Brownsville to honor philanthropists
Little did the late Phil and Ruth Ann Giannetti realize the impact their lifelong philanthropy would have on their family and the community, quietly giving time and resources to everyone in need as they grew their Dodge dealership into a nationally recognized business.
Three generations of the Giannetti family will be honored for their commitment to community giving May 24 by the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual membership dinner.
“Through all the years, it was always about family and serving others. Dad was deeply involved in the community, and mom was just as involved in her activities, especially at church,” said Anne Giannetti-Osborn, the youngest of three children. “We have all followed in our parents’ footsteps by volunteering and helping whenever and wherever it is needed.”
Tickets for the commemorative dinner can be purchased at the chamber office, 325 Market St.; NAPA store, 600 Market St.; and Brownsville Bus Lines, 525 National Pike East.
The event will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 on the upper level of the Brownsville Sons of Italy, Frank Ricco Lodge 731, 16 Race St. Tickets are $30 each.
Phil and Ruth Ann, both Brownsville natives, were an ideal match, serving as role models who instilled a sense of pride in the community and quiet generosity in their children, Nancy, Chip , Anne and spouses. In keeping with family tradition, their grandchildren, 11-year-old twins Philip and Charlie, are helping to carry the torch today.
“We are what we are because of our parents,” said Chip, who’s worked in the shop since high school and took over the business following his father’s death in 1989. His mother died in 2008 after battling brain cancer.
Through the years, the 3.1-acre dealership at 656 National Pike East has been in the national spotlight. Phil Giannetti and Chrysler’s former chairman Lee Iacocca often called each other to talk shop or to chat.
In 1977, the dealership sold the first three Rail-Track pickups produced in Detroit to Monongahela Railway, a feat that created a media blitz when the manufacturer’s top management came to town for a special ceremony. Through Chip’s leadership and Ruth Ann’s ongoing support, Phil Giannetti Dodge was inducted into the Chargers Club in 1996, receiving a Grand Award and honored as one of the top five dealerships in the nation.
Nancy, a 1969 graduate of Brownsville Area High School, taught for nine years in the school district before she and her husband, Dr. Kris Battaglini, moved to Delaware.
Chip, a 1971 graduate of BAHS, tried college, but found his true calling in the shop, where he started working full time in January 1972. He and his wife, Eva, a retired elementary school teacher, live in Brownsville Township. He is a member of the Brownsville Sons of Italy, Frank Ricco Lodge 731, a social member of Hiller Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the newly formed Brownsville Planning Commission.
Anne, a 1984 BAHS graduate, washed and pin-striped cars at the dealership when she was in high school, hoping to one day build cars. She holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan. She became the dealership’s bookkeeper in 2011. Anne lives in Irwin along with her husband, Michael Osborn, and their twins.