Salvatore Sciandra was born in 1928 on Buffalo’s west side and grew up on Busti, Seventh and Plymouth Avenues. Like so many Americans during the Great Depression, his family was very poor. His father lost his concrete business, but quickly found work again in waste disposal for the city. The value of hard work and perseverance was a lesson early learned and applied often throughout Salvatore’s life.
Salvatore attended Grover Cleveland and Seneca High School but left high school during his senior year to work for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #41. Not long thereafter, he was drafted into the army to serve in the Korean War and saw 18 months of action overseas as a Communications Specialist where his unit was responsible for establishing communication lines between command posts and the field. By nature, a peaceful man, the war left a lasting impression on him, and later in life he would share stories of his experience. He was proud to have served his country.
Upon returning to Buffalo, Salvatore completed his apprenticeship with the IBEW and worked on many projects throughout western New York. We do not know exactly when, but at some point between working, marrying his sweetheart Anna, and starting a family, he obtained his GED and enrolled in Buffalo State Teachers College. Throughout his tenure, he worked full shifts as an electrician during the day, doing as many side jobs as possible, and then attended classes and completed his homework assignments at night. After many years of hard work and dedication, Salvatore became the first person in his family to graduate from college. With a bachelor’s degree in teaching from Buffalo State in hand, he pursued a career as a teacher.
Following graduation, Salvatore aimed to secure a position at his alma mater, Seneca Vocational. At the time, however, hiring at Buffalo Schools depended more on connections than qualifications. Although unsuccessful in finding work at his first-choice school, Salvatore persevered in his search and took a position teaching Trade Electricity to juniors and seniors with Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) at the Potter Road Vocational Center in West Seneca. It was a serendipitous match, and BOCES was the school he would call ‘home’ for the duration of his long teaching career.
Salvatore’s new career resulted in a significant pay cut, and he worked summers as an electrician for the first several years he taught. Even after he had sufficiently established himself to take summers off and do just the occasional side job, he was always striving! He started a fire and security alarm company in the late 70’s, and eventually founded his own electrical contracting company, Masterson Electric in 1981. He gained Master Electrician licenses in Buffalo and Niagara Falls and even created and administered for over ten years the City of Buffalo’s Master Electricians exam. Our father was passionate about all things electrical – he loved the theory, practical application, and convenience electricity provided people.
But his true passion was teaching. He taught scores of students over his twenty plus year career at Potter Road. His former students continue to work in all sectors of construction and maintenance industry, including as supply counter clerks, estimators, facility managers, and – of course – construction electricians. He was proud of every one of them. Many of his students returned to visit him at school and kept in touch years after they graduated.
Salvatore was a skilled electrician, dedicated teacher, and proud Italian American. He was also a loving and devoted father. In recognition of this legacy, and in gratitude to our father for his lifetime of hard work, our family has established the Sal Sciandra Memorial Scholarship Fund in conjunction with the Italian Cultural Center.
Each year, two scholarships of $2,000.00 will be awarded to students attending ECC’s Building Trades or Construction Management programs. Our goal is to offer this opportunity to City of Buffalo and BOCES students.