Capt. Gerard A. 'Jerry' Calvaneso, retired police officer

Calvaneso

Capt. Gerard A. "Jerry" Calvaneso, 73, of Williamsville, a retired Buffalo Police Department officer, died Sunday, April 1, 2007.

Capt. Calvaneso was a graduate of Buffalo Technical High School and Buffalo State College.

He served with the Buffalo Police Department for 38 years, retiring in 1993.

During his career, Capt. Calvaneso received several awards for bravery and meritorious service, including the first annual Parke W. Davis, William J. Conner Medal Memorial Award in 1964.

He had an avid interest in the history of the City of Buffalo. He wrote several articles about the city which appeared as cover stories in Gusto and Buffalo Magazine.

During 1981 and 1982, Capt. Calvaneso hosted a radio talk show on WKBW.

Having served almost his entire career in downtown Buffalo's Theater District, Capt. Calvaneso met Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, as well as many other celebrities. He served as a personal bodyguard for Elvis Presley during one of his brief stays in Buffalo.

Capt. Calvaneso was one of the founders of the Italian-American Police Association and a member of the Buffalo Police Command Officers Association, Buffalo State Alumni Association, Judges and Police Conference, Toastmasters, Niagara Frontier Police Athletic Association, International Police Association, Chautauqua Italian American Association (CIAO), Loyal Order of Moose, and a former president of the Bailey- Kensington Kiwanis Club. He was also president of Kensington Boys Baseball.

He was also a member of Grand Pioneer Toastmaster Club, Western New York Retired Police Officers Association, Buffalo Police Benevolent Association, and Judges and Police Conference.

Mr. Calvaneso is survived by three sons, Thomas, Gerard III and Steven; a daughter, Patricia La- Comb; a brother, Frank; a sister, Ester Alessandra; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 4 from (Amherst Chapel) Amigone Funeral Home, 5200 Sheridan Dr. (corner of Hopkins Road) and at 9:30 a.m. from St. John the Baptist Church, 1085 Englewood Ave, Buffalo.