The East Boston Kiwanian of the Year Dinner Saturday night at Spinelli’s was a very special occasion.
There was a lot of warmth and a festive, upbeat atmosphere in the hall as Kiwanians and friends honored Edmund J. “Ed” Coletta as Kiwanian of the Year for 2015.
Ed was clearly touched by the outpouring of support from the many guests who responded to the presentation of the award with a standing ovation for the guest of honor.
As well-known Kiwanis member Albert “Buddy” Mangini told the gathering, this was a well-deserved award for an individual who has stepped up and helped so many in East Boston with his volunteerism and community service.
We at the Independent Newspaper Group are proud of Ed Coletta because members of our staff had the honor to work on his team when he was the managing editor of the East Boston newspaper and other publications under the Journal-Transcript banner. Ed was a professional in all aspects of his leadership position and truly represented the newspaper company with class and dignity. We remember his enthusiasm for the Kiwanis Club of East Boston and the respect he had for his fellow members.
Ed made the difficult decision in his career to leave the newspaper industry and accept a position in state government. It comes as no surprise that the people at the Mass. Department of Environment Protection – including DEP Commissioner Suuberg – hold Ed Coletta in the high esteem that his colleagues at the newspapers did for many years.
One of the joys of this memorable Kiwanis event was seeing the three children of Ed and Nina (Gaeta) Coletta – Christopher, Angela, and Gabriela – all grown up and following in the footsteps of their parents and bringing even more credit and honor to the Coletta family name.
We couldn’t help but think of the old adage, “behind every great man there is a great woman” when Ed accepted his Kiwanian of the Year award and Nina beamed her approval at the Head Table. Nina comes from a well-known East Boston family and she and Ed have made their home here – and we are all grateful to them for the long lasting and prideful impact they and their children have made in our community.
Congratulations, Ed Coletta, and we’ll see you at the next community event.