Napolitano of First Nationwide joins Museum of American Armor board

Steve Napolitano, president and CEO of First Nationwide Title Agency, whose late father served in General George Patton's Third Army, has been named a trustee of the Museum of American Armor at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Napolitano said, "My decision to join the board of this extraordinary museum was made when I stood this past December with surviving veterans of the Ardennes offensive, observing the anniversary of that horrific battle where Hitler's last desperate attack cost the lives of 19,000 Americans. My dad fought in Europe as part of Patton's army and that experience defined him for the rest of his life. I don't believe there is a family in America that doesn't have a direct connection to this era and we have a responsibility to keep the lessons from World War II within reach of a new generation." A respected leader within the title insurance industry, Napolitano is the founder of First Nationwide Title Agency. He has been instrumental in growing the agency into a team of experienced underwriting, sales and production teams serving major commercial real estate developers, landlords and institutional investors both domestically and internationally. Prior to founding FNTA, he was an executive vice president of First American Title Insurance Company and president of the company's New York division. In the charitable arena, he has raised millions of dollars for non-profit organizations including Big Brothers and Sisters, Starlight Foundation, Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, Joe Namath's March of Dimes Celebrity Golf Classic and many others. Museum founder and president Lawrence Kadish said, "Steve and the board share a common mission: to create a powerful educational destination for young people who will come to know of the courage and valor of all Americans who have worn the uniform. Whether it was Normandy, Iwo Jima, Mekong or Kabul, our obligation to the men and women of our military is clear and this emerging museum will ensure we fulfill that responsibility." The Museum of American Armor (www.museumofamericanarmor.org) held the dedication of its multi-million dollar 25,000 s/f building on June 6th, the 70th anniversary of D-Day, within Old Bethpage Village Restoration through a public private partnership with Nassau County and the State of New York. It reflects an effective multi-purposing of OBVR that has won the endorsement of the History Channel as it campaigns to preserve our nation's history. At the recommendation of Nassau County executive Edward Mangano, more than 25 operational WW II vehicles in the museum's collection will have the ability to create an armored column that replicates the sights and sounds of American forces during World War II. Place the armor in a setting of vintage farmhouses and country roads reminiscent of the WWII era Normandy countryside, and one has walked into a virtual time machine that puts visitors in touch with American military history. While based in its new facility, armor will operate in the village setting several times a year in concert with living historians so that visitors can be transported back to Europe in 1944.