Page 34 - Salesianum - Winter 2019

FEATURE
ROCCO A. ABESSINIO ’59 MAKES HISTORIC $16M GIFT
In December of 2018, Salesianum proudly announced a landmark $16 million gift from Rocco A. Abessinio ’59 through the Rocco A. & Mary Abessinio Foundation. The gift will be used to fund the construction of a
new stadium on the former Baynard Stadium site and also continue the Abessinio family’s commitment to the Salesianum School Endowment.
This remarkable gift stands as the third-largest gift to
a Catholic secondary school in the United States and
the largest gift ever to a private school in Delaware. In the spirit of recognizing this incredible commitment to Salesianum and the greater Wilmington community, the school will name the new complex Abessinio Stadium.
Rocco Abessinio is the founder and CEO of Applied Bank, a full-service personal and commercial bank headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. He also founded Roch Capital, which owns hotels and various commercial office buildings throughout the U.S that include,
locally, the former Rollins Building and a global waffle company. The son of Italian immigrants, Rocco grew up
in Wilmington, Delaware, where his parents operated Pio’s Luncheonette. He enrolled in Salesianum and was a graduate of the class of 1959, having played football for the legendary coach Dim Montero ’38.
After graduating from Salesianum, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Neumann University. In addition to his work with Applied Bank and its related entities, Rocco is also a noted philanthropist who has helped fund educational and religious initiatives at a variety of institutions primarily across the Philadelphia region. He and his wife, Mary Frances, currently reside in Boca Raton, Florida. At Salesianum, the Abessinio family has a long history of generosity, having invested significantly in the school’s endowment and the science center, which bears the Abessinio name. He was also
the driving force behind the funding and founding of St. Rocco Catholic Church in Avondale, Pennsylvania. Named in honor of his favorite saint, St. Rocco’s is the first national parish designated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for Hispanics and serves the needs of the
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