D'AMICO, ARNOLD (3 September 1923 - 2 August 1996) was mayor of SOUTH EUCLID for 20 years. Born in Warren, Ohio, to Anna (Rossi), a homemaker, and Joseph D'Amico, a steelworker and bartender, he graduated from Kent State University in 1949. During WORLD WAR II he was stationed with the Army in the Aleutian Islands and the Burma-India-China theater. After the war, he worked for Aetna Insurance in Chicago, and as an auditor for the Air Force and for the Office of Price Stabilization in Washington, D.C. From 1956 to 1968 he was office manager for HOUGH BAKERIES, INC., and from 1968 to 1975 he was Controller for MENORAH PARK CENTER FOR THE AGING in BEACHWOOD. Elected to South Euclid's City Council in 1969, he served on the Planning Commission and as chairman of the Council of Government of the Tri-City Consortium on Aging Commission. He was elected mayor of South Euclid in 1972 and became the city's first full-time mayor in 1976, maintaining that position until 1992.
While in office, D'Amico created several firsts for the city, including the position of service director, the Office on Aging, the paramedic and 9-1-1 emergency programs, and private refuse service. At no cost to the city, he initiated construction of the community center, which was rededicated to his memory on November 3, 1996. He also made several gifts to the city, including the War Memorial Flag Case, the City Hall mural, the Mayor's Hall of Fame, and equipment for the community center and historical society. He served on the Ohio Municipal League, the CUYAHOGA COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION (RPC), the Board of Advisers of NOTRE DAME COLLEGE, as president of the CUYAHOGA COUNTY MAYORS AND CITY MANAGERS ASSOCIATION, and as chairman and treasurer of the Regional Income Tax Agency. An avid golfer and sports enthusiast, D'Amico was also a member of the American Legion Heights-Hillcrest Post 104, and of Little Italy Retirees and Italian Sons and Daughters of America. In 1956, he married Mary DiLoreto and the couple had two daughters, Ann and Elaine. He died at UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER of complications from diabetes after heart bypass surgery, and is buried at All Soul's Cemetery in Chardon. The South Euclid post office at 1568 South Green Road was renamed the Arnold C. D'Amico Building in late 2000 by an act of Congress sponsored by Representative STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES.