Eddie T holds a pencil and eraser which were the tools of choice that Mr. Lenetti always had in his jacket pocket, that he considered his most important tools of the trade. *Photo by Carolyn Maxwell

One Person Can Make A Difference

By: Carolyn Maxwell

PERTH AMBOY – It all started with a cleanup. Recently, Businessman Eddie Trujillo (Local Developer and owner of Supremo Supermarket) contacted the Amboy Guardian for a human interest story on a High School teacher who was a positive influence not only himself, but all of his students. That teacher was Angelo Lenetti.

When Eddie Trujillo was cleaning out his late parents’ house, Eddie came upon a model of a house that he designed as a High School Student. This model was built when he was a student in Perth Amboy High School in Mr. Angelo Lenetti’s Industrial Art Class.

I met with Eddie Trujillo, Angelo Lenetti and Contractor Russ Fazio (also a former student of Mr. Lenetti) at Trujillo’s office on King Street. Also present was Eddie Trujillo’s family which included his wife, Brenda and their sons, Edward Jr., Sebastian and Christian. Brenda said, “Mr. Lenetti made an impact on his students and our families and their future.”

Russ Fazio interjected, “And on our businesses.”

Retired PAHS Teacher Angelo Lenetti (C) with two of his former students, Developer Eddie Trujillo (L) and Contractor Russell Fazio (R)
*Photo by Paul W. Wang

Eddie Trujillo said, “Mr. Lenetti not only made a positive influence on me, but he also guided me. I first wanted to be a police officer and then an architect. Because of his influence, I want to establish a scholarship in honor of Mr. Lenetti. After 37 years, I decided to contact him.”

Fazio interjected and said, “I wish my kids had an opportunity to have Mr. Lenetti as their teacher. Because of his guidance of what he taught me in his class, I used that knowledge and was able to get a couple of U.S. patents.”

Industrial Arts Teacher PAHS
Angelo Lenetti

The Amboy Guardian asked Mr. Lenetti what he taught in his Industrial Arts class. He responded that the most important element were drafting architecture and using the proper machinery.

Trujillo said, “When I first tried to contact Mr. Lenetti, I didn’t have much success. It was my sister, Xiomara who through social media was able to get the right person. My assistant, Raquel reached out to Mr. Lenetti and I asked her if she was sure this was the right person and she assured me that it was. One thing I remembered about Mr. Lenetti is that in his class he would always find a fault in our projects.”

Fazio responded to Eddie’s comments, “Mr. Lenetti didn’t want our heads to get too big.”

Trujillo also remembered that Mr. Lenetti always had his “guns” (tools) in his jacket pocket. At this point Eddie showed what he was talking about (a pencil and an eraser).

Eddie Trujillo then talked about winning first prize at the 1979 Central Jersey Fair held at Woodbridge Center Mall for High School Students. There were over 200 competitors. Fazio reminded Eddie that the competition required that you design and build a whole model of a house.

Eddie Trujillo could not say enough about how much he learned here in Perth Amboy High School and what a positive influence Mr. Lenetti made on him. “I wanted so much to be an architect, but that would have taken even more additional college that I had after I finished Rutgers.”

Fazio said to Eddie, “You went above that and now you hire architects to do the projects for you.”

Eddie Trujillo High School Yearbook Photo

Eddie went back and remembered that competition when he was 17 years old.  He proudly remembered putting heated lamps, a pool and irrigation system for recycling in that house that won him first prize. “Mr. Lenetti pushed us to use our imagination.”

Mr. Lenetti then talked about how that contest was judged by architects and how they were impressed with the swimming pool and the plumbing that was involved with the plans.

Trujillo further explained what was involved designing the house from the nuts and bolts, the rebar’s, the footing, the framing and all the calculations which were done by hand and the estimations of what it would cost. “This is the only class (Mr. Lenetti’s Industrial Arts Class) that I wanted to do. I went to Middlesex County College for two years for business, and then to Rutgers University. To be an architect I would have needed four more years which I didn’t do. I now sit with architects and sometimes have to correct them. This is all due to what I learned and the way Mr. Lenetti taught us.”

Mr. Lenetti reminded Eddie some of the other lessons they were taught when building the model homes was how to calculate the concrete and the number the cinder blocks needed to complete a project. Mr. Lenetti proudly remembered that one of his students sold his plans to an architect for $500.

This prompted Eddie to remember that when he was 19 years old, that a Jewish Synagogue paid him a $160 for drawing plans for them.

Trujillo’s oldest son, Eddie Jr. joined in the conversation, “Coming from Cuba, my Dad never imagined what you can do. If you can build, it strengthens your creativity.” He took this time to compliment Mr. Lenetti on what he meant to his father and all the students that he taught.

(L to R) Brenda Trujillo, Angelo Lenetti, Eddie Trujillo and sons, Christian, Sebastian and Eddie Jr. stand by Eddie Trujillo’s First Prize winning model of a home in the 1979 Central Jersey High School Competition.
*Photo by Carolyn Maxwell

Mr. Lenetti then related how he had two weeks on the job training when he landed his teaching job at the High School. “I have a Master’s and a Bachelor’s Degree. I taught from 1965 to 1981 at the High School.”

Fazio remembered that Mr. Lenetti was also a friend to his students. “If he saw that there was something wrong or bothering a student, he would tell us to get our act together.”

At this point, Mr. Lenetti started to smile and related that there was one Spanish word that Eddie Trujillo taught him that he never forgot. “That word was Porqueria (no good). I’ll never forget that word.”

After the interview was completed, we all went to La Terrazza Cubana Restaurant which Trujillo co-owns with Head Chef Jay Lopez, and is connected to Supremo Supermarket (which Eddie Trujillo owns) in Perth Amboy. Trujillo proudly told Mr. Lenetti how the lessons he learned is his class enabled him to be successful not only in business but in life.