South Norwood Dedicates Memorial Stone to Lifelong Civic Leader Frank Ciavattone Sr. on Veterans Day-November 11, 1994

Community Honors Former Marine and Holiday Toy Organizer Alongside WWII Veteran Sgt. John B. Petraitis

Honoring a lifetime of quiet generosity, community service, and military devotion, the South Norwood Committee dedicated a commemorative stone marker in honor of Frank Ciavattone Sr. on Friday, November 11, 1994. Placed in front of his former home at 51 Alandale Parkway, the monument dedication followed the town’s traditional Veterans Day parade.

Ciavattone, a Korean War veteran who served with the 1st Marine Division and worked as a heavy equipment operator for 43 years prior to his 1985 retirement, passed away on December 21, 1993, at age 63 following long battles with diabetes. Remembered by neighbors as a man who would “do anything for anybody”—such as secretly buying Christmas gifts for struggling families while making ends meet in his own South Norwood household—Ciavattone left a massive imprint on local civic life.

South Norwood Committee Chairman Joseph Antonelli noted that honoring Ciavattone was a fitting tribute to a man who organized the local Toys for Tots campaign, led the Norwood Veterans Council, dedicated neighborhood parks and memorial plaques, and directed the annual Fourth of July parade for a decade. His wife, Josephine Ciavattone, and youngest daughter, Cara Ciavattone, expressed immense pride, noting that the permanent stone ensures his legacy will endure for his 12 grandchildren and future generations.

Sgt. John B. Petraitis Honored at Morse and Pleasant Streets

Ciavattone was not the only hero honored during Norwood’s 1994 Veterans Day observances. At 12:30 p.m., family, friends, and neighbors gathered at the corner of Morse and Pleasant streets to dedicate a bronze plaque honoring Sgt. John B. Petraitis, a Norwood native and Balch Elementary and Junior/Senior High alumnus who served as a B-17 radio gunner and was just 22 years old when his aircraft was shot down during World War II. The ceremony was coordinated by Veterans Agent George Thomas.

Full Lineup of Veterans Day Events

The day’s comprehensive municipal schedule, organized under the direction of Veterans Agent George Thomas, included:

• 6:00 a.m.: Placement of American flags along the Washington Street parade route.
• 8:00 a.m.: Traditional Veterans Day Mass celebrated at St. George’s Roman Catholic Church in South Norwood.
• 9:00 a.m.: Solemn flag-raising ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign Wars park in Town Square.
• 10:00 a.m.: Annual Veterans Day parade stepping off from Balch Elementary School, proceeding up Washington Street to the VFW park, and concluding with guest speakers at the Town Common gazebo.
• Parade Units: Included local veterans, the Norwood High School Band, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Colonial Boys, and the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger