Peter Burns Sr. Fund

“My father never asks for anything, he’s a giver,” Peter, Jr. explained. “Years ago he mentioned he’d like a family fund someday. The idea caught my attention and I noticed how many VCF funds are named for his classmates or good family friends. This fund will benefit the Valley and should be in his name. I don’t think you can tell Ansonia’s story without mentioning my dad.”

Peter, Sr. attended Assumption School, graduated from Ansonia High School in 1958, and later the University of New Haven. His devotion to Ansonia started early. He was a tri-captain of the 1957 Ansonia football team and served on the Ansonia Board of Aldermen, the youngest board president in the town’s history.

For years, he worked as Executive Director of the Ansonia Redevelopment Agency and later Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic Development. Peter, Jr. said his father helped Ansonia transition from its older manufacturing economy to the town it is today, mirroring his own family’s history.

“My father worked at Ansonia Copper and Brass for 45 years, and my brother also worked there,” Peter, Sr. said.

His public service wasn’t just in politics. Peter, Sr. was a volunteer firefighter with Webster Hose H&L Co. #3, served on the Church of the Assumption parish council and helped form the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He was also director of the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum & Bugle Corps, helping win the 1967 American Legion National Championship at Fenway Park.

Today, when most his age are retired, Peter Burns, Sr. is still working to make our Valley better. As an executive at the local engineering firm, Luchs and DeCarlo & Doll, he’s been an integral part of a several large regional projects.

“My dad is an incredible person, inspiration, and true role model in the community,” Peter, Jr. said. “Ansonia and the Valley are better places because of him.”