Louis Vitale; Philanthropist, Pioneer in Fish Processing

Louis Vitale, 93, philanthropic leader and a pioneer in the processing and marketing of fish. A native of San Francisco, Vitale spent his childhood in Italy and then as a teen-ager studied the fish industry in California. In 1921, he co-founded the Los Angeles Smoking & Curing Co., and over the years developed many innovations in smoking, curing, packaging and merchandising fishery products. He served as president of both the Southern California Fisheries Assn. and the National Fisheries Institute and was active in the Canadian Fisheries Council. A community leader, Vitale was president and board chairman of Santa Teresita Hospital in Duarte, a board member of Villa Scalabrini Retirement Center and a past exalted ruler of the Alhambra Elks Lodge. For his philanthropic work, Vitale was named man of the year by the City of Hope and received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. On Wednesday in San Francisco.