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The Biographical Profile of Frank D Angelo

Biography

and Marianna (Grisaffi) D’Angelo, were both Italian immigrants who had moved south prior to his birth. D’Angelo home had a plethora of languages, ranging from English to Italian, Sicilian dialects to Itanglish – a combination of Italian and English. His father was active in the local Italian community, participating in local Italian theatre and exposing Frank to Italian stage performance. D’Angelo came in contact with a number of other languages, such as Creole and French, from the local New Orleans population and street vendors. The rich cultural life of New Orleans musically immersed Frank in Jazz, Blues, and military marches, as well as the operas his father participated in. D’Angelo’s early love of words and language structures, even copying letters to practice his penmanship, drove his enjoyment of education and would prove fundamental to his future as a rhetorician. Despite Francesco D’Angelo’s grocery store closing during the Depression, Frank’s formal education did not end with the local Parochial school as it did for many others. D’Angelo won a scholarship to attend a Jesuit High School where he spent his high school years growing in an environment geared toward preparing students for college. However, when Francesco D’Angelo died during Frank’s junior year, Frank was faced with the responsibility of supporting his family after completing high school. D’Angelo’s life after high school is filled with determination and demonstrates the value he holds for his family. Frank worked for the Veteran’s Administration for six years after completing high school, supporting his mother and younger siblings. D’Angelo was then drafted into the army for the Korean War. After the war, D’Angelo returned home and, on September 4th, 1954, married Sylvia Snoddy. He and his wife went on to have five children: Frank, Susan, Marc, Stephen, and Lori Ann.

of the South in New Orleans. Throughout his undergraduate career, D’Angelo maintained a full time job for the federal government despite the demands of his course load. Initially, D’Angelo enrolled as a Business Major with a concentration in Accounting, recognizing the value of such a degree for getting a job that would support his newly starting family. However, after two years, D’Angelo’s true affinity for the liberal arts and humanities became unavoidable and he switched his major to English. While still enrolled at Loyola, D’Angelo determined that he wanted to become a high school teacher. After completing his undergraduate degree in 1960, D’Angelo went on to receive his Masters from Tulane University in 1963.

perfecting his role as an instructor. He began attending conferences and workshop to improve his teaching techniques, many of which he felt were lacking. D’Angelo became more interested in composition studies as a result of his increased interaction with the composition studies communities. In 1966, he won a fellowship to the University of Illinois in 1966 to study composition, bringing him and his family to the Midwest. Among his early notable work, D’Angelo co-edited The Growing Edges of Secondary English, published by National Council of Teachers of English in 1968. D’Angelo went on the University of Nebraska where he received his PhD in English, focusing on rhetoric despite there not being a Composition Rhetoric program in existence at the time.

His diverse background – having taught English in high schools and composition courses while a graduate student, as well as his focus in literature studies via English departments – had made D’Angelo a unique asset for any college. He, his wife, and his children moved to Tempe, Arizona where he began teaching at Arizona State University. His first article was published in 1973, “Imitation and Style” in College Composition and Communication. D’Angelo’s legacy can be seen in his foundational work to create a graduate program in Composition and Rhetoric, as well as his work studying aspects of popular culture such as graffiti and advertising models. As the year pass, D’Angelo has continued publishing and producing texts that emphasize the study of classical rhetoric in composition classes while also innovating how instructors can effectively help their students become proficient writers and readers. He currently resides in Tempe, Arizona where he is Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the Arizona State University.

Education

Professional Achievements

committee, 1974–77; chair, 1980; chair of nominating committee, 1981–83)

Richard Braddock Award from Conference on College Composition and Communication, 1977, for outstanding article on the theory and practice of teaching composition in 1976.

Works Cited