November 2021 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL SOCIETY VOLUME, XXIX No. 11 43843 Romeo Plank Road - Clinton Township, MI 48038 - 586.228.3030 - Email iacs@iacsonline.com - www.iacsonline.com
WOMAN OF THE YEAR! Maria Sugameli, beloved teacher at the Italian American Cultural Society for more than 30 years, was named the 2021 Woman of the Year by the Christopher Columbus Celebration Committee. Sugameli was honored in Lansing at the State Capital for her service to the Italian Community and then honored again at the Annual Columbus Day Celebration Banquet Signora Maria, as her students know her best, began teaching at the center in the late 1980s when it was located in Warren. She was the children’s instructor for multiple years before branching into the adult classes. Today she is the Director of Education at the Italian American Cultural Society and has overseen up to twelve classes. She was born and raised near Trapani, Sicily and graduated from the Magistrale. After her marriage to Andrea 50 years ago, she moved to Michigan and began a family as a mother to Janet and Ciro. Maria is active in Italian social clubs and is a lector at San Francesco Catholic Church at the Italian mass. Woman of the year continued on page 5
New registration and update to the Children's Language classes. See page 13 for details
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