WHEREAS, Born in a 13th century house in Gallo Matese, Italy, on August 29, 1913, John Assalone is the son of the late Domenico and Maria Assalone. Emigrating from his native land with his parents and brother Frank in 1924, John and his family settled in New York City, where the young immigrant made the adjustment from a one room school house and being a shepard in gallo Matese to the New York school system and shining shoes on 42nd Street. The family moved to Queens, New York, in 1928; and

WHEREAS, When he was only 17, John Assalone lost his beloved father in a construction accident and left school to support his family by opening and running the Lincoln Cafe from 1934-1939. On February 5, 1939, John married the true and great love of his life, the late Rose M. Assalone, and they moved to Warwick later that year. John served as a foreman of the hoisting engineers and the fabricating shop at the Walsh Kaiser Shipyard during World War II; and

WHEREAS, In the 1940s, John and Rose grew so much food in their garden that they opened a fruit and vegetable stand. The "fruit and vegetable stand" moved to a former candy store in 1944, establishing a small grocery that the Assalones ran while living in the back room with their two children. Four years later, with Rose at his side, John and his brothers Frank, Tony and Joe built the 3,200 square foot "Warwick Central Super Market," the beginning of Rhode Island's first independent food chain. They followed it with other markets on Broad Street in Providence, Buttonwoods Avenue in Warwick and Tiogue Avenue in Coventry; and

WHEREAS, The President of the Rhode Island Grocers Association from 1948 to 1950, John Assalone became the first person ever to be re-elected. In what must have been a truly touching moment, the successful immigrant from Gallo Matese was appointed a delegate of the National Association of Grocers to attend the opening of the first supermarket in Italy. While in Warwick, John was a member of the Knights of Columbus, a charter member of the Rotary club of Warwick, a member of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce and of the Church Building Committee for St. Timothy Church; and

WHEREAS, John and Rose Assalone moved to Coventry in 1953, and he quickly became a business and community leader. A doer and a visionary John Assalone, with the help of his family and associates, has established a solid tax base and brought more jobs and diversified housing to the community than any person in the history of Coventry. His myriad accomplishments include: Coventry's first supermarket, its first pre-planned, community (Wood Estates and Wood Estates North), the first pre-planned open space development (Red Oak Estates), the first planned unit development (Woodland Manor), the Coventry Health Center, where jobs and apartments were always prioritized for Coventry residents, and Coventry's first sewer line; and

WHEREAS, John Assalone's private ventures and expanded businesses, including Stop & Shop, Wal-Mart, the Coventry Post Office, the Coventry Credit Union and more, continue to grow and enrich the community. A vital and respected member of the Town Council for four years, he played a key role on the Search Committee for both a police chief and a superintendent of schools; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations joins the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, Vince Lombardi Lodge #235, the family of John Assalone; his sons Domenico D. Assalone of Evansville, Indiana and John R. Assalone of Coventry; and, his beloved grandchildren Maryann, Veronica, Nichole, Marcy, Lee-Ann, Liena Rose and Giovanni-Carlos, as well as John's many friends and admirers in honoring this wonderful gentleman. One of the most optimistic and upbeat persons in the world, John Assalone can look back upon his life with justifiable pride in all that he has accomplished. He has served God, his country, his community, his family, and his heritage with honor, and is truly deserving of the unqualified admiration, respect and praise of this House of Representatives; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. John Assalone.