New York State Senate Resolution No. 3929


        COMMENDING  Ilio  DiPaolo's  Restaurant  upon  the
        occasion of celebrating its 45th year of service  to
        the community of Blasdell, New York

  WHEREAS,  It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize the
achievements of those individuals  and  businesses  which  substantially
contribute  to  the  vitality of their communities and the entire Empire
State; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commend Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant upon the occasion of  celebrating  its
45th year of service to the community of Blasdell, New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Born  in Abruzzi, Italy, on November 8, 1926, Ilio DiPaolo
was  an  extremely  talented   wrestler   who   dreamed   of   competing
professionally  in  the  United  States;  in  1949,  he  left  Italy for
Venezuela, where he met the promoter of the wrestling alliance  and  the
Madison  Square  Garden arena; soon thereafter, he had a signed contract
to wrestle in the United States and arrived in New York in August  1951;
and

  WHEREAS,  In  1965,  after  a very successful wrestling career, Ilio
DiPaolo, along with his wife, Ethel, opened a small pizzeria  with  four
employees,  and  soon  his  dream to never be hungry again, as he was in
Italy, was becoming a reality; and

  WHEREAS, Their hard work soon paid off and Ilio DiPaolo enlarged the
restaurant putting much emphasis on good food and friendly service; and

  WHEREAS, While Ilio DiPaolo passed away in 1995, his legacy lives on
in the continued success of his beloved restaurant  which  has  expanded
over  13  times at its current location to meet the demands of its loyal
customers; and

  WHEREAS, The  restaurant  is  decorated  with  hand-painted  Italian
murals  of the Bay of Sorrento and Ilio DiPaolo's hometown in Italy; the
decor also celebrates his pro wrestling career; guests  will  find  that
the  full-service  Ringside  lounge  documents  his  career and features
celebrity photos, while the bar features a full  selection  of  martinis
and a wine list with offerings from every region of Italy; and

  WHEREAS, The success of Ilio DiPaolo's throughout the years has been
built by the dedicated work of loyal employees that believed in Ilio and
all  he stood for; the list of Ilio's past personnel includes many local
political leaders, directors, teachers, lawyers,  corporate  supervisors
and self-employed entrepreneurs, serving as a testament to the dedicated
work ethic they learned at Ilio's; and

  WHEREAS, Many of Ilio DiPaolo's staff of over 100 have been employed
by the restaurant for at least 10 years, some of whom have been employed
for much longer; and

  WHEREAS,  Today,  this wonderful eatery is managed by Ilio DiPaolo's
children, Dennis, Michael and Barbara; however, sadly missed is the love
and laughter of his late daughter, Lisa, and granddaughter, Tara; and

  WHEREAS, The third generation, Kristen, Elicia, Jessie and Ilio, are
also  working hard at Ilio DiPaolo's to carry on the family tradition of
serving excellent food and providing friendly service unlike anywhere in
Western New York; and

  WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to take  note  of
and  publicly  recognize  those  businesses within the State of New York
which have positively impacted their communities; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commend  Ilio  DiPaolo's Restaurant upon the occasion of celebrating its
45th year of service to the community of Blasdell, New York; and  be  it
further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant.