Alexander Fortunatus Giacco
Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Throughout the 1980s, Alexander Fortunatus Giacco received one award after another for his leadership role in the chemical industry.  He had enjoyed a lucrative career at Hercules Incorporated, based in Wilmington, Delaware, holding management positions in research, production, marketing, planning and international aspects of the company.  He served as its President from 1977 until 1987 and as its Chairman of the Board from 1980 until 1987, the year he retired from the company.

An accomplishment of which he is justifiably proud is pioneering management procedures in computers and telecommunications.  His Hercules headquarters was designed with networking capability in 1980, and the system was online in 1983.  Teleconferencing and faster data acquisitioning proved to be a key asset to the management of Hercules’ business at all levels.  All of which came on the scene by his efforts years before networking and intranets became the standard procedures of today.

Accolades started in 1980 with The Financial World naming him as one of the 10 Outstanding Chief Executive Officers in U. S. Industry.  In 1983, ’84 and ’85, The Wall Street Transcript dubbed Mr. Giacco the Chemical Industry’s Outstanding Chief Executive Officer.  The Financial World followed this tribute with its 1984 naming of the Virginia Tech 1942 chemical engineering graduate as the Best Chief Executive Officer in the Chemical Industry.  In 1986, The Wall Street Transcript again honored Mr. Giacco as one of the three Outstanding Chief Executive Officers in the Diversified Chemicals Industry.  And in 1987, The Financial World repeated its 1980 award, providing Mr. Giacco recognition as one of 12 Outstanding Chief Executive Officers in U. S. Industry.

Also in 1987, following all of these honors, the National Academy of Engineering named Mr. Giacco to membership in its prestigious organization.

Born in San Giovanni di Gerace, Italy, in 1919, the young Giacco moved to Meriden, Connecticut, with his parents.  He became a naturalized U. S. citizen at the age of eight.  Following his graduation from Meriden High School in 1937, he chose Virginia Tech to pursue his chemical engineering degree.  He would later return to Virginia Tech to serve as a member of its Board of Visitors from 1979 until 1987, spending the last three years as the Board’s Rector.  Mr. Giacco was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence in 2000.  He remains a member of the College of Engineering’s Committee of 100 and served on the Chemical Engineering Department Advisory Board in 2005 and 2006.

He has received six honorary doctorate degrees:  business from William Carey College of Hattiesburg, Miss.; laws from Widener University’s Delaware School of Law,; business administration from Goldey Beacom College of Wilmington, Del; humane letters from Mount Saint Mary’s College of Emmitsburg, Md.; chemistry from the University of Delaware; and a second law degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C.

After his retirement from Hercules, Mr. Giacco continued his affiliation with Montedison, S.p. A., of Milan, Italy, serving as its Vice-chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1988 until 1989 and was a member of its Board of Directors from 1983 until 1990.  He simultaneously presided over HIMONT Incorporated of Wilmington, Del., holding the position of Chairman of the Board from 1983 until 1991 and Chief Executive Officer from 1987 until 1990.  In 1991 he became the Managing Director of the Axess Corporation, a position he continues to hold today.  Axess is a private company that invests in materials and process industries and provides management and advisory services.  He is also the current Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rheometric Scientific, Inc. of Piscataway, N. J.

Among his social and civic awards, Mr. Giacco received Virginia Tech’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1989, the 1988 Bergamotto d’Oro Award from the Lions International Club of Reggio Calabria, Italy, and the 1987 Distinguished Citizens Award from the Boy Scouts of America, Delaware-Maryland-Virginia Council.  The Republic of Italy also conferred a title of honor, “Commendatore” on Mr. Giacco.