With sports and family embedded deep in her soul, it’s little wonder that Warren’s own Julie Abbruzzi would turn to writing to express her deepest and most profound emotions.

The daughter of the late Pat (“Doc”) and Phyllis Abbruzzi, Julie has begun to carve her own identity through the power of the pen, so to speak.

Already, Julie, a math teacher in Barrington since 1996, first at the Barrington Middle School and now at Barrington High, has already written five books, including her first entry which was published in October of this year.

“It was inspired by my son,” she noted, “and it’s called, ‘I See Love Everywhere I Go.’”

A 1983 graduate of Warren High School, Julie then continued her education at Holy Cross College, where she graduated in 1987 with a B.A. Degree Mathematics. She also obtained a Master’s Degree at American University in Washington, D.C.

She originally taught in Massachusetts for 5 years before moving back to Warren, a town which she absolutely adores. And, it all starts with her Hall of Fame father, Pat Abbruzzi.

“The town of Warren has meant so much to me,” she smiled. “My father was my hero growing up and I had a lot of love for him over the years. “And, of course, my mom was always there for all the kids in the family. I couldn’t have asked for two better parents.”

At Barrington High, her love for education continues to shine.

“I love to read and I love seeing kids in my school read,” she said. “And, I’ve done family research for years.”

“I’ve known Julie for many years,” said Barrington Middle School basketball coach Mike Topazio…”first at the Middle School, then as she moved on to the high school. I coached her brother, Jason Proulx, his senior year at Mt. Hope, and of course, I was very familiar with her dad. When I'd go to Warren when I was at Barrington he always was so nice to me.”

“Julie has always been a student favorite as is her boyfriend Mark,” Coach Topazio said. “She’s just so nice a person with always a smile on her face. I remember she was brought into the court at a recent BHS basketball game where former students acknowledged a teacher who has influenced them the most.”

Julie admittedly marveled at the information she was able to extract from the George Hale Library in the heart of Warren, combing through tons of files from past issues of the Warren Times-Gazette.

“That library is amazing,” she said. “I’ve been able to look up the lives and events of some of the town’s most renowned citizens and some of the events that made them famous. Simply amazing.”

The author of five books to date, including, one which was inspired by her Dad, is entitled “Pat Abbruzzi: All-Pro Grid Great.”

“I’ve gotten so much positive feedback already from the books I’ve already written,” she said. “They can be purchased on Amazon.”

Admittedly, Julie is proud of her Italian heritage.

“Both sets of grandparents were born in Italy,” she explained, “and that is something I hold deep in my heart. I’m currently working on a book called ‘Tramandare.’ It’s about my family coming here from Italy to the United States. It should be completed by the end of the year.”

When she’s not busy writing books, Julie can be found interacting with her beloved dog, “Joad,” a 15 ½ year-old yellow lab, who takes a back-seat to no one.

“He means everything to me,” she said. “I take him everywhere ad everybody knows him when we’re out and about.”

On top of everything else, Julie finds time to serve as the official photographer for the annual Warren Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet each year.

At the conclusion of this particular interview, Julie sat back in her chair and said, “I hope to inspire young readers. That’s important to me.”

I’d say this daughter of a Warren legend has gotten off to a pretty good start.

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