Italian America Magazine - Summer 2016

The 28th Annual NELA Gala

The Colors of Cinque Terre From the Shores of Sicily SUMMER 2016

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Writing in the Feminine ITALIAN AMERICA

EMILIO IODICE One of the greatest talents of the 20th century, Mario Lanza proved to be an extraordinary tenor and one of the most beloved singers of all time. This introduction to Lanza is a series of "affectionate" essays that portray his qualities that lead us to want to hear his magnificent voice and see him on the silver screen. It is prepared as a dual-language publication in English and Italian.

The election of 2016 will be one of the most important in American history. Our choice of President will affect the future of the United States and the world for the rest of the 21st century.

This book is not an endorsement of one candidate over another.

Instead, it is about the qualities we should demand that the President of the United States have to be the leader of a world that endeavors to provide opportunities for all in an atmosphere of freedom.

Sorelle Lucia and Giovannina were sisters. They shared the same history, heritage, customs, and ways. They had the same blood and lived in a family rich in adventure, prosperity and tradition and were raised on an island in the middle of the sea.

Suddenly they parted. Lucia went to America and began a life that separated her from her loved ones for nearly forty years.

Giovannina stayed behind. This is their tale of adventure.

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Available on Amazon.com

ITALIAN AMERICA

SUMMER 2016

VOL. XXI No. 3

Italian America

®

T h e O ff i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r S o n s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a ®

Features

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THE COLORS OF CINQUE TERRE Italy’s Beauty Beneath the Ligurian Stars

By Eric Zurita

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WRITING IN THE FEMININE

Women Writers Gain Their Voice in Italy

By Lisa Pike

THE 28th ANNUAL NELA GALA

A Night for Honorees, Students, and Military Veterans

By Miles Ryan Fisher

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FROM THE SHORES OF SICILY Italian Musicians Land in the U.S. Marine Band

By Miles Ryan Fisher

ON THE COVER: Honorees from the 2016 SIF NELA Gala. Clockwise from top: Joseph M. Mattone, Sr.; Dr. Condoleezza Rice; Mary Ann Pessolano Mattone; Paul Rinaldi (left) and Presenter Robert Scardelletti; Nicholas E. Calio (center).

D e pa r t m e n t s 4 National News 5 Oggi in Italia 6 Regions of Italy 7 Pagina Italiana 11 The Sons of Italy® Book Club

16 Our Story 17 Speakers Bureau 26 OSIA Nation 31 From the National 32 Foundation Focus

33 Fighting Stereotypes 34 Letters to the Editor 35 The Last Word 36 Piacere

Italian America® is published by The Order Sons of Italy in America® 219 E Street, NE • Washington, DC 20002 • Phone: (202) 547-2900 • Web: www.osia.org Editor-in-Chief: Miles Ryan Fisher mfisher@osia.org Writers: J.P. Bozzelli, Eric Zurita, Lisa Pike, and Miles Ryan Fisher Proofreader: Marlene Palazzo Graphic Designer: Diane Vincent To advertise: Contact Pat Rosso (215) 206-4678

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Italian America Magazine® is a publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call 1-800-552-6742.

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National News

Italian American issues and events

Piazza Heads to Cooperstown Mike Piazza and his 16-year storied career as one of baseball’s best-hitting catchers are headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. A native of Norristown, Pennsylvania—located in the Philadelphia area—Piazza grew up with a godfather who knew a little something about baseball: Dodgers’ great Tommy LaSorda. In fact, Piazza was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a favor to LaSorda. The Dodgers picked him in the 62nd round as the 1,390th pick in the 1988 draft (there were 1,433 total picks).

Then Piazza proceeded to prove everyone wrong. He clubbed his way through the minor league system and made his major league debut in 1992. He went on to play the majority of his career with the New York Mets and had brief stints with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics. Over his career, Piazza amassed a total of 427 home runs—396 of them as a catcher, the

Mike Piazza alongside fellow inductee Ken Griffey, Jr., who received the highest ever percentage of Hall of Fame votes at 99.3%. (Arturo Pardavila III) most ever hit by a catcher in baseball history (a record once held by Yogi Berra, who is now fourth on the list).

His trip to enshrinement comes one year after fellow Italian Americans Craig Biggio and John Smoltz were inducted. The 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Sunday, July 24 in Cooperstown, New York.

California-Native Wins 100th Indy 500 At just twenty-four years old, California-native Alexander Rossi took the checkered flag in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, the most prestigious open-wheel formula racing event in the United States. In doing so, Rossi became the first rookie to win the race since 2001 and the first American-born rookie to win since 1928. The unlikely victory plucked Rossi from relative obscurity, in fact many thought he was European. “A lot of people don’t realize I’m from America, from California,” Rossi said about having grown up in Nevada City, sixty miles northeast of Sacramento. “Which is a little bit annoying,” he added.

Rossi celebrates his Indy 500 victory, which he won in a Michael Andretti-owned racecar.

In order to win the Indianapolis 500, Rossi and his team gambled that with 78 laps remaining in the 200-lap race, he could reach the finish line without refueling. The gamble paid off, and Rossi coasted (literally) to victory. Not only does this victory catapult Rossi into championship contention, it also puts American drivers on the map, a map that frequently ignores them. “I’ve never understood it,” Rossi said, “but there’s always been this question mark among motor sports fanatics that American drivers are not on the same level.”

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Rossi currently sits fifth in the Indy Car standings. As the season nears its end in September, Rossi will do anything but coast to the finish line as he tries to prove that Americans can rule the driving world—and to enlighten others that, yes, he is American.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Oggi in Italia

Italy’s news, politics and culture

Modena Restaurant Named World’s Best Osteria Francescana, a restaurant located in the northern city of Modena (Emilia Romagna region), leap-frogged Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca to become ranked number one in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. Last year, Osteria Francescana placed second while El Celler was awarded the top spot.

Four other restaurants in Italy placed in the top fifty, including Piazza Duomo of Alba, Piedmont region (#17); Le Calandre of Padua, Veneto region (#39); Combal.Zero of Rivoli, Piedmont region (#46).

Italy Approves Same-Sex Civil Unions On May 11, Italy joined the rest of Western Europe, voting in favor of a law recognizing same-sex civil unions.

Long championed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the bill passed with 372 in favor, 51 opposed, and 99 abstaining. With the recognition of civil unions, same-sex couples now have many rights that married heterosexual couples are afforded, including the right to apply for public housing, inherit partners’ pensions, and inherit property.

However, the difference between the rights a civil union provides and the rights a marriage provides remains considerable, a gap that will certainly receive future attention.

Many of western Europe’s countries (including France, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, and all Scandinavian countries) already recognize same-sex marriage, while the rest of western Europe—now including Italy—and part of eastern Europe recognize other forms of partnership.

Osteria Francescana’s tables are some of the most difficult tables to get in all of Italy. (Buauro)

Centenarians Take Over Italy The number of Italians living to be one hundred years old has increased dramatically in the 21st century. In 2002, there were 5,650 centenarians recorded. In 2015, that number jumped to more than 19,000.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of that number is that eighty-three percent of those are women. One of them, Emma Morano, was recently notified that she—at 116 years old—is now the oldest living person in the world. Born on November 29, 1899, she is also the last known person to have been born in the 19th century. Emma lives in a oneroom apartment in Verbania, a northern mountain town in the Piedmont region that overlooks Lake Maggiore.

Emma and her fellow centenarians represent part of an ongoing trend in Italy, where an uncommonly large number of senior citizens are living well into old age—many of them remaining quite active. This phenomenon has caught the eye of the global science community, which is studying everything from genes to diet in order to determine the precise factors producing such longevity.

Rainbow colors illuminate the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

(Andrea Giuliano) SUMMER 2016 5 ITALIAN AMERICA

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Regions of Italy

Italy’s Twenty Regions

Friuli Venezia Giulia From Sea to Slopes Formerly known as Friuli-Venezia Giulia (the hyphen was dropped in 2001), it is the eastern most region of Italy and is greatly influenced by Austria and Slovenia (the two countries it borders) as well as Hungary and Croatia.

As part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, Friuli became and, continues to be, one of the most developed economies in Italy. Its capital city, Trieste, was one of the empire’s most important ports, because its strategic location leads to Eastern Europe.

Today, it serves as the most important center for coffee trade in the world.

Friuli is one of five regions in Italy that is autonomous.

This means that although it is a part of federal Italy, Friuli operates as a mostly independent state, controlling its own administration, legislation, and finances.

The region spans a wide variety of climates and landscapes. It features both beaches and ski mountains, as it borders the Adriatic Sea in the south and the Alps in the north. Friuli also encompasses picturesque lakes, forests, and caves—boasting the largest tourist cave in the world, Grotta Gigante. In this region alone, you can lie on the beach, sail the sea, descend a cave, ski the Alps, learn to dog sled, and even take a picture next to a dinosaur footprint while hiking the Dolomites.

Friuli has become known worldwide for its cured ham (San Daniele del Friuli) and wines, especially white wines.

On a local level, Friuli utilizes beef, pork, and dairy products. Its dishes are often times made in the form of stews and casseroles, many of which are served with polenta.

The Dolomites attract adventurers from all over the world for its skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, cycling and hang gliding. countries. Desserts are also very popular in this region, which boasts some of the best sweet shops in Italy where you can find cakes, puddings, fritters, tarts, and strudels.

FUN FACT: Sella Nevea, a Friuli ski resort, is linked to the highest ski resort in Slovenia, where skiers can actually ride a chairlift over a country border and then ski back across it.

Other dishes—such as Viennese sausage, goulash, and Bohemian hare—reflect the influences of surrounding

Friuli Venezia Giulia Capital: Trieste Population: 1.2 million (2% of Italy) Size: 3,000 square miles

(2.5% of Italy) Provinces: Gorozia Pordenone Trieste Udine SUMMER 2016

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

Solo di nome “In Name Only” Written by J.P. Bozzelli Translated by Dr. Frederica Anichini

Con tutta quell’esposizione di salumi appesi sul bancone, e le verdure marinate allineati sugli scaffali, quando il commesso passa all’italiano, Anthony sa che lo sarebbe dovuto aspettare. Abbassa lo sguardo, e riprende la sua carta di credito. Cerca di cancellare la sensazione di essere in vista. Anthony si scusa: “È solo il nome,” dice. È tutto quello che ha.

Il commesso passa le dita dal nome impresso in rilievo sulla carta al petto di Anthony. “È qui dentro amico. Devi solo cercarlo.”

Un passeggino doppio che cerca di entrare blocca Anthony che vorrebbe uscire di corsa. Sul muro, vecchi poster pubblicitari di vecchi prodotti. Colline, e alberi contorti L’Olio d’Oliva di Lucca. Giovani uomini in giacca ridono intorno ai tavoli, in equilibrio sui sanpietrini del fondo stradale: Romitaggio Parmesan. Una donna pettoruta si tiene al sellino posteriore di un motorino rosso: Morelli Pasta. Una foto appesa sopra la porta incuriosisce Anthony.

Il vecchio uomo non sembra voler vendere niente. Forse, pensa Anthony, è il nonno, o il bisnonno di qualcuno.

Studiando un bicchiere con un liquido scuro, il vecchio uomo sorride. Dietro l’uomo, botti di legno sono disposte lungo le zone in ombra. Anthony si chiede quale sia l’odore della cantina, cosa veda l’uomo nel bicchiere, quante generazioni abbiano lavorato lì. Quante cose può apprezzare quel vecchio, cose che Anthony non vede nemmeno. Anthony si passa un dito sul petto, senza pensare. Un colpo da dietro riporta i suoi pensieri al negozio di alimentari.

*** “Come sta il mio bambino?” Chiede la mamma di Anthony. La chiama la domenica mattina, mezzogiorno ora di Hartford. “Come sta quella Norah?”

Anthony guarda allontanarsi nello specchietto retrovisore la casa di Norah. “Mi racconti di mio padre?” Vuole dire, ma non lo dice. Riprendendo il nome da nubile Baker non ha cancellato la sua ferita per l’abbandono, anche dopo venticinque anni.

Quando si salutano, affettuosamente, Anthony ha passato la sua uscita. Continua a guidare verso nord-est.

Anche qui ci sono colline, ma non c’e nessun albero di olive, o strade di sanpietrini. Alla sua terza sosta a Temecula, scopre quello che stave cercando.

La coppia aiuta Anthony a caricare la botte dentro il portabagagli. La ghiaia scricchiola sotto i piedi. Tornerà tra un mese quanto i vitigni sono pronti, ma prenderà la botte adesso. È in piedi, in un angolo del suo garage. Passa la mano sulle pareti esterne, ruvide, poi su quelle interne, più lisce.

Può comprare un miglior prodotto, e a minor prezzo, lo sa. Ma non è quello il punto. Si porta la mano al naso, e comincia a pensare di essere italiano, e non solo di nome.

J.P. Bozzelli resides in Washington D.C. where he is a student at Johns Hopkins University’s Master of Arts in Writing Program. Contact him at jbozzelli@hotmail.com Dr. Frederica Anichini is the Middle and High School Coordinator for La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi, the only English/Italian bilingual school in the country.

Abbassando gli occhiali da sole, esce, nel sole di San Diego dove Norah sta lottando con l’ombrellone del loro tavolo.

Anthony si siede all’ombra.

“Gli hai detto di mettere poco olio?”

Anthony dice di sì, anche se non ne è sicuro. Norah toglie l’interno del panino in ogni caso, esattamente come Anthony si aspettava.

“Dopo di questo, il finesettimana miso e sushi.” È giapponese, la sua famiglia a Claremont da due generazioni. Anthony non le fa notare che il riso è un carboidrato.

Norah osserva il panino. “Niente tè verde?”

Nell’angolo del patio, una coppia divide mezza bottiglia di rosso. Le loro gambe stese al sole.

Anthony le passa la lattina di tè freddo. “Una buona selezione di vini.”

“A pranzo?” La faccia di Norah si condensa nel ritratto di sé bambina , mentre addenta il panino.

SUMMER 2016 7 ITALIAN AMERICA

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Italy’s Beauty Beneath the Ligurian Stars

By Eric Zurita

In a plaza behind an 18th-century monument, two Italian thespians are putting on a play for locals and tourists alike. A couple of large lamps illuminate some props on the impromptu stage: an antique chest, a bible on a nightstand, and a chain binding the actors to one another. There are a few rows of chairs where parents are shushing children who seem to have taken shots of espresso at intermission, but my wife and I grab a spot on a staircase that leads to the room we’ve rented for the night.

From this makeshift balcony we watch the play, a magical Cinque Terre as the backdrop. Stage left, night shrouds the cliffs and sea with darkness along the coast until Man-

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arola—the next town to the south— juts out from the mountainside and a crowd floods the dark with what looks like tiny lighter-flames at a concert.

The open-air theatre feels intimate, everyone in the audience blessed by the same salt-sea breeze beneath the same bright Ligurian stars.

My wife and I can only catch a few Italian words with our native Spanish, so she turns her attention to the coast and takes out her phone to photograph the view. The trek to Corniglia from its sea-level train station earlier that day, a 382-step climb up zigzagging stones, has exhausted us. My skin still burns from the mid-August sun, and I’m not sure what’s more debilitating: the physical fatigue from that

climb or the emotional exhaustion from this domestic drama.

Despite not knowing the language of the play, it isn’t difficult to derive meaning from a shackled husband and wife. Suddenly they are shouting a flurry of words at each other, the husband gesticulating with his hat for emphasis, the sounds of clinking metal and furious waves crashing on the rocks below mixing for an eerie soundtrack to the couple’s rage. Latin Americans, like Italians, talk with their hands. It is almost as if we are raised on two languages, one expressed by the flick of a wrist or a waving of fists to complement the accented syllables of our words. The scene is all too familiar.

ITALIAN ITALIAN AMERICA AMERICA

*** Every detail from that night is etched into my memory, even the date—August 10th. I didn’t know it then, but that crowd along the shore making Manarola glow was a procession that had been at la Chiesa di San Lorenzo, celebrating the Feast of Saint Lawrence.

Pope Sixtus II ordained Lawrence archdeacon of Rome, entrusting him with the riches of the Catholic Church. In August of 258 A.D., Emperor Valerian proclaimed that all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. After soldiers decapitated the pope, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence give the empire the riches he’d been asked to guard. Lawrence requested three days to gather everything, during which time he distributed as much property to the poor as possible. When the empire asked for the treasures, he presented a delegation of the poor and the crippled, claiming that they were the true treasures of the Church.

The Perseids can be seen between mid-July and late August in the Northern Hemisphere. (Thanasis Papathanasiou) “I’m well done. Turn me over!” He was martyred on August 10th.

The Perseid meteor showers typically rain down on the night sky once a year in August, and many Italians refer to them as Le Lacrime di San

Lorenzo—the tears of St. Lawrence.

According to legend, if you see one of these falling stars you have to make a wish. The meteor shower didn’t happen on August 10th that year, but if it had, I wouldn’t have wished to be

Saint Lawrence’s martyrdom led him to become the patron saint of cooks and chefs.

The prefect, angered by such defiance, prepared a gridiron, coals burning beneath it. He ordered that Lawrence be cooked alive. Legend has it that, after Lawrence suffered for a long time on the gridiron, he remarked, SUMMER 2016 9 ITALIAN AMERICA

La Chiesa di San Lorenzo (The Church of Saint Lawrence) in Manarola where the procession to the Ligurian waters begins. (Davide Papalini) ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 9

anywhere else but this place where 800-year-old churches still stand, relics of a religion in defiance of an empire. *** The husband puts his hat back on and removes a set of keys from the chest, like the ones prison guards carry on television shows. His wife has not paused her tirade, the lilting tone of her voice a supplication. She turns her back to him in the climactic moment of the play, when her husband unlocks the brace around her ankle, setting her free. He does the same for himself

and retreats to his side of the stage. my hand and we pass other spectators They each deliver a final soliloquy, the on our way from this seaside theatre empty space between them symbolic to our room. as a blast goes off in Manarola, and a Eric Zurita is a Cuban-American writer colorful fireworks display culminates whose work has appeared in the Washthe feast of Saint Lawrence, the town ington Post, Chicago Quarterly Review, commemorating the memory of its and Prick of the Spindle. Contact him at ezurita@ymail.com martyred patron saint.

The husband raises his voice to be heard above the explosions echoing off the walls of earth between Manarola and Corniglia, and both performers bow their heads when he finishes. The audience is clapping and the fireworks are still erupting against the cloudless sky when my wife takes

The picturesque mountainside of Cinque Terre sits along the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Northern Italy. True to its name, which means “The Five Lands,” Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Centuries ago, most men in these villages made their living as fishermen and painted their houses bright colors so they could still see them while at sea. A popular tourist destination, Cinque Terre is known for having retained its naturalness and has a famous walking trail called Seniero Azzuro (Azure Trail) that connects all five villages. One portion of it is known as the Via dell’Amore (Love Walk) that leads from Riomaggiore to Manarola. The trail that leads out of Manarola and to Corniglia culminates with a 382-step climb that often appears in photographs.

Because Cinque Terre attracts such heavy tourism—approximately 2.5 million visitors a year—a ticketing system is expected to be implemented, which will limit the total number of visitors to 1.5 million. This restriction will be imposed in order to preserve the coastal area.

Cinque Terre (Andrea Santoni) SUMMER SUMMER 2016 2016 10 10

ITALIAN AMERICA

The Sons of Italy®

Book Club

ONLY IN NAPLES: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from my Italian Motherin-Law

By Katherine Wilson

Katherine Wilson’s memoir, Only in Naples, immerses you in the great city of Naples, a city that ends up changing her life.

Calabrian on her mother’s side and fluent in the language, Wilson spends three post-college months interning with the U.S. Consulate in Naples. What was supposed to be a summer turns into a lifetime as Wilson meets Salvatore, a young Neopolitan who steals her heart. He, of course, still lives with his family.

Wilson takes you into Salvatore’s home as she learns the customs of family life along with customs unique to Naples. She becomes close with Salvatore’s mother, who teaches her lessons in cooking (who measures ingredients in Italy?). As her relationship with Salvatore deepens, Wilson learns important lessons on how Italians approach marriage, transition into independent living, and raise children.

She’ll take you from the home and out into the streets of Naples where you’ll learn how to form a line for coffee, that there’s a serious hierarchy when it comes to nuts, and that Naples has an “unofficial” patron saint (hint: he’s a soccer player from another continent). You’ll also experience holidays like the day after Easter (which rivals Christmas) and San Gennaro Day, a celebration of Naples’ true patron saint, who represents the city’s working class.

Wilson’s wit offers many laughs, but there are instances when she is honest about her upbringing in a wealthy suburban neighborhood and the insecurities that she developed because of that. Insecurities that Naples and her future husband managed to toss out the window.

DID YOU KNOW? When in Naples, do as the Neopolitans do: eat your pizza crust last!

Reviews by Miles Ryan Fisher SUMMER 2016 11 ITALIAN AMERICA

SUMMER 2016 Selections

BRANDED: How Italian Immigrants Became ‘Enemies’ During World War II

By Lawrence W. Di Stasi

An historical over view, Branded gives a detailed account of the measures that the United States government took against Italian-born residents during World War II. The book follows a chronology that begins with the years before World War II with the rise of Mussolini, who was originally beloved by America and lauded by President Franklin Roosevelt.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and war was declared on the Axis Powers, labeling ensued, branding some 600,000 Italian-born immigrants as “enemy aliens”—many of them non-citizens because they were unable to speak English and therefore couldn’t obtain citizenship. With that followed seizures of property, detentions, internments, evacuations, curfews, and fishing restrictions. Author Lawrence Di Stasi particularly focuses on the west coast, the miles of California coastline where “enemy aliens” were forbidden to set foot, uprooting many from their homes and destroying their livelihoods.

Branded is filled with personal accounts and reflections of those who endured this traumatic time. These heartwrenching accounts will show the irreparable physical and psychological damage done to those affected, many of whom had sons fighting overseas in the U.S. military.

One astonishing account focuses on an Italian man who was inducted into the U.S. Army while he was interned.

As you follow the sequence of events and read the personal recollections, it will make you consider whether or not such historical events are destined to be repeated, only to be viewed with disapproval decades after they occur. It will also make you consider how tenuous our rights really are.

DID YOU KNOW? Prior to 1922, American-born women lost their citizenship after marrying a non-citizen and did not automatically regain it if their husbands became naturalized citizens.

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e h t n i g n i e t i n r i n W emi F

Women Writers Gain� Their Voice in Italy

By Lisa Pike

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ITALIAN AMERICA

In what is considered her most autobiographical work, Sardinian-born novelist and Nobel Laureate Grazia Deledda compares the act of learning to read and write to gazing out a newly-opened window. In the opening chapters of her posthumously published novel Cosima (1937), the protagonist, a young girl, watches intently as la maestra—the teacher—transforms the blackboard with marks and words likened in the child’s mind to constellations of stars shining bright in the deep blue of a night sky. While Grazia Deledda is one of the few women to ever receive a Nobel Prize for Literature (1926)—and the only one to do so in Italy—the scene depicted in her last novel is emblematic of the Grazia Deledda was just the far-reaching struggle second woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. that women faced: how Just fourteen women have to gain access to and received this honor even participate in the world though it has been awarded to 112 individuals. of writing.

Born at the end of the nineteenth century to a middle-class family, Deledda

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desired to be a writer, something that was not met with family approval. Chastised and even beaten for partaking in an activity deemed “unfeminine,” the young Deledda took to fudging the books of the family olive oil business in order to purchase the necessities of her craft: pen and paper. Indeed, through the centuries, women writers have been inextricably tied to social norms and definitions of what it means to be feminine.

Without access to formal education, women wrote in ways that demonstrated a unique perseverance and love for learning. The letters of Catherine of Siena are often said to mark the beginning of this tradition.

Her father a cloth dyer and her mother a local poet’s daughter, Catherine of Siena (later canonized) was born the twenty-third of twenty-five children. Experiencing spiritual visions from the age of seven, she was delivered by her mother to a tertiary of the Dominican Order, in spite of the family’s desire for her to be the new bride of an older sister’s widower.

Catherine’s letters, dictated to a scribe between 1365 and 1380 due to her limited ability to read and write, were remarkable for their Sibilla Aleramo wrote what is considered the first blend of biblical imfeminist novel by an Italian agery and metaphor author: Una donna (A Woman). with the language of everyday, domestic life.

The art of letter writing was important for women in Italy. During the 15th and 16th centuries, women on the peninsula composed letters to communicate, educate, and contemplate their place in the world. Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi, for instance, wrote seventy-two letters to her three sons, who were exiled from Florence by the Medici family.

In these letters, she instructed her sons how to properly behave and conduct themselves in the public realm.

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Notable Contemporary Italian Women Writers

Elena Ferrante

The pseudonym for a writer whose identity is unknown, Ferrante was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2016. She is known for “The Neapolitan Novels,” a four-volume series (2012-2015) whose themes focus on coming-of-age. With regards to her anonymity, Ferrante maintained that “books, once they are written, have no need of their authors.”

Dacia Maraini

Daughter of Sicilian Princess Topazia Alliata, Mariani was born in Florence and, to escape Fascism, fled with her family to Japan, where they were interned at a Japanese concentration camp. Her work predominantly focuses on women’s issues and feminism, her regarded works including L’età del malessere (1963), Isolina (1985), La lunga vita di Marianna Ucrìa (1990), and Buio (1999).

Paola Capriolo

Capriolo was born in Milan and attended the University of Milan, interrupting her education to work on and publish her acclaimed short story collection, Il nocchiero (1989).

Her works explore philosophical and metaphysical realms, many times drawing on myth. Early works, such as her novel Il doppio regno (1991), focus on solitary protagonists, while later works focus on contemporary issues and human relationships.

Women became engaged not just in letter writing, but also religious and devotional writing, lyric poetry, and mystery plays. Humanism of 15th-century Italy has several women participants—especially in the northern courts. Writing in Latin according to classical models, women expressed themselves on a variety of subjects— such as philosophy, astrology, religion, and education—which were normally reserved for men. Women like Cassandra Fedele, Nicolosa Castellani Sanuti of Bologna, Isotta Nogarola, and Laura Cereta of Brescia all produced important works and delivered noteworthy orations. Though they faced accusations of immodesty and incapacity for true intellectual thought, these women nevertheless persevered in their efforts.

Cassandra Fedele was the first woman ever to deliver a speech at the

“Sciatu Mio,

you are the reason why I breathe.”

By Frank J. Pennisi

A rich and multi-layered romantic novel.

Historical events are interwoven with stories for control of the sulfur mines in Sicily, and the wars between the Irish and Italians for control of the N.Y. docks.

“Family Tale Captivates with Sicilian intrique, romance, drana and history.”

- SUN NEWS “A Riveting True Story...would make a Compelling movie.” - CREATESPACE “An Earnest, Vivid Portrait about a family that stands up to the Mafia.”

- KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW And from Amazon.com Readers; “Pulls you in, I Loved It, Passionate, Emotional, Heartwarming”” Available on Amazon.com, Kindle and Major Book Stores

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University of Padua. Nicolosa Castellani Sanuti of Bologna delivered a noted address challenging a Cardinal’s edict restricting women’s public dress. Isotta Nogarola engaged in a famous debate with a prominent Venetian lawyer on the subject of who had sinned the most: Adam or Eve? Laura Cereta of Brescia vigorously defended the right of education for women and the right to equal dignity with men.

Many religious and political shifts followed the end of the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century, and women continued to adapt their efforts to participate in the writing world. The increase in printed text due to the invention of the Gutenburg press and the rise of the vernacular over Latin as a legitimate form of expression combined to improve conditions for women readers and writers alike.

The real marker of change, however, did not come until Italy’s unification in 1861. The ensuing wide-scale public education initiatives that came with unification meant more access to education and increased opportunities for learning. Some women even began to earn a living as essayists and journalists. Gualberta Alaide Beccari founded two journals devoted to a female readership: La Donna and La Mamma. Anna Maria Mozzoni translated the English philosopher John Stuart Mill’s treatise On the Subjection of Women into Italian, and women like Ida Baccini and Matilde Serao were important contributors to the daily Italian newspapers of the era. Serao and Sibilla Aleramo were known for their fiction writing—a genre left largely unexplored by women due to its association with illicit sexual and adulterous content dating back to Boccaccio’s fourteenth century text: The Decameron.

In spite of increased access to public education and the written word, women were still limited by what was The Secret of Altamura: Nazi Crimes, Italian Treasure The latest of Dick Rosano’s mystery novels set in the regions of Italy, The Secret of Altamura traces Colonel Anselm Bernhardt during World War II and his quest to steal works of art during the Nazi Occupation of 1943. He took his troops south in the face of the Allied invasion, determined to find the treasure he heard was hidden in Altamura.

In modern times, his grandson tries to undo the crimes of his predecessor and return the works of art to the Italians, but he becomes infected with his grandfather’s obsession.

But the Secret of Altamura is more than just art and jewels, and revealing it could change the course of history.

Available on Amazon.com and at www.DickRosanoBooks.com

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deemed to be “appropriate” content for their writing. Subject matter restricted to traditional women’s roles of wife and mother remained more readily acceptable to readers at large. Sibilla Aleramo’s novel, Una donna (1906), is a classic example that challenged such boundaries. Based on Aleramo’s own life, the novel relates a woman’s painful struggle to exist within prescribed roles. However, it is a struggle which ends—both in real life and on the page— with the woman’s departure from her abusive husband and their child.

Women writers also struggled internally, questioning whether their writing made them deviant and abnormal, aberrations of what was considered to be truly “feminine.”

Matilde Serao, though able to make a living from her writing, was anti-feminist in her views and perceived herself to be part of the male literary realm. Grazia Deledda, in spite of her recognition on the international literary stage, sometimes found herself derided by her male contemporaries. One author, Luigi Pirandello, even went so far as to write a satirical novel based on her life.

Fiction became an increasingly important tool for women writers of the last half of the twentieth century.

Born around the First World War, coming of age during the 1930s, and surviving the Second World War, women novelists of this period tended to focus on the impact that larger social and political events had on individuals.

In the late 1960s, movement toward a more equitable society came about. Gender roles were reshaped, and new laws governing social issues like divorce and abortion were enacted in 1974 and 1978, respectively. Novels like Oriana Fallaci’s Letter to a Child Never Born and Armanda Guiducci’s Two Throwaway Women are representative of this change.

Today, women’s writing in Italy and elsewhere is growing in prominence and stature. Where women once were not allowed entrance, they are now the subject of study and debate. Courses on Italian women’s writing are offered at universities worldwide, and international conferences are devoted to their works. Like the young female protagonist of Deledda’s final novel gazing out toward the constellations of the written word, women are now able to engage in the full scope of what their imaginations allow. Writing in the feminine is finally getting its just due.

Lisa Pike is the author of the novel My Grandmother’s Pill (Guernica Editions, 2014). She holds her doctorate in Comparative Literature and has lived in Italy and France.

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Our Story

Italian American history and culture

Revitalizing Rochester

Little Italy Festival Inspires Little Italy Neighborhood The journey started three years ago with a festival, a small seed planted in the heart of Rochester, New York.

Created by Silvano Orsi, a member of OSIA’s Vincent Lombardi Lodge #2270 who also serves on the Executive Board of Grand Lodge of New York’s Commission for Social Justice (NYCSJ), the festival blossomed into a three-day August event featuring live music performances, a large fireworks display, a spaghetti eating competition, a pizza tossing demonstration, and many kiosks like “Tito’s Vodka Bar” and “Rubino’s Cannoli Bar.” It now attracts 8,000 people a day, some even traveling from Canada to attend. “It’s become an economic driver for this area,” Orsi says.

“Within the Greater Rochester region, the Little Italy Festival highlights the wonderful food, culture, and entertainment that form the basis of our shared love for our Italian heritage way of life.”

- New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Silvano Orsi promotes his project outside of Rochester’s Etna Italian Pastry Shop, which was opened by Italianborn Nuccio Scuderi in 1978. flock to, as has been the case for many other revived areas in cities across the country. Now that he has registered a non-profit organization—the Little Italy Neighborhood Association—Orsi will file for an initial $500,000 in funding from the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.

The festival grew into something more when Orsi When faced with the question of incorporating other considered just how much potential the city of Rochester cultures, Orsi says that he envisions has for revitalization. Inspired by the GATES MEMORIAL PARK AUGUST 12, 13 & 14 Rochester’s Little Italy as being a success of the festival, Orsi decided to place that is very inclusive. “I want launch a project much larger: creating a destination where we’re not just a Little Italy. “We have 140,000 Italpromoting the Italian culture, but ian Americans here in the Rochester also every other culture that’s in that area,” Orsi says. “That’s second only neighborhood.” to Staten Island, which is impressive, but there’s no Little Italy here. Our OSIA, he says, plays a big role in MAMBO KINGS surrounding communities like Buffalo, making this—and the project as a Niagara Falls, Syracuse, and Utica, they whole—come to fruition. “The Sons !

10pm have Little Italy neighborhoods. But orks Firew of Italy is very important to this initiawe don’t. And we’re number two in tive,” Orsi says. “After all, our mission New York State.” is to promote not only the Italian culEvent to

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FRI, AUG 12 - LATIN NIGHT!

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SUN, AUG 14 - 8:00PM

The First Family of Entertainment!

SAT, AUG 13 - 7:00PM

FRANCO CIFFA All Your Favorite Italian Songs!

The project, Orsi says, would attract retail and businesses to “an area that is ripe for development.” He also sees the neighborhood growing into a place that young professionals would

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Join the "loving couple" in their 1st Ever Big Fat Italian Wedding in the Park!

ture, but also cultural understanding.”

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And perhaps there is no better way to promote cultural understanding than by using the strength of the Italian culture to rebuild a city.

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Speakers Bureau

learn more about your culture & history

Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these experts directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. For more speakers see: www.osia.org at “Culture & History.” To apply as a speaker, contact Miles Fisher at mfisher@osia.org • ANYWHERE USA/CANADA Author, Journalist, Celebrity Chef, and Professor Maria Liberati speaks about Italian food, culture, and wines. She presents topics such as the cuisine of all regions of Italy, traveling through Italy’s ancient towns, Leonardo DaVinci and his life as a foodie, and gluten free and dairy free Italian food. She can customize a presentation on food, culture, and travel depending on the event. Maria has authored ten culinary travel books. Book signings; cooking demonstrations/ lessons; and wine pairings. Contact: (215) 436-9524 (Pennsylvania) Email: info@marialiberati.com Website: www.marialiberati.com • ANYWHERE USA/CANADA Architect Dr. Alfonso Caroli speaks on the history of architecture, the L’Aquila earthquake and rebuilding of the town, Renaissance architecture, Ancient Roman architecture, culinary heritage as related to architecture, and constructing your own home wine cellar. Dr. Caroli earned his Ph.D. in Architecture from Las Sapienza-University of Rome and led teams of architects/engineers through L’Aquila after the earthquake. Contact: (267) 544-9230 (Pennsylvania) Email: acarch001@gmail.com

• ANYWHERE USA Author of twelve geopolitical novels and Washington lawyer at a large international law firm, Allan Topol speaks on his new novel, The Italian Divide.

The novel deals with the current political situation in Italy and the conflict between northern and southern Italy viewed in an historical context. He discusses these topics as well as the current crisis in Europe involving Christians and Muslims. Book signings. Contact: (202) 368-9934 (Washington, D.C.) Email: atopol@cov. com Website: www.allantopol.com • MID-ATLANTIC Author of Lipstick Brigade: The Untold True Story of Washington’s World War II Government Girls, Dr. Cindy Gueli speaks on American History, World War II, film and television, and Washington, D.C. history. She has taught and lectured widely on American social, cultural, and pop cultural history. She is also a media professional who worked as a consultant on Showtime’s The Untold History of the United States.

Book signings. Contact: (202) 236-2612 (Washington, D.C.) Email: drgueli@gmail.com Website: cindygueli.com

• ANYWHERE USA/CANADA Chef specializing in Italian regional cuisine and author of Italian cookbooks/ travel books, Bill Abruzzo speaks on regional Italian cuisine, food products, culinary traditions, travel tips, and itineraries. His two cookbooks are entitled In the Footsteps of Nonna: Recipes and Ramblings in Southern Italy and Sicily and Culinary Crossroads of Italy: Recipes and Ramblings in Northern Italy, Istria and Calmatia (both published by Pelican Publishing Co.). Book signings and cooking demonstrations/lessons. Contact: (540) 359-0286 (Virginia) Email: Abruzzo.b@gmail.com Website: www.recipesandramblings.com

SUMMER 2016 17 ITALIAN AMERICA

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The 28th Annual NELA Gala Thursday, May 26, 2016

A Night for Honorees, Students, and Military Veterans

By Miles Ryan Fisher

The Sons of Italy Founand aviation safety profes® th dation (SIF) hosted its 28 sionals. In part resulting from Annual National Educathe unprecedented collaboration & Leadership Awards tion between his union and (NELA) Gala at the landmark the Federal Aviation AdminNational Building Museum istration, Mr. Rinaldi became in Washington, D.C. The SIF the first NATCA president to presented awards to highly be elected to three terms. accomplished honorees, gave Mr. Rinaldi’s grandfather scholarships to several promfound his way to the United ising students, and supported States by way of Venezuela— wounded veterans of the About 900 guests attended the 2016 SIF NELA Gala at the living there for eight years historic National Building Museum.

United States military. OSIA before settling in New York President Daniel J. Longo also paid tribute to the late and earning enough to bring the rest of the family over Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was honored from Italy, including Mr. Rinaldi’s father. In his acceptance at the 1991 NELA Gala. speech, Mr. Rinaldi credited his success to his upbringing.

The SIF serves as the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA). For the fifteenth straight year, actor Joe Mantegna emceed the event.

The Honorees

The evening’s first honor—the 2016 SIF Humanitarian Award—was presented to Paul Rinaldi, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), which represents more than 20,000 air traffic controllers

Paul Rinaldi talks about the important role his parents played in making his career possible.

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“In the book Good to Great,” he said, “the author Jim Collins defines workers in two categories: show horses and workhorses. I am so happy my mother and father instilled the workhorse mentality in me and my brother to understand that good enough is never acceptable and to always strive for greatness.”

Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of Airlines for America, received the 2016 SIF Award for Excellence in

Nick Calio is presented with the 2016 SIF Award by MITRE Corp. President & CEO Alfred Grasso, a 2015 SIF honoree.

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Business. Airlines for America is the trade association for the country’s leading passenger and cargo airlines, whose members and affiliates transport more than 90% of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic.

Records show that Mr. Calio’s mother, Assuntina, was six years old and had six dollars in her pocket when she, her siblings, and her mother arrived at Ellis Island in 1929. And it was in praising his mother and father that filled Mr. Calio with emotion. “My parents struggled to make ends meet, but they tried to make sure we could take advantage of every opportunity,” Calio said. “To that end, my mother, who was such a huge influence on my life, went to work full-time in the 1950s.”

“My parents stressed getting ahead through hard work and education,” he added. “And you know what? They were right.”

Soprano Maria Fassio Pignati sings the American and Italian national anthems beside the Takoma Park Police Department Honor Guard, who performed the Presentation of the Colors.

tone, Mattone, LLP. Mr. Mattone shared an anecdote about the adversity his grandfather and his grandfather’s siblings faced when they first came to America. They’d laid foundation and put up the walls for an apartment building in Greenport, New York. But when they returned to work on the building, the walls had been torn down by those who didn’t want Italians in the neighborhood. So, together, they rebuilt it. Together, they guarded it. And today, it still stands.

“What is the lesson to this?” Mr. Mattone posed. “You can have people throw rocks at you, and they can say bad things about you … it’s organizations like (OSIA) that give you the courage to stand your ground.”

(L. to R.) OSIA Past National President Joseph Sciame, Mary Ann Pessolano Mattone, SIF President Joseph J. DiTrapani, OSIA National President Daniel J. Longo, and Joseph M. Mattone in the presentation of the NELA Award.

For the first time in NELA Gala history, the SIF presented the night’s highest honor—the 2016 National Education & Leadership Award—to co-recipients. Joseph M. Mattone, Sr. and Mary Ann Pessolano Mattone shared the stage to receive the honor.

Mr. Mattone is Chairman and President of The Mattone Group—a development, construction and property management company in Queens, New York. He also serves as a senior partner in the law firm Mattone, MatITALIAN AMERICA

Mrs. Mattone is a registered nurse with a Master’s in public health. She is also a noted philanthropist and community leader who has raised funds for many causes, such as the New York Mentoring Program and L’Aquila earthquake relief. Mrs. Mattone didn’t waste any time in praising the line of strong women from which she came.

“I heard a lot about men and the accomplishments and where we came from,” she said. “But I’d like to talk about women. And there were three women in my life.”

In addition to her mother and her paternal grandmother, one of those women was her maternal grandmother, who “would go to bed without enough food because she wanted the children to eat.” Mrs. Mattone looked to the audience. “But they were never poor of spirit,” she said.

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The 2016 SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service, presented annually to a person who is not of Italian heritage, is given to an individual who works to build a better global community. This year’s recipient, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, was the 66th U.S. Secretary of State and the first African-American woman to hold that position.

She currently teaches at Stanford University, where she served as Provost from 1993 to 1999. President George W. Bush and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell introduced Dr. Rice via video.

The 2016 SIF national scholarship recipients.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice speaks eloquently about what America has meant to immigrants of all backgrounds.

Dr. Rice took the NELA Gala podium and said she “felt right at home,” saying that while she may not be Italian, her name—Condoleezza—was taken from the Italian musical term con dolcezza (with sweetness). Dr. Rice showed her own con dolcezza with some heartfelt words about America, what it meant to all of our ancestors, and what all of our ancestors meant to it.

You, the sons and daughters of Italians who believed (they) could come here and do great things, embody what is so great about America, which is that ‘We the People’ is an inclusive concept. It is not the concept of an ethnicity or nationality or religion. It is the concept of a belief. It is the concept of aspiration. And you honor the heritage of your ancestors who came here and made this country what it is because they believed in the American dream.

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The Scholarship Recipients

Twelve young, promising students received SIF scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. A central part of the night’s program, the scholarships were presented to undergraduate and graduate students of Italian descent for their exemplary academic performance, school leadership, and community service. Since 1989, a total of more than three million dollars in scholarships has been given out at the twenty-eight NELA Galas. “It’s truly been a remarkable journey,” said SIF President Joseph J. DiTrapani in his welcome speech. “Some three hundred brilliant outstanding young Italian Americans have been highlighted on this stage.”

The Gala featured a special moment when Joe Mantegna presented the Mantegna Family Scholarship to his godson, Luca Guastaferro. As a person with Asperger Syndrome, Luca graduated with Honors from California

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State University, Northridge and has advised undergrad students on the autistic spectrum through the University of Arizona’s Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques Program.

“John once told me, after digging in the rubble for days and days, searching for his two boys and others of the FDNY who were lost and so many others, John saw the outpouring of love from all over the country and all over the world of people who came to that site to pass out water and food and to support those who were down there digging in the rubble, and John said to me that he thought more good came out of September 11th than evil.

And I’ve carried it with me from that moment on.”

The Veterans

The SIF was proud to have special guest Gar y Sinise speak at this year’s NELA. Founder of The Gary Sinise Foundation, Mr. Sinise has been very active in supporting military veterans. His foundation serves Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise with one of the defenders, veterans, first remany veterans who were NELA special guests. sponders, their families, and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs The SIF also recognized Help Our Military Heroes, designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities. He thanked the SIF for its donation a non-profit organization dedicated to helping wounded of $10,000 to his foundation. In his remarks, he recalled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In April, the the words of New York Firefighter John Vigiano, who lost SIF donated $20,000 to this cause. For this special story, see page 32. two sons on 9/11.

Several veterans attended the Gala as special guests of the SIF. ITALIAN AMERICA

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Joseph Maligno receives the National Italian Bar Association & Sons of Italy Foundation Scholarship from OSIA National Historian Richard Della Croce (left) and NIABA President Joseph Sena.

SIF CEO Philip Piccigallo (left) with Armando Varricchio, Italy’s recently appointed Ambassador to the United States.

Amanda Ferraro receives the 2016 National Education & Leadership Grant from OSIA Past National President Joseph Sciame.

Jennah Romanksy receives the OSIA Grand Lodge of Ohio/Italian Language Scholarship from SIF National Trustee from Ohio Terry Lattavo and his wife, Susan.

Jake Gigliotti receives the Henry F. Salvatori Memorial Scholarship from OSIA First National Vice President Vera Girolami and SIF Trustee Joseph LaBanca.

SIF CEO Philip Piccigallo (far left) and SIF President Joseph DiTrapani (far right) with Condoleezza Rice and Nick Calio.

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Andrew Denucci receives the OSIA Grand Lodge of Maryland Scholarship from State President Frances Cipriotti and OSIA National President Daniel Longo.

Luca Guastaferro, alongside his parents, receives the Mantegna Family Scholarship from his godfather, Joe Mantegna.

Tenor Michael Amante performs for the ninth time at NELA.

Julia Amato receives the OSIA Grand Lodge of New York Scholarship from State President Carolyn Reres.

Nathan Bruschi receives the Anthony J. & Eldora B. Perfilio Scholarship from OSIA State Orator from Ohio Anthony Perfilio and his wife, Eldora.

Julian Vitto receives the Antonio DiStefano & John Maura, Jr. Family Scholarship from SIF Trustee Marianne Principe-O’Neil.

Sgt. Tavia Baldwin, U.S. Marine Corps, receives the Wounded Warrior Project/Sons of Italy Foundation Scholarship from Coleman Brooks of the Wounded Warrior Project (left) and SIF Treasurer Frank Panessa.

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Farewell, My Friends Making It Better

Dear Friends:

By Philip R. Piccigallo, Ph.D.

‘All good things must come to an end,’ wrote Geoffrey Chaucer in 1374. And so it is with my career with OSIA, the Sons of Italy Foundation, and the Commission for Social Justice. Spanning nearly twenty-eight years, my time spent here literally flew by. It has been a true labor of love, a privilege to serve, and a mission-driven exercise of the heart and mind. Now Ecclesiastes 6 harkens: the “Season” has arrived and a new “Purpose on to Heaven” has called.

The people of OSIA and the noble causes we share will be missed. I plan to spend more time with my beautiful family—Rose, my wife of 33 years; my children, Jackie and Paul; my son-in-law, Nick—do some consulting, writing, and travel. Rose and I hope to live in Italy for an extended period.

As devotees and leaders of a great movement, we accomplished a great deal together. The Order has stood the test and challenges of time, changing demographics, new social and cultural dynamics. OSIA remains the third oldest fraternal ethnic organization of its kind in America, preceded only by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the B’nai B’rith.

Notwithstanding the withering and persistent social and economic forces that continuously batter membership and participatory groups, OSIA has held firm. It is still the largest, most geographically representative, and, many would argue, the most influential Italian-American organization in the United States.

We championed the causes dearest to us, notably preservation, promotion, and expansion of the study of Italian and, when needed, the role of Italy in U.S. and global matters. It was my Phil with his wife, Rose Piccigallo, and honor, in 2006, to deliver personally 100,000 signatures to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the 1992 NELA Gala.

United Nations Headquarters in New York City demanding that Italy’s position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council remain secure.

Our anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice, never wavered from defending our culture and heritage. It stood strong against the virtually continuous stereotypical and defamatory assaults favored by Hollywood, the media, and bigots. We pushed back wherever necessary, bolstered by FBI statistics and CSJ-sponsored academic studies that indisputably demonstrated the falseness of claims about Italian-American organized crime involvement.

OSIA leaders had originally established the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) in 1959 as a repository for funds raised in an unsuccessful campaign to build a national headquarters and museum in Washington, D.C. Following my arrival at OSIA in 1988, the SIF took on new life with the initiation of the National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala.

Over the past twenty-eight years, the NELA Galas have become a Washington, D.C. staple and highly anticipated tradition. The Galas have raised more than $32 million, attracted some 26,000 “movers and shakers,” presented $2.3 million to outstanding Italian-American students, and recognized universally respected people from all walks of life: immunologists Anthony S. Fauci and Robert Gallo; Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito; entertainers Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Annette Funicello; sports icons Mario Andretti, Andy Granatelli, and Lou Carnesecca; government leaders Geraldine Ferraro, Nancy Pelosi, Louis Freeh, and Leon Panetta; businessmen SUMMER 2016 24

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Joseph Grano, Joseph Plumeri, John Mariani, and Steve Wynn; labor leaders Robert Georgine, Robert Scardelletti, and Terry O’Sullivan; and military leaders General Raymond T. Odierno and his son, Captain Anthony Odierno. President Clinton attended seven times. George W. Bush was honored with Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2004.

The SIF reached a new height in 2009 with the introduction of its Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service.

This award recognizes individuals who are not of Italian heritage and who have made outstanding contributions to improving national and global conditions. The list of honorees reads like a “Who’s Who” of American leadership: Vice President Joseph Biden (’09); President Bill Clinton (’10); Senator Jack Reed (’11); Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (’12); Secretary of State General Colin Powell (’13); Senator and MPPA CEO Christopher Dodd (’14); LIUNA President Terrance O’Sullivan (’15); and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (’16). Their acceptance of this award signifies universal recognition of the goodness and validity of the SIF’s unofficial mission “To Make it Better” as it does the SIF’s intention to embrace the universality of a broader cause.

Along the way, SIF/OSIA raised some $165 million for charities and worthwhile causes, notably $13 million for the March of Dimes; nearly $3 million for the Cooleys Anemia Foundation; nearly $2 million for the Alzheimers Association; nearly $300,000 for Autism; $100,000 each for the Children’s Inn at NIH, the World War II Memorial, and the 9/11 MemoPhil and his children, Jackie and Paul, leaving the rial & Museum; and approximately $65 million for scholar2016 NELA Gala to the theme from “Rocky.” ships. I am deeply proud of whatever minimal role I played in helping to advance the battle against such diseases and to support such patriotic causes.

Mostly, I am profoundly gratified by the more than two hundred young people that I have mentored and gotten to know during these years, nearly all of whom are now carrying on the baton as they embrace the world and “Make it Better.” During the years, there were eleven Oval Office meetings, five at Il Palazzo del Quirinale, and countless conferences at U.S. and other embassies, Capitol Hill, and one truly memorable weekend at Frank Sinatra’s Palm Desert home while celebrating the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Hospital. Quite an experience, indeed.

To all those I have worked so closely with and formed and shared lifelong memories, I bid adieu, God speed, and all the very best. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

One of the most important pop songs ever written, by Paul Simon, entitled “The Boxer” ends this way:

And in the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade.

And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down

And cut him ‘til he cried out in his anger and his shame,

I am leaving, I am leaving,

But the fighter still remains. The fighter still remains.

I am leaving, but the fighter for all the causes that originally drew me to OSIA, the Sons of Italy Foundation, and Commission for Social Justice—causes that we all share—surely remains. And I sincerely believe We Made it Better.

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OSIA Nation

OSIA LODGES AT WORK

new york

ohio

The Grand Lodge of New York celebrated the Order Sons of Italy in America’s 111th Anniversary in the exact place it was founded: the heart of New York City’s Little Italy. It was here that, on June 22, 1905, Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro founded OSIA in his office and residence located at 202 Grand Street.

Every year, the Cincinnati Reds host an opening day parade honoring a city whose baseball team dates back to 1869, making it the first and oldest professional baseball team in America. More than one hundred thousand people line the streets of downtown Cincinnati to view the floats and listen to live music.

The Grand Lodge of New York honored the day with Mass at Most Precious Blood Church in Little Italy, a wreath hanging ceremony at the founding site, and delicious Italian dishes at Il Cortile (The Courtyard). State President Carolyn Reres also presented special Lifetime Achievement Awards to three Past State/National Presidents: Peter R. Zuzolo, Joseph Sciame, and Joseph J. DiTrapani.

(L. to R.) Past National Presidents Joseph Sciame, Peter R. Zuzolo, Joseph J. DiTrapani; State President Carolyn Reres; National Second Vice President Nancy DiFiore Quinn; National Trustee Carlo Matteucci; National Foundation Trustee Salvatore Lanzilotta.

This year the Cincinnatus Lodge #1191 sponsored a float saluting the Cincinnati Reds and was named an “All Star Award Winner” for its entry.

The Grand Marshal of the parade was Reds former manager Lou Piniella.

The Reds currently boast four Italian Americans on their roster: Pitchers Tony Cingrani and Anthony DeSclafani, catcher Devin Mesoraco, and all-star first baseman Joey Votto, who hails from Canada. Their organization is headed by CEO Bob Castellini.

OSIA-sponsored float parades down Cincinnati streets, hauled by an eighteen-wheeler donated by Tony Scalia’s company, Aberdeen Express.

texas La Famiglia di Southeast Texas Lodge 2887 of Beaumont recently celebrated its First Anniversary. The lodge hit the ground running with a busy first year, making donations to the U.S Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program and to the Southeast Texas Food Bank.

In conjunction with the City of Beaumont, the Lodge held an Italian Heritage Night at two locations simultaneously: The Jefferson Theatre, where Joe Tortorice Jr. was preSUMMER 2016

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sented with the Outstanding ItalianAmerican of Southeast Texas Award; and the Children’s Museum, where children enjoyed grape-stomping and pasta-making.

In the past year, lodge members have also attended free Italian language lessons through the support of the local grocery chain, Market Basket, who provided the classroom.

The lodge also created and sold a cookbook full of local family recipes.

Members of Lodge 2887 pose in front of Joe Tortorcie’s family photos hanging in his cousin’s bakery.

ITALIAN AMERICA

OSIA Nation

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

delaware

maryland

The Prince of Piedmont Lodge #475 celebrated its 100th Anniversary on April 9 with a gala held at the Wilmington Chase Center. More than 500 members and guests attended the event, including OSIA National President Daniel Longo, Grand Lodge of Delaware State President Joseph Facciolo, and many notable Delawareans.

Lodge President James T. Lemmon spoke briefly regarding the past success of the lodge and the goals for its future. He thanked the many volunteers and committee members who have made such great contributions to the Prince of Piedmont Lodge and all of its programs.

Jack P. Varsalona Ed.D. was the gala’s guest of honor. He is a member of MENSA, holds a doctorate in educational leadership, and is currently the president of Wilmington University. An active member of the Piedmont Lodge, Dr. Varsalona is also active in the State of Delaware in nu-

(L. to R.) OSIA National President Daniel Longo, Prince of Piedmont Lodge President James T. Lemmon, and Grand Lodge of Delaware State President Joseph Facciolo display the Certificate of Appreciation from the Supreme Council of OSIA. (Photo Courtesy of Christopher Permar)

On June 25 and 26, the Annapolis Lodge #2225 held its third annual Festa di Santa Madre Cabrini, an Italian Festival that honors the patron saint of immigrants. The festa opened with a 7:30am Mass dedicated to Saint Mother Cabrini and continued into the Knights of Columbus hall and parking lot, where the two-day festival attracted upwards of 5,000 people. Performances of Italian music and a wide assortment of Italian food and dolci (desserts) were complimented by various events, including a car show (complete with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis), a sausage-eating contest, and a visit from the Italian Fairy.

merous charitable and philanthropic endeavors.

The Prince of Piedmont Lodge was issued its charter in February 1916 and is the first and oldest lodge in the State of Delaware. It currently reports having 750 members.

california On April 23, the Central Valley Sons of Italy Foundation had a Romanthemed 23rd Annual Black Tie Benefit. The event honored Tom and Karyn Gallo, who own Galletto Ristorante located in downtown Modesto. Tom currently serves as a top executive with G3 Enterprises, the longest operating wine label producer in the United States. Together, Tom and Karyn are actively involved in numerous local, state, and national charities.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Frank Muratore and Joseph Simile Sr. Frank served in both World War II and the Korean War, and has been a member of the Modesto Lodge #2021 for thirty-two years.

Joe was knighted by the Republic of Italy and joined the Modesto Lodge in 1955, serving as its President prior to two terms as State President.

The evening benefited the Sierra Vista Child & Family Services, which helps abused, neglected, and emotionally disturbed children and families in crisis. It also raised funds for a number of Sons of Italy charities, including the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation and Alzheimer’s Foundation.

SUMMER 2016 27 ITALIAN AMERICA

(L. to R.) Foundation Secretary and Co-Chair of Event Donna Ferreira, Co-Chair of Event Terri Cipponeri, OSIA National First Vice President Vera Girolami , Grand Lodge of California President Lynn Lawrence-Murphy, and Honorees Tom and Karyn Gallo.

ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 27

By Miles Ryan Fisher

While the War on Tripoli took over the Mediterranean Sea, a group of fifteen musicians boarded the United States frigate Chesapeake. The ship disembarked from Catania, Sicily and sailed right through the war, crossing the Atlantic and docking in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 1805. The musicians, led by Gaetano Carusi, were now officially U.S. Marines. Rather than taking up arms, they held onto their instruments—for they were the new brass section of the United States Marine Band.

Though the U.S. Marine Band—the nation’s oldest professional musical organization—was chartered by President John Adams in 1798, it was Thomas Jefferson who gave the band an identity. A music lover and amateur musician, Jefferson took great interest in the band, even having them perform at his 1801 inauguration, which has been a tradition for every President since.

But Jefferson wasn’t satisfied. He wanted more. He wanted the band to grow. And two years after the start of his first term, he expressed this interest to Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Burrows, suggesting that they enlist musicians … from Italy. At this suggestion, Burrows turned the task over to Captain John Hall, who was being deployed to the Mediterranean to fight in the war with Tripoli. Burrows ordered Hall to find and bring back musicians during his tour in southern Italy.

Francis Maria Scala

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Find and bring back, he did. Captain Hall found 42-year-old Gaetano Carusi and his group of musicians, whose ages ranged from just eight to forty-one years old and included Carusi’s three sons. Little did any of them—or even President Jefferson, himself—realize the permanent influence this would have on the Marine Band.

ITALIAN AMERICA

One of the fifteen musicians was 12-year-old Venerando Pulizzi, who spent eleven years with the Marine Band before becoming just its third leader in history. He held the post in 1816, and then again from 1818 to 1827. During his second tenure, he and the Marine Band played for the largest parade ever held, up to that point, in the nation’s capital. The parade, held in 1824, welcomed back Revolutionary War hero Marquis de LaFayette.

Pulizzi’s leadership was no anomaly. Three other Italianborn musicians also became leaders of the Marine Band: Joseph Lucchesi (1844-1846), Francis Maria Scala (18551871), and Francesco Fanciulli (1892-1897)—who succeeded the band’s most famous leader, John Philip Sousa.

Of the four Italian band leaders, it was Scala who played the most indelible role. Born in Naples, Scala received his musical training while growing up in Italy. Upon becoming director of the Marine Band, he set upon expanding it, adding several musicians and incorporating new instruments.

He modernized the band’s instrumentation—inserting brass, percussion, and woodwind instruments, which are still used today. These instruments included flutes, piccolos, clarinets (E-flat and B-flat), cornets, trumpets, French horns, baritones, trombones, tubas, and snare and bass drums.

Not only did Scala give the band the instrumentation that it’s now famous for, he also composed and arranged more than 600 marches and waltzes. These compositions

Francis Scala on the Presidents (Noted in his Memoirs) President Zachary Taylor: “General Taylor was an old-fashioned soldier who put on no airs whatsoever.”

President Franklin Pierce: “President Pierce was a man of pleasant personality, and I have many kind reminiscences of him.”

President Abraham Lincoln: “Lincoln I always remember with affection. He was so delightfully plain and honest.”

First Lady Mrs. Andrew Johnson: “Every time the band played, Mrs. Johnson sent me a bouquet, and in return I dedicated a march to her.”

“This book is packed with startling revelations, from the Roman Legionnaires ... to Italian Eurofighter Typhoons. An amazing world tour.”

How Italians Conquered the World In its first known photograph, the U.S. Marine Band led by Francis Scala plays for President Lincoln in 1864.

SUMMER 2016 29 ITALIAN AMERICA

Christopher Kelly Stuart Laycock Available at Amazon.com or get your exclusive signed copies bundled with limited edition gifts at W W W . I TA LY I N VA D E S . C O M

ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 29

drew on the classical music of his day, much of it Italian opera. One of these 600 titles included what became (and remains) the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps.—the “Marines’ Hymn.”

Representative of the close relationship Scala (and many band leaders) had with the sitting presidents, he introduced the famous open-air concerts held on the Capitol and White House lawns. Scala performed weekly on the White House lawn, and on one occasion Abraham Lincoln appeared on the portico. He waved to the crowd of concert-goers, who beckoned him to speak. Lincoln, however, retreated into the refuge of the White House, where he collapsed on a sofa and lamented, “I wish they would let me sit out there quietly and enjoy the music.”

Of the presidents Scala played for, his closest friendship was undoubtedly with Lincoln, who himself had quite a broad taste in music that stretched from pop to opera.

When Scala encountered criticism for playing too many operatic pieces rather than military or popular music, it was Lincoln who defended him. As fate would have it, Scala later arranged the “Marines’ Hymn” by drawing from a French opera—Geneviève de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach.

Scala performed for Lincoln through the Civil War, including at the inauguration of Gettysburg National Cemetery, where Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address. In the group of musicians who played that day, there was a trombonist, an immigrant from Portugal, named Antonio Sousa. With Scala’s permission, Sousa brought his thirteen-year-old son into the band as an apprentice. And so it was that John Philip Sousa got his start.

Scala stepped down as Band Director in 1871. Nine years later, John Philip Sousa, after a brief departure, rejoined the band as its 17th Director. The most prolific leader the band has ever had, Sousa produced iconic OSIA members benefit from a 10% discount on all our services!

The entire U.S. Marine Band has about 130 members (though they rarely play as a full band).

marches like “Stars and Stripes,” “Semper Fidelis,” and “Washington Post” that remain Marine Band standards.

Today, the Marine Band—referred to as “The President’s Own”—carries on its traditions. They perform at the White House on more than two hundred occasions every year, their instruments and many of their songs a reflection of the past. They recall a time when fifteen musicians sailed from the shores of Sicily through the War of Tripoli; a time when a director expanded the band and opened up the instrumentation; a time when a little boy named Sousa apprenticed under an Italian-born, Italianeducated band director.

And true to the theme of the Marine’s Hymn—that the U.S. Marine Corps will travel anywhere in the world to fight for freedom—the influence of Italian-born musicians will forever travel with them as well.

Miles Ryan Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of Italian America magazine. Contact him at mfisher@osia.org

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For more information, visit www.myitalianfamily.com, or call 1-888-472-0171 SUMMER 2016

30

ITALIAN AMERICA

From the National

WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU

From the President’s Desk

By Daniel J. Longo, President of the Order Sons of Italy in America® One hundred and eleven years.

That’s how long OSIA has existed.

It’s hard to imagine that any fraternal organization can stand the test of time like that, but what’s even harder to imagine is that so many of our filial lodges have done the same.

This year alone, twelve lodges celebrate their centennial. These lodges all formed in 1916, just one year before our country entered the First World War. It was a time before social programs existed, a time when members—many of whom were immigrants who did not speak English—had to rely on an organization created by their own for support. That support ranged from assistance in becoming a U.S. citizen to health/death benefits and educational opportunities.

These lodges were founded out of true brotherhood, and

then grew to honor and promote the Italian culture in the United States of America.

By the end of the summer, each of these lodges will have received an official Certificate of Appreciation from the Supreme Council of the Order Sons of Italy in America.

This certificate commemorates an achievement that was likely unimaginable to those who founded the lodges one hundred years ago.

Needless to say, these lodges have a lot to celebrate. I’ve been fortunate to attend a couple of the centennial celebrations myself, and I can say that those lodges celebrated like they’re much younger than one hundred years old!

Happy 100th Anniversary to all of these lodges, or as we like to say: Cent’Anni!

Cent’Anni!

Dante Aligheri Lodge #648 (Waltham, MA) Binghamton Lodge #487 (Binghamton, NY) Ben V. Marconi Lodge #505 (Waynesburg, OH) Northeast Lodge #610 (Philadelphia, PA) Vittoria Lodge #585 (Cumberland, RI) Alighieri-Garibaldi Lodge #494 (Glendora, NJ)

Savoia Lodge #570 (Indiana, PA) ITAMLodge #564 (Springfield, MA) Ruggero Bonghi Lodge #543 (North Wales, PA) Cambridge Italian Men’s/Ladies Lodge #506 (Belmont, MA) Prince of Piedmont Lodge #475 (Wilmington, DE) Gorizia Lodge #467 (Rumford, ME)

SONS OF ITALY SUSTAINING PATRONS CIRCLE HONOR ROLL As of June 8, 2016 The Sons of Italy® extends its gratitude to these members of the Sustaining Patrons Circle: Sons of Italy Foundation® Patrons Nick & Jeanne Ameli Tony Bisceglia Anderson & Linda Anderson Michael Castrovinci Anthony & Carolyn Cianciotta Mark DeNunzio* Joseph & Carol DiTrapani* Francesco Ferraro Judge Al Girolami & Vera Girolami Mark Gregorio Nami Kim Joseph LaBanca Bruce & Annette Lankewish Salvatore & Rachele Lanzilotta Terry & Sue Lattavo SUMMER 2016 31 ITALIAN AMERICA

Daniel J. Longo Thomas A. Lupo Michele & Eric Ment Arlene Nunziati Marianne Principe O’Neil & John O’Neil New York State Grand Lodge Foundation, OSIA Maria Fassio Pignati Michael G. Polo Michael S. Polo Paul S. Polo, Sr.* Nancy DiFiore Quinn & John Quinn Rose Carolyn Rizza Joseph & Joan Rondinelli

Joseph Sciame Diane Y. Scillo Bob & Betty Messa, Sustaining Patrons Emeriti Commission for Social Justice® Patrons Arlene Nunziati Maria Fassio Pignati Diane Y. Scillo *Member of the Sons of Italy Sustaining Patrons Circle President’s Guild, reserved for those dedicated individuals who encourage others to support the SIF and the CSJ through recurring giving ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 31

®

The Sons of Italy Foundation

®

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

A Proud, Patriotic Night for the Sons of Italy

By Joseph DiTrapani, President

The SIF’s 28th National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala was once again a tremendous success. As always, it was wonderful to hear our honorees speak about their past and those who came before them, something we can all relate to in our own way. It was also wonderful to see the bright smiles of so many promising students when they walked on stage to receive their scholarships.

After all, supporting higher education is something that has always been one of the SIF’s primary missions.

The SIF also donated $20,000 to Help Our Military Heroes, an impressive organization that supports our veterans (see the article below). I would like to recognize SIF Treasurer Frank Panessa for being instrumental in the donation process.

That being said, there was something I was particularly proud of on this evening. We hosted a large group of veterans as our personal guests and had a special guest—Gary Sinise—speak on behalf of The Gary Sinise Foundation and the work it does to support veterans. This year, the SIF donated $10,000 to his foundation.

I look forward to your continued support of the Sons of Italy Foundation as we continue to support the worthiest of causes.

The overall support we offer those who have fought to protect our freedom—the freedom our very own ancestors sought—fills me with pride for what we are as a people and as a foundation. In helping those who have laid their lives on the line for us, we honor the memory our ancestors, many of whom risked their own lives in coming to this country. And I think that’s something we can all be proud of.

Sons of Italy Foundation Helps Our Military Heroes Last April, the Sons of Italy Foundation donated $20,000 to Help Our Military Heroes (HOMH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing fully equipped, adaptive minivans to our country’s most severely wounded, injured, and ill service men and women who sustained their injuries while on active duty since the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. HOMH works with each individual to provide a minivan with modifications specific to his or her needs.

The organization was co-founded in 2009 by Laurie and Ted Hollander and Marybeth Vandergrift, and since then they have awarded dozens of adaptive minivans to deserving veterans. With all non-program expenses being paid by its founders and board members, HOMH ensures that 100% of its public donations go toward the purchase of such minivans.

Two years ago, the Sons of Italy Foundation donated $20,000 to HOMH, which helped provide a fully adapted minivan to CPL Josh Himan, U.S. Army (Ret).

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SIF Treasurer Frank Panessa hands the keys of a modified minivan to SSG (Ret) Adam Keys, U.S. Army.

ITALIAN AMERICA

®

The Commission for Social Justice

The CSJ Perspective

By Kevin Caira, President

In spite of the ongoing struggle to preserve Columbus Day, there are times of victory—and this, is one of those times.

A bill to rename Columbus Day so that it would be called Indigenous Peoples’ Day was proposed in the Colorado State legislature. However, due to an overwhelming response—in large measure from Sons of Italy officers and members—the bill was rejected, and Columbus Day remains.

I would like to personally thank OSIA Grand Lodge of Colorado State President Dominic LoSasso, State First Vice President Richard SaBell, and Colorado Columbus Day Parade President Rita DeFrange for their efforts in opposing this initiative. They were instrumental in rallying their home state and bringing this issue to National’s attention.

I’d also like to thank CSJ State Presidents along with OSIA members across the country who wrote to Colorado State Representatives. Your voice is imperative.

Finally, I’d like to thank OSIA headquarters for their efforts in making sure each and every one of those rep-

fighting defamation

resentatives received a letter from OSIA’s National CSJ. OSIA’s voice was certainly heard!

This is the exact model of collective action that we need to continue into the future in order to preserve Columbus Day and our heritage. Even in times when Columbus Day is unjustifiably taken away from us, our voice is still important in getting our heritage the recognition it deserves.

Now we are in jeopardy of losing Columbus Day in Montana. State Representative Bridget Smith is presenting her first bill as a legislator. The bill proposes to rename Columbus Day. “We must end the repugnant celebration of Columbus Day,” she stated. “Honoring Columbus, a mass murderer, affronts the dignity of all Montanans and Americans.” Such comments demonstrate blatant ignorance of the history of Christopher Columbus.

Please join the National CSJ in sending letters and emails to the Montana State Legislature in protest of her bill. Let us continue the momentum from our Colorado victory by making sure that public officials know how much pride we take in our Italian heritage—and that Columbus Day is here to stay!

Montana House of Representatives P.O. Box 200400 Helena, MT 59620-0400

The Results Are In! 53754CV

To read about Diana’s words about her wonderful My Italian Family experience (and tribulations prior to their help), visit OSIA’s blog at https://osia.wordpress.com/

COMING SOON TO YOUR MAILBOX… www.osia.org/sif

Winner of Sons of Italy Do You Know Roots Contest, Diana Burdisso Britting, received wonderful results thanks to My Italian Family. She gave My Italian Family what information she had on her paternal grandparents (who died in the 1950s) and their small village in Italy (Cuneo in the Piedmont region), My Italian Family went to work.

They traveled into the village and recovered a plethora of records—including birth/marriage/death certificates and property documents—through which they managed to locate family still living in Italy, two young ladies named Monica and Nadia whose great-grandfather was the brother of Diana’s grandfather. Now, Diana is planning a trip to Italy to spend time with her newfound family!

Sons of Italy Foundation’s 2017 Calendar!

Florence, Italy

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Your gifts to the Sons of Italy Foundation’s fundraising appeals will be used for essential programs and services that promote Italian-American culture, provide scholarships to Italian-American students, and improve the lives of others. So, please give generously!

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Park, Milan Peace Arch, Sempione Florence, Italy Italy Lago Di Braies,

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For more information on My Italian Family and dualcitizenship eligibility, visit www.myitalianfamily.com SUMMER 2016 33 ITALIAN AMERICA

ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 33

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Letters to the Editor You did a superb job. Congratulations on capturing the very essence of my commanding officer, Col. Toscani. He was an intelligent and gifted individual and despite his limited education, achieved undeniable success. He confided to me that because of his Italian heritage, he believes he was denied a promotion to Brigadier General.

Frank E. Marra Yonkers, New York I really enjoyed (The Last Word) in the Spring edition. It really hit a chord about how our ancestors came here with nothing and made something for their family. My maternal greatgrandfather immigrated to this country through Ellis Island in 1900. He worked as a laborer, his son (my grandfather) was a true craftsman, a stone mason by trade. I wrote this poem for them and made it into a plaque with my grandfather’s favorite hand trowel attached and it hangs proudly in my mother’s home.

Tim Ericksen, at-large member Florence, South Carolina

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“The Tool That Built Our Family” Lo strumento che construito la nostra famiglia Never forget the ones who paved the way for us, Who saved the day for us, Who always prayed for us, Never forget the ones who made this way for us, Who broke their backs for us, Who spoke their minds for us, Never forget the ones who had a dream for us, Who always believed in us, Who never lost their trust in us, Never forget the ones who sailed the seas for us, Who bent their knees for us, Who spent their lives for us.

Corrections for the Spring 2016 issue

National News (page 5) Justice Scalia was the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel.

Speakers Bureau (page 21) Art Manno is from Minnesota.

OSIA Nation (page 26) Enrico Fermi Lodge #2229 is based in Medford, New Jersey.

The Bell That Followed Him Home (page 29) The Allied Invasion of Sicily was eleven months before D-Day.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Italian America® Italian America® Magazine is produced by the national headquarters of the Order Sons of Italy in America®, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Tel: 202/547-2900.

Email: nationaloffice@osia.org Office Manager Andrea Beach Director of Programs and Development Diane Crespy Editor-in-chief Miles Ryan Fisher Social Media/Communications Coordinator Carly Jerome Administrative/Scholarship Coordinator Laura Kelly Executive Assistant Katie Vivian

Italian America® is the official publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America® provides timely information about OSIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide.

Italian America® (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall by OSIA, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. ©2015 Order Sons of Italy in America. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees, or members of OSIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSIA, the Commission for Social Justice, or the Sons of Italy Foundation. Italian America® accepts query letters and letters to the editor. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Italian America® assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Annual subscriptions are $20, which are included in dues for OSIA members. Single copies are $4.95 each.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America®, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSIA or at www.osia.org. Archives are maintained at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.

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SUMMER 2016 35 ITALIAN AMERICA

By Miles Ryan Fisher Editor-in-Chief, Italian America Magazine

With a name like mine, it’s common for others to be surprised when they discover that I’m halfItalian. Many times, I hear the customary, “But your name doesn’t sound Italian.”

My reply? “I have a mother!” (and, of course, I use my hands when I say it). But until I became editor of this magazine, my Italian side often went undetected unless I made a point to bring it up.

Now, however, it gets a lot of attention, especially whenever anyone asks what I do for a living.

When I reply that I’m the editor of Italian America magazine, nobody sees it coming—not only because my name isn’t Italian, but also because it’s a rather unusual occupation to have.

Naturally, those of Italian heritage react with a lot of enthusiasm. But when it comes to non-Italians, I get a variety of reactions. Some are jokes about the mafia or meatballs. Some are imitations of an accent. Though these reactions are meant to be comedic, I find them rather inconsiderate. Yet, I take them in stride. If anything, I am thankful that I don’t bear these remarks the way my mom and my grandparents had to in their time when such remarks were meant to be unkind.

Not all reactions are like this, however. Many have a great amount of substance and sincerity in them. One that particularly stands out—and will always resonate with me—was when a young lady said, “It must be amazing to do something that honors your ancestors.” She said this without hesitation, every bit as natural as when Italians react with excitement.

I’ve experienced similar reactions, really heartfelt ones, and what’s intriguing is a common thread running through these responses. I’ve noticed that many who respond this way are immigrants, or children of immigrants. The young lady who spoke those earnest words? Her parents emigrated from India.

I’ve considered just why this might be, what accounts for this common thread and why some respond in a meaningful way while others respond thoughtlessly. I believe that it’s a matter of being in touch with one’s roots and the struggles that were endured, which would be the case especially for immigrants and their children. I believe that in this day and age, the more you identify with your heritage, the more inclined you are to respect the heritage of others.

To that end, I can say that being a member of the Sons of Italy and editing Italian America magazine has done much more than bring me closer to where I come from—it has brought me greater appreciation for where others come from as well.

And I consider that a pretty wonderful way to honor my ancestors.

ITALIAN AMERICA SUMMER 2016 35

Piacere!

Leon Panetta Leon Panetta served as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Defense (2011–2013), helping oversee the final removal of American troops from Iraq as well as the beginning of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. Prior to that, he was the Director of At the Sons of Italy the Central Intelligence Agency Foundation’s 26th Annual National (2009–2011), where he was Education & Leaderresponsible for overseeing the ship Awards (NELA) operation that brought Osama Gala, Leon received the 2014 NELA Award, the Bin Laden to justice. Leon night’s highest honor. has also served as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff and as a U.S. Congressman representing his native California (1997–1993).

Leon’s parents emigrated from Calabria. His father, Carmelo, arrived in the United States in 1921 before returning to Calabria eleven years later to find a wife (he found and brought back Leon’s mother, Carmelina).

Today, Leon directs the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, an institute focused on attracting young men and women to public service. He and his wife, Sylvia, founded the institute in 1997. They currently live in Carmel Valley, California.

When your father arrived in Ellis Island in 1921, he declared his profession as “peasant.” What lesson did his life teach you most?

I’m sure that if he did it today, he’d probably be listed as a farmworker just because that’s what he did back in Italy. And yet the term that was used was peasant. I’ve always thought of my father as someone who worked hard to succeed in this country. And just knowing what he had been labeled when he arrived in this country convinced me that much more that he was somebody who had really worked hard in order to succeed.

Is there a food you remember most from your childhood and who made it?

Absolutely! Gnocchi. My mother would always fix gnocchi for me on my birthday and on special occasions. I loved to watch her making it—to do the rolling out of the potato dough, then using her fork to make the gnocchi, and then putting them on a large pan and cooking them with the sauce she made. It was my favorite.

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Pleased to meet you, leon Of everyone you worked with over the course of your career, who comes to mind as someone you really admired?

A fellow that I met when I was first elected to the House that I had tremendous respect for was Peter Rodino from New Jersey. He’d chaired the committee during the Watergate hearings (the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee), and he was just somebody who had great character and great integrity. I always thought of him as a mentor.

How did your background/heritage affect your decision-making as CIA Director and Secretary of Defense?

To know where that line is between right and wrong, and to be able to believe in your conscience and what you think is right. Because of my family and because of my Catholic education, that’s what gave me the strength to be able to do the things that I thought were right and to be able to sleep at night after making those decisions.

What change would you like to see our nation make for future generations?

I think that it’s not a bad idea to establish some kind of national service system in this country where young people can serve not just in the military, but also in their communities—in education and conservation and health care—and be able to dedicate a part of their lives to giving back to this country. I just think that’s something that we ought to seriously consider.

You are known for having a radiant smile. Was there someone or some part of your upbringing that led you to be so expressive in photographs? (laughs) Being Italian, we enjoy family, good food, good music, and good fun. My mother had a wonderful smile.

So did my father. But my father had a laugh that you could hear about two blocks away. I suspect that I probably got a part of that gene.

If you could recommend just one book to a stranger, what would it be and why?

I always liked John Steinbeck. He was an author from my home area. The book Cannery Row helped me define the nature of what people are about, both their strengths and weaknesses.

It also told a story about an area that Find Leon’s memwas close to me. (Steinbeck was from oir, a wonderfully Salinas, California—twenty miles from relatable story, on Amazon.com where Leon grew up in Monterrey) or in your local bookstore. +PHOTO—Leon Panetta: +PHOTO—Worthy Fights: ITALIAN AMERICA

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