicap-accessible home for a military family in Coventry.

Fiano also worked with the state Transportation Department to implement the Bolton segment of the East Coast Greenway, a multi-use trail that stretches from Canada to Florida and was established over a period of years by a non-profit.

Fiano said above all, he's grateful for his family.

"I think I've shown them how to live ... they're all loving and caring," Fiano said of his family, which includes Rose, his wife of 72 years, four children, 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

This year's UNICO event will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 7, at the Army & Navy Club, 1090 Main St. in Manchester. Local leaders who will speak at the event include state Sen. Stephen T. Cassano, D-Manchester, Manchester Mayor Jay Moran, and Bolton First Selectwoman Pamela Sawyer.

Tickets for the fundraising event are available for $30 from UNICO president Peter Miller, at pgfmiller@hotmail.com, or at Manchester Town Hall.

Nathan "Nate" G. Agostinelli, UNICO member and former state comptroller and Manchester mayor, said it was "quite a coincidence" that the date of the event lined up with Fiano's 97th birthday, but that the family was happy to keep it scheduled.

Miller said students from East Catholic High School work as wait staff at the event, which helps satisfy their school's community service requirements.

Joseph covers East Hartford and South Windsor. He joined the JI in July 2021. Joseph graduated from the University of Connecticut and he is an avid guitarist and coffee enthusiast.