Tom Fato spent more than three decades as an educator. After retiring from teaching, he jumped right into the automotive business. Throughout both careers, he remained someone dedicated to the Ohio Valley community. The Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival will honor Fato as its 2023 Italian-American of the Year, festival organizers announced Thursday at Straub Automotive near The Highlands.

This year will mark the 40th festival, which will be held July 28-30 at Heritage Port. Fato said he cherishes the opportunity to have his name added to the list of Italian-Americans of the year. Three former honorees were at Straub on Thursday to celebrate – Nick Sparachane, Anthony “Herk” Sparachane and Dewey Guida.