A big man with a bigger heart
They didn't call him Big Dom just because of his size. Dominic Saverino filled up a room — with his laugh, his generosity, and his willingness to drop everything to help a friend. If your car wouldn't start or your project stalled out, Dom was the first call, and he never asked for anything in return.
A proud Glenbard North Panther, Class of 1992, Dom played football and wrestled — and he carried that same all-in spirit into everything that came after.
Muscle cars and model airplanes
Dom loved anything with an engine and a story. Classic muscle cars were his passion — the chrome, the rumble, the endless hours of making something run just right. When he wasn't under the hood, you might find him with a model airplane, patient and precise, happiest when he was building something with his hands.
Family first, always
Family was everything to Dom — a son, a brother, a husband, and a proud father of two. He leaves behind a big, loving family who adored him, and just as many friends who felt like family too. The love he poured into the people around him is exactly what this organization exists to keep alive.
Giving back was who he was
Dom lived to serve. He was a devoted member of the Chicago Italian American Charitable Organization (CIACO), and as its president he poured himself into their annual Thanksgiving food drive,Baskets of Love. What started with 25 baskets has grown to nearly 600 families served every year — each one packed with about 50 pounds of food and a turkey. That servant-leadership legacy is exactly what this organization, and the scholarship we award in his name, exist to carry forward.
Losing Dom
Dom passed away from complications of Arnold-Chiari malformation, a condition many people have never heard of. He was far too young. Out of that loss, his family chose to build something that would carry his name forward — and help other families along the way.