University of Connecticut Athletics
Pat And Mark Sinatro To Receive Red O'Neill Award
4/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | UConn Club
STORRS, Conn. -
Pat L. '51 and Mark S. '88 Sinatro of West Hartford, Conn., will receive the Red O'Neill Award on Tuesday night when The UConn Club hosts its 62nd Annual Awards Ceremony at the Jorgensen Center For The Performing Arts on campus.
The Red O'Neill Award is given annually by The UConn Club to a former Husky student-athlete who has mirrored the Red O'Neill-type attributes of character, leadership, athletic ability, and later, a successful career. History will be made Tuesday night as a father-and-son combination will be given the award for the first-time ever.
Father Pat and son Mark Sinatro have led very similar lives, a generation apart, and have similar traits in their love for UConn and dedication to making their community a better place to live. Both of them also earned varsity letters in tennis during their undergraduate years at UConn.
Pat started his tennis career over 77 years ago at the age of ten at his local park. UConn coach George Van Bibber recognized him while scouting at the Connecticut State Tennis Championship in 1946 and offered him a spot on the Husky roster.
He proudly accepted and began his long love for and his pledge to the Huskies. Several of Pat's children continued his legacy of playing tennis for UConn, including Mark as a team captain.
Pat was always approachable and willing to step up whenever the University was in need of fulfilling an initiative for funds. When Gampel Pavilion was being constructed, Pat, his wife Jo and their children donated the funds in honor of their UConn education.
The family also helped start a chair in Italian Studies, funding for the construction of the Babbidge Library and leading the Parent Drive for the Husky Dog Park. They are members of the Founders Society of the UConn Foundation and established the Sinatro Family Scholarship.
Pat's Husky pride continues on in his children and 17 grandchildren, 11 of whom have graduated or are currently attending UConn.
After graduation from UConn in 1951, Pat, along with his brother, started the Sinatro Insurance Agency and managed the Sinatro Realty Company. His business career was put on hold while he served for four years with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean conflict.
Upon his return, in addition to resuming his business career and raising his children, Pat served the West Hartford youth in many ways. He coached for the West Hartford Football League, served as president for the West Hartford Basketball League and was an organizer for the National Junior Tennis Association.
For his civic contributions, he was recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution with the Certificate of Excellence in community service. He felt a duty to pass on respect and honor to our youth, which was the catalyst for the local high school to also establish a West Hartford Fallen Heroes Memorial Monument.
The family belonged to the Hartford Tennis Club for many years. Pat served as Club President and this past year, he was awarded Court #5 for his diligence, excellence and devotion to the game of tennis.
Mark continues the family insurance legacy as a principal in Sinatro Agency One and has twice been named the Travelers Insurance Agent of the Year. He is a Safeco Insurance Quality Service Award Winner and earned Elite Agent Distinction from Travelers. Mark is a long-time member of The UConn Club Board of Directors and is a UConn Foundation Trustee. He is a trustee for the Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Hartford and was a member of the State of Connecticut Boxing Commission.
He played a pivotal role in creating a national connection between UNICO, the largest Italian American service organization in the country, and Jim Valvano's V Foundation, which has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research.
