Longtime Enfield Resident Advocates Changing Street Name

ENFIELD, CT — With the recent removal of statues of Christopher Columbus and Confederate leaders such as Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, a related request to the Enfield Town Council to change a street name in town has been made by a longstanding active member of the community.

Nick Lefakis, who served for many years on the Planning & Zoning Commission and recently retired as a full-time professor at Asnuntuck Community College, sent a letter to council members and Town Manager Chris Bromson Wednesday, asking them to look into changing the name of D'Annunzio Ave.

D'Annunzio is a small road of 21 homes off Elm Street. Town land records show the oldest house on the street dates to 1922. Lefakis has lived on the road for more than four decades.

Gabriele D'Annunzio was an Italian poet who later became a mentor to fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. He advocated an expansionist foreign policy and approved of Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. He was described in a biography as "the John the Baptist of Italian Fascism."

Lefakis' full letter reads:

In the past few weeks, people around the country have been examining the names of buildings, military bases, and the placement of statues, and how they may be dedicated to people who don’t deserve the recognition.

I want to bring your attention to the name of a street in Enfield, that of D’Annunzio Ave. If you google the name D’Annunzio, the name Gabriele D’Annunzio comes up. In the late 1920s New York Times, there are articles about Gabriele D’Annunzio where he is referred to as an “orator, poet, and ladies’ man.” If you read further, you will find that he died of injuries he sustained after being thrown out of a second floor window. He was in a fight with the husband of a woman with whom he was allegedly having an affair.

Further examination of Gabriele D’Annunzio identifies him as a fascist and a mentor to Benito Mussolini, who was aligned with Adolf Hitler during World War II and fought against the American forces and our allies.

I believe in this time of awakening awareness, it is time to rename the street known as D’Annunzio Ave.

There are many options, and I’d like to suggest some.

"If you wish to honor a former resident of Enfield, I suggest Paul Robeson who lived on Enfield Street and fought for racial equality. He is a worthy person for whom to rename D’Annunzio Ave. Robeson attended Rutgers and Columbia, earned a law degree, played football, sang and acted professionally with a notable appearance in the movie Showboat.

• Robeson Avenue

Other options are:

• Liberty Street
• Patriot Way
• Constitution Street
• America Avenue
• Congress Street
• Independence Street
• Freedom Way
• Vineyard Way
• Foxboro Drive

If you wish to honor someone of Italian or Roman heritage, then these may be suitable:

• Davinci Avenue
• Fermi Street
• Augustus Avenue
• Tuscany Way
• Michelangelo Lane

Thank you for your time,
Nick Lefakis

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