Rocco M. Angelo ’58

Rocco M. Angelo ’58, Associate Dean, School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, shares what it means to him to be a #Hotelie for Life®.

“It was love at first sight when I stepped into Statler Hall for the first time on a Fall day in 1955. I flew from NYC to Ithaca at the invitation of Dean Meek, the founding dean of the Cornell Hotel School, who after a brief interview urged me to apply. Once I was enrolled and attending classes I bonded with a number of classmates who like myself had attended other universities and were veterans of the Korean Conflict (it was not labeled a war.) We became a family; working multiple jobs at the Statler Inn (now Hotel), studying together and yes, partying together. My Cornell friends became my friends for life. Up until 2015 and for the thirty years before we reunited for a fun weekend, reminiscing about our days on the hill, talking about our families and our careers. I had hotel and restaurant experience before matriculating at Cornell but I consider my career as having started seriously after Cornell and due to Cornell and the contacts I made throughout my career. While I was a student I was active in HEC and most School clubs. My affection for the Cornell Hotel School continued after graduation. I was the CHS chapter president twice in New York, once in the the Caribbean and once in South Florida, and in 2001 the CHS international president. It was an honor to emcee the School’s 75th anniversary celebration at Windows on the World, the Hotelie of the Year celebrations for Dean Robert Beck at the Waldorf Astoria, Denis Sweeney at Windows on the World and the Mariani Family, co-emceed with Simon Turner at The Plaza Hotel and the dinner honoring David Dittman’s decade as Dean, also at Windows on the World. Am I a Hotelie for Life? Stand back as I shout, YES!”