Frank Peter Libassi

1930 - 2022

Frank Peter Libassi, 92, a prominent attorney and activist who served in three Presidential Administrations, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter; died on August 30, 2022, at the Caleb Hitchcock Health Center of Duncaster, in Bloomfield, CT. Born on April 20, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY, Peter and his wife Mary Fran resided in New York City, Albany, and Washington D.C. before settling in the Hartford area over 50 years ago. Peter had many interests, titles, and awards that illustrate his valuable contributions to the many organizations he served throughout his life. However, his overarching passion was justice, equality, and the betterment of his fellow man. Uniquely qualified to tackle such important issues, Peter brought to bear his inexhaustible energy, perseverance, and innate sense of justice to everything he did. Peter graduated Cum Laude from Colgate University in 1951 and Yale University Law School in 1954. Upon graduation from Yale, Peter was an attorney with the New York State Rent Commission, and from 1956 to 1962, he served as a civil rights attorney with the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. From 1962 to 1966, Peter became the Staff Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. Recognized as an expert on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Peter was appointed in 1966 as the first Director of the National Office of Civil Rights in Washington, D.C., reporting to the Secretary of Housing, Education & Welfare (HEW) in the Johnson administration. This appointment allowed Peter to play a pivotal role at the forefront of civil rights issues in the turbulent 1960s. President Johnson's Great Society ushered in two federally funded programs Medicare and Medicaid. Though Medicare is not usually recognized as a civil rights program, it was used successfully and peacefully to force hospital desegregation in the U.S. by withholding federal funds if hospitals were non-compliant. Peter and several other key players were able to desegregate U.S. hospitals, physicians' offices, nursing homes, and clinics within ten months. In 1977, HEW Secretary Wilbur Cohen stated, "if Medicare and Medicaid had not made another contribution, this result would be sufficient to enshrine it as one of the most significant social reforms of the decade, if not the century." From 1968 to 1971, Peter did urban development work for the National Urban Coalition in Washington, D.C. He then worked on community development for The Greater Hartford Process, Inc. in Hartford, CT, from 1971 to 1977. In a 2011 article, The Hartford Courant said, "Hartford Process was a remarkable burst of energy and leadership, the likes of which has not been seen since, aimed at rebuilding and recreating all of Greater Hartford." In 1977, President Jimmy Carter nominated Peter to be General Counsel of HEW, working on legislation to protect Americans with disabilities against discrimination, among other issues. From 1979 to 1982, Peter was a Partner at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard & McPherson, a law firm in Washington, D.C. A leader in the Hartford, CT, corporate and non-profit communities, Peter was a Senior Vice President in charge of Communication at Travelers Corporation from 1982 to 1993, when he retired. One of his proudest moments at Travelers was the establishment in 1985 of the Travelers Center on Aging at UConn Medical School. After retirement, he served as Dean of the University of Hartford's Barney School of Business. In addition, he served on numerous boards, including the Children's Fund of Connecticut and the Bushnell. Peter was a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow in 1974, 1975, and 1976. He has received many awards, the most prominent being the Distinguished Service Award and the Superior Service Citation from HEW, the Meritorious Service Award, and the Superior Performance Award from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Peter attributed much of his success to his law studies. He once said, "the most important thing I learned in law school was how to think." But it was more than that; his magnetic personality, energy, and drive to make the world a better place contributed to his success and defined his life. Peter enjoyed travel, the symphony, Broadway shows, and spending time with friends, family, and, most importantly, his beloved wife and life partner, Mary Fran. Peter is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Frances, his three children: Thomas, Timothy, and Jennifer, his daughter-in-law Loredana Grandis, his grand-daughters and their spouses: Karina and Jarred Hutchison, Antonia and Tucker Bryan, Francesca, Isabella and Danielle Libassi, and his great-grandson Liam Hutchison. He is also survived by close cousins Jeanne Genovese and Kathy Koubek, as well as many grand nieces and nephews. The Libassi family would like to thank the Duncaster and Caleb Hitchcock staff and the health care aides for providing excellent care for Peter and their friendship, love, and support. A celebration of Peter's life will be held on Saturday, October 8th at 2:00 pm in the community room at Duncaster, 30 Loeffler RD, Bloomfield, CT. Friends and family will be invited to share their recollections of times spent with Peter. In memory of his life, contributions may be sent to the following charities: The Bushnell, Wheeler Clinic, or Hands on Hartford.