This Book of Memories memorial website is designed to be a permanent tribute paying tribute to the life and memory of Dr. Americo Petrocelli. It allows family and friends a place to re-visit, interact with each other, share and enhance this tribute for future generations. We are both pleased and proud to provide the Book of Memories to the families of our community.

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Paul DePace

To the Family of Ric Petrocelli; I met RIc in 1977 just after he came on board at the University. He hired me to to be his Director of Physical Plant as a 32 year old engineer coming out of Electric Boat. He later revised the organization and asked me to run the Capital Projects operation. I had never met anyone like him before nor since. He was smart, hard working, creative and the right mix of listening, instructing and directing. He was mentor to me and others while he was at the University and when he moved to the Office in Higher Ed. There have been many Vice Presidents but none quite like him. I guess we were both Federal Hill Kids so we understood John O Pastore's lined about "coming from humble . beginnings ". I remember his story that he told us a number of times about the retired guy who was called back to help because he know how to fix a particular old machine. He looked at the machine and wacked it with a hammer and it worked. He sent is a bill for $100. The owner questioned the bill and asked him for a breakdown of the bill detail. The retired guy wrote 1) hitting machine with hammer $1 2)Knowing where to hit the machine $99. I remember that ever present pipe and the ashes all over his desk and him with a few burn holes in his shirt and $1 tie. God speed Ric. You always knew where to wack the machine. I am still at the UNiversity doing the job as you would have wanted. Paul M. DePace
Tuesday August 14, 2018 at 9:55 pm
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