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Anthony Ustjanauskas
Founder, The Hundred Club of
Connecticut
1967 |
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Anthony Ustjanauskas came to America
in 1950 and settled in Hartford,
Connecticut. “Mr.A”, as he was known,
and his wife Ada owned and operated
International Supermarkets on Park
Street and Franklin Avenue. “Mr. A”
and Ada, widely known humanitarians,
after reading an inspiring account of
the Hundred Club movement in a national
magazine, began our organization in July
of 1967. In August, less than a month
later, while Mr. Ustjanauskas was in the
process of organizing the “Club With A
Heart”, Hartford Police Officer Harvey
Young was gunned down on a rain-swept
street by a criminal suspect he was
trying to arrest.
Mr. Ustjanauskas presented Officer
Young’s widow with The Hundred Club’s
first line-of-duty death payment. “Mr.
A” paid the $1,000 out of his own pocket
because the club had yet to enroll its
first dues paying member.
Although Anthony Ustjanauskas was
fatally stricken with a heart attack on
August 25, 1972 at the age of 57, his
efforts established a solid foundation
for a truly altruistic organization. It
is a tribute that these many years
later, the club has grown to be the most
unique and prestigious organization of
its kind in the Nation and has been
steadfast in maintaining his vision.
The Board of Directors, in
recognition of this remarkable man’s
contribution voted to name the Hundred
Club Scholarship program in his memory
and named Ada Ustjanauskas as a life
member of the organization.
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