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Businessman, philanthropist Romano dies
By JENNIFER CONWAY © St. Petersburg Times, published April 2, 2001 Jack L. Romano, an active member of Tampa's business community, a philanthropist and civic leader, died of cancer at home Friday. He was 62. As a Tampa native, Mr. Romano's community involvement extended into more than 20 civic and community organizations and many charities. Mr. Romano served as chairman of the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, Merchants Association of Florida and United Way of Greater Tampa, among many others. "He worked hard for the community," said Steve Rinaldi, a friend of Mr. Romano's since the seventh grade. His service on various boards ranged from the Southern Exchange Bank, Tampa Museum of Art and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce to the Gulf Ridge Council Boy Scouts and the Ybor City Development Corp. He also was former president of the Merchants Association and Southwest Florida Blood Bank and was the past commodore of the Tampa Yacht Club and former chairman of the board of United Way of Hillsborough County. Coming from modest beginnings, Mr. Romano's presence in Tampa's social circles was well-earned, Rinaldi said. "He grabbed his boot straps and lifted himself up," he said. He graduated from H.B. Plant High School in 1956 and received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1960. He attended the University of California's Leadership Program in 1972 and the University of Indiana Loan Graduate School in 1980. After spending 25 years in the savings and loan industry, Mr. Romano left his position as senior vice president for Florida Federal Savings of St. Petersburg and Tampa to become the president of Precision Motor Cars Co. Once there, he quickly began building more ties with the community. In 1998, Mr. Romano was crowned the 85th king of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, after being involved with the krewe for 41 years, including 13 years on the board. He got the opportunity to see the Gasparilla Parade escalate from a one krewe parade to one of Tampa's most popular events. He even worked hard behind the scenes to get the krewe involved in charity functions, said Rinaldi. "There are also things people don't know about him," Rinaldi said, "He was a mentor to many children. He even saw that my four kids got tickets to a game they wanted to go to. He was a godfather formally to 12 kids and informally to about 50." Jack Romano is survived by his wife of 33 years, Barbara Barritt; two daughters, Evans Romano Sneead, Charlotte N.C., and Tracy Romano Kral, Tampa; mother, Annabeth Barksdale; two brothers, Jerry, Milford, Mass., and Ron Barksdale, Tampa; and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. today at St. John's Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends at home after the service. Contributions may be made in his memory to: Community Foundation of Tampa, The Bridge Fund, 4950 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 33609; Jack Romano Men's Cancer Research Fund, c/o H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL, 33602; or the charity of your choice.
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From the Times |
