Delsandro committee aids Donora organizations

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The A.P. Delsandro Memorial in Donora has stood in memory of former mayor Albert P. Delsandro since the mid-1980s, and the committee to maintain it is in its 36th year of making charitable donations to other Donora organizations.

This year, the Donora Veterans Council and the Donora Historical Society each received $350 from the A.P. Delsandro Memorial Committee, which includes A.P. Delsandro’s son, Tom Delsandro, and his nephews, Paul Delsandro and Ron Delsandro.

A.P Delsandro was a World War II Army veteran who served in Europe and Africa.

The committee is in the midst of raising money and working on plans to rebuild the memorial near the intersection of Sixth Street and Meldon Avenue. The memorial contains plaques listing the names of Donora’s military heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The original memorial was demolished due to deterioration, and rebuilding began the following year. Plans will create an open and welcoming facility with sitting areas and landscape features.

Recent progress toward the rebuilding includes the addition of a memorial family plaque that was made possible by the donation of a Donora native.

Large, color murals will be installed in the near future to depict patriotic themes from the conflicts remembered at the memorial.

Anyone who wants more information on what is planned for the memorial can contact Tom Delsandro by email at tdelsandro@gmail.com.

One of this year’s beneficiaries, the Donora Veterans Council was established by the late Ernest “Babe” Cerini, founder of Cerini’s Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shop.

The organization works out of Donora American Legion Post 212 with Terry Gnora as president and Ron Janney as treasurer.

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