(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring Tony Dattalo, class of 1938, appeared in The Stuart (Florida) News on March 11, 2005)  5/29/05

“Why sit on your butt watching TV? Do something with your life! Keep your mind active!”

Tony Dattalo – Retired Senior Volunteer Program member

By George Andreassi
Staff Writer

He’s is a regular reader to youngsters.

He’s a staple of the local Merchant Marine organization.

And he’s a pillar of his Jensen Beach community.

Retirement has been a lot of work for Tony Dattalo, but the spry 83-year old hasn’t earned a dime for his efforts.

That’s because Dattalo is an energetic and enthusiastic volunteer for a variety of good causes in Stuart and Jensen Beach, such as the United Way, the Maritime and Yachting Museum and the Hoke library.

Dattalo was one of the first people to join the United Way’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), which now has about 800 members.

He’s due to get an award for his 15 years of service during a ceremonial luncheon on Thursday.

When he is not volunteering, Dattalo spreads his special brand of warmth and good cheer to young and old alike, telling jokes and offering encouragement to hundreds of people who treasure his friendship.

“Mr. Jensen”

It’s that outgoing, fun-loving nature, combined for his knack for being helpful, that makes Dattalo – known to some by the friendly nickname “Tony Baloney” – one of the most beloved characters in the area.

“Tony is one of our wonderful unsung heroes that we have here in Martin County,“ said County Commissioner Doug Smith, whose district includes Jensen Beach. “He’s like ‘Mr. Jensen.’ He’s one if the ambassadors of our community.”

Dattalo’s informative and humorous presentations are also a regular feature of the monthly meetings of the Treasure Coast chapter of the American Merchant Marine Veterans Association in Vero Beach.

World Traveler

Born in 1921, Dattalo started life in a tough, inner-city neighborhood before his father got a better paying job that enabled the family to move to a suburb.

After short stints at Ohio State University and the State Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Dattalo got his seaman’s papers in 1941 and worked shoveling coal on a vessel on the Great Lakes.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dattalo joined the Merchant Marine and served until 1946 on ships that carried troops, supplies and equipment across the Atlantic Ocean.

When he returned to Columbus after the war, Dattalo joined his uncle’s insurance business and had a productive career. He got married and raised three children, all of whom have been successful.

A blizzard in 1979 motivated Dattalo to sell his insurance business and retire to Jensen Beach. He has been making friends and helping people ever since.

‘One of a kind’

Dattalo is known for riding his one-speed bicycle 10 to 15 miles per day, stopping along the way to chat with shop owners, construction workers at the Jensen Beach High School, and his cohorts at the Log Cabin Senior Activity Center.

In addition to volunteering two mornings a week with the United Way, Dattalo shares his love of the sea with visitors at the Maritime and Yachting Museum where he serves as a docent on Sunday afternoons. He is also a booster of the Hole Library and several other cultural institutions.

“I’m giving back to my community,” Dattalo said. “It’s very important because – why be a couch potato? Why sit on your butt watching TV? Do something with your life! Keep your mind active!”

Dattalo’s friendliness and reliability make him a walking advertisement for volunteerism, said Carol Hodnett, the volunteer director for the United Way. That’s particularly important on the Treasure Coast, where there are so many retired seniors.

“He just loves volunteering and really promotes it,” Hodnett said. “Tony is a sweetheart. He’s one of a kind. I wish we could find some more people like him.”

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