2006.052

Casulli, Lucille

Gift

Gift of Lucille Casulli.

2006 - 2006

Date(s) Created: 2006 Date(s): 2006-2006

Notes: Text on webpage of Manhattan College, 2006. Charles P. Covino ’50, Founder Of General Magnaplate, Dedicates Career And Life Mementos To Manhattan College Manhattan College hosts dedication ceremony for the newly established Covino Room. RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Charles P. Covino, Manhattan College alumnus and founder of General Magnaplate Corp., has donated to the College a number of his career achievements and life mementos. Located on the second floor of the College’s Mary Alice and Thomas O’Malley Library, the Covino Room is filled with articles, photos, artifacts and milestones that tell the story of Dr. Covino’s endless achievements. The dedication ceremony, which was held January 22 in the Covino Room, was an opportunity for the College to pay tribute to a dedicated alumnus, devoted family man and inventor. In his welcome remarks, Manhattan College President Brother Thomas Scanlan discussed Dr. Covino’s long list of accomplishments and touted the many hats he wore in life – an athlete, entrepreneur, equestrian, international inventor, pilot, scientist and war veteran. The College is grateful, he said, to receive such a wonderful gift. “This room is an outstanding example of alumni achievement and will be a learning lab for future students,” Br. Thomas added. Dr. Covino, more affectionately known as Doc, spent his life striving to improve the quality of others’ lives through his knowledge of metallurgy, plastics and chemistry. With his wife, Sylvia, a college educator by profession and his true inspiration, by his side, Dr. Covino built a magnificent career. He founded General Magnaplate in 1952 as a nondestructive testing laboratory based in Hoboken, N.J. General Magnaplate, now led by his daughter Candida C. Aversenti, who sits on Manhattan College’s board of trustees, revolutionized the industry’s attitude towards metals and metal parts by developing a range of “synergistic” coatings that combine the advantages of anodizing, plating and low friction engineering polymers or other dry lubricants. Working closely with one of his largest clients, NASA, Dr. Covino created a wide variety of coatings for both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. As a result, every American space vehicle since NASA’s inception has included thousands of individual parts coated by Magnaplate. Some of these parts are on display in the Covino Room. Magnaplate’s products have been recognized worldwide for their outstanding performance. The most noteworthy honor occurred when the company’s HI-T-LUBE coating was cited in The Guinness Book of World Records as “the most slippery solid in the world.” Dr. Covino has had the opportunity to work alongside some of the world’s most powerful leaders. He has collaborated with Admiral Rickover on the Nautilus and Thresher submarines, NASA head Wernher Von Braun on pioneering and upgrading NASA’s quality control program and Edward Teller on the hydrogen bomb. In addition, he served his country during World War II. While stationed in Japan, under the leadership of General MacArthur, Dr. Covino fostered an alliance between American and Japanese students and civilians, which resulted in introducing a joined track and field event in 1945. After the war, his continuing efforts and negotiation skills lead to Japan’s participation in the 1952 Olympic Games. In his remarks at the dedication ceremony, the well-traveled scientist, surrounded by family, friends and fellow Magnaplate colleagues, said he hopes visitors and future students of the College may find inspiration in the Covino Room. Dr. Covino attended the University of Alabama’s School of Engineering. After the war, he enrolled in Manhattan College, and earned his degree in 1950, which was followed by graduate study at New York University. Dr. Covino holds countless patents and numerous honors and awards, including an honorary doctorate degree from Manhattan College. The Covino Room is open to the public. If you would like information about visiting hours, please call the O’Malley Library at (718) 862-7166. For more information on Dr. Covino, please call Melanie Farmer at (718) 862-7232 or e-mail melanie.farmer@manhattan.edu. Manhattan College, founded in 1853, is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2006-10-19