"You are what you do, not what you say you'll do."

- Carl Jung

Stanley Israelite did much for his community of Norwich. Though in many ways still a struggling city, those struggles would be so much greater if not for the vision and efforts of Mr. Israelite, who died Monday at age 89.

That vision included development of a business and industrial park in the 1960s to create jobs and revenue. Working with another influential man of Norwich, the late attorney Milton Jacobson, Mr. Israelite set about raising revenue through the sale of development bonds, gaining state assistance, and mustering the political support necessary to begin acquiring land for the park.

Today the Stanley Israelite Norwich Business Park, renamed in 2005 by the Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC) to honor him, accounts for 8 percent of the employment in Norwich, 5 percent of its tax revenue, and 23 percent of utility sales by the municipally owned Norwich Public Utilities (NPU).

Mr. Israelite also played a prominent role in the development of the NCDC, created to spur economic growth in the city. For 26 years, Mr. Israelite served on the board of directors of the NPU, much of it as chairman, helping drive expansion of sewer, utility and gas lines that enabled commercial development in the city and boosted the revenues the public utility returned to city coffers.

Mr. Israelite was a doer. He set about a task and doggedly pursued it. An affable nature, combined with an inclination not to let anyone easily off the hook, allowed him to build the support he needed to get a job done.

This stick-to-itiveness was often on display when he worked as the state office director for U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd.

Mr. Israelite accepted the position after Sen. Dodd's initial election in 1980 and continued in the post until 2000, 10 years before Sen. Dodd opted not to seek re-election. As director, he earned the Dodd office a reputation for strong constituent service. Mr. Israelite sought solutions for the problems citizens brought to the office with the same vigor he displayed in pushing Norwich development.

Sen. Dodd also benefitted from Mr. Israelite's sage advice when maneuvering through the political thickets back home. On Tuesday, Sen. Dodd called him "my dearest of friends, wisest of mentors."

His native city can say the same.