Boston-area activist Tom Damigella

After 45 years in national distribution and sales, Tom Damigella is putting the finishing touches on a decade-long quest to spotlight the Italian legacy in his native Boston and beyond.

A Boston-area native, Tom Damigella has enjoyed a diverse and impactful career spanning multiple decades.

With a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in social work, both from Boston University, Damigella worked with troubled youth before joining Damigella Distributors, the family’s franchised Tupperware business.

He spent 45 years there, developing the business into a Top 10 Tupperware distributorship in North America and overseeing a sales force of 600 consultants. He also served as president of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers.

After his retirement in 2016, Damigella became active in multiple Italian American initiatives and organizations, including the Italian American Alliance and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian Organizations. Last year, he received an Ambasciatore award from the Italian American Museum in New York.

As president of Boston’s North End Historical Society (NEHS), he has led a major project to establish a museum set to open this summer.

Damigella talks to Fra Noi about his pride in his heritage, what it takes to open a museum and the secret to a great 50-year marriage.

ELENA FERRARIN: Why did you decide to leave social work to work for the family business?

TOM DAMIGELLA: I was in-between employment after getting my master’s in social work. My mother retired from the business and my father invited me to join him. I saw that I could be very effective using my social-work background to train, support and develop successful business leaders through personal growth, and at the same time help improve their income-earning potential. It was a great decision.

EF: You had a brief stint as a soccer player for the Boston Astros. What was that like?

TD: It was fun! I was a goalie at Boston University and then a goalie for an amateur team, so I was asked to be the backup goalie for the Astros. It was in 1972, I was 25. It was all Brazilian soccer players, and I really enjoyed it.

EF:  What happened to Damigella Distributors after your retirement?

TD: It was a proud moment for me and my wife when I decided to transition out of the business and leave it for my top director, who had worked with me for 35 years. She was a national leader as well. I received a wonderful retirement ceremony at our national conference and gave the keynote speech at our summer jubilee before 3,000 attendees. It was a perfect way to say goodbye.

EF: You became involved with Italian American organizations after your retirement. What sparked that?

TD: I have always been very interested in and conscious of my Italian roots, and I love being Sicilian/Italian. My mother was born in Sicily, and I have been there seven times since age 18. I used to live in the North End in the 1970s and had many Italian-born friends from my soccer days. I went to Italian events and I got connected to the Italian American Alliance, which was very active in 2020, when Christopher Columbus was criticized. I wanted to have a platform to protect our heritage. I don’t stay on the sidelines when I get interested in a cause or an activity that I believe in.

EF: You played a pivotal role in establishing a partnership between the Italian American Alliance and the Native American Guardians Association in 2023. Why was that important to you?

TD: I was frustrated that Italians were pitted against Native Americans (regarding Columbus Day vs. Indigenous Peoples Day) and believed we should create a dialogue. This collaboration continues to strengthen the cultural ties between the two communities.

EF: The North End Historical Museum is set to open this summer. How much work did this project entail?

TD: A lot! It has become a full-time commitment, because I have a strong conviction and belief that the North End must have a museum. The Italian immigration story of the North End is a very big part of the total 400-year history of this iconic historic neighborhood.

EF: What has your role been?

TD: I was responsible for helping locate and acquire space. I helped create and organize the committee on historical content and oversee our work with the company we contracted to design the exhibits. It has been a personal seven-year mission of mine to see this come to fruition.

EF: Where did the funding come from?

TD: We have over 170 personal donors and raised $103,000. I also have secured a state grant and have several grants in the works.

EF: What can people expect to see there regarding the Italian American experience and Little Italy in Boston?

TD: We will have exhibit material that will tell the 120-year Italian immigration story as well as why it has remained the most dynamic existing Little Italy in the nation to this day. We will have special exhibits that will tell our story, along with the story of the Irish, Jewish and early Colonial settlers.

EF: In 2024, NEHS donated “The Noble Journey” sculpture to Boston’s St. Leonard Church Peace Garden. Can you tell us about that?

TD: It was designed by sculptor Nancy Schön, who created the famous “Make Way for Ducklings” sculpture in Boston’s Public Garden. The Peace Garden sculpture honors the Italian immigration story. It is a bronze replica of a gangway with footprints, representing our ancestors walking off the ships into Boston. My mother was one of those ancestors, because she immigrated in 1925 to join my grandparents, so the dedication was a very personal experience for me.

EF: What has your involvement in Italian American organizations contributed to your life on a personal level?

TD: It has reinforced for me to keep our Italian family history alive and relevant to the younger generations. I share my pride as an Italian American, and this helps them keep in touch with their family roots. I have become the family historian for all my cousins on all sides of my family. They are very proud of me for doing this for them. That says it all for me.

EF: You have been married to your wife, Rita, for 50 years. What is the secret to a successful marriage?

TD: She and I agree that it is important to compromise, support and, most of all, have a loving sense of humor. She has always supported what I do and she is there at my side. I could not do it without her. In fact, I told our priest friend that I love her more than I do myself.

EF: What are your projects for the future?

TD: None — I am done after this museum is up and running. I just want to be a mentor or someone people can turn to for advice and encouragement. I don’t need any more challenges.

The above article appears in the January 2026 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture.

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