Honoring Nick Napolitano Today, and Every Day

Our thoughts and best wishes are with Val Napolitano, president and CEO of Petry Television, today, as August 7 marks the one year anniversary of the death of his son, Nicholas.

Nick was just 23. He died trying to save a friend and fraternity brother who was struggling in the ocean off Newport, Rhode Island. Nick was successful in saving his friend, but sustained head trauma in the massive waves, and was killed.

Here’s what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about his death, and his life.

Nick worked in New York as an analyst for CIT Healthcare. He had been a National Merit Scholar at Westminster Schools in Atlanta and the president of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Wake Forest University. He was an athlete as well and, of course, a beloved son.

Val is working hard to raise money for a scholarship fund in his son’s honor. According to Nicholasvalnapolitanomemorialfund.org:

The purpose of the Nicholas Val Napolitano Memorial Fund is to establish a scholarship for a young person who perpetuates the characteristics that Nick stood for and to keep his legacy alive. In addition, available funds will be contributed to those disciplines Nick touched (i.e. Soccer, Community Service, Athletics, Elementary School, High School, etc.).

The Nicholas Val Napolitano Memorial Fund is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.

You can click on this link for more information. Giving is a great way to honor Nick’s legacy.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.