Dom Manieri Biography

manierifishingDominic Manieri was born July 30, 1911 in New York of Italian immigrant parents. His love for music, particularly jazz, developed when he was a young boy. He taught himself to play the clarinet as a teenager, and performed in school and community bands. Later he played both the saxophone and clarinet with local swing band, traveling through the New York area and beyond. Income earned through his playing helped pay for his college tuition at St. Bonaventure University where he received his Master’s degree in Chemistry.

Dominic married Patricia Clare and in 1945 became parents of their only child, Linda. Dominic began his career as a chemist in New York and in 1962 joined Lockheed in Sunnyvale, California. He worked on the Challenger and other projects in the top secret and high security “Skunk Works” division. Retiring in the mid-1980’s, he and Patricia moved to Anacortes. Besides being a chemist and a jazz enthusiast, he was an avid gardener. Friendly and outgoing, Dominic possessed a natural curiosity and fascination with life, never ceasing to ask questions of everyone he met in every walk of life.

Patricia Manieri, who had been a librarian for many years, left a generous bequest in her will in honor of her husband to create a Jazz Collection and promote the understanding and appreciation of jazz and swing music. She felt that this tribute, combining their passions for libraries and jazz, would be a perfect gift to the people of Anacortes and jazz lovers everywhere.