Nicholas D'Agostino, Sr.

Nicholas D'Agostino, Sr.

Nicholas D'Agostino Sr. (1910-1996) was a supermarket magnate in New York City. He was an Italian American immigrant and the founder of D'Agostino Supermarkets, one of New York's historically original and leading grocery chains.^[1] Nicholas D'Agostino Sr. pioneered and later popularized the idea of the 'supermarket'. D'Agostino deviated from the aspects of the traditional grocery store by being the first to offer the opportunity for one to do all grocery shopping in one place. Nicholas D'Agostino Sr. promotes the quixotic 'rags-to-riches' and American Dream story and in addition to being an extremely successful businessman, he was widely regarded as a philanthropist. After having become a multi-millionaire in the United States, D'Agostino funded charities and a host of other projects for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. D'Agostino has also been extremely philanthropic towards the alma mater of his two sons, The College of the Holy Cross. He is the recipient of the B'nai B'rith Anti-defamation award as as well as The Horatio Alger Award, an honor he shares with individuals such as former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Herbert Hoover, and Tom Brokaw. D'Agostino died in 1996 at the age of 86. He was survived by his two sons, Stephen and Nicholas, and his daughter, Loretta. His funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan in respect to his great philanthropy and activism for the Catholic Church.^[2]

References

1. Semple, Kirk (12 September 2010). "A Street Vendor Takes the Big Step, From 59th Street to the Indoors". The New York Time. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
2. Greenhouse, Steven (25 June 1996). "Nicholas D'Agostino Sr., 86, Founder of Grocery Chain". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2015.