Former SHS headmaster mentored generations of Somerville kids
By George P. Hassett

Even in his most popular days as mayor, Eugene C. Brune hated to be the speaker following Tony V. Fedele at Somerville High School events.
“The kids would cheer for him so much I’d be drowned out,” Brune said. “He was truly one of the most beloved Somerville characters we had.”

Fedele who for more than 40 years mentored generations of Somerville students as a history teacher, administrator and ultimately headmaster of Somerville High School, died this week.
“He believed in giving kids the best shot at life and getting Somerville kids off to college,” said Dan Macero who taught with Fedele at SHS.
The son of Italian immigrants, Fedele held education and knowledge in the highest esteem, Macero said.  Fedele graduated from Somerville High School in 1954 and went on to graduate from Boston College in 1958 and obtain a master’s degree from Brown University. Through his travels, he always returned to Somerville.
“He was Somerville,” said Macero. “He cared deeply for all the kids and all the people in the city. He was Somerville through and through.”
David Mangan graduated from SHS in 1980 and considers Fedele one of his most important mentors.
“A word of advice from him meant a lot to me. He pushed me to take the SAT’s and get my grades up for college,” he said. Mangan, who described himself as “not being too interested in hitting the books in high school” today has three degrees in mechanical engineering and works as a tactical manager at Hanscom Air Force Base.
Mangan said he spoke to Fedele only weeks ago and Fedele, years retiring from SHS, still expressed concern for the city’s youth.
“He was concerned the children of the more recent immigrant populations like the Brazilian and Salvadoran families. He was worried that these kids weren’t getting the programs they needed to be successful in school,” Mangan said.
One piece of Fedele’s legacy that lives on is the Somerville High School Scholarship Foundation, Brune said. The foundation awarded scholarships to graduating SHS seniors each year.
‚ÄúA lot of children went on to college because of Tony,‚Äù said Brune. ‚ÄúBut that‚Äôs how he was. He was everybody‚Äôs father, uncle or brother. He cared for all the kids in Somerville like they were his own family.‚Äù