Obituary of Nicholas Aquilano

AQUILANO, Nicholas Our amazing father, Nicholas J. Aquilano, went to heaven on the 22nd of October, 2017. He left an incredible legacy of love, honor, and respect over his 87 years with us, and we are forever grateful for his gentle strength and guidance in our lives. Born into a very large, close-knit Italian-American family in Geneva, NY on March 16, 1930, Dad arrived amidst the poverty of the Great Depression which formed his strong work ethic early on in life. His family survived by working hard and helping one another. At age 6, Dad worked with his mother in the nearby farm fields, moving on to raising his own chickens which he sold to neighbors from his bicycle at age 9. He ran the meat counter at the neighborhood butcher shop at age 12 and in high school he baked all the donuts for the Market Basket grocery store chain, a skill also enjoyed by his extended family that included over 40 first cousins that lived within walking distance of each other. After graduating high school, he and his older brother Dan opened DANA Studios in downtown Geneva, capturing history in their pictures of family weddings, a visiting President Truman, and big band legends including Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie as they passed through town to perform at the infamous Club 86. Dad liked to say he didn't know he was smart until he was drafted into the Army in 1950. He tested into an elite unit where he developed his skills for analytical thinking and planning in ways that inspired him to become the first member of his family to attend college, earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University. He was recruited by GE, and after a prestigious assignment with the US Navy where he rappelled onto Navy ships in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea setting up and testing radar and missile systems, Dad earned his Masters from UCSD and then his PhD from UCLA. Needless to say, his immigrant grandparents, parents, and the rest of the family were quite proud of their little Nicky---the embodiment of their American dream. While on brief assignment with GE in Pittsfield, MA, Dad met the beautiful Nina Ballardini at a 4th of July gathering at the home of his manager. As the story goes, Mom was actually not at the picnic until her observant father, upon meeting our dad there, told her brother Peter to "go get Nina and tell her a single Italian man working at GE" was in attendance. Apparently Mom rushed over, and they were married less than a year later in Los Angeles where Dad was pursuing his PhD at UCLA. Dad joined the Business and Public Administration (now Eller) faculty of our beloved University of Arizona in 1968 and had a distinguished 25 year career both as a professor and a nationally recognized expert in the field of Operations Management. He co-authored the landmark textbook in the field, "Production and Operations Management: A Life Cycle Approach" (Irwin/McGraw Hill Publishing) which was the best-selling OM textbook in the country, translated into multiple languages, and used in university classrooms across the globe. As kids we got a kick out of our names being featured in all the word problems at the end of each chapter. He created the Decisions Sciences Institute, launched the Operations Management Association, directed the dissertations of his many graduate students, and was a member of the Faculty Senate. Dad was a gentleman and the definition of a true Renaissance man. He played the piano and performed in a band at dances in Geneva as a teenager in addition to juggling high school baseball and his many jobs. He loved tackling an endless array of home improvement and remodeling projects with precise craftsmanship and engineering, creating our backyard haven and making our home the safest structure in our neighborhood. There was no such thing as an outside handyman at our house---our dad fixed everything, from the electrical to the plumbing to the HVAC system. He loved ballroom dancing with Mom, going to the shooting range with his buddies, and cooking fantastic Italian dishes from his childhood. He loved to travel, and after retirement our parents travelled extensively across Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. But his greatest accomplishment was being our dad. He was always there for us; the calm, steady, fun-loving presence in our lives, and we loved spending time with him. He led our epic cross-country summer road trips across almost all 48 states, brought us (3 kids under the age of 5) to then Yugoslavia and Italy, threw endless baseballs and softballs, built us a basketball court complete with a drinking fountain so we would not have to go inside when we were thirsty (maybe more of a gift to our mom???), drove a dilapidated Class of 1985 Homecoming float around the football field at Sahuaro High School, played piano for our school programs, and so, so much more. He never swore, instead used terms like "son of a gun" and "by golly" that, in addition to the many loaves of Grandma B.'s bread he would bake, delighted his grandchildren to no end. He was incredibly proud of Riley, Nicholas, Shea, and Carson, who all loved their kind grandfather very much. Nicholas J. Aquilano was a son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, brother-in law, son-in-law, father-in law, godfather, and friend who gave his time to whomever and whatever was needed without question. He was always optimistic and eager to learn and try new things, especially the latest Tucson restaurant or whatever new technology had just come on the market. We know there is a great party going on in heaven, celebrating his long-awaited arrival with dear family and friends gone before him. Wife, Nina and children, Don (Lucy), Kara (Greg), and Mark will miss him immensely. Our dad's request was to be remembered with a family dinner at Pronti's Italian restaurant, around the corner from his childhood home, so there will not be a Tucson service. We would love to read your thoughts and remembrances of our dad at http://www.legacy.com/tucson/obituaries/ Arrangements entrusted to ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.