February 25, 2002

John Pasquale Serignese of Westbrook, a small business consultant, died on Feb. 10. He was 72.

Serignese was a consultant to the UConn School of Business Administrati on-Connecticut Small Business Development Center in Middletown, affiliated with the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. He worked for the center for more than eight years.

"John was an expert in business counseling," said Zaiga Antonetti, program manager for the Connecticut Small Business Development Center. "He loved UConn and was honored to represent the University."

Serignese was also an advisory board member of the Small Business Development Export Center at UConn and taught international small business at Gateway Community College in New Haven.

He founded and was president of Multinational Associates Inc., an international trade-consulting firm based in Farmington. He was involved with the global marketplace and traveled widely while working for a large multinational corporation, for a mid-sized manufacturing company, and as a small business owner and a volunteer.

In 1986, he was appointed to the White House Conference on Small Business. He served as chairman of the conference's international trade policy session, where he presented a paper on international trade.

Serignese was also a life member and former president of the West Hartford Parent-Teacher Association and a former member of the Knights of Columbus in East Hartford.

He is survived by his wife, Helen Serignese, five daughters and their spouses, seven grandchildren, and a large extended family.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Connecticut SIDS Alliance, 350Webbs Hill Road, Stamford, CT 06903, and the D'Esopo Resource Center of Loss, 280 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109.