Since the town of Framingham was incorporated in 1700, there have been a select group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the service of the community. There was Maynard in the eighteenth century; Simpson in the nineteenth century, and Callahan in the early twentieth century. The later half of the twentieth century gave the town Anthony “Tony” M. Colonna, Sr. (1916-2001).
Tony Colonna was the seventh of thirteen children born to Italian immigrants, Michael and Josephine (Luongo) Colonna. The Colonnas lived in the North End of Boston on Endicott Street. This is where Tony spent his early years. Eventually, the family moved to Framingham settling on Hillside Street in Saxonville. Michael secured work as a machine operator at the Dennison Mfg. Co. While matriculating at Framingham High School, Tony was a member of the Football Team, Radio Club, Aero Club, Athletic Club, and he also played intramural basketball. After his graduation in 1935, he attended the University of New Mexico. It was there that he met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Murray (1921-2010). Dorothy and Tony were married in her hometown of Hobbs, New Mexico on October 27, 1940.
Shortly after the wedding, Dorothy and Tony made their way back to Framingham. Over the years, they resided at a variety of locations in town, including Hillside Street, Main Street, Winter Street, and finally Warren Road. Tony worked as a truck driver. With his brother Armando, he founded Colonna Brothers, Inc., a construction company which specialized in the installation of water and sewer pipes, drainage systems and road work. The company worked on many projects headed by Farese and Livioli, including the Pheasant Hill development. It was a true family business with Tony serving as President, and Dorothy as Treasurer. The Colonna’s were blessed with three children: Anthony M., Jr., Judith A. , and James Patrick.
It was during the 1950s that Tony began his involvement in town affairs by working on several municipal boards. In the course of his public career, he served on two charter commissions and Framingham’s Board of Public Works among others. He was elected chairman thirty-one times during his five decades on the Board of Public Works. From this position he oversaw the modernization and expansion of the water and sewer systems which opened up large areas of the town for development. Tony was pro-business and worked hard to secure two exits from the new Massachusetts Turnpike for Framingham. This convenient access to the area helped fuel tremendous economic growth for the town. Drawing people from all over, “The Golden Triangle,” the area located between Route 9, Route 30 and Speen Street, developed into a regional retail and business mecca. Tony oversaw the widening of Route 30 to accommodate the increase in traffic this development created.
Tony was a man of the people, an old-time politician who never forgot his roots. He was hard working and compassionate. He helped ordinary citizens with ordinary problems. If there was a problem with a pot hole or a drain, Tony would be sure to get it fixed.
However, not everything that Tony touched turned to gold. When the General Motors Assembly plant wanted to expand and needed land, Tony opposed the plan. When the town refused to sell the land, GM sought the help of the Dukakis administration, which took it by eminent domain. Tony, a member of the Public Works Commission, opposed the move and saw it as a land grab by GM. Tony used his political clout in town to delay this expansion. Without the new paint and plastics factory, GM closed its Framingham operation on August 1,1989, and the town lost its largest employer.
In 1954, Tony became involved in state politics. He was elected to the State Legislature as a representative from Framingham. He held this seat for five terms. In 1962, Tony turned his eyes on the State House, but was unsuccessful in his bid for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor.
After this defeat, Tony turned his attention back to his hometown. In 1963, he gave up his construction business when Governor Endicott Peabody appointed him to the position of clerk magistrate of the Framingham District Court, a position he held until the year 2000. During his tenure as clerk magistrate, Tony worked hard to improve the Framingham court. He modernized the record keeping system, introduced innovative programs to fight for substance abuse, domestic abuse, and juvenile crime. Tony was placed on administrative leave from this position in November 2000 after he allegedly attacked a female court clerk. After hearing the testimony in the case, Judge Katheleen E. Coffey, first justice of the West Roxbury District Court, declared Tony mentally incompetent to stand trial (Rowland).
In addition to his public service, Tony belonged to several social and professional societies. He was a member of the Columbus Society, the Framingham Elks, the Massachusetts Clerk Magistrate Association, and the Massachusetts Police Association. He was also a boy scout leader. In 1981, he was honored by the Algonquin Council as Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Tony was not all work and no play. He enjoyed golf and was a member of the International golf club in Bolton. An avid fisherman, he greatly enjoyed his time at their second home in Pocasset where he could be found angling from his boat on weekends.
To honor Tony for his lifetime of service to Framingham, the town named the Central Street Bridge that spans the Sudbury River in Saxonville, the Anthony Colonna Bridge after it was rebuilt in 1972. In 1996, the town dedicated its new public works garage on Western Avenue in his honor.
Tony’s health began to fail in the late 1990s. In 1998, he underwent bypass surgery after a heart attack. Tony passed away at age 85 years on October 22, 2001, at St. Patrick’s Manor. He is buried at Edgell Grove Cemetery.
Facts
Jonathan Maynard: Revolutionary War veteran, town selectman, town clerk, postmaster, State Representative, State Senator, founding member of the Masonic Lodge in Framingham
Michael Simpson: businessman and inventor. Owned and operated textile mills in Saxonville, created parks, established a public library, built worker housing.
Raymond Callahan: editor of the Framingham News, lifelong resident of Framingham
Bibliography
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