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Sebastian Giuliano
Mayor of the City of Middletown
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Seb Giuliano
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Throughout his life, Sebastian "Seb" Giuliano always comes back to the
familiar streets of his childhood in Middletown. As the son of Nicholas
and Florence Giuliano, Seb spent much of his afternoons with his
grandparents Sebastiano and Josephine Giuliano above their Main Street
business, doing his homework or playing with his neighborhood pals. He
attended the former St. Sebastian School on Green Street, where he
remembered the values and security of a local neighborhood.
"I'd eat breakfast, walk to school, and I would go to the playground
without a worry," said Giuliano. "Everyone in the neighborhood knew who
you were and where you lived. If you did some wrong out in the open,
chances are your parents knew all about it before you got home."
Giuliano said with both his parents working, she at the James H. Bunce
Co. and his Dad as owner of a Main Street package store, Seb learned to
value and respect his grandparents and the values they grew up with.
"It was all about hard work and respect for others," said Giuliano. "You
couldn't ask for more in a childhood. Middletown was safe and the
people cared and pulled for each other."
Seb moved on to Xavier High School, where he began to take an interest
in becoming a lawyer. "More than anything, Xavier taught us how to get
things done, there were no excuses, and I loved that attitude," said
Giuliano. "Respect between teachers and students went both ways."
One day, his father took Seb to the family lawyer and the younger Giuliano was hooked on the law and what it stood for.
"The office, the air of accomplishment, and how the lawyer handled
himself impressed me a great deal," Giuliano said. "When I began to look
into it, the whole idea of presenting your thoughts and working with
others to come up with a solution that everyone can benefit from excited
my ambitions."
Giuliano also was interested in attending a university that offered
discipline, loyalty and academia. After graduating 21st out of 186 in
1970, Giuliano won an appointment from U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff to
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Giuliano said his years at both
St. Sebastian and Xavier made the transition to the military life
smoother. But, after his "Yearling" year, Giuliano was sidelined by
physical problems that kept him out of the demands of military life. He
transferred to Boston College, where he completed his education, earning
a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Math.
In his second year at law school at Catholic University in Washington,
D.C. Giuliano was debating whether to attend a party held by some
classmates. It was at that party, Giuliano met Paula Mian, a speech
pathology and audiology masters degree candidate at the university from
New York.
Seb graduated in 1978, moved back to Middletown, and opened a law
practice. Paula took a position in her chosen field with the State of
Connecticut, and they were married two years later. They are celebrating
25 years of marriage this year. Their son, Nicholas was born in 1983,
son Paul in 1989 and daughter Francesca in 1991. His Mom and Dad still
live with him at their home on Maple Shade Road.
From his Main Street law office, Giuliano can still see the rooftop of
the St. Sebastian School that molded him in his youth and reminds him of
what the city, its people and institutions instilled in him.
"I never wanted to be anywhere but Middletown," said Giuliano. "Here is
where it happens for me and why I want the town to enjoy the same
opportunities that I had through hard work, responsibility to others and
respect."
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