Sisters Gloria Pieretti and Norma Frey at Gloria’s 78th birthday celebration.
With an prolonged household historical past of grandparents, dad and mom and a sibling embracing studying,
it isn’t shocking that Gloria Pieretti helped educate many individuals throughout her lifetime.
Now, because of Gloria, many future Western Nevada Faculty college students can be educated
by a $1.25 million endowment in her identify as a part of the prevailing Testolin Pieretti
Household Scholarship.
“My sister has been essentially the most beneficiant of household donors for all these years,” Norma
P. Frey mentioned. “It’s her manner of honoring our mom and our father and our household
and cultural heritage. They noticed training as a option to a greater life not only for monetary
achieve however as a manner of constructing this a greater world.”
Norma described her sister as a devoted, hardworking particular person, astute monetary
supervisor, an avid reader, a traveler, a supporter of the humanities, neighbor, a loyal
pal and a faithful prolonged member of the family.
“She maintained a optimistic angle her entire life, even when she grew to become more and more
frail. Gloria was my older sister and solely sibling, and I’m grateful that she was
part of my life for 74 years,” Norma mentioned.
The significance of training wasn’t misplaced on the Testolins and Pierettis, despite the fact that
it took further effort to entry it and a willingness of their father to depart the nation
to obtain particular coaching.
Gloria and Norma’s household hung out in two cities the place Western Nevada Faculty has
campuses — Carson Metropolis and Fallon. All 4 of their grandparents immigrated from
Italy to Northern Nevada within the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. Their mom Ida’s household, the Testolins, had been enticed to homestead in Fallon
round 1907 after the development of the Lahontan Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Ida grew to become the one baby of Antonio Testolin and Italia Binotto Testolin’s seven
youngsters to attend faculty. She attended the College of Nevada, Reno, incomes her
instructing credential to assist educate youngsters of the area’s early settlers in one-room
faculty homes in Washoe Valley and close to Dayton.
Their father, Frank, traveled between two nations for his training. Frank’s mom,
Angelina, took him and his brother from Dayton to Lucca, Italy, so they might obtain
a greater training. Frank spent 13 years in Italy earlier than returning to the U.S. in
1932 to keep away from being drafted by Benito Mussolini’s Military. Like his eventual spouse, Ida,
Frank set the household commonplace by attending UNR to earn certification as a civil engineer
in Nevada.
They solely grew to become acquainted as a result of Ida was instructing and residing on the Quilici Ranch,
which wasn’t removed from the Pieretti household’s ranch alongside the Carson River. Their relationship
blossomed and so they had been married in 1939.
Gloria was born in 1940 in Carson Metropolis and the household lived there briefly earlier than shifting
to Sacramento, the place Frank grew to become employed by the Military Corps of Engineers previous to
the U.S. getting into World Battle II. Gloria grew to become well-educated, attending Holy Angels
Parochial College, All Hallows Parochial College, St. Francis Excessive College and Bishop
Armstrong Excessive College.
After commencement, Gloria adopted her dad and mom into increased training, attending Sacramento
State Faculty. She graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Arts diploma in 1962. She
continued at SSC to earn her secondary instructing credential, then began instructing
college students residence economics and artwork at Roseville Excessive College.
Ultimately, a need to show college students of all ages, Norma mentioned, persuaded Gloria to
impart the fundamentals of cooking as a part of outreach applications provided by the Sacramento
Municipal Utility District and Pacific Gasoline & Electrical Firm. For PG&E, she educated
college students at junior and senior excessive faculties, in addition to neighborhood teams and migrant
farm employees stretching from Salinas to Solvang, Calif.
“It was an enormous territory to cowl, however she appeared to relish the problem,” Norma mentioned.
PG&E promoted Gloria to a brand new position in Oakland after discontinuing their training
outreach program.
“She performed vitality audits, informing large companies on how they may save vitality
and lower down the electrical payments. She was nonetheless instructing!” Norma mentioned.
Even after being recognized with MS in 1987, she continued working for PG&E, supervising
staff testing residence home equipment to enhance their vitality effectivity.
“As her sickness progressed, she was unable to proceed the commute and each day workload,”
Norma mentioned. “She ‘retired,’ however labored as a guide for PG&E for a few years,
working their East Bay United Means marketing campaign, one more manner of serving to her neighborhood.”
Gloria died in November 2021, however her legacy is being carried on by her devotion
to coach others by the Testolin Pieretti Household Scholarship.
Lauren Olson, a latest recipient of the scholarship, benefitted from the scholarship
as she accomplished nursing faculty in 2022.
“I’m so eternally grateful to them,” Olson mentioned. “I used to be really capable of do my education
and never be super-stressed out about funds. I need to say thanks from the underside
of my coronary heart to individuals such as you for making my desires come true.”
Norma mentioned that the scholarship within the two households’ names was a option to honor them
for emphasizing the significance of training of their youngsters’s lives so they’d
make it a precedence indefinitely.
“She additionally helped my husband and I give our 5 grandchildren a school training. She
gave generously to assist household, mates and others all through her life,” Norma mentioned.
That entry to increased training lifts a serious barrier for college students who didn’t assume
going to school was doable.
“Gloria really believed that it was necessary to assist those that wished to pursue
training, whether or not or not it’s within the trades, in nursing faculty or to finish a school
diploma — those that wanted a ‘hand up,’” Norma mentioned.
5 WNC college students yearly have their tuition and costs paid for by the Testolin
Pieretti Household Scholarship. It’s a present that Gloria knew was properly price extending
indefinitely.
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