 |
|
(1916 - 1997) |
| Inducted: |
1983 |
A native New Yorker, Joe Francomano became an Achiever in 1933 while a sophomore at Brooklyn Boys High School. During three years of membership, be became an active spokesman for Junior Achievement’s expansion efforts and was recognized for outstanding contributions to the New York program.
Francomano joined the New York staff in 1936 as national director of fund raising. In 1941, he was named director of expansion, then administrative vice president, and from 1964 to 1980, he joined headquarters as executive vice president.
No one had more influence on national Junior Achievement expansion than Joe Francomano. From 1947 through the early 1950s he traveled the country raising awareness among key business leaders in metropolitan areas. In 1950 alone, he helped spearhead franchised programs in Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore; San Francisco; San Diego; Denver; and Detroit. He was credited with opening Junior Achievement in more than 40 cities and 18 countries during his career.
He served as chairman and director of the first National Student Conference (NAJAC). He originated the National Business Leadership Conference (now known as the U.S. Business Hall of Fame); and the Business, Industry, & Education Day (BI&E Day).. Francomano’s zeal for perfection led to his writing of Junior Achievement’s national manuals on policy and procedure, and board officer responsibility.
Eight years after his retirement in 1980, he compiled and coauthored the treasured History of JA which chronicled the organization from its inception in 1919, through its major in-school focus in 1988. In a letter of introduction to this text he stated that, “Junior Achievement was never just a job and it was more than a career. It has been and continues to be a lifetime of opportunities.”
|
