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A charter member of Council 2952, Ragusa served terms
as its grand knight and deputy grand knight, and chaired the building
committee for the council home. He was a district deputy, chaired numerous
state committees, and served on the executive committee for Camp Abbey. He
was state advocate as well as faithful navigator for the Fourth Degree of
Fr. Martin General Assembly, which he helped organize. He was instrumental
in the establishment of a Catholic student center at Southeastern
Louisiana College (now SLU) and served on the advisory committee of the
center's Newman Foundation.
Ragusa had a special way of motivating people to give
their all for each project he undertook. Besides his work with the KCs, he
was one of the key organizers of the Hammond Civitan Club and its first
president. He led the group to an international record in club formation
and doubled membership during his term. As chairman of the Archdiocesan
Campaign of Progress, he helped the Church achieve double its goal. He
raised funds to finance a home for the Dominican Sisters who operated a
local hospital. In 1958, he was appointed a Knight of St. Gregory the
Great by Pope Pius XII for his impressive service to church and society.
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