Honoree:

Joseph I. Quartiero
Clerk
City of Torrington, CT

Nominated by:

Joline LeBlanc, Assistant Clerk
on behalf of the City Clerk's Office
City of Torrington, CT

Reason Nominated:

On behalf of the City Clerk's Office of Torrington, CT., I would like to nominate City Clerk Joseph L. Quartiero for his excellent work in restoring the Veterans' Memorial Honor Roll Board located on the second floor of City Hall, Torrington, CT.

In its time, the original Honor Roll Board was something the veterans could be proud of. The names of thousands of men and women who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam were proudly displayed behind glass in an ornamental case that lines the walls of the second floor in City Hall. Time had taken its toll on the board. The back plates with gold lettering were brittle and had faded to the point where it was difficult to locate the names of loved ones and comrades. Most of the names were out of order, some were listed by first name and others by their last name.

When Mr. Quartiero was first elected as City Clerk, he vowed that restoring the War Board would be a priority of his. He started the project by planning exactly how it would be accomplished. A press release informed the residents of his intentions. He raised the entire $4,968.00 from approximately 100 residents and several service organizations, and by selling candy in the City Clerk's Office instead of asking for funds from the city. Several veterans offered to pay for their own name plates.

While he was waiting for funds to roll in, he removed all thirty-six hundred name plates held on by two tiny screws and typed the names into his computer in order to alphabetize them. Names that came in from the public after the press release were verified with discharge papers and added to the list. He then stripped, sanded, and painted the board, making it ready for the new name plates to be displayed. He ordered the new name plates starting with A, B, C, whenever he had enough money to pay for them. One would often find Mr. Quartiero meticulously measuring and placing the new, adhesive backed name plates on the board at the end of the day when he found an extra minute or two.

After two and one half years, Mr. Quartiero is still adding names that are brought forth. He has since added an Operation Desert Storm Board and will begin an Operation Iraqi Freedom Board in the near future. Mr. Quartiero was commended by the senior vice chairman of the Torrington Veterans of Foreign Wars for bringing the board up to date for the younger generations. It's something that the City of Torrington can be proud of. It is with great pride and respect that I submit the name of Joseph L. Quartiero, City Clerk of Torrington, CT for the Municipal Clerks Honor Roll.