Thursday, the Psi U fraternity welcomed dozens of Middletown fire and police workers into its house for a public service dinner, and to honor recently deceased Fire Captain Joseph Pagano, Jr.
“He was a firefighter with a big heart,” said President of the Middletown Firefighters Union Matt Scarrozzo, who worked the same shift as Pagano. “He was a big union guy who always looked out for us firefighters.”
The fraternity holds a public service dinner each semester to acknowledge the local fire and police departments. This semester, public servants and the 63 Psi U brothers were joined by President Doug Bennet, Midge Bennet, Dean of the College Maria Cruz-Saco, and Mayor of Middletown Sebastian N. Giuliano to pay tribute to Pagano, 52, who suffered a heart attack and died at his desk on Nov. 3.
Psi U’s newest pledges served dinner as brothers and their guests remembered Pagano. President of Psi U Benjie Messinger-Barnes ’09 spoke briefly about his personal experience with the captain.
“He was always stopping by [the house] to wish us the best,” Messinger-Barnes said.
The dinner, which The Middletown Press announced on the cover of last Monday’s issue, marked one of many events to commemorate Pagano. All city and school buildings closed on Nov. 9 to observe Pagano’s funeral, which was attended by local and statewide firefighters.
Governor of Connecticut M. Jodi Rell, who could not attend Thursday’s dinner, sent a message that was read.
“I give my best wishes for a memorable occasion,” Rell wrote.
Rell’s absence, however, was not the only one.
“I was a little disappointed with the attendance,” Messinger-Barnes said. “About 40 people who RSVPed did not show up.”
Given the community’s initially strong response to Pagano’s death, Messinger-Barnes said that he expected a larger turnout.
“If 8,000 people went to his funeral and it made the front page, we thought 150 wasn’t out of the picture,” he said. “Normally the dinner’s just the on-duty guys and the mayor—this was a little more than normal.
Psi U brother Vijay Chaudhuri ’07 highlighted the fraternity’s focus on serving the community.
”Psi U has always been about giving back to the community and showing the community that we’re more than just a frat,“ Chaudhuri said.
Messinger-Barnes included in his speech one light-hearted story that he felt captured the late captain, who he said was very particular about food.
”He never liked to eat past 7 p.m.“ Messinger-Barnes said. ”A few years ago when our gas line broke during dinner, Joe was one of the first to respond. After ensuring the safety of everyone inside by evacuating the house, Joe took those [firefighters] on shift with him directly to the [Psi U] kitchen in order to eat before their 7 p.m. deadline, while the brothers waited anxiously outside for the gas company to arrive. Needless to say, we were more than happy to provide.“
While the occasion was lively and fun, the somber undertone was unmistakably there.
”[Pagano] set a great example for anyone to follow,“ Messinger-Barnes said. ”He will be dearly missed.“