Mario M. Libutti Memorial Fund

Recipients of scholarships from the Mario M. Libutti Memorial Fund – students attending Brown University, Bryant University, and the University of Rhode Island – will have an opportunity the fund’s namesake never had, the chance to obtain a college education.

“Mario thought education was important because he felt all people should have the opportunity to explore as many fields as possible…to expand their horizons,” says Richard C. Tallo, Esq., whom Mr. Libutti referred to in his will as “my lifelong friend and attorney.”

Doris J. Franklin, Mr. Libutti’s companion for the 24 years prior to his death in February, 2008 at age 87, explains that as one of six children of immigrant parents, higher education was never a possibility for him. “He wanted to give this opportunity to those who had the talent, but not the financial resources, to attend those schools,” Ms. Franklin shares.

Born in Providence, Mr. Libutti was the son of Clorindo and Erminia Libutti, both Italian immigrants. Clorindo was a cabinet maker and Erminia, a homemaker. Mr. Libutti attended public schools in Providence.

“He was a go-getter from a young age,” Ms. Franklin says, detailing his early jobs as a teenage bicycle messenger for Western Union, at Narragansett Race Track, and at a gas station before he entered the construction business. “Mario built just under 300 homes in Rhode Island, mostly in the North Providence and Johnston area,” Ms. Franklin notes. One of those homes was built 52 years ago for Attorney Tallo’s mother-in-law, the attorney explains.

In 1966, Mr. Libutti founded Town Asphalt Corporation in Johnston, a business he led until his retirement in 2002. “Mario was an extremely hardworking and conscientious businessman. He was keenly aware of things happening in the business community and was able to benefit from them. He was an astute and savvy businessman,” Attorney Tallo recalls.

Mr. Libutti was an avid golfer and boater, and participated in courses offered by the nonprofit United States Power Squadrons on boating, advanced piloting, and celestial navigation. He and Ms. Franklin traveled extensively, including trips to England, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, and Italy.

Return to Funds Page