A Legacy of Student Government Leadership WRITTEN BY JASON PARSONS
Alan Zuccari (seated, right) in the 1972 Monticola is pictured with Booker Walton, left, and Ed Hambrick. Alan J. Zuccari, ’73 BA (member of Mountaineer Athletic Council) with son, Jason Zuccari, ‘10 BA —past student body president.
The Morgantown of the
1960
s was a place in which bluecollar jobs were the backbone of most families. By the time the end of the decade drew near in August 1969, America was struggling for new beginnings—and it was a time of both discovery and triumph and resentment and unrest. Just months before, Neil Armstrong had become the first person to step onto the Moon, and Morgantown was full of youthful idealism, and as was the case in many college towns, full of growing resentment toward government and the Vietnam War. Perhaps Bob Dylan said it best: “the times, they were a-changin’.” As a freshman student at WVU, Alan Zuccari set out to immerse himself in campus. He also found a place to get involved: WVU Student Government. “I had the job of being in charge of arts and entertainment and bringing concerts to campus. I’ll never forget when we had Don McLean here just before the song “American Pie” went big. I had to pick him up from the airport, and it was a wonderful time for me,” Zuccari recalled. Life after WVU was good for Alan Zuccari too. He worked for and then bought an insurance brokerage firm that has grown into one of the largest in the nation — and Alan and his wife, Lisa, had three children — Jason, Jarred, and Sara. They reside in Mclean, Virginia. “My kids always came to Mountaineer football games and traveled back to my home in Morgantown with me. I’ve lived in Washington all my adult life, and Morgantown is just a different world. It’s such a good place, and it was good for my kids to have the chance to spend time here,” Zuccari said. January 2, 2006: the Mountaineers rallied to an impressive victory in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, and 18-year-old Jason Zuccari remembers the feeling of being enveloped in joy and pride as his dad’s alma mater claimed victory. “It was a special day for me. I always thought I’d end up at WVU, but that game sealed the deal. I’ll never forget the look on dad’s face,
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2010
West Virginia University Alumni Magazine
or the way I felt. I knew I was a Mountaineer,” the younger Zuccari recalled. It didn’t take long for Jason Zuccari to get involved on campus. He served on the Student Government Board of Governors and in February 2009 was elected Student Body President. Alan Zuccari reflected, “Student Government was a big influence in my college life. It had come full circle by the time my son was elected Student Body President. When I came to Morgantown during his campaign, it felt so much like a different time, but yet it was all the same. Wonderful kids who love their school trying to make a difference. It has made my Mountaineer spirit even stronger.” Jason noted, “It’s just interesting to me because 40 years ago, my dad was here doing some of the things I am. I knew my dad had a history here but I never knew him in this way as I do now. It’s a special thing.” The dreams of a father are seldom too far and never lost from the heart of a son. The notion of being a Mountaineer — in and of itself something unique — was never lost on Jason Zuccari. He knew what a Mountaineer was — he lived with one every day of his life. And then he became one. In the years since that fall day in 1969, WVU and Morgantown have changed. Some buildings no longer stand, and others have taken their place. The landscape is dotted with more roads, more apartments, and more students. A new century has begun. But Bob Dylan is still right: “the times, they are a-changin’.” However, some important things have remained the same. The values upon which the Mountaineer spirit was built — loyalty and honesty, courage and hard work, pride and faith — are the same today as they were 40 years ago. The story of the Zuccaris is a Mountaineer story. As all Mountaineers know, in the words of our beloved “Hail West Virginia,” it’s one old grad joining with one young lad saying, “It’s West Virginia now we cheer.” That’s Alan and Jason Zuccari.