Silvano Frediani – Class of 1943

Silvano Frediani was born in Lucca, Italy on August 12, 1924.  He immigrated, with his mother, Adelina, and older sister, Pauline, through Ellis Island, New York when he was only three years old.  They then travelled to Floriston, California. Frediani attended Floriston Elementary School, but his family moved to Sparks, Nevada during the Great Depression. Here he attended Sparks Junior High School and Sparks High School.  During his high school years, Frediani was an active athlete participating in basketball, track, and football (his favorite sport).  Through athletics, he met Tip Whitehead – coach for all the sports he participated in.  Tip Whitehead, besides his father, was one of the most influential people in his life.  After graduating from high school in 1943, he was drafted into World War Two.  He received basic training in Roberts Camp near San Luis Obispo, California and was then transferred to Utah Beach for the D-Day invasion in 1944. While serving for his country, he was injured twice: his last injury – stepping on a land mine – was his ticket home in 1945.  Frediani received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, European Combat Medals, Good Conduct Medal, Expert infantrymen’s Medal and the Victory Medal.

            Upon his discharge, Frediani attended the University of Nevada, Reno for two and a half years but was unable to finish his education due to financial problems.  He became a football and basketball official for college and high school level for twenty-five years (1952 – 1977).  Frediani was honored in making a training film on officiating football for the National Federation of State High School Association  in Arizona.

            After the war Frediani also met Paula Cecchini, whom he courted for almost three years before marrying in 1949.  Throughout those years, they had two children, Paul and Wayne.  Frediani then worked for the Mobil oil Corporation for thirteen years before working at the First Interstate Bank of Nevada as a mailman.  Through hard work he moved up to become Vice President.  He is now retired after his forty-four years at the bank and is living with his wife Paula, in Sparks, Nevada.

Inducted 2012