By FRANK CONTE
After the news hit today, a not so little light went out in East Boston. After a long battle with cancer, Domenic Amara passed away Friday.
He will be certainly missed by the many he taught in classrooms, the many he met in labs, the many he mentored and the many he led as a a major influencer in the Italian-American community, particularly the Pirandello Lyceum. Domenic was one of our best and brightest individuals and he had the credentials to prove it every day. His passion in defending traditions central to Italian-American culture is unsurpassed.
Dr. Amara earned his pedigree in the Hub of the Universe. He received his Bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Boston University. His Master’s Degree at the University of Massachusetts and his Ph.D. in science curriculum development at Boston College. He shared that knowledge and experience in the neighborhood he loved so dearly.
Domenic taught science at East Boston High School. Then before long he became principal of the Warren Prescott School in Charlestown, where he served for 21 years. In shaping minds for future careers, Domenic held the critical role of Academic Superintendent for Middle and K-8 schools of the Boston Public Schools. It did not end there. Domenic’s reach was global. In retirement he became an international consultant to educators in over 30 countries, some of which he visited regularly. He is the co-founder of the Nené Aissatou Diallo School and Medical clinic in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa.
Domenic Amara earned several public service awards during his career including the Massachusetts Educator Award and the Shattuck Public Service Award.
In addition to teaching, Domenic made his mark with the Regional Review newspaper, a publication that in its early days covered East Boston and the North End as well as politics and the arts. In his later years, Domenic turned his attention to writing and organizing around efforts to preserve the proud legacy of Christopher Columbus. When the city effectively decline to support the biennial Columbus Day Parade in East Boston, Domenic and the Italian American Alliance held an October event on Pier 1. While lacking the pomp of a parade down East Boston’s grand avenues, the event demonstrated the resilience of his heritage.
Two years ago he helped establish an Italian language program in Canton, MA. Taking the lead from the late Vincent Basile, Domenic continued the efforts to create a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno, an Italian American who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, selfless devotion to duty as a U.S Marine and Chaplain.
In one of his most profound articles, Domenic warned of the dangers of growing antisemitism in the United States drawing upon the lessons of Jews in pre-World War II Italy. Domenic Amara loved history as he proved in many emails and texts to friends and associates.
When I was about 16, my late godfather John Cuono took me to Dom Amara’s Regional Review office on Bremen Street. The newspaper office was part of the McGrath Funeral Home building and was home to his family’s canning business. Behind shelves of jars, containers and huge barrels was an office with a darkroom and a typesetting workspace. The Regional Review was the starting point of my on-and-off-again reporting career. Much of what you see on this site is the product of years of reporting, editing and publishing that drew its first breath under the auspices of Domenic Amara.
I kept in touch with Domenic until a few weeks ago when he was in quarantine at his Orient Avenue home. His voice was frail but he made every effort to return my calls.
From East Boston to Republic of Guinea, West Africa, we owe an enormous debt to a man who left the world a better place than he found it.
Update: According to the Board of Directors of the Pirandello Lyceum the following funeral arrangements have been made: 1) A wake will be held at Vertuccio Smith and Vazza in Revere on Thursday, July 17 from 4 to 7 p.m.; 2) A funeral mass will be said at Sacred Heart Church in East Boston; 3) Burial Services will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett; 4) a collation will be held after the burial at Spinelli’s in East Boston. Link to published obituary at Legacy.com.
Frank Conte is editor and publisher of EastBoston.com, est. 1995.
