Former employees of the Ferranti-Dege camera shop, co-founded by Anthony C. Ferranti ’46 in 1955, affectionately refer to themselves as graduates of the “Ferranti-Dege University.”
For many, the experience of working and shopping in a store often exceeded the curriculum at the university across the street.
For 51 years, Ferranti watched Harvard students and Cambridge residents learn the art of photography in his shop, and ran it with his brother until 2006, impressing many who passed by.
Ferranti died in July at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in retirement with his wife, Nancy Ferranti. he was 97 years old.
Ferranti founded the shop with his brother Charles F. Ferranti, who passed away in 2011. The camera store sprung out of the now-defunct Harvard Barber Shop, co-owned by his Ferrantis father, Charles Ferranti, who immigrated to the United States. from Italy.
The store, which once occupied the space once occupied by Zinnia Jewelry, closed in 2006, leaving longtime patrons to mourn its departure and celebrate the fond memories it has built over the past 50 years.
“He made very good friends at Harvard and kept them for life,” said his wife of 36 years, Nancy Ferranti. “He was part of Harvard Square as a student and as a businessman.”
Former employee Thomas N. Bethell ’62 wrote in a note to Ferranti that the most meaningful aspect of his time at Harvard was working in the store.
“I can’t count the number of times someone has asked me where I went to college. I said Ferranti Dage,” Bethel wrote in a letter provided by Nancy Ferranti.
“Getting to know you and Charlie and spending time at F&D was far more important than any class I took at Harvard, and so much more fun to remember,” he wrote. .
The camera shop grew out of Ferranti’s experience as an undergraduate at Harvard University.
The store’s longtime manager, James J. Casey, recalled Ferranti printing slides from Harvard football games and displaying them in the store window from Saturday night through Sunday morning.
“He hired a lot of college students, especially Harvard students who needed money to work because they were on scholarships,” Casey said. “Tony and Charlie were raised to share what they have.”
Ferranti grew up working at the family-owned Harvard Barber Shop. He left Harvard after his freshman year to join the United States Air Force stationed as a navigator in Washington State during World War II. After completing his service, Ferranti returned to pursue his bachelor’s degree, graduating in 1946.
Ferranti began his graduate studies in politics under Democratic Governor Adlai E. Stevenson II of Illinois, who ran for president in 1952 and 1956.
In 1955 Ferranti and his brother opened Ferranti Dege. While building his Harvard Square business, Ferranti continued his political advocacy, participating in civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests, including the 1963 March on Washington.
Casey recalled that world-famous musicians John Lennon and Yoko Ono visited Ferranti Dage looking for replacement parts for Lennon’s video camera. While customers and passers-by were mesmerized by celebrities, Ferranti focused on sales.
“Tony couldn’t really care less about it. They’re just musicians,” Casey said. “It was Saturday. It was a busy day, so let’s let everyone else jump into that sort of thing.”
After enduring more than 50 years of change in Harvard Square, Ferranti was forced to close in 2006, partly due to a waning interest in film photography.
“I will miss you,” Ferranti told Crimson at the time.
Anthony Ferranti’s son, Daniel Ferranti, said his father was touched when a contingent of Cambridge residents came to the store on closing day to give him a proper send-off.
“Last closing they showed up with champagne and a chorus and sang a song to my dad,” said Daniel Ferranti. “He was very touched and very surprised at the same time, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy and vulnerable.”
Anthony Ferranti has a wife, four sons, three stepchildren and 12 grandchildren.
— Staff writer Brandon L. Kingdollar can be reached at brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter. @News King Dollar.
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