Anthony Ettore Towaco, New Jersey Anthony 'Tony" Ettore began studying the accordion when he was just 5 years old. His father, a very fine accordionist, was his first teacher. As he grew older, he continued his studies with his brother (the late Gene Ettore), Joe Biviano, and Johnny Serry. During World War II, Tony served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Returning home after the war, Tony played his accordion with groups in many clubs throughout New Jersey and New York. He gave accordion lessons at Master School of Music in Jersey City. In 1952, he started his own accordion school... the Ettore School of Music located in Staten Island, NY. He was the teacher of many fine accordion students who competed in both State and National Competitions where they won hundreds of awards in solo, duet, combo and accordion orchestra divisions. Tony even performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City with his Virtuoso Accordion Orchestra. Tony has been a member of the American Accordionist's Association Board of Governors for nearly 50 years, and served two terms as President of the AAA in 1987 and 1988. He produced the famous and enormously successful Town Hall (New York City) concert which featured the great Carmen Carrozza in a program of AAA commissioned compostions for the accordion. Tony served on the composer's commissioning committee with Carmen Carrozza and Chairperson, Elsie Bennet. He organized and chaired Accordion Festivals held at the Brickman Hotel in South Fallsburg, NY. He was responsible for the New York Yankees sponsoring an Accordion Night at Yankee Stadium which was attended by over 800 accordionists where Carmen Carrozza and Tony Mecca performed in Center Field between games of the double header. In 1964, Tony was Co-Chairperson for the Accordion Competitions held at the New York World's Fair and the historic concert at Singer Stadium in Flushing Meadow which featured such outstanding accordionists as Charles Magnante, Anthony Galla-Rini, Tony Mecca, Carmen Carrozza and others. In 1965, Tony and Carmen Carrozza represented the USA at the Coupe Mondiale World Championships held in Baden Baden, Germany which was won by American Accordionist Skeets Langley, then again in 1965 at the CIA held in Valetta, Malta where the World Championship was won by American Beverly Roberts. One of Tony's most recent projects involves researching and collecting many published and unpublished compostions of his late brother, Gene Ettore. Tony has been an avid supporter of the AAMS the past 17 years and has donated his time and talents in many areas including organization, adjudication, and sponsoring the Eugene Ettore Memorial Category. We are very pleased to be honoring Tony Ettore - Man of the Year - at our 2005 Accordion Festival. PREVIOUS HONOREES 2004 Joe Axsmith, Pa 2003 Carmelo Pino - Wash. DC 2002 Charles Nunzio—NJ 2001 Sherrie Darrow-NJ 2000 Dr. J. C. Neupauer—PA 1999 Carmen Carrozza—NY 1998 Mervin Conn—Wash. DC 1997 Samuel Fire—PA 1996 Msg. Stanley Kloskowski—NJ