Alex Mario Calaluca

CALALUCA

ALEX MARIO CALALUCA

ELIO (ALEX) MARIO CALALUCA born June 28, 1923, passed this life peacefully on October 2, 2006 in Austin, Texas, in his home. His wife, Therese and children were present.

Elio, born in Detroit, Michigan, was the son of Cessidio and Maria Colaluca, of Piettrafitta, Italy. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Carmen, and sisters, Filomena and Florence.

Alex served his nation in the United States Army for two years during World War II, as a code operator in the Panama Canal, and was honorably discharged in 1945.

In 1951 he took the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technical University in Detroit. He began his engineering career at the Army Tank Automotive Command (ATAC), Department of Defense, in Detroit soon thereafter. His insistence on the safety and security of vehicles provided to soldiers in combat was widely acknowledged.

In 1968 Alex joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. During his tenure at DOT he developed and wrote Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 215, "Exterior Protection," This standard mandated increased manufacturing and human safety requirements, beginning with 1973, for all automobiles produced or sold in the United States.

Alex concluded his 30-year federal engineering career in 1983, after serving for 5 years as the Motor Vehicle Program Director for NHTSA in Fort Worth, Texas. He returned to the Washington, DC area in 1986 to work for several years as an engineering consultant, before retiring to Austin in 1990.

Alex was an accomplished violinist in his youth, and became an accomplished archer later in life. He was a fine golfer, and his billiards and poker abilities were also known to be formidable.

Alex is survived by his wife of 55 years, Therese Marie, and six children; Mark Allan, Margaret Anne, Brian Thomas, Curtis Martin, Eric Matthew and Christopher Michael. He is also survived by six marvelous grandchildren; Benjamin, Alyssa, Katrina, Savanah, Tommy and Audrey. The Calaluca family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the loving souls of Odyssey Healthcare, whose devotion allowed Alex to remain in his own home, with his beloved wife, until he was called back to his first family.

Viewing and a praying of the Holy Rosary will be at Beck Funeral Home in Austin on Thursday, October 5 at 7 p.m. A Funeral Mass for Alex will be held on Friday, October 6 at 10 a.m. at St. William's Catholic Church in Round Rock, Texas. Interment is scheduled for the following morning. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Catherine Laboure Gabriel Project.

Dad, we miss you. Buon viaggio.