Zezzo Rev. Joseph

Overview

Rev. Zezzo is a retired minister of the United Church of Christ who has served Hartford since 1952 in various capacities. He served as Pastor of the Horace Bushnell Congregational Church until 1962 when he assumed the leadership of the Christian Activities Council, formerly the City Missionary Society of the Congregational Churches of Metropolitan Hartford. He has been involved in many charitable, social, educational, and building projects throughout our area.

He initiated the Head Start program in Hartford. He was active in establishing Day Care and Nursery Schools and other related programs. He and the Council initiated the first rehabilitation of housing in Hartford in 1965 when they restored 164 apartments on Vine Street. He was the prime mover the development of a community center in Stowe Village, the Inner City Exchange, the Robert G. Mack Center, and the Hill Center. He was also involved in the rehabilitation of Bushnell Church and the building of the Parish House at Bushnell and at Warburton Chapel.

As a Commissioner of the Hartford Housing Authority, he was involved in the building of the Mary Mahoney Village, Percy Smith Towers, Betty Knox Apartments and other programs for the elderly. He was active in the development of Church Homes, Inc. and is active at St. Mary Home and the newly planned McAuley Center in West Hartford. His latest interest has been the establishing of a Congregate Living Facility on Vine Street for the low and moderate income frail elderly. The facility provides food, social services, and other services for our elderly. He has been active as interim minister in many Congregational churches throughout the Greater Hartford area.

He lives in Hartford and continues his interest by serving on many Boards and Committees. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: educated at the University of Pittsburgh and Drew Theological School in Madison, New Jersey.