Reality Bites by James Norton

Rocco J. Antonelli, Sr., a born and raised Somerville native may now live in Andover, but his heart   never left here.  The acclaimed businessman sat at our contributors meeting two weeks ago and shared some of his life story with us.  Some of us who knew him before that morning had no idea of the accomplishments the young at heart 84 year old had achieved in his personal and professional life.

“I loved playing basketball” he said, which seemed an understatement considering he graduated from Somerville High with honors with an “Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award” and went on to Tufts University briefly until World War II.

"As a Naval Officer, he was highly decorated for bravery with four Bronze Stars.  When asked of his experience being present at the surrender of the Japanese on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay, he stated, ‚Äúit was truly an honor to be there to witness such an important event in world history."

Rocco came back to continue his studies at Tufts, where in 1946 he was invited to tryout for the Boston Celtics.  ‚ÄúIt was truly an honor to have been invited,‚Äù he said humbly.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts and then went on to Harvard Business School for his MBA ‚Äì of course as the captain of the basketball team during this time.

In the early 50‚Äôs, Rocco worked for Algonquin Gas Transmission Company, where he was personally responsible for the construction of the natural gas pipeline from New Jersey to Massachusetts.  Soon afterward, in 1955, he founded R.J. Antonelli and Company, a public accounting firm, which he has been president of ever since.

‚ÄúI loved all things business, but my heart was in accounting,‚Äù he said, as he spoke of his many years devoted to the business.  His public service started at an early age as well, he was the City Treasurer for Somerville from 1959-1960 and later on was elected as Middlesex County Treasurer from 1979-1983.  In between those times and since then he has ‚Äúserved on many boards and associations‚Äù and authored both the Massachusetts and National Regulatory Laws.

‚ÄúWe started our business in Union Square in 1955, but saw that Davis Square was where there would be the most dramatic change in the way real estate was developed.‚Äù  In 1969 he built his first building in Davis Square and moved his business in ‚Äì and never looked back.  Rocco and other similarly minded investors started buying burned out buildings and went to ‚Äúoutside‚Äù lenders for creative financing to purchase many of the buildings that are still standing in the square today. 

‚ÄúThere was a vision of a great square long before the Red Line was here,‚Äù he said and went on to explain that many of the problems with commercial buildings keeping tenants today is because of the high debt load most building owners have to carry.  ‚ÄúThat means higher and higher rents that the smaller shops just can‚Äôt afford.‚Äù

“Better traffic mitigation and the need to build hi-rise buildings and hotels in the immediate area of Davis Square is vital to it’s future” he said, when asked where he sees the square in another ten years.

Today, even in his 80‚Äôs, Rocco still goes to work every day at his Woburn office and he doesn‚Äôt see himself slowing down anytime soon.  ‚ÄúThey might have to carry me out of my office someday‚Äù he joked.  He might be right, but hopefully it won‚Äôt be for many years.