Home.
Ask a group of people what that means to them, and each one may have a different answer. For some, it may be the building they grew up in, while others may find it to be the family they made for themselves. However, to Padua Franciscan High School alum Wayne Ligato ’68, home describes his feelings toward his alma mater, and it is the main reason he contributes to furthering the mission of the school.
“Over the years, throughout our travels, there are lots of people that step into your life that are positive,” Ligato said. “A lot of times, you won’t be able to get to pay that back to individuals, or even institutions or what have you.”
“Fr. Mario, he developed this thought process, the idea of paying it forward. I got a stunningly good education at Padua, and as time went on and my children came up and needed to go to high school and college, I found that the Padua education served me extremely well as a foundation.”
That foundation from Padua propelled Ligato to Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, where he helped the Fighting Scots football team post consecutive 9-1 seasons and an unblemished 9-0 mark in home games in 1970 and 1971.
After graduation, Ligato worked for Xerox, and in short order, became the company’s Salesman of the Year in 1975. Taking on a new role for General Electric under CEO Jack Welch, Ligato built up a formidable sales force. From there, Ligato served as a representative for an injection molding company, and eventually, purchased a machine shop. Now, he is the owner and president of CMI-Promex, a manufacturer of parts for the railroad industry.
“I stumbled into the business world,” said Ligato, who holds three patents. “When I graduated from college, my goal was to go to law school, but it was kind of a default thing. Back in the early ‘70s, there weren’t a lot of careers outside of big business.”
“I allowed myself to be open to everything. I’ve said this many times, I think the worst thing in the world is to be really good at something that you don’t like to do or to be really bad at something that you love to do. I think what we’re all looking for is that sweet spot, doing what you’re good at and you like doing.”
Ligato’s career in the business world was similar to his experience at Padua.
In addition to his football and baseball careers, Ligato was a member of the Latin, Italian and math clubs, as well as the CYO program. Also, he served as a class officer.
“Padua certainly encouraged a wide range of perspectives,” Ligato said. “I think that the Franciscan ethic is much wider in its perception of the world. With some other religions and orders within religions, there is no flexibility. Education with a Franciscan perspective, I think, is a very good way of looking at it.”
The Italian Club reinforced that mindset of a wider worldview for Ligato by including regular trips to the opera, as well as the former Carrie Cerino’s restaurant.
The purpose of those dinners was far less about enjoying a great bowl of pasta or chicken parmesan. Instead, they gave club members a challenge to operate outside of their comfort zone.
“We weren’t allowed to speak English, so we would go and have dinner, and we had to talk Italian through the whole dinner,” Ligato said with a laugh.
“When I got to college, I was exempt from English classes for two years because everything on their reading list, we had already read at Padua,” Ligato said. “I don’t think I took an English class until I was a junior because we had already read everything that they’d come up with. We’re well prepared, really well prepared.”
Having funded scholarships for one football player and one women’s swimmer at Edinboro University, Ligato decided it was time to pay forward with his time, talent and treasure to help Padua prepare the next generation of Bruins.
Ligato and his wife, Vivian, are members of The Friar Club, and he served two terms on Padua’s Board of Trustees (2016-2022). Despite living away from Cleveland, Ligato is a frequent attendee at Padua events, including serving on reunion committees, and he has hosted several Padua Presidential Tour visits.
“I give Padua a lot of credit for giving me the foundation and base to get the most out of college and a foundation for moving forward in life,” Ligato said.
