The Belleville Education Foundation inducted four of Belleville’s pride to the School District’s Wall of Recognition Wednesday. An induction ceremony was held during the afternoon at the BHS auditorium, followed by a gala dinner at the Chandelier in evening.
Among the inductees was Dr. Cyrus Amato, BHS Class of ’55, the founding surgeon of the Metropolitan Craniofacial Center, and regarded as a pioneer in orthognathic surgery. A former president of the New Jersey Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the State of New Jersey Regional Craniofacial Centers, Dr. Amato presently serves as Medical Coordinator of the New Jersey Institute for Craniofacial Surgery at St. Barnabas Medical Center, helping care for children born with craniofacial defects. He is also president of the Amato Center for Facial Surgery, a practice he shares with his son.
According to Dr. Amato, Belleville has a lot to do with his basic formation and who he is now, and being inducted to the Wall of Recognition is “such a special honor because it comes from Belleville. It’s my home. It’s my family.”
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Two of the inductees are brothers Frank Mascitelli, BHS Class of ‘66, and Gary Mascitelli, BHS Class of ’67, both Vietnam veterans.
Frank embarked on a tour of duty from 1967-1968, and later on became a highly decorated soldier. He earned three Purple Hearts and two Army commendation medals for various acts of heroism: aiding comrades wounded in combat during an ambush and exposing himself to enemy fire in order to prevent a group of Vietcong from surrounding his team.
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Gary also served in the Army from 1967-1968, and was a highly decorated soldier, with three Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, Air Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal of Honor. One of 3,400 men in history to graduate from Recondo School where he was trained by the Green Berets, Gary went on to complete 34 missions as a team member and later on team leader of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol.
Despite moving to other towns, the Mascitelli brothers still have family and friends in Belleville and so are able to keep a pulse on the town. They come home every year to serve as guest speakers at Belleville High, sharing their experiences in Vietnam with the students and talking about the true meaning of Memorial Day.
On being one of the honorees, Gary said, “I can’t put it into words. I am truly honored to be on the wall with a lot of distinguished people.”
For his part, Frank said this recognition is special because it’s from his town, from his peers.
“It’s incredible. I’ve done a lot of guest speaking and talking to people, and I do that for a living, but this is the first time I’m nervous about getting up and speaking in front of people. It is special.”
Another honoree is Thomas Apicella, BHS Class of ’53, a prominent town personality, a lifelong Belleville resident and owner and mastermind behind The Chandelier banquet hall in Franklin Avenue. A long-time supporter of the school district, Apicella provides annual scholarships to local students, opens the doors of The Chandelier to events of organizations from in and around town, and sponsors Christmas parties for groups promoting autistic awareness and concerns of special young adults, among others.
The quintessential Bellevilleite said Belleville is a great town to live in and so it is wonderful to be part of the evening’s honorees.
“It was a great town and still is a great town. I love it here,” said Apicella. “This is a great honor. It’s wonderful.”
The Wall of Recognition Induction and Gala were organized by the Belleville Education Foundation. BEF is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of education and educational opportunity for students of the Belleville School District. It regularly honors Belleville’s finest to serve as examples to the youth. The night's event was a major part of BEF’s fundraising efforts to support its projects and provide grants to teachers and administrators, to help enhance the quality of learning experience in our schools. Contact the BEF to find out how you can make donations.
