Dante G. Ionata ’59

Dante G. Ionata ’59, of North Providence; Feb. 13. After Brown, he enlisted in the Army. He attended Army Language School in Monterey, Calif., where he learned Cantonese. He served in Korea and Vietnam working with Army Intelligence. He later was a reporter for the Providence Journal and the Evening Bulletin (1967-1973), specializing in inner-city issues, public housing, urban renewal, and marine fishing. In 1973, he became press secretary and principal speechwriter to U.S. Sen. John O. Pastore, for whom he worked until 1976. From 1977 to 1980, he served as director of capacity and energy management for Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy. In 1980 he served as senior policy associate to the governor and in 1984, he was appointed project manager at the Rhode Island Solid Waste Management Corporation, where he was instrumental in establishing a recycling program for the state. He then served as a consultant for the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation. He was vice president, president, and later a director of the Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association. He retired in 2002 and focused on his hobbies of managing a vineyard in Hope Valley (R.I.), gardening, fishing, and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Angela; three daughters, including Victoria Ionata Green ’95 and Catherine Ionata ’97; three grandchildren; and a sister.