Elaine S. Amendola

Elaine Smith Crehore Amendola (1935-2022) was an American attorney and advocate for women's rights. She graduated from Hill House High School in 1952 and Wellesley College in 1956 with a degree in Mathematics. She initially worked in structural engineering at Sikorsky Aircraft, programming their first computers.

In 1962, Amendola became one of the first women to graduate from Yale University Law School and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar Association, where she served for over fifty years. She was also admitted to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut in 1963, the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court in 1967.

Amendola co-founded the law firm of Zeldes, Needle & Cooper in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1971, specializing in criminal and civil litigation.

In 1997, she co-founded Amendola & Amendola, LLC, with Bonnie Amendola, focusing on matrimonial law and children's rights. She was a Gold Star Widow, her first husband, Lt. Joseph F. Crehore, having been killed on active duty in 1962. She later married Bonaventure "Buddy" Amendola in 1964. Elaine Smith Crehore Amendola passed away on November 21, 2022.

References:

Elaine Amendola Obituary. (2022, November 26). Legacy. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/elaine-amendola-obituary?id=38229025

Home, C. F. (2023, January 8). Obituary for Elaine (Smith) Amendola | Celentano Funeral Home. Obituary for Elaine (Smith)  Amendola | Celentano Funeral Home. https://www.celentanofuneralhome.com/obituary/Elaine-Amendola

Elaine Amendola - 2022 - Celentano Funeral Home. (n.d.). https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/26464539/elaine-amendola/new-haven/connecticut/celentano-funeral-home