ComUNICO-September 2015

The Voice of UNICO National
September 2015 | VOL 70 | ISSUE 05
Service above Self®
UNICO Welcomes
Our New President!
36
Convention Coverage
ComUNICO
Contents
Table of Contents
MESSAGES
officers
Ann Walko.......................................................President
Dominick Nicastro...................Executive Vice President
Thomas Vaughan............................First Vice President
Lee Norelli..................................Second Vice President
Michael Fiorelli................................................Treasurer
Patty Hirsch.....................................................Secretary
Frank T. Blasi.......................................General Counsel
Anthony Bengivenga.Membership & Retention Director
Nino Randazzo................................Expansion Director
Joan Tidona...................................Scholarship Director
Anthony D’Alessio...............................................Auditor
Frank Greco, Jr..................................Sergeant-at-Arms
Robert Tarte............Eastern Regional District Governor
Paul Domico...........Midwest Regional District Governor
James DeSpenza..Western Regional District Governor
31 In Memoriam
32 Dion - Return of the
Wanderer
34 Scrapbook Guidelines
36 93rd Annual Convention
46 Ella T. Grasso Essays
50 In Memoriam
51 Olimpia Milano
Basketball
04President
05 Executive Vice President
05 First Vice President
06 Second Vice President
06Chaplain
07 Editor
07 Foundation President
08 Membership & Retention
08 Torraco Food Bank/Shelter
FEATURES
08 “V” Foundation
55 Cool Stuff
09 Scholarship Director
56Books
09 Cooley’s Anemia
57Music
58Fashion
NEWS
59Newsmakers
10 Chapters & Districts
63Legends
14 New Members
66Sports
20 In Memoriam
67Film
21 ComUNICO Rules
68Insight
22 In Memoriam
70 Ciao Italia
25 Finding Nonno’s Family
71Recipes
26 Eastern Regional Forms
74Parting
UNICO Foundation
John DiNapoli Foundation President
[email protected]
coOley’s anemia Scholarships
Peter Pettinato
570-698-9626
[email protected]
Joan Tidona
[email protected]
“v” foundation for
Mental health Cancer research
Barbara Lipari Laborim
[email protected]
Frank DeFrank
610-905-3931
[email protected]
Charitable donations to UNICO Charities are tax deductible!
Send your check to the UNICO Foundation to:
271 US highway 46 West, Suite F-103, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Office Team
Andre’ DiMino...................................Executive Director
Pat Pelonero......Officer Manager & ComUNICO Editor
Lisa Adubato............................Administrative Assistant
Sue Anzelmo............................Administrative Assistant
973-808-0035| [email protected] | www.UNICO.org
Mark Your Calendars!
October 19, 2015
Deadline for the November issue of ComUNICO
October 23 - 24, 2015 Eastern Regional Meeting
October 28, 2015
NY, NJ and PA Meet the President
December 4, 2015
National Office Christmas Party Open House
March 4 - 5, 2016
Mid-Year Board Meeting
April 23, 2016
Community Service Day
July 27 - 30, 2016
National Convention
For more events, visit www.unico.org
Title of Publication: ComUNICO Publication No. 00647700. Filed 11/15/14. No. of Issues Published Annually: 5. Annual Subscription Price: $25.00. Mailing Address of Office of Publication,
Headquarters, and Publisher: 271 U.S. Hwy. 46 West, Suite F-103, Fairfield, NJ 07004. Editor: Pat
Pelonero. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status
for Federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months. ComUNICO
is the official publication of UNICO National. Pages 1-54, and 75-76 editorial content copyrighted by UNICO National ©2015. Pages 55-74 editorial content copyrighted by Fra Noi Inc. ©2015
Volume 70, No. 5 • ComUNICO (ISSN-1044-7202) • Total Circulation 7,000+
Phone: 973.808.0035 Fax: 973.808.0043 E-mail: [email protected]
Periodical postage is paid to Caldwell, NJ and additional offices.
Postmaster, please send Form 3579 and all address changes to:
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UNICO National
September 2015
3
Messages ComUNICO
NATIONAL
PRESIDENT
A message
from
Dr. Ann Walko
We had another successful Convention in beautiful Newport Beach,
California! My thanks to all who attended to the many details that go
into coordinating a Convention and
to all attendees who were declared
the “stars” at the Gala for their humanitarian efforts throughout the
year. It is my hope that everyone had
a good time, as we had some fun in
the sun, as well as conducting the
business of UNICO. Know that I appreciated everything that was done
to make this a memorable experience. Congratulations to all of the
award and scholarship recipients.
All were deserving of our recognition. Best wishes to the Officers now
in place to prepare for a year of “Action, Accountability, Communication and Change” and ready to build
a UNICO team.
Now our work must begin.
Changes have to be made in order
for our organization to grow. This is
the year in which we must be determined and assertive in terms of how
we do our UNICO business. We need
to become the “movers and shakers” of UNICO and become a movement for action. We need to deliver a
“New UNICO” to our own members
and present ourselves to a wider audience to attract new members. Then
we must nurture all of our Chapters,
so that they remain viable entities!
We need to engage members in our
change process.
We must build sustainability
into our programming and we need
to do this by raising the bar in terms
of how we operate. We need to become more creative, because we cannot continue as we now exist. We
need to develop more interaction
between our Chapters and Districts
and more interaction with National,
with all of us working together in
4
a common cause. We need to think
“out of the box”, become more computer literate and we need to put
ourselves in a position to increase
our membership. We need to motivate and engage new members in
what we do. We need to work on retention. Above all, we need to create
an atmosphere where people will
want to come and enjoy what we
have to offer.
Public Relations and Communication will help us reach those who
have not joined our wonderful family of volunteers. We need to flood
the market with what we do and tap
into areas not explored. Membership
and Retention and Expansion needs
to be our focus each and every year,
therefore, developing an effective
public relations and communication
program will help us in these areas.
We need to have accountability
inserted into our daily business.
We need to know what works and
what is not working. Everyone must
be involved in this process so that
we can show results. This will help
us with our Public Relation efforts.
We must become a “UNICO think
tank” and monitor where we have
been, where we are now so that we
can carve out a path as to where we
need to go! This takes work and this
administration will be a working
one and one that is sensitive to the
needs of the members. We need to
know what you need and help you
in your quest to remain successful.
Accountability is the glue to commitment and results. It means that
everyone must do his or her part.
Reporting out is going to be a necessary part of solving problems that
plague our organization. We will
seek solutions to eliminate the roadblocks to our advancement.
First, we must change our
mindsets, change is going to be
essential and working together
will move us forward. Don’t fight
change…it will happen….and we
will be better for it!
Recognition is a necessary component, Members, Chapters, and
Districts need to be cited for the
good work they do. We need to focus
on our strengths and determine our
September 2015
weaknesses. We must challenge members to do more and increasing our
membership will help us do more. We
must commit to lead, to share, and
collaborate. Helen Keller said “that
alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much.”
This year we have to move fast, we
need to have a positive mindset, we
need to exhibit a can do atmosphere,
accept no excuses as to why we cannot move forward. We will strive for
excellence in all we do, while we
model the five pillars that guide this
organization: Unity, we must work
together, neighborliness, maintain
our integrity by doing what is right
because it is the right thing to do,
continue our charitable endeavors,
and provide our members with opportunities to lead and be engaged in
what we do. We must put aside our
personal agendas and work in unison
to get the job done. Together we can
be the force to turn the tide of complacency into positive activity.
Please take a moment to read the
text of the plan that has been outlined for this body in the President’s
Newsletter which will be coming
out shortly. Through the open door
policy which will be instituted,
share with me your concerns and
your ideas to move us into more
deeply into the 21st century. I asked
you in one of my campaign speeches
to close your eyes and imagine what
UNICO is today and what it could
become tomorrow. Close your eyes
and imagine what we can do for
UNICO when we work together!
You have placed your faith in
me to lead. I am looking forward to
working with you so that we can
grow and flourish and do what we
do best, to work in the best interest of our organization and making
life a little bit better for others. I am
looking forward to meeting you at as
many of your meetings and events as
humanly possible.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to serve and God Bless you
for all that you do. Here’s to a successful and productive year!
UNICO National
ComUNICO Messages
Executive
Vice PRESIDENT
A message
from
Dominick Nicastro
Congratulations to all of the newly
elected and appointed officers. I am
looking forward to working with everyone this coming year.
I wanted to start with something
our President said; we should update
and adjust newer ideas for UNICO
Membership and Retention, and Expansion. I would rather have quality
members who participate and pay
their dues, versus the quantity. Quantity is important, don’t misunderstand,
but that should take a back seat for
now; as we work towards restructuring
UNICO to be its best yet.
First
Vice PRESIDENT
A message
from
Thomas Vaughan
Wow! What a fabulous time we had
at the Convention in Newport Beach.
We had productive meeting time and
quality free time to enjoy the California
sun. This was Michele and my first time
visiting Southern California. We really
enjoyed the beaches, low humidity, and
the seemingly absence of bugs! Congratulations to Frank Paolercio, Ann
Walko, the Convention Committee,
and the National Office Staff for putting it all together successfully.
UNICO National
Past National President Mike
Veselka started the changes, and we
are now on the right road to further
revitalizing UNICO. The Vice Presidents, working along with myself
following suit, feel confident in
our collective abilities to continue
the work necessary to make UNICO
achieve its goals.
As you read in my report at the
Convention, I will be working with
the Vice Presidents and the President.
One of the goals is to build New Jersey Districts III and VI back up, while
working along with District Governors
Vito Bilatta and Jim Fucci, respectively. I will also be assisting the
office with membership dues owed.
There are some Chapters, which are
in arrears for two years. I feel Chapters in arrears over one years’ time are
not in good fiscal standing, and their
charters should be revoked.
This year I will be travelling to
Districts and Chapters and intend to
visit the Mid-West. Please contact me
if you are a District Governor or President and need any assistance. Please
reach out to me by phone or e-mail if
you are in need and I will be willing
to help any way I can.
In closing, I wanted to personally thank everyone for their support
through the years. I am looking forward to becoming your President next
year at the 2016 Chesapeake, Maryland
Convention.
Also, special thanks for both past
and present support to my Garfield
Chapter, my Convention Committee and
the Chapters of New Jersey District VII,
all of whom have been with me from
the very beginning of my ascent up the
chairs in UNICO National. Together we
can make great achievements in UNICO.
God Bless UNICO and all of us.
Best wishes to our new Second
National Vice President Lee Norelli of
the Greater Philadelphia Chapter. I have
gotten to know Lee and his lovely fiancée Debbie well the last several years.
Lee is a dedicated UNICAN with a great
heart and I’m sure he’ll do a fine job in
his new position. Good luck to our new
Membership and Retention Director Anthony Bengivenga. I’m certain he will
work hard in this challenging position.
I’d also like to acknowledge Francine
Nido, the Membership and Retention
Director the past two years. Francine
gave up her position to serve again as
Connecticut I District Governor.
I want to thank you for your support in electing me First National Vice
President. I will help the Districts this
year and I look forward to assisting
the District Governors in any way possible. District Governors are the conduit
between the Chapters and the National
Officers. They are a very important part
of our organization and deserve your
support and attention. As part of my
duties, I will also oversee the UNICO
website. I have some ideas to make the
website a more dynamic destination and
hope to implement them with the help
of the Office Staff.
I will still be part of the team to help
the piazzaunico web site thrive and will
work with its new Director, Immediate
Past President Rick D’Arminio. National
President Ann Walko is going to keep the
Vice Presidents busy and our calendars
are already filling up. I look forward to attending the terrific events, speaking to our
members, and doing the great things we do
as an organization. Do not hesitate to invite
me to an event or contact me. I will do my
best to serve our members this year.
September 2015
5
Messages ComUNICO
Second
Vice PRESIDENT
A message
from
Lee Norelli
On the morning of June 2, 1905, with
only an elementary school education,
my grandfather Luigi Norelli embarked
on the steamship Regine Luise to sail to
America from Naples. He kept notes in a
small book and like many of our forefathers, he left “my dear motherland, Italy,
and emigrated to America, not to abandon my family, but to help it, and see it
in a state of happiness.”
I am UNICO National’s new Second
Vice President from the Greater Philadelphia Chapter. I am blessed with a large
immediate and extended family. I have
Chaplain
A message
from
Fr. Robert Wolfee
Jesus used a variety of teaching
methods throughout his public ministry.
The use of parables was one. Often, the
stories Jesus told were drawn from the
world of planting, harvesting, shepherding and pruning because these things
were such a big part of everyday life. We
can see how Jesus recognized, in these
ordinary events, places of grace and of
God’s work at hand. People worked the
land, planted the seeds and reaped the
harvests, but the growing itself, the journey from the tiny seed to the great tree
happened almost without them being
been an active member of UNICO serving as a Chapter Vice President, Chapter
President, District Governor, and member
of the previous Executive Committee.
As Second Vice President of UNICO
National, I will work to see our organization and Chapters around the country
in a state of happiness. I am honored
to have this opportunity to serve and I
promise to do my best.
My charge: “The Second Vice
President shall assist the President by
supervising the activities of all Chapter
Presidents and Chapter Secretaries.” To
do this I’ll need your help and participation in the following activities:
1. Submit your Chapter Reports
monthly. The form is available online
and takes minutes to complete. The receipt of this information is important to
the continued success of the entire organization and helps us know what areas to
focus on.
2. Submit your Chapter or another
Chapter for a Chapter Achievement
Award.
3. Come to a National Event, like a
Regional Meeting, Mid-Year Board Meeting or the National Convention. Having
attended these meetings and the last five
Conventions, I have met people who will
be lifelong friends.
I look forward to learning about your
Chapter and assisting in any way I can. I
am available by email at lnorelli@unico.
org or by telephone at 609-685-7860 and
enjoy talking with old friends and meeting new friends. Please don’t hesitate to
introduce yourself.
My grandfather later wrote, “After
almost a year that I resided in America,
and having understood what this land
was about, I brought my entire family to
me. So, I hugged again my dear father,
my brothers and sisters…”
110 years later, we are all doing very well.
aware of it. In other words, God’s loving power is secretly at work, making
our routine efforts abundant with life
and goodness.
In one parable, Jesus spoke of a tiny
mustard seed, which grows so huge that
it provides a resting place for all the
birds of the air. Jesus tells us that the
kingdom of God is like that. It started
very small with Adam and Eve but
continues to grow because nothing
can stop God’s plans. Our faith gives
us hope; it reminds us that there are
endless possibilities.
Jesus tells us that we must act on our
faith because faith without good works is
not enough. Jesus had plenty of faith, but
he also performed plenty of good works.
He healed the sick, cast out spirits, fed
the hungry, all while sharing God’s word
as found in Scripture. There are many
ways that we put our faith into action.
For example, we sacrifice our time,
talent and treasure for those in need. We
teach. We care for others. We practice
the UNICO motto of “service above self.”
Those are just some examples. The list
goes on and on.
God plants in each of us many tiny
seeds of goodness that we are to bring
to fruition by our good works and loving care of others. We can produce good
fruit, through our efforts and God’s grace.
He is still at work, building his kingdom
on earth and bringing his plan to completion. We co-operate with that plan
by being willing to go where he leads
us and by being patient if we do not see
the results we want or expect. After all,
holiness happens one step at a time, not
all at once; and God is in charge of the
process, not us!
God bless.
Celebrate Columbus Day!
6
September 2015
UNICO National
ComUNICO Messages
Comunico
Editor
A message
from
Pat Pelonero
Even though the weather outside
is extremely warm, summer is essentially over and fall is appearing with
the start of the leaves turning and
falling too soon! Welcome to a new
year of UNICO and welcome to our
new President Dr. Ann Walko! As the
year begins there are many events
and meetings being planned for
members to attend. Please check out
the UNICO National website and PiazzaUNICO.US for all the dates and
details. Columbus Day will be here
before you know it. The parades always prove to be much fun and what
a great way to celebrate Christopher
Columbus. This year the Seaside parade will feature our very own Alan
Floria, member of the Brick Chapter,
as Grand Marshal. All Chapters are
welcomed to march in this parade
and your Chapter should think about
joining in the Seaside fun. There
is also the Seaside Heights Italian
Festival going on that weekend with
great food and entertainment. The
Eastern Regional Meeting is just
around the corner and this year it
will be held at the Inn at Pocono
Manor in Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania. It is a great location and we are
looking forward to seeing everyone.
The staff and I would like to
thank the two interns that were employed over the summer weeks to
assist us in the Convention crunch
time. Both Jessie and Mark were
extremely helpful with the projects
presented to them and they were
able to assist us in some technology questions and issues we experienced. Of course technology and the
young go hand and hand.
Please check out the advertisements in ComUNICO as well as the
stories and features. The businesses
and Chapters that advertise with
ComUNICO help us to defray some
of the substantial costs involved
with producing the magazine. They
place their advertisements hoping
to attain some business or sales. It
would be great for the members to
support them. Also, if there is any
business you know that would like
to advertise with ComUNICO please
direct them to the National Office
for details relating to advertising. We
do give a discount to our Members,
Chapters and Districts.
For all the Chapters that paid
their first half dues on time a big
thank you. The second half dues is
due by November 30th. If you need
assistance in getting this accomplished please call the office. We
will help in any way possible so that
you are in compliance with the Constitution.
Thank you for all you do to
keep the “Service Above Self”
motto alive!
The Deadline for the November 2015 issue of ComUNICO is
Friday, October 16, 2015
Foundation
President
A message
from
John DiNapoli
On Thursday, July 30, 2015, the
Board of Trustees of the UNICO Foundation met at the Marriott Hotel and
Spa in Newport Beach, California.
There were five positions on the
Board of Trustees that were up for
election. Five existing Trustees were
re-elected. They were as follows:
James DeSpenza, Nina Held, Joseph
Monaco, Francine Nido and Peter Pettinato.
Michael Spano, Treasurer reviewed
the financial statements as of June
UNICO National
30, 2015. Total funds in the various
accounts of the Foundation totaled
$2,936,298. A copy of the report is
available at the National Office.
The Trustees approved the following
Grants:
COOLEY’S ANEMIA
$15,000
ITALIAN STUDIES
2,000
MENTAL HEALTH
3,800
TORRACO FOOD BANK
7,500
Andre’ DiMino was re-appointed
Executive Director of the UNICO
FOUNDATION.
Carmine Campanile was re-appointed General Counsel of the UNICO
FOUNDATION.
Past National President Frank Cannata reported that the Seton Hall Book
Project is 2/3 complete and is schedule
for publication in the spring of 2017.
Great News!
The Trustees with the assistants
from Past National President Chris
September 2015
DiMattio approved transferring
$300,000 from the Scholarship Program to the 21st Century Campaign.
This officially completes the Campaign.
The new name will be the 21st Century
Fund. None of the funds will be distributed until a formal written spending
policy is in place, which endows the
current Scholarship program.
The Trustees met to elect the officers for the current year. They were as
follows:
John J. DiNapoli-President
John Alati-Vice President
Michael Spano- Treasurer
Peter Pettinato- Secretary
Thank you to everyone who has
contributed to the UNICO Foundation.
If anyone has any questions regarding the UNICO Foundation, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
7
Messages ComUNICO
Membership
& Retention
A message
from
Anthony Bengivenga
At this year’s UNICO National Convention in Newport Beach, I was fortunate to be elected UNICO National’s
Membership and Retention Director. I
am honored and thrilled to have this
opportunity and look so forward to
continuing my passion and devotion
to UNICO in a directorial capacity. Addressing the challenges of increasing
our membership is of the utmost importance and I am eager to work with all of
the Chapters and with my colleagues at
UNICO National to change this trend.
Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto
(Eat well, laugh often, love much) is in
our spirit. “Service Above Self” is in
our hearts and shows in the gracious
and dedicated work that our members
partake in each and every day. The great
pride we take in our recognition as the
largest Italian American service organization can only strengthen as we increase UNICO membership.
In addition to being an active participant in the events of my own New Jersey
District X over the past several years, I
have been able to meet with and attend
many other District and Chapter events,
such as Roseto, Pittsfield, Scranton, New
York District II, New Jersey Districts IV,
VII and IX, Saddle Brook, Montville,
Woodcliff Lake, Rehoboth Beach, Hazelton
and Greater Atlantic City to name a few.
As our new National President Ann
Walko stated at the Convention, communication is extremely important in our
organization. I ask each Chapter President to select a Chapter Membership
Committee Chair and forward that member’s name and contact information to
me as soon as possible. By sharing ideas
and working together, we can certainly
be successful in our efforts to increase
membership.
I encourage anyone with questions
or ideas to contact me by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at
732-310-6031.
Again, it is truly an honor to be
8
elected as Membership and Retention
Director and I look forward to working
together in the New Year.
Rachel and I congratulate our newly
installed President, Ann Walko and
thank her for allowing me to accompany
her to so many events during the past
three years as she moved toward her
Presidency. A hearty thanks to our Past
National President Rick D’Arminio for a
great year of service and to both him and
Manuela for their continued friendship
and support. Grazie di cuore….thanks
from the heart!
The next distribution of funds from the
Torraco Grant will be awarded at the
Foundation’s Board of Trustees meeting
to be held during the Mid-Year Board of
Director’s Meeting next spring, so you
have enough time to complete the proper
application and submit.
The application can be found on
the www.unico.org website. Once completed, have the group send back to
the National Office for consideration.
The next grants will be awarded at the
National Convention. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me at
570-348-4921 or e-mail: [email protected].
Torraco Food
Bank & Shelter
A message
from
Chris DiMattio
Thanks to additional funds by donor
Ralph Torraco into the UNICO Foundation for the permanently endowed Torraco Food Bank/Shelters Fund. He has
made it possible to distribute $7,500
recently to several worthwhile organizations that focus on providing food and
shelter to the needy in our communities. In completing this process, much
gratitude needs to go to, first; Ralph
Torraco, the staff of the National Office,
the volunteer committee, Trustees of the
Foundation, Chapters and members who
solicited the Grant applications and most
importantly, the organizations who continue to provide outstanding services.
Those awarded funds included:
• Bread Basket of NEPA, Scranton, PA
• Feed the Children, Chicago, IL
• Gardenia House, Georgetown, VA
• Jamaica Services for Older
Adults, Jamaica, NY
• St. John’s Church, Newark, NJ
• St. John the Apostle Food Bank,
Linden, NJ
• Rutherford Community Pantry,
Rutherford, NJ
• Waste Not Want Community
Kitchen, Granby, CT
Again, these are most challenging
times for your local food pantries, as
they struggle to keep shelves stocked and
shelters need dollars to operate to their
facilities. Any dollar amount donated
is usually a blessing for these groups.
September 2015
The “V”
Foundation
A message
from
Frank DeFrank
Millie Grazie!!
“Many thanks” to those who have
contributed their time, energy, and
dollars to the UNICO National “V”
Foundation. I am humbled and proud
to announce that the 2014-2015 goal of
$50,000 has been reached, again due
to the generosity of many of our members. As many already know, this year’s
UNICO grant will be in the memory
of our long-time brother and friend,
Mike Pisano. We will keep everyone
informed as the current grant in
Mike’s name goes forward to its respective research institution.
For those of you who have made
pledges, please send your checks into
the National office. If you have not yet
had the opportunity to contribute, we
are already working on fund-raising for
the 2015-2016 grant. Kindly consider
searching for some room in your hearts
and your UNICO budget for a pledge
and/or fund-raiser toward our “V”
Foundation this year. Together we will
continue to finance important research
toward the treatment and cure of cancer.
Any help, large or small, is appreciated!!
UNICO National
ComUNICO Messages
Scholarships
A message
from
Joan Tidona
“The achievements of an organization
are the results of the combined effort of
each individual.” -Vince Lombardi.
Members of UNICO truly understand and agree with Coach Lombardi’s
statement. Our accomplishments are
exceptional. Our support of Chapter,
District and National projects enables us
to have a meaningful, positive impact
on a wide variety of important causes.
It’s what we do! As we celebrate our
magnificent heritage, we make things
better. Congratulations brother and sister UNICANS.
This commitment is especially
apparent in our efforts to provide assistance to deserving young students.
Virtually every Chapter, and many Districts offer grants for education. UNICO
National Scholarships are highly valued
and sought after. As the cost of higher
education continues to spiral, the importance of the support we provide is
widely recognized.
This year, we awarded $72,000 in
National Scholarships. Our members
and benefactors have great reason to be
proud of this remarkable endorsement
of learning and the far-reaching empowerment it encourages.
Cooley’s
Anemia
A message
from
Peter Pettinato
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Those two words carry so much
meaning for me, this Committee, and all
Cooley’s Anemia patients and parents. It
is because of your hard work and generosity that at the Convention, the UNICO
Foundation was able to award a $15,000
research grant for genetic therapy that
has real promise for eradicating this
dreadful disease.
UNICO National
A total of 224 individual candidates
applied for undergraduate offerings.
Since entrants submitted for all four
programs, 896 applications were considered. The number of applications
presented for our other scholarships
equaled 119, submitted by 98 candidates. In all, 1,015 applications were
evaluated.
Italian Americans fully understand
that education is an essential investment
in the future. We know, that as we help
talented young people to realize their
aspirations, we also benefit society by
encouraging our recipients to become
productive adults.
Newly established UNICO National
scholarships are fully funded by our
patrons. Traditional programs are underwritten by interest generated by a corpus
account, supplemented by member donations. Owing to careful investments
and Chapter support, we have been able
to fully finance our programs, in recent
years, without invading the corpus.
This was not always the case. To help
continue our success, donations are essential. The earlier programs cannot
exist without the support of Chapters,
Districts and individuals who provide
funding.
Grazie mille to our generous
2014/15 contributors:
• NJ District X
• Kearny, NJ
• Hackensack, NJ
• Brookhaven, NY
• Ladies of Kearny, NJ
• Westwood, NJ
Rutherford, NJ
NJ District VII
Orange/West Orange, NJ
Belleville, ACES, NJ
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
North Shore, LI, NY
Scranton, PA
Saddle Brook, NJ
St. Louis, MO
DE District I
Nutley, NJ
Clark, NJ
Passaic Valley, NJ
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Lou and Celeste Pandolfi,
Monica Viana, Rose Anne
Fritchie, Frank and Joan
Tidona, Chris and Ann DiMattio
and Ralph Torraco.
To acknowledge the contributions
of our members to the Scholarship
Fund, we will continue to issue certificates of appreciation to those donating a
minimum of $500. Chapters contributing $1,000 or more will receive a banner patch.
Now, if you didn’t find your Chapter/Name on the list: Not a Problem!
There is still time. Do what you can, but
please do something. Remember: “Non
è mai troppo ritardato per fare bene.” It
is never too late to do good.
As with all of our accomplishments,
the success of the scholarship program
reflects the combined efforts of individual members. I suspect Vince Lombardi
would be impressed.
This grant will benefit ongoing
research at the prestigious Boston Children’s Hospital, where they are looking to
raise fetal hemoglobin levels in Cooley’s
Anemia patients. The fetus is unaffected
by Cooley’s Anemia because the majority
of the hemoglobin it has is fetal hemoglobin. After birth, fetal hemoglobin is
converted to adult hemoglobin and that’s
when the patient becomes susceptible.
This research is looking into altering the
fetal hemoglobin gene so that this conversion cannot take place, thus allowing
fetal hemoglobin levels to remain high
and subsequently the need for transfusion therapy will remain low.
Transfusions and chelation therapy
are right now the only treatments available for Cooley’s Anemia patients. These
are life long, time consuming, and at
best uncomfortable, not to mention that
the vast majority of patients requiring
therapy are children. Through your generosity, UNICO has supported several
projects in gene research therapy, the
main area of research that will someday
provide a cure for Cooley’s Anemia and
allow these children to lead a long, normal and productive life.
For those of you who continually
support this Committee, I again say
thank you. For all of you reading this article, I ask you to join us. Get your Chapter involved in helping children who
just want to be like everyone else. If we
all join together and support this cause,
we will change the lives of countless children
for generations to come.
September 2015
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9
News ComUNICO
Denville, NJ
The Denville Chapter awarded several
$1,000 scholarships this year to local high
school seniors of Italian decent. One of
this year’s awards was given to Isabella
Russo-Tiesi. Isabella is a senior at Morris
Catholic High School and will be attending Fordham University in the fall.
Again, congratulations Isabella RussoTiesi on your Italian Heritage and your
scholastic accomplishments. Best of luck to
you at Fordham University, from all of the
members of the Denville Chapter.
sion. Also, a big thank you to St. Francis
for hosting and to Anthony & Sons for
providing the delicious food. Nine new
members signed up that afternoon and
more expressed interest in joining the
Denville Chapter.
Andre’ DiMino gives an Italian lesson to a
packed room.
Remember, you are never too young
to start thinking about joining UNICO,
as you can see by one of our new
member’s granddaughter, Kennadee
Lynn Kravig (Trotta)!
Torrington, Ct
From left: Gaspare and Elena Russo-Tiesi,
Isabella’s parents, Isabella Russo-Tiesi, and
Lou Mattaliano, Denville Chapter President.
The Denville Chapter recently held
its first “Re-Discover Your Italian Heritage” event. Over 110 people showed up
for this afternoon of sharing our Italian
Heritage. There were items brought in
from the Denville members to celebrate
the culture, traditions and history of all
Italian Americans in a fun and festive
atmosphere that included food tastings, a fun Italian lesson, entertainment
and cultural information. Delicious
homemade Italian specialties, such as
bruschetta, mozzarella and antipasto
followed by an array of tasty Italian desserts were served. The special exhibit
called “Treasures from Home” which
was a display of mementos and collectibles from Italy that were brought to
America by ancestors of UNICO members were proudly displayed.
Chapter President Lou Mattaliano
opened the event with a welcome to all
attendees and a thank you to all Denville members, as it was truly a team
event. A special thank you to Andre’
DiMino for his very informative presentation. He had the group excited as they
all participated in this interactive ses-
10
Special thank you to Mary Culver and Nancy
Metz for chairing this wonderful event. Also
pictured are Lou Mattaliano, Chapter President
and Andre’ DiMino, UNICO National Executive
Director.
The Chapter presented a community
projects award to the autism group,
FOCUS Center for Autism. The gift
was over $1000. From left: Christina
Mascetti, Chapter President; Erika Davis
and Meaghen Harris from the Center and
John Ciesco.
“Treasures from Home” on display of
mementos and collectibles from Italy.
Scholarship recipients were awarded over
$22,000 at the recent Scholarship Dinner.
Denville Chapter members pose for a
group picture at Heritage Day.
September 2015
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
St. Louis, MO
Belleville, NJ
The St. Louis Chapter recently held
our 2015 Alphonse Lordo Memorial Golf
Classic Four-Person Team Scramble, at
Tapawingo National Golf Club. Immediately following golf, dinner was served,
both oral / silent actions were held and
tournament prizes were awarded. We
had a great turn out and everyone enjoyed a fun day of golf!
Belleville UNICO Presents their
Annual “Brian Piccolo” Awards and
Student Scholarships
From left: Joseph Palazzo, Lonnie
Hoerr, Jim Ferrante, Gabriele Lancia and
Vincenzo Monteleone.
Past National President Michael Spano
addresses the St. Louis Chapter
members, golfers and guests.
Congratulations to the DiGregorio Family,
the 2015 Alphonse Lordo Memorial
UNICO Golf Classic honorees. The family
was presented with a St. Louis Chapter
of UNICO appreciation award, for their
ongoing support in the Italian community.
From left: Frank, Dora, Toni and John.
From left: Josephine Lancia, Aggie
Santangelo, Linda Stark and Emily
Ferrante at the registration table.
Congratulations to Joe Boccardi who had
a hole-in-one on the Meramec Course,
Hole #6!
The Deadline for the
November 2015 issue of
ComUNICO is
Friday, October 16, 2015.
From left: Marianne Peri-Sack, Jack
Allensworth, Chapter President
John Mandala, Beth Meyer and
Michael Mandala.
UNICO National
Please send all submissions to:
[email protected]
September 2015
Belleville UNICO recently hosted
their annual “Brian Piccolo Awards”
and “Scholastic Achievement
Awards” breakfast.
Chairman Gene Antonio stated,
“The Belleville Chapter of UNICO is
extremely proud of these students.
Today, we not only recognize them for
their achievements but, also for the
many services they have performed for
the community.”
Belleville High School Coach
John Spina awarded the female
Br ian Pi ccol o Aw ards t o B arb ara
J ackangel o and t he mal e aw ard t o
Ni chol as Br uno .
Belleville UNICO also awarded
two memorial scholarships presented
by Belleville High School Assistant Principal Joseph Rotonda, Jr. to
Pasquale Gencarelli and Erik Arroyo.
Chapter member, Patricia Alfano
awarded the ACES Scholarship to
Paige Massaker from Mt. Saint Dominic Academy. Ms. Massaker has been
a member of the Belleville ACES and
is being honored for years of dedication to the ACES annual St. Joseph’s
Day fund-raiser, which has donated
thousands of dollars to local and
national charities.
Steve Rovell presented each
awardee with a B el l ev i l l e To w nship r esol ution f ro m t he M ay o r
and Counci l .
Belleville UNICO President Vincent Cozzarelli stated, “We have accomplished a great deal for a small
Chapter donating funds to many
local and national charities. There
is so much more we can do for the
charities, scholarships and the Belleville community, but we need help,
we need Italian Americans that are
willing to serve and stand up for our
heritage.”
Those Italian Americans who are
interested in joining should contact
Manny Alfano at 973 429-2818 or
[email protected]
11
News ComUNICO
Stamford, Ct
Stamford Chapter Member
Mario DeCarlo, a WWII US ARMY
Veteran, was honored at a Knights
of Columbus Annual Honor Our
Veterans Award Dinner.
Mario DeCarlo enlisted in the Army
in 1943 at age 18. DeCarlo was also
recognized with the Stamford UNICO
Giuseppe Garibaldi Award, the Chapter’s own Italian American service organization’s highest honor. “I felt the war
would not have been won without me,”
said DeCarlo, who worked in a tool and
die factory prior to enlisting. “Everyone
felt that way when they went to war.”
Five days after D-Day, DeCarlo
landed at Normandy, where he shot
down a German warplane and captured
the pilot, from whom he took a chrome
gun he still has today. He fought in the
five major post D-Day battles prior to
the end of the war, including the Battle
of the Bulge. DeCarlo also received the
Military Order of the Purple Heart
after being wounded in the forearm
in Trier, Germany.
Sparta, NJ
Knights of Columbus Color Corps
Commander Giuseppe Pampena sound
taps at the Annual Honor Our Veterans.
Four UNICO members of the Stamford
Chapter were honored at this event.
Giuseppe is a member and past officer
of the Stamford Chapter and a Past
Connecticut District I Governor. This
event has donated funds to various
Veterans Organizations.
From left: Nick Cutrone, three of the
seven Scholarship Recipients; Sam
Fritch, Joe Cifelli and Phil Haynes, and
Chapter President Ken Carafello.
Carbondale, PA
From left: Ray Shupak, New ACE member
Victoria Caruso, and Chapter President
Ken Carafello.
Jersey City, NJ
Members of the Carbondale Chapter
pose for a photo with Ann Walko, UNICO
National Executive Vice President, at the
Keystone Chapter Spring Pig Roast event.
From left: Stamford Mayor David Martin,
State Senator Carlo Leone, Mario Di
Carlo, United State Senator Richard
Blumenthal and Antony Panaro.
Carbondale UNICO donated a check to
Special Olympics. From left: Lucas Pollits
and Special Olympics Area P. Chairman
Joe Lillis.
Stamford Chapter members and friends
help at the Sacred Heart Church Feast
by making the “Best Zeppole” in town.
Working the booth are Rosanne Battinelli,
Jennifer O’Hara Pope, Tony Rizzi, Louis
Sileo, Mike Battinelli and Al Fusco. The
members are always there to give a
helping hand.
12
September 2015
Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, who was awarded
the Dr. Benjamin J. Cottone Memorial
Scholarship in 2011, earned her Medical
Degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical
School in May, 2015. She will be pursuing
her clinical training in Anesthesiology at
New York Presbyterian – Weill Cornell
Medical Center.
Dr. Sullivan’s proud
grandmother is Rose Pugliese Seaman,
a member of the Jersey City Chapter.
From left: Rose Pugliese Seaman and Dr.
Kathleen Sullivan.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
Pittsfield, MA
News
Easton, Pa
Pittsfield Chapter
Awards Scholarships
In a recent ceremony the Pittsfield
Chapter Scholarship Committee in conjunction with the Paul Capitanio Scholarship Committee, awarded their annual
scholarships. The Pittsfield Chapter,
chaired by Fran Marinaro, awarded fifteen scholarships at $1000 each. The
Paul J. Capitanio Jr. Memorial Football
Scholarship committee, chaired by past
UNICO Chapter President Paul Capitanio Sr., awarded two scholarships at
$1000 each. Since 1987 the Pittsfield
UNICO Chapter has given out over
$270,000 in scholarships throughout
Berkshire County.
Recipients of Pittsfield Chapter scholarships.
The Easton Chapter recently celebrated
its Annual Scholarship Dinner at The
Castel Club. Seven very worthy students
were awarded scholarships to assist
them in furthering their education. From
left: Chapter President Angelo LaDuca,
Robert Pelonero, Jillian Morello, Nina
Attinello, Nicole Rizzolino, Olivia Corpora,
Mackenzie Minotti, and Devin LaDuca.
They represent Easton Area High School,
Wilson Area High School, and Nazareth
Area High School. The Easton Chapter
has been awarding scholarships since
1980 and over 150 local students have
been selected as recipients.
Donate to the
From left: Paul Capitanio, Sr., Marco
Anastasia, recipient of the Paul J. Capitanio,
Jr. Memorial Football Scholarship and
Beth Capitanio. Absent from the photo is
recipient Chad Shade.
Fran Marinaro (l) is sworn in as the new
President of the Pittsfield Chapter by his
brother, Vin Marinaro (r) who is also a
past President of the Chapter.
Send tax deductible checks to:
UNICO Foundation
271 US Highway 46 West
Suite F-103
Fairfield, New Jersey 07004
Rent a Car
Discount
Corporate Account #V652167
811 E. Linden Ave. • Linden, NJ 07036
Comp Membership in Preferred Service
Dee Villani
Discount good for all UNICO members & non-member, year around.
— Established in 1920 —
UNICO Foundation
Today!
Visit www.avisawards.com
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Salvatore p. Candela
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President
(877) Tax-1040
Fax: (718) 894-4476
75-16 Metropolitan Ave.
Middle Village, NY 11379
Phone (908) 862-3333 • Fax: (908) 474-8058
UNICO National
September 2015
13
Welcome New Members
Congratulations and welcome to UNICO National-the largest Italian American Service Organization.
The National Office Staff looks forward to meeting all of you in the near future.
July
BELLEVILLE
Amanda Massaker
Paige Massaker
BRICK
Giovanni Di Leonardo
Lillian Cognato Messina
BRISTOL
August
NEWINGTON
John Bombard
Theresa Bombard
Eric Forte
Theresa Gogluicci
PASSAIC VALLEY
Michael Conti
Kesley Muir
William Santoro
Adam Della Bianca
Paula Grimaldi
Gail Pacelle
Terry Simpson
PASSAIC/CLIFTON
BROOKHAVEN
PHILADELPHIA
Jennifer Lombardi
Lisa Galanti
Matthew D’Amico
Diana Giovannini
Zachary Jacobson
Ricky Johns
Roseanne Michaels
Paul Migliorino
Angela Muchal
Edward Penetar
Barbara Pirrella-Sico
Ronald J. Refice
Michael Rescigno
Barbara R. Rosetti
Robert M. Rudzinski
Robin Rudzinski
Ellen C. Sallusti
Robert Sico
Scarlett Spager
Neil C. Trama
Thomas P. Tulaney
CHICAGO AMERITAL PT. PLEASANT BEACH
Kathleen Byrne-Bellavia
Gloria Castrovillari
Jimmy Dstice
Thomas Zahn
CLARK
Devan Andre
Lori Banta
Louis Cacchione
Genevieve Cece
Taylor Drake
Danielle Marzano
Marcella Parise
Matthew Pedicine
Franco Pezzella
Joseph R. Saron, III
Michael Savvis
Patricia St. Clair
Barbaba White
Joya Diaz
Ethan Hassee
Susan Lepis
Carly Pringle
Gianna Pulitano
Linda Pulitano
Marielle Ravally
Samantha Trabattoni
RARITAN VALLEY
Donna Fillmore
Beverly Minetti
REHOBOTH AREA
Louis Arena
Paul Cullen
Joanne Delikat Arena
Anotnietta Flocco
George Meromgolo
SPARTA
Thomas Gorrell
ST. JOE’S H. S.
MONTVALE
Natalie Carpentieri
Sara Carpentieri
ST. LOUIS
Cheryl Lahr
Roger S. Lahr
Ken Lapponese
Mary Lapponese
Ruth Siragusa
TORRINGTON
Louis Reynolds
VERONA
Donna Kiel
GRTER. ATLANTIC CITY ROCKAWAY TWSP.
Angelo C. Polcini
Heather Darling
WOODCLIFF LAKE
Ann Marie Buffa
GREATER HARTFORD
RUTHERFORD
John A. Buffa
Antonio Magno
HIGHLAND BEACH
Mona Benedetto
Arthur A. Coia
Margaret Matinale
Carl J. Minaroo
Donna M. Paolino
Vincent Prestigiacomo
Carol Trojan
Domenico Facchini
KEYSTONE
Joe Macclocco
Maria Mclaine
Maria Zichettella
MEMPHIS
Bea Del Conte
Katrina Krag
Debbie Montel
Eugene J. Ori Jr.
14
Concetta Palasits
SAN DIEGO
Matthew Guccione
Kim Spagnoli
SANTA BARBARA
Donna Barbabella Deal
Katherine Lindgren
Joel Garbarino
Joanell Scala
Kathy Stein
CHICAGO W. SUBURBAN
John A. Guido
Victor Jakovlkevic
GREATER PHILADELPHIA
Steven Chiarella
Rocco Fiorentino
Mario Flacco
Michael Messina
Keith Stallone
KEARNY
Laura Sgalia
KEYSTONE
Edward M. Bush
Chris Falzett
Anthony Rossi
Holly Scacchitti
Beverly Shea
NUTLEY
Steven Romano
Gerard Tolve
Donna M. Vitiello
PITTSFIELD
Joe Brindisi
John Dalone
Deborah Miller
Anthony Rizzo
Michael Scaramuzzi
Ellen Sorrentino
RUTHERFORD
James Rizzo
Michael Rizzo
SANTA BARBARA
Marge Romano
ST. LOUIS
Peter J. Cavatore
WAYNE
Alex Baldino
Francesco Baldino
George F. Capria
Daniel F. Domicolo
Angela Gregorowicz
Kyle Vandervelden
SAYRE
Lucas Beardsley
SCRANTON
John Baldino
Nancy G. Barkasy
Leila Cappellano-Sarver
Linda Cappellano-Sarver
Martin W. Genello
September 2015
UNICO National
ComUNICO
UNICO Merrimack Valley currently enjoys the fellowship of approximately 60
members. To learn more about UNICO
visit www.unicomerrimackvalley.org
Greater Atlantic city, NJ
Ciao Unicani!!
The proud Greater Atlantic City
Chapter recently held its annual Person of the Year and Scholarship Gala
at Resorts International. Over 150 attendees shared in our excitement as we
introduced esteemed area educator, Dr.
Robert Previti, and seven outstanding
scholarship awardees graduating, with
high honors, from regional high schools.
Dr. Previti served as Superintendent
in several Atlantic County School Districts including Brigantine and Somers
Point. He currently serves as Interim Superintendent of Mainland Regional High
School. The schools at which he served
have garnered many state and national
awards for excellence including the
New Jersey Schools of Excellence Governor’s Award in Brigantine.
Our seven scholarship awardees
each received $4000 to help defray college expenses. They all stand at, or near,
the top of the academic spectrum at
their respective schools. They are Matt
Aromondo and Austin Trofa, Ocean
City; Robert Mairone and Ray D’Amico,
St. Augustine Prep; Domenic Santori,
Holy Spirit; Juliette Housel, Egg Harbor
and Annamarie Nistico, Mainland Regional. The Atlantic City Chapter has
provided over $600,000 to outstanding
students over our 35 years of service.
Two long time Chapter and charter
members, Liber Rich and Charles Andeloro, were also honored, posthumously,
for their outstanding service to the
Chapter and the causes it serves.
Entertainment for the evening was
provided by the Ed Vezinho Jazz Band
and we were honored to have UNICO
National president Richard D’Arminio
join in our celebration.
Dr. Robert Previti and his family.
UNICO National
News
2015 Scholarship Recipients.
Merrimack Valley, MA
Installation of Officers and
Board of Directors
The slate of Officers and Board of
Directors from the Nominating Committee was formally voted on and approved
by membership. Officers were officially
installed at the Haverhill Country Club
and are as follows: President-Jason Setineri; First Vice President-Joseph LaGrasse;
Secretary-David Gingerella; Financial
Secretary-Nick Forgione; At Large Board
Members-Frank Coppola, Jeff Ferrante
and Panfino Federico and Immediate Past
President-Ken DiBenedicits.
The Chapter is very proud to
once again, award financial scholarships to deserving Merrimack Valley
area, four year college-bound, Italian
American students.
The Scholarship Committee has selected the following individuals for the
five scholarships:
• Julia Elizabeth Mancini, Andover,
MA. Graduated Andover High School. Will
attend Vanderbilt University
• Simon Joseph Gagliardi, Lynnfield, MA. Graduated Lynnfield High
School. Will attend New York University
• Shannon Dowd Manuel, Andover,
MA. Graduated Andover High School. Will
attend Wheaton College
• Toni Jeanne Joy, Tewksbury, MA.
Graduated Central Catholic High School.
Will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Each student was presented with
a check for $2,700. Total - $13,750 in
Awards.
The Merrimack Valley Chapter is
celebrating its 25th year as a Chapter
of UNICO National and recently announced that it has raised and distributed over $800,000 to local charities.
September 2015
President Jason Sentineri.
Seated from left: Joseph Tramontozzi,
Julia Mancini, Simon Gagliardi, Shannon
Manuel and Toni Joy. Standing: Lev
Zompa, Bill Novelline, Joseph DiBlasi,
Jerry O’Sullivan and Frank Coppola.
Massachusetts District III Governor Larry
Ardito conducted the official installation
ceremony of the Merrimack Valley
Officers and Board of Directors.
15
News ComUNICO
Chicago West Suburban, IL
The Chicago West Suburban Chapter
hosted its second annual Cigar Event at
Porretta’s Restaurant. Profits increased
by 25% from last year, due to the deep
pockets by its repeat participants. Committee members were Joe Mollica, Jack
P. Cerone and John Panvino, owner of
Porretta’s Restaurant.
Two new additions to this year’s
event were added; a new sponsor, Terlato Wines International, and a new
cigar vendor, The Cigar Lounge.
The Terlato Family imports the finest wines from all over the world and
shared its best cases at our event. Party
attendees sampled Italian and American
fine wines. Some lucky raffle prize winners even got to bring a bottle home.
The Cigar Lounge brought out their
very own hand rolled cigars, a variety of
16
five different blends. Our new paisano,
Tim Hartke, will also be setting up at
this year’s annual golf outing.
John Panvino served up some of
best pastas, arancini, pizzas and steak
sandwiches Porretta’s Restaurant has to
offer. If you recall, most UNICO members were able to dine here during the
Mid-Year Meeting, which took place
last March.
And let’s not forget about Palermo
Bakery, newly relocated to Norridge
from Chicago, serving up some of their
best pastries, cannolis and cookies.
Loreto LoCasio and the Greco Family
cannot be beat when it comes to great
desserts. Samples were shipped to the
Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
Conventions.
Proceeds from our event help sup-
September 2015
port local and national scholarships,
and the Jimmy “V” Foundations. Look
for future articles regarding fund raising
disbursements.
We invite all Chapters across the
country to visits Chicago and attend our
events this year. www.unicocws.com
From left: John Panvino and Tommy
Kammerer. In the distance can be seen Joe
Madonia and Joe Luciano.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
Fairfield, nj
Keystone Chapter Installs John Mecca
and Presents Service Awards
Fairfield Awards
Scholarships to High School
Graduates
At Keystone’s Annual Presidents’
Dinner a moment of silence was held
for recently deceased charter members
Joseph Gentile and Leonard Verrastro.
The presentation of the “Service Above
Self” Award was given to Catherine
Bianchi, Ernie DeStefano and John
Mecca for their outstanding leadership
in fund-raising for Keystone Chapter’s
designated charities this past year. The
Chapter’s President’s Service Award
was presented to Jim Mack for his
outstanding leadership this past year.
Past National President Glenn Pettinato, was on hand to install John
N. Mecca as the fourth President of
the Keystone Chapter.
Monica Onorata graduated West
Essex High School with a 4.0 GPA. She
was the captain of the softball and cross
country teams and was recognized as an
All Conference Athlete in both sports.
She will be attending The College of
New Jersey where she will be playing
softball and majoring in business.
Sophia Polifonte graduated Mount
Saint Dominic Academy. She was the
member of several clubs and community service projects as well as being
the Treasurer of the Key Club. She is
an active parishioner at St. Thomas
More Church. She will be attending St.
Joseph’s University where she will be
majoring in Biology with the hopes of
becoming an Optometrist.
From left: Tony Polifonte, Sophia Polifonte
and Chapter President Vincent Russotto.
The Fairfield Chapter made a donation to
Brandon Zyla for his Eagle Scout project.
He replaced the fence along the Fairfield
Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery in
Fairfield, which is our township’s symbol.
From left: Leonard Russo, Brandon Zyla
and Chapter President Vincent Russotto.
Keystone, PA
Sarah Bendowski was installed as the first
ACES member. From left: James Mack
Sr., Chapter President; Cathy Bianchi,
Sarah Bendowski, Sandy Graziano
and Mark McDade, Pennsylvania
District II Governor.
From left: Past National President Glenn
Pettinato installs President, John N.
Mecca, with Past First Lady Mary Mack
holding the bible for John.
President James Mack presents the
Chapters “Service Above Self” award
to Cathy Bianchi, John N. Mecca and
Ernie DeStefano.
From left: Monica Onorata and Chapter
President Vincent Russotto.
UNICO National
The Keystone Chapter raised $2000 for
the local Boy Scouts of America with its
Third Annual Golf Tournament. Pictured
with the winning team from left: Ray
Tropeano, James Mack, Keystone Chapter
President; Peter Noto, Ernie DeStefano,
Champion Flight Winners-John Hill, Joe
Cusick and Mike Jones and Dave Jones
of the Boy Scouts.
September 2015
17
News ComUNICO
Cliffside Park, NJ
moting Italian heritage and supporting
charitable educational projects. With
such initiatives as the Italian American
Festival, honoring the top 25 Southington High School students in each
graduating class and 100 percent support of the high school’s Unified Sports
and Theatre program, the Chapter has
by far met its goals and exceeded expectations since its establishment in 1944.
Annually, the Chapter distributes about
$30,000 to local and national charities
and initiatives.
Chapter President Dave Zoni (l) passes the
gavel to his successor, Antonio Cusano.
The Cliffside Park Chapter recently held
a fund-raiser at the Rockland Boulders
ball field. From left: Jim Fucci, Chapter
President and New Jersey District VI
Governor; Fran Fucci, Dan Rome, Bernice
Ranieri, Gerry Ranieri, Boulder Mascot,
Sharon Rome and Eileen and Rich Miller.
Southington, CT
Southington UNICO officers for the
2015-2016 from left: Sergeant –at-Arms
Ron Ingriselli, Treasurer Ralph Ciaburri,
Secretary Bob Moffo and Vice President
Victoria Triano.
Southington UNICO Announces
New Officers
The Southington Chapter named its
new slate of officers for the 2015-2016
year at its June meeting.
President Dave Zoni swore in his
successor, Antonio Cusano, who will
serve as President of the Chapter. Zoni
now becomes Chairman of the Board
of Directors. Also sworn in were Vice
President Victoria Triano, Secretary Bob
Moffo, Treasurer Ralph Ciaburri and
Sergeant of Arms Ron Ingriselli.
“I am truly honored to have been
elected and chosen as the President
of Southington UNICO. I’m looking
forward to working with my slate of
officers and fellow members in continuing the tradition of supporting our community,” said Cusano, who has been a
member of UNICO since 2011.
Cusano said he will also continue
the Chapter’s mission of bringing an
awareness of Italian heritage and culture to the community. He is most eager
to break ground on the Goat Island project, which will restore the communal
ovens at the historic site just off of the
Rails to Trails Linear Park.
Southington UNICO, which is comprised of more than 80 members, is a
service-oriented organization that embraces three objectives: service to fellow
man and community, fostering and pro-
18
GReater Binghamton, NY
Southington members hosted a
community drive-in, helping to park
cars, collect admission fees and man
the popcorn machine. The Southington
Drive-In is a community-owned and
volunteer-operated establishment
now in its sixth season. Host civic
organizations run the drive-in, which
only shows movies on Saturday nights
during the summer months. Southington
UNICO has been a host civic organization
since the drive-in opened as a community
endeavor in 2010.
UNICO’s movie this year was Disney’s
“Frozen.” The event was sold out and
Southington UNICO now holds the drivein’s record after fitting 426 vehicles into
the open parking lot.
September 2015
At the June monthly meeting of the
Greater Binghamton Chapter, Dr. Felix
De Sio (l) was installed as President of
the Chapter by then UNICO National
President Richard D’Arminio.
The gavel is passed from this year’s
Greater Binghamton President Barbara
Wahila to President-Elect Dr. Felix DeSio.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
Save the Date!
94th Annual Convention
July 27- July 30, 2016
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay
Cambridge, Maryland
Rockaway Township, NJ
Rockaway Township
Chapter News
Here is an update for our Chapter
since last newsletter:
1) At our July Officer’s meeting
we swore in our new Chapter Secretary,
Judi Ricucci.
2) On August 16th, we held our
Second Annual “Charity Motorcycle
Run for the Kids” to raise money for St.
Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Over 3500
flyers have been distributed, many road
signs have been placed, it has been in
the newspapers, run on WMTR and
WDHA radio stations, and is being
sponsored by many retailers and restaurants. This 60 mile Police Escorted
Motorcycle run ended at The Barn in
Rockaway Township with a full BBQ
lunch, raffles and music by Michael Long.
3) On August 18th, our Chapter
meeting included a Homemade Mozzarella Making Demo by Giuseppe. Everyone left with a 1 pound ball of freshly
made Mozzarella.
4) In September, we are running
two games at Montville UNICO’s San
Gennaro Feast (the Golf Ball Race and
Candy Wheel concessions). Monies
raised will be used to help a local handicapped child and future scholarships.
5) On October 15th we are holding a Golf Outing at Crystal Springs Golf
Course. There will be breakfast, lunch,
many prizes and Spa Day for those that
do not want to play golf on the highly
rated course. Proceeds will be raised to
help fight Autism.
6) And finally, we want to welcome our newest Rockaway Township
Chapter member...Heather Darling.
UNICO National
News
Farmington, CT
This year’s scholarship recipients
are Yea-Jin Lee, Valentina Ossa and
Yoon-sun Hough, graduating from Farmington High School. Farmington UNICO
scholarship recipients will be invited to
apply for future scholarships from the
Aldo DeDominicis Foundation. These
scholarships will be awarded for the duration of their college career.
Representative Mike Demicco presented Frank Dolce, Chapter President
with an Official Citation from the State
of Connecticut General Assembly at
the Installation Dinner. The citation
was introduced by Representative Mike
Demicco, Representative Brian Becker,
Senator Beth Bye and Senator Terry
B. Gerratana. It was made in recognition of the 45th Anniversary of UNICO
of Farmington and read “You’re entire
membership is to be commended for
putting “Service Above Self” for nearly
half a century. The greater Farmington
community has benefitted from your
generosity and good works.” The original charter of Farmington UNICO has
been framed and will be on display at
the Farmington Library. Framed copies
were also prepared for charter members
of our Chapter. Officers for the 20152016 season were sworn in by Past District Governor Mario Giovannuci.
We all look forward to a wonderful year under the leadership of Frank
Dolce, graciously serving his third term
as President. The final event of our
season was the Second Annual Joe Filomeno Golf Tournament held at Wampanoug Country Club. It was a great event
with a record number of golfers enjoying the day and then even more guests
for the culminating dinner.
This year’s scholarship recipients.
Charter member Sal DiMauro is honored by
President Frank Dolce.
Frank Dolce presents this year’s
President’s Award to Bob McNally.
From left: Paul Pedemonti, Tom Filomeno,
Sal DiMauro and Mike and Dan Filomeno
at the golf tournament.
Mike Demicco presents an Official Citation
from the State of Connecticut to President
Frank Dolce.
September 2015
Happy raffle prize winners.
19
News ComUNICO
In Memoriam
Keystone, PA
Anthony Iasiello
Anthony T. “Tony” Iasiello, 72, of
Bethlehem died on Wednesday, July 1,
2015. He was born in Bethlehem, the son
of Marjorie (Achey) Schuler and the late
Anthony J. Iasiello. He was the husband
of Terry (McNelis) Iasiello. They celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary
this past October. Tony graduated from
Liberty High School and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Moravian College. He
was a longtime mentor and educator at
Bethlehem Catholic High School teaching History for 42 years. He started the
school’s first wrestling program and continued as the Head Coach for 38 years.
Tony was also the owner of The Sports
Corner for 38 years. He was the president
of the Bethlehem Chapter of UNICO National, and a member of the Kiwanis and
The Knights of Columbus. Among his
many accomplishments, he was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall
of Fame and founded the Christmas City
Wrestling Tournament which is currently
known as the Tony Iasiello Tournament.
He was President of District XI Wrestling
Coaches Association. Survivors: He will
be lovingly remembered by his wife,
Terry; his mother, Marjorie; son, Anthony “Tony”, Jr. and wife, Trish of White
Plains, NY; daughter, Kristen Boyle and
husband, Sean of New Tripoli; brothers,
Dennis of Allentown; John and his wife,
Susie of Georgia; sisters, Sylvia Bayer of
Bethlehem; Maryann Vanya and husband,
Steve of Bethlehem; and Sandra Iasiello of
Florida; and his six beautiful grandchildren who brought him such pride and joy,
Teighan, Tealyn, Tyleigh, Riley, Tommy
and Luke. He was preceded in death by
his brother, Joseph. Memorial Contributions: may be made to UNICO 324 Grandview Blvd., Bethlehem, PA 18018 or
Bethlehem Catholic.
20
The Keystone Chapter donated $4800 to
the Women’s Resource Center from this
year’s Roaring Twenties Pig Roast. Front
row from left: Carol Scrimalli, Peg Ruddy,
executive director of the Women’s
Resource Center and Cathy Bianchi. Back
row: Michele and Mark McDade, Mary
and Jim Mack and Val Riggi.
September 2015
The Keystone Chapter sponsored a Bocce
Team at the Scranton Chapter’s Bocce
Tournament Fund-raiser for Cancer
Research. Team members from left: Jim
Mack, Chapter President John Mecca and
Michele and Mark McDade.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
ComUNICO Rules and Guidelines
The following are ComUNICO Rules
that must be strictly adhered to in order
for a Chapter and/or a Committee’s submissions to be included in an issue of
ComUNICO:
1. Each Chapter is limited to 300
words per issue. This includes the number of words in a column and captions.
2. The only titles to be included
in captions are for National Officers
and Chapter Presidents. Do not identify
other Chapter Officers by title.
3. If more than 10 people appear in
a picture, do not identify each of them.
4. Abbreviations are not to be
used. The only title to be abbreviated is
Vice President (VP).
5. All articles and captions are to
be submitted in Times New Roman font,
11 point font size and in black.
6. Photo File Name should be identifiable to the corresponding caption.
7. A Chapter is allowed a maximum of 6 pictures per issue for a regular
event.
8. All award recipients (ie…
Scholarship, Brian Piccolo) should be
included in one picture. Do not send
multiple pictures from an event with one
recipient per picture.
9. Only pictures attached to an
e-mail will be accepted. Pictures embedded in an e-mail will be returned to the
Chapter and not included.
10. All submissions should be sent
to [email protected]. Submissions
sent to any other office e-mail address
will not be included.
11. The deadline for submissions is
5:00 PM on the designated day.
12. Photos coming in after a holiday
will not be included in the next issue,
if deemed to be untimely. ComUNICO
should reflect the current time of year.
13. Articles cannot contain copyrighted materials. All articles must be
original and completely written by the
person submitting the article. An article
compiled from information that was cut
and pasted from other sources is considered plagiarism.
The following are ComUNICO
Guidelines for a Chapter to follow:
1. Photos should be sent in landscape not portrait form.
2. Do not send in blurry pictures.
3. Review all submissions prior to
sending for grammar and punctuation.
The Deadline for the November 2015 issue of ComUNICO is Friday, October 16, 2015
Louis J. Serafini
— Attorney at Law —
Serafini & Serafini
A Professional Corporation
269 Hamburg Turnpike
P.O. Box 2040
Wayne, NJ 07474
(973) 595-9500
Fx: (973) 595-7442
JOSEPH J. Serafini
— Attorney at Law —
Serafini & Serafini
A Professional Corporation
269 Hamburg Turnpike • P.O. Box 2040 • Wayne, NJ 07474
(973) 595-9500
Fx: (973) 595-7442
UNICO National
September 2015
21
News ComUNICO
In Memoriam
Kearny, NJ
Romano Della Santina
Romano Della Santina passes away
on Thursday, July 9, 2015. After a courageous battle with cancer, he left this
world peacefully with his beloved wife,
Maria of 65 years and his family by his
side. Along with her, he leaves behind
four children; Paul, Joanne, Tina and
Ralph, their spouses, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren; and
also leaving two brothers, family and
friends in Lucca, Italy. There was no
man who cherished and loved his family
more than Romano. He was a proud Italian American and his involvement in the
Italian American community ran deep.
In 1984, he was bestowed the highest honor given to an Italian civilian,
Cavaliere Dell’Ordine della Republica
Italiana. Romano was an extremely generous man who gave of himself to many
clubs and foundations. He was the first
President of the Lucchesi nel Mondo,
San Francisco chapter and a member
of Boys Town of Italy, UNICO National,
San Francisco Italian Athletic Club,
Cristoforo Colombo Club, Scaccaipensieri, I.C.F. Branch 161 of Larkspur, Corte
Madera Lion’s Club and many others.
He received great pleasure participating
in these organizations. Romano was the
glue of his family; and along with Maria,
taught his family the values which will
be passed on for generations. Although
hard work and building a business were
prominent; to smile, to laugh, and to
love family always came first. He was a
strong man; one to acknowledge, one to
live your life after, and one to never be
forgotten. His smile will never leave our
minds, and his love will never leave our
hearts. Memorial contributions made be
made to Hospice by the Bay, 17 E. Sir
Francis Drake Blvd., Larkspur, CA 94939
OR Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org Monte’s Chapel Of
The Hills~San Anselmo 415.453-8440.
22
Chapter members enjoyed playing bocce
before breaking to enjoy pizza.
At this year’s Convention, the Kearny
Chapter received three awards. From
left: National President Richard
D’Arminio, and Celeste and Lou Pandolfi
accepting the Honor Chapter Award
for the Chapter’s Exceptional Project Wheels for Vic, which raised over $20,000
to purchase a van for a paralyzed young
member of the community. The Kearny
Chapter also received the Second Place
Model Chapter Award and won for its
entry in the Scrapbook competition in the
Small Chapter Category.
Pittsfield, MA
Golf Tournament
JoAnn Mitchell delivering her “patented”
one footed bocce throw.
During a break in the bocce action,
members gathered to enjoy eating pizza
and camaraderie.
Members of the Kearny Chapter visited
the Shrine of Saint Joseph in Stirling, New
Jersey. Chapter members visited the
chapel and toured the grounds; including
a visit to the 9/11 Memorial before
stopping at the shrine’s gift and book
shop. Following their visit to the shrine,
Chapter Members enjoyed a luncheon at
the Reservoir Restaurant in South Orange.
September 2015
The Pittsfield Chapter recently
held its twenty sixth annual golf tournament. This is the Chapter’s biggest
fund-raising event of the year. The
proceeds go to support numerous local
charities, such as The Pittsfield Boys
and Girls Club, Hospice Care, the Salvation Army, Homeless Veterans, various food pantries and many more, as
well as funding fourteen $1000 scholarships to local high school students.
The Pittsfield UNICO golf tournament has become one of the largest
and most successful golf tournaments
in the region. It is well supported by
Chapter members as well as 200 local
businesses.
Chapter President Fran Marinaro adjusts
the pin flag at the second hole before the
start of the tournament.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
Highland Beach, Fl
Pennsylvania District II
It has been a busy year for Pennsylvania II as with all of UNICO National.
The Convention at Newport Beach,
California was a fine way for the year to
round out. My compliments to Chairman Frank Paolercio, Co-chairs Frank
Cannata and John DiNapoli and the
committee for all the effort that goes
into the running of a Convention. Michele and I had a great experience. Also,
congratulations to Rick D’Arminio for
his successful year as President and for
his aggressive movement of the agenda.
He certainly gave the attendees plenty
of free time to check out the resort. A
big welcome to Ann Walko who woke
everyone up with her Inaugural Address
and her agenda for the coming year.
I now wish to give a quick acknowledgement to the great works that the
Binghamton, Carbondale, Keystone and
Sayre Chapters performed this year representing Pennsylvania II and UNICO
National. They have really stepped up
to the plate, as they do every year. Congratulations to both the Binghamton and
Keystone Chapters for participating in
the Chapter Achievement Competition
and earning their Chapter Achievement Certificates and Banner Patches.
I encourage all of our UNICO National
Chapters to participate in this competition that gives recognition to the
wonderful programs each of our UNICO
Chapters present. Best wishes to all of
our UNICO Chapters in this New Year!
Members of Pennsylvania II gather for
a group shot at the last District Meeting
of 2014-2015, hosted by the Binghamton
Chapter.
Westfield, NJ
The Chapter recently awarded its first
$1,000 four year scholarship to Bradley
Falcone. From left: Michael, Nancy and
Bradley Falcone, Gail Guy and Chapter
President Frank Lo Re.
Orange/West Orange, NJ
The Westfield Chapter enjoyed their year
end June election dinner meeting at La
Famiglia Sorrento Restaurant.
At the UNICO National Convention,
three members of the Westfield Chapter
were installed as National Officers. From
left: Anthony Bengivenga, National
Membership & Retention Director; Ann
Walko, National President and Bob Tarte,
Eastern Regional District Governor Chair.
The Orange/West Orange Chapter recently held its 18th Annual Bocce night
at Panevino Restaurant. There were
eight-four person teams competing. This
year the Rossi team came out on top.
Members and guests were invited to the
event and enjoyed an evening of Bocce
and an Italian Dinner.
The winning team from left: Nino Petrillo,
Matthew Rossi, Chapter President Frank
Paolercio, Louis Rossi and Spiros Maragros.
Raritan Valley, NJ
Pennsylvania District II Governor McDade
installs the Officers and Directors of the
Binghamton Chapter.
UNICO National
The Raritan Valley Chapter has a fun day at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
September 2015
23
ComUNICO
News
Special Feature Article
Finding Your Nonno’s Farm
The ghost town of San Basile seemed an unlikely candidate for renewal and repopulation until a young
mayor came up with just the plan: an online initiative to sell abandoned real estate at extremely low prices.
The program, called A Home in San Basile, helped repopulate this town on the slopes of Mount Pollino in
the province of Cosenza (Calabria).
A few years ago, Mayor Vincenzo Tamburi put up for sale about 150 abandoned homes and parcels of
land. Prices ranged from as little as 5,000 euros each (about $6,000 at the time) to a maximum of 60,000
euros (about $70,000). San Basile became an instant success, drawing the interest of buyers from all over the
world.
Today, more Italian mayors are following suit — even selling properties for as little as 1 euro (with some
strings attached).
We have to remember that San Basile is not an exception; many small towns in Italy have suffered tremendously after past migrations. When our ancestors left their hometowns, many of them also left their
property uninhabited.
“When my grandfather was a young man he, like many others, went to America leaving behind his beloved Italia; his parents, brothers and sisters who continued to manage the farm in those difficult times surviving only after long hours of sweat and toil and the few dollars set aside regularly in America and then
sent back to Italy. I never really knew what happened to the land and that house. Later on I found that after
my great-grandparents passed on, my grandfather’s brothers and sisters continued to work the farm,” says
Anthony Alioto of Italian Law.
A common misperception holds that the Italian government confiscated unclaimed property. The reality
is that many properties remain unclaimed. In fact, in many cases the children of emigrants living outside of
Italy may still claim it according to Italian Succession Law.
Families of a decedent should file succession documents after the death of any individual (living anywhere in the world) holding title to the Italian real estate property. The danger in failing to do so, especially
when a plot of land is left behind, lays in an ancient law called “usucapione” (from the Latin usucapio,
meaning acquisition) which allows people to acquire property and/or land by adverse possession.
For example, usucapione allows someone to become entitled to a property by cultivating abandoned
land, harvesting crops or growing olive trees, and paying very low agricultural property taxes. This process gets a bit more complicated and longer for abandoned homes since residential property taxes are much
higher.
About a year ago, we conducted an onsite family research project in the town of Fontanarosa (located in
the province of Avellino). After locating the living relatives, we learned that our client had rights to a property that was still in her grandfather’s name after many decades. She even took her family onsite last summer to meet the living relatives and visit the vacant property. A few years back, a distant relative had taken
possession of the house but failure to pay property taxes defeated the purpose of “usucapione”. Thus, the
property became vacant again, so our customer could decide what to do with it.
There are thousands of parcels of abandoned land and many structures that should have transferred to
successive generations but have not. The original owners, deceased many decades ago, are still found on the
titles today.
Whether you are interested in repossession or not, it can be very interesting to discover that your family
still owns abandoned property. To research the matter, only the following data is needed:
1. Italian name (if female, maiden) of presumed owner, even if deceased
2. Exact town of birth in Italy (mandatory)
3. Father of this person (optional, but very useful)
4. Birth year of the above. (NOTE: no birth years before 1880)
If you are planning to travel to your town of origin, our researchers will take you to the places where
your ancestors lived and where you can meet your living relatives. Who knows, you may even discover that
you still have rights to your nonno’s property!
(Courtesy of My Italian Family. Call us FREE at 1-888-472-0171 to take advantage of the
Heritage Research Offers just for UNICO Members or visit our website at www.myitalianfamily.com. Alternatively you can write to My Italian Family LLC, 6542A Lower York Road #204,
New Hope, PA 18938 or e-mail at [email protected])
UNICO National
September 2015
25
News ComUNICO
s,
, Event
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,
Photos
More!
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Chicago W. Suburban, IL
Invitational Golf Outing 2015:
Another Great Success
Over the past 47 years, the Chicago
West Suburban Chapter has been the
consummate host of one of Chicago area’s most popular charitable golf events.
This year’s golf outing was recently held
at the Bloomingdale Golf Club. It was
one of the most successful fund-raising
events in the Chapter’s history; a history
that has seen the tournaments hosted
over the years by members Jack Cerone,
Joe Rovetto, Ed Gesualdo and current
committee members Mario Veltri, Joe
Mollica, Donato Ancona Billy Randazzo
and Paul Domico.
Chicago West Suburban UNICO’s
outing is famous for its gastronomic delights from sausage and egg breakfast before the golfer’s shotgun start to a buffet
feast consisting of grilled lamb, Italian
sausage with peppers, sweet corn and
a variety of fresh fruits (with optional
wine). Guided by the versatile hands of
Past National President Mike Veselka,
the buffet ran from eleven in the morning to three in the afternoon, allowing
guests the opportunity to return for more
throughout their day of golf.
The day’s activities saw 118 golfers
enjoy camaraderie, good weather, a challenging course, great food, a raffle and
prizes for the day’s accomplished golfers.
Two Scholarships were awarded at
the dinner event following the day of
golf. This year’s awardees are Cecelia
Ancona, a graduate student at Dominican University and Taylor Reckards, a
senior at Indiana State University who is
pursuing degree in nursing.
28
The Chapter looks forward to doing it
again on the third Monday in August, 2016.
We invite your participation in what we
promise to be yet another day of fun, competition, good food and a proud sense of
contribution to our community.
at the Chapter meeting in July. His heartfelt essay profiled his uncle who built
a church in Mexico per the wishes of
Mother Teresa.
Chapter President Dr. Jim Barbabella noted, “We are so proud of these
bright, dedicated young people of Italian
heritage and happy our small Chapter
can hopefully make a bit of difference
in their college costs. We wish them all
success in their future endeavors.”
The Chapter, whose membership has
increased 89% percent in the past year,
holds its monthly dinner meetings at the
Coral Casino Beach Club at the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara.
Food prep team from left: Mike Sberna,
Michael Magiera, Jan Alessia, Larry Basilli,
Richard Montlabano and Mario Veltri.
Steve Veselka prepares food for
the go lfers .
From left: Claire Gilmore, Brian Piccolo
Memorial Scholarship recipient; Dr.
James Barbabella, Chapter President
and Giulia Castleberg, Renaissance
Scholarship recipient.
Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Barbara California Chapter awarded college scholarships to two
noteworthy high school students who are
each attending undergraduate studies in
California and one college student.
Dos Pueblos High School graduate
Claire Gilmore (family name Carvotta)
received UNICO’s Brian Piccolo Memorial Scholarship and is attending the
University of California at Berkeley as a
psychology major.
Giulia Castleberg was awarded the
Renaissance Scholarship. Giulia, with
a 4.83 GPA, holds dual citizenship in
the US and Italy and visits her mother’s
homeland on a regular basis. She is attending Harvey Mudd College with a goal
to work in design engineering.
On the National Level, Dominic
Conti, Pepperdine University student in
Malibu, won the UNICO National Ella T.
Grasso Literary Scholarship for his essay
titled, “A Humble Heart,” which he read
September 2015
Dominic Conti, Ella T. Grasso Literary
Scholarship recipient.
San Diego, CA
From left: Valeri Orsini, Jennifer and Jim
Despenza, Cindy and Frank Caperino and
Kathy Strozza.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
Wilkes Barre, PA
The Wilkes Barre Chapter recently held its Past Presidents Dinner at The Woodlands Inn and resort in Wilkes Barre. Outgoing
President Robert DiPietro ushered in the new President, John Terrana, who was sworn in by Past National President Andre’
DiMino. Also in attendance was Past National President Chris DiMattio.
From left: Past National President
Chris DiMattio, outgoing Chapter
President Robert DePietro, incoming
Chapter President John Terrana, and
Past National President and Executive
Director Andre’ DiMino.
The Wilkes Barre Chapter installed their
new President for 2015-2016, from left:
President John Terranna, Past National
Presidents Christopher DiMattio and
Andre’ DiMino and outgoing Wilkes Barre
President Robert DePietro.
Montville, NJ
The Montville Chapter recently held
their 27th Annual Charity Golf Outing
at the Brooklake Country Club. This first
class affair included 18 holes of golf,
with a Starter’s Brunch, Cocktail Hour,
Gourmet Buffet Dinner, one hour open
bar, plus gifts and prizes. The major
sponsor, Valley National Bank, hosted
over 100 golfers and by all accounts, everyone had a great time. Once again, a
special donation of $5000 will be given
to the Burn Center at Barnabas Hospital
from the proceeds.
The Wilkes Barre Chapter awarded
their annual scholarship award to high
school senior Kristin Cussat. Kristin
attends Hazleton Area High School and
after graduation will attend Marywood
University to study architecture and
design and hopes to study in Florence,
Italy. From left: John Terranna, Kristin
Cussat and Leo Sperrazza.
The Golf Committee standing from left:
Karen Arakelian, Michele and Gene
Maddalena and Peter Mellilo. Seated:
Nick Conturso, Danielle Speciale, Phyllis
Mellilo and Vivian Cleffi.
UNICO National
September 2015
29
News ComUNICO
Have you filed your
990 with the IRS?
Greater Binghamton, NY
In May of 2015 Greater Binghamton
UNICO celebrated their five year anniversary as a member of UNICO National.
How does a Chapter celebrate their Fifth
Anniversary? Member Maria Pezzuti
had a vision to financially donate to
five local charities in celebration of five
years. So began the theme “Five Years,
Five Charities.” Over the course of a
year, Maria and the Charities Committee
reviewed applications for the funding,
and narrowed it from fourteen applicants to five. At the same time Angela
Carro and her team prepared for a May
fund-raiser to obtain the money for the
project. Success was achieved from the
fund-raising, and the money was in hand
to donate at the June Meeting. Greater
Binghamton UNICO was able to donate
to five local charities Mercy House,
Southern Tier Veterans Support Group,
RISE (A women’s shelter), Robbie’s Pantry at STAP Southern Tier AIDS program
and Union-Endicott High School Student
Exchange Program. Representatives from
the Charities were invited to the June
Meeting of the Chapter. They were presented their checks by Greater Binghamton Member Maria Pezutti and UNICO
National President Richard D’Arminio.
But, none of this would have been possible without the support of the members
of the Chapter and the local community!!
Francesca Spinelli from Seton Catholic
Central School and Alexander White from
Union-Endicott High School were the
2015 recipients of Greater Binghamton’s
Angelo Zuccolo Memorial Scholarship.
From left: Francesca Spinelli, Nick Pianella
and Alexander White.
Pennsylvania District II Governor
Mark McDade proudly presents the
Greater Binghamton Officers and
Board of Directors for the 2015-2016
calendar year!!
From left: Maria Pezzuti, Mercy House
of the Southern Tier, Sister Joanna
Monticello, Mercy House, UNICO National
President Richard D’Arminio and First
Lady Manuela D’Arminio.
Awards were also given to high school
students.
The evening was highlighted by the
presentation of two UNICO National Undergraduate Scholarships. Kristin Donadio of West Orange, who attends Seton
Hall University and Catherine E. Fonseca
of Kearny, who attends William Paterson
University. Both received the Bernard
and Carolyn Torraco Memorial Nursing
Scholarships. These fine young women
were sponsored by the Orange/West Orange Chapter.
Local scholarships in the amount
of $1,500 each were awarded to the
students. The students were selected
by a committee of members which was
chaired by Frank V. Gonnella. Students
received the following scholarships:
Christian Otto Schmid, Anthony F. and
Flora Gonnella Memorial Scholarship;
Anna Lackey, Vecchio Family Memorial
Scholarship; Esther Delvalle, Orange/
West Orange Scholarship; Abigail Tiu
Chua Orange/West Orange Scholarship
in memory of our late Chapter member
Carmine Molinari and Daphne Campbell, Townsend Memorial Scholarship.
The last scholarship was funded by the
DeFranco Family in memory of their late
sister Roseann DeFranco Townsend.
Italian Language Scholarships were
also awarded to students for outstanding
academic achievement in the Italian Language. John Carlo Barone received the
Orange/West Orange Italian Language
Scholarship and Angelica Alica Pozzoli
received the Michele and Lucia Russo
Italian Language Scholarship.
The Chapter donated an additional
$30,000 to local and national charities
and organizations.
Orange/West Orange, NJ
2015 Scholarship Dinner
From left: Maria Pezzuti, Rebecca Allerton,
RISE; John Barry, Robbie’s Pantry; Amalia
Roma-Circensi, UEHS Italian Exchange
Program; Greater Binghamton President
Barbara Wahila, First Lady Manuela
D’Arminio, Angelo De Michele, UEHS
Italian Exchange Program and UNICO
National President Richard D’Arminio.
30
The Orange/West Orange Chapter
held its 2015 Scholarship and Awards
Dinner at Mayfair Farms. Two UNICO
National Scholarship winners were announced and five local area high school
students were awarded individual local
memorial scholarships. Italian Language
September 2015
From left: Frank Gonnella, Angelica
Pozzol, Abigail Tiu Chua, Christian Otto
Schmid, Anna Lackey, Daphne Campbell,
Catherine E. Fonseca, John Carlo Barone,
Kristin Donadio.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
Scranton, PA
News
In Memoriam
Joseph Serafini
The Scranton Chapter welcomed new
members at the June Meeting.
Mary Marrara, Chapter President
2014-2015 presented the Al Dante
Distinguished Service Award to Pat
Yanni. Pat Yanni joined UNICO in
1978. Among his many accomplishments and service in UNICO, he
served as Chapter President and on the
Board of Directors for many years. He
was a UNICAN of the Year and District
Governor, at which time he received
the Distinguished District Governor
Award. He spent countless hours
cooking and preparing the Porketta, as
well as readying our famous Porketta
tent for La Festa Italiana. As a skilled
carpenter, during the Quincentenary
celebration of the Columbus discovery, he was asked to join the efforts
in planning a celebration parade. He
spent months of his time constructing nearly life-size replicas of the
Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ships.
He has held leadership positions in
the Knights of Columbus and in other
committees, as well. Pat owned and
operated a construction business until
his retirement. Pat and Palma have
been married for 64 years and are
the proud parents of four children,
twelve grandchildren and two great
granddaughters.
From left: Mary Marrara, Scranton
Chapter President; Lisa, Dante, Dave and
Nicole Bieri and Pat and Palma Yanni.
UNICO National
Past National President Chris DiMattio
recently installed Mike Rescigno as
Chapter President at the 57th Past
President’s and Installation Dinner.
From left: Mary Marrara, Past Chapter
President; Mike and Ginny Rescigno and
Chris DiMattio.
Past National President Chris DiMattio
presents Mary Marrara with the Past
President’s Award at the 57th Annual
Past President’s and Installation Dinner.
The award is in memory of Dr. D.J.
Maldonato, who was the first Chapter
President of the Scranton Chapter. From
left: Mary Marrara and Chris DiMattio.
Joseph J. Serafini, 83, of Cedar
Grove, N.J., passed away surrounded by
family on Tuesday, August 18, 2015.
Born in Newark to Luigi and Adele
Serafini, he lived in Bloomfield before
settling in Cedar Grove the past 13 years.
Joseph was the owner of Beppy’’s Restaurant in Newark for 32 years before
retiring 27 years ago. He proudly served
in the National Guard during peace time
and as a member of the Cedar Grove
Chapter of UNICO National. In addition, he was a professional boxer, golden
gloves champion and boxing trainer.
He is survived by his wife, Connie
Serafini; children Louis Serafini and
his wife Diana; Joseph Serafini and his
wife Linda and Deborah Maggio and her
husband Arthur; grandchildren Joseph,
Jennifer, Maria, Daniel, Nicholas, Julia,
Stephanie and Gabrielle and sister, Irene
Duvalle.
In lieu of flowers, donations to St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501
St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105
would be appreciated. Memories and
condolences may be shared at shookscedargrove.com.
Paramus, NJ
UNICO National Scranton Chapter Ladies
Auxiliary recently installed the 20152016 officers. Palma Yanni installed the
officers. From left: Palma Yanni; Diane
Alberigi, Treasurer; Ashley DeFlice, Vice
President; Gayle DeAntona, President;
Joanne Quattrone, Recording Secretary;
Lori Nozzi, Financial Secretary and
Danelle Hogan, Corresponding Secretary.
September 2015
Past National President Richard D’Arminio
swears in four new members. From left:
Chapter President Lois Iula, Rita and
Peter O’Hare, Richard D’Arminio, Roe and
Anthony Bucco and May D’Arminio.
31
News ComUNICO
Special Feature Article
Dion – Return of the Wanderer
Dion Francis DiMucci is best known
to rock and roll fans worldwide simply
as Dion. Honing his craft in the mid1950s on the street corners of 187th
Street and Crotona Avenue in Bronx,
NY, the legendary singer-songwriter has
remained one of the most versatile and
popular performers of his generation.
At age fifteen, the street corner poet
recruited the three best doo-wop singers in his neighborhood, naming themselves, Dion and the Belmonts. They
lifted their name from nearby Belmont
Avenue, located in the heart of the ‘Little
Italy’ section of the Bronx. By 1957 Dion
and the Belmonts were bona fide teen
idols, scoring with the rock and roll
classics, “I Wonder Why” and “A Teenager in Love,” and appearing on American Bandstand. Dion has described their
ethnic sound as “Black music filtered
through an Italian neighborhood, coming out with an attitude.”
Dion is forever linked to the most
tragic event in rock and roll history
which occurred on February 3, 1959.
The then nineteen year old was a featured performer along with Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens, and ‘The Big Bopper,’
headlining the ‘Winter Dance Party’ tour.
The four headliners decided to charter a plane rather than continue riding
on a broken down old bus. The plane
seated only three passengers, plus the
pilot, so they flipped a coin. Dion won
the toss, but let Ritchie Valens take his
plane seat. Dion’s reasoning was that he
couldn’t justify paying a $36.00 fare, the
same amount as the monthly rent for
his childhood Bronx apartment. As fate
would have it, soon after take-off in the
wintry early morning hours, the pilot
lost control of the airplane, which subsequently crashed into a cornfield, leaving
no survivors.
32
Despondent upon returning home
after the tour, Dion attempted to make
sense of his life and an increased dependency on alcohol and heroin addiction.
There were also disagreements within
the group ultimately resulting in Dion
leaving the Belmonts in 1960 to pursue
a solo career. Nonetheless, from 1960
through 1964, he recorded eight bestselling singles, including “Runaround
Sue” and “The Wanderer.”
Dion married his high school sweetheart, Susan Butterfield in 1963 and
credits her with much wisdom and
tolerance. They have been together for
fifty-two years, and blessed with three
grown daughters.
Despite his success, Dion was at an
all-time low both mentally and spiritually. He moved to Florida seeking a fresh
start. Then on April 1, 1968, he asked
God to help him and “was delivered
from the obsession to drink and drug.”
Within six months of becoming clean
from heroin addiction, Dion, at the age
of 28, embarked upon a new musical
path. He released a gentle, folk rock
recording in the summer of 1968. The
song, “Abraham, Martin and John,” was
a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans and sold a million
copies.
On morning of December 14, 1979,
Dion underwent a life-altering religious
experience. While on his daily morning
jog he started thinking about the past
and future. He prayed, “God, it would
be nice to be closer to you.” He was
then flooded with a white light and saw
a man with outstretched arms. “I love
you,” He said. “Don’t you know that?
I’m your friend. I laid down My life for
you. I’m here for you now.” Dion firmly
believes that God changed his life that
morning.
Confused by his mild Catholic upbringing, he drifted from the Church and
became a born-again Christian. Over a
period of eighteen years, Dion moved
throughout Florida and participated in
a number of Protestant denominations.
During this period, his musical odyssey
took yet another direction. From 1979
through 1986 he recorded contemporary
Christian music and proclaimed his
newfound religious experience.
But throughout this Protestant period, he felt incomplete. He realized that
September 2015
the rich tradition of the Catholic Church
was missing in his life. As a Protestant,
he saw no living voice of authority to
settle and resolve disputes or controversies. And with new churches opening,
each with slightly different doctrines, it
became confusing for Dion to know what
the truth really was. He found that St.
Paul called the Church the “pillar and
foundation of truth,” and it should hold
to the traditions passed on by the early
Fathers of the Church, who recognized
the Bishop of Rome as the earthly head.
Dion concluded after more years of intense religious studies, that the Catholic
Church is guided by the Holy Spirit to
make decisions without error, and this
promise given by Jesus – this infallible
divine guidance – gave us the Bible.
Dion’s truth searching journey continued in the early 1990s when he took
a plane from his Boca Raton home to the
old Bronx neighborhood. He went to Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Church, at the
corner of Belmont Avenue, where he was
baptized and confirmed. He met with
Father Frank, went to confession and let
it all out to the priest. When he finished,
Father Frank stood up, stretched his arms
out and said, “Dion, welcome home.”
With those words, he tried to control his
emotions, but broke down. Dion has said
that he had met a Father who took the
wanderer in his arms and led him home.
With his return to Catholicism,
Dion’s odyssey has taken him full circle.
Elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1989, the invigorated superstar
returned to secular music and performs
regularly to sell-out audiences. His repertoire includes a perfect mix of his 1950s
hits; classic songs from his early 1960s
solo career; occasional gospel tunes; and
the hard driving rock and blues music he
records today. The 76 year old music icon
(born: July 18, 1939) is more relevant and
energized today than ever. Spirituality
has brought Dion inner peace and public
acceptance as true rock and roll royalty.
John Esposito is a freelance writer,
who lives in New Providence, NJ with
his wife and two children. The complete
article, Dion – Return of the Wanderer,
abridged for UNICO, is included in Mr. Esposito’s website: www.PieceworkJournals.
com on the “Arts, Music, Food & Entertainment” page.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
Nutley, NJ
NUTLEY CHAPTER NEWS
The Nutley Chapter culminated
its activities for the 2014-15 year
with the awarding of 27 scholarships in amount of $34,150 at recent
meetings, in addition to its Brian
Piccolo Scholarship Breakfast. The
Chapter wishes to thank all its members, family and friends who assisted in the fund-raisers needed to
finance a portion of these awards.
We are especially appreciative of the
many members who have donated
funds to support the scholarships in
the names of loved ones who have
passed, many of whom were members. Committee Chair Alan Genitempo is to be congratulated for his
dedicated work in preparing the applications for review, chairing the selection meeting and coordinating the
awarding of the scholarships.
Our April meeting included the
presentation of three major Chapter
awards of $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000
and the recognition of the UNICAN of
the Year, Greg Tolve and Outstanding
Achievement, Alan Genitempo. This
process was coordinated by committee chair Joe Cervasio.
The May 17, Brian Piccolo Scholarship Breakfast included the presentation of seven scholarships, the
two main awards were the male and
female Piccolo recipients; Robert
Melillo and Carly Anderson. Those
in attendance were treated to an inspirational address by former Giant
running back Billy Taylor.
Additional activities included
Community Service Day where
members dug up and prepared a
150 sq. ft. area for a vegetable garden for the Nutley Special Young
Adults, and a congregation of members who marched in the Nutley
Memorial Day Parade.
The June meeting marked the last
for our outgoing president Phyllis
Coldebella. We thank her for her hard
work and dedication to our chapter’s
goals and objectives. The 2015-16
slate of officers will be led by incoming President, Bob Montanino.
UNICO National
Nutley Chapter Past President Marie Solimo
(l) and outgoing 2015 President, Phyllis
Coldebella (r) at the New Jersey District VII
Carnevale with Bob and Elyse Buonomo.
Nutley Chapter member Sam Stellatella
(on bike) with Frank Cocchiola and Phyllis
Coldebella at the Memorial Day Parade.
Scrapbook/DVD Awards presented to
from left: Lou and Celeste Pandolfi, Joe
Kovacs and Marilyn Nasello.
The Scrapbook/DVD Committee: Seated
from left: Michele McDade, Beatrice
Ceraso, Pam Domico and Joe Kovacs.
Standing: Monica Silva Viana, Mary
Teresa Morrison, Mark McDade, Joe
Nasello and Celeste Pandolfi.
Scrapbook committee
SCRAPBOOK/DVD AWARDS
Thank you to all the Chapters
that took the time to participate in
this year’s Scrapbook/DVD Awards
program. They were all truly art treasures which can be used to promote
your Chapter at different events. Our
committee would like to encourage
more Chapters to participate in next
year’s awards program.
Scrapbook Awards were presented to Celeste Pandolfi, Kearny
Chapter for the small size category
and Joseph Nasello, Saddle Brook
Chapter for the medium size category. The DVD Award was presented
to Joseph Kovacs, Garfield Chapter in
the medium size category.
You need to start NOW by collecting pictures, flyers, tickets and
publicity articles. Please consult the
Scrapbook/DVD Awards Guidelines
to assist you in preparing your entry.
I can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] with any questions
you may have. See you at the Hyatt
in Cambridge, Maryland.
September 2015
From left: Pam Domico and Joe Kovacs
judge medium size scrapbook entries and
Beatrice Ceraso and Joe Nasello judge
small scrapbook category while Celeste
Pandolfi, Committee Chair looks on.
From left: Mark and Michele McDade,
Monica Silva Viana and Mary Teresa
Morrison judge the medium size
scrapbook category.
33
News ComUNICO
Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ
Delaware District I
New Jersey District X
Twenty four members, family and
friends of the Point Pleasant Beach
Chapter travelled to Newport Beach. Five
members attended the UNICO National
Convention. All were there to celebrate
Youth Member Michael Gynn’s (far right)
graduation from Fordham Law School.
Brian Piccolo Award Ceremony guests
from left: Nick Ruggieri, Richard DiLiberto,
Chairman, Delaware Commission on
Italian Heritage and Culture; Richard
D’Arminio, Nick Caggiano, Commissioner,
Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage
and Culture and guest speaker Melissa
Cannavo-Marino.
Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright
congratulates incoming UNICO National
President Dr. Ann Walko. Walko, a professor
at Kean University, is also a resident of
Scotch Plains. From left: Westfield Chapter
President Anthony Bengivenga, Ann Walko,
Vernell Wright and Union Chapter President
Joe Almeida.
Scrapbook/DVD Guidelines
SCRAPBOOK/DVD GUIDELINES
PURPOSE: To work and assist in keeping a record of significant events in UNICO National, through the collection of pictures
and news articles, and to foster and supervise the establishment of a Scrapbook Committee in each Chapter, as a source of historical reference to the activities of that Chapter.
SCRAPBOOK GUIDELINES
1. To be eligible, scrapbooks should only contain information covering the most recently completed fiscal year, that is, from
July 1st to June 30th.
2. Scrapbooks must be submitted to the committee chair by Thursday, Noon of the National Convention. NO EXCEPTIONS.
3. A Chapter’s scrapbook should signify the Chapter’s accomplishments. Materials should include the following: publicity
from newspapers, magazine articles, programs from Chapter events and thank you notes.
4. The material will be judged for artistic work and presentation of items and items submitted in book form. Socials, fundraisers and community participation should be clearly labeled as such.
5. The judges use a point system in grading the scrapbooks. Committee members are paired off in twos and review the entries that are not competing in their own Chapter size. This allows for fairness and diligence in the scoring of each entry. In the event of a
tie, the deciding factor will be based on the overall artistic presentation, as judged by ALL qualifying committee members.
6. The scrapbook from the Chapter receiving the highest number of points from the above criteria will be the winner in that
Chapter size category. The Chapter size categories are as follows:
a) small sized Chapters are 40 members or less;
b) medium sized Chapters are 41 to 80 members;
c) large sized Chapters are 81 to 200 members;
d) extra large sized Chapters are 201 or more members.
The chair will act solely as the facilitator, providing the guidelines and answering questions. The chair will have no voting privilege.
DVD GUIDELINES
The DVD must be submitted to the committee chair by Thursday, Noon of the National Convention. NO EXCEPTIONS The
DVD should not exceed thirty (30) minutes. Each of the following four categories could receive up to ten (10) points for a possible total of forty (40) points.
1. The DVD should depict as many Chapter functions and events as possible from the most recently completed fiscal year.
2. The events must be presented chronologically and must be properly identified.
3. The importance of the events will be considered.
4. The DVD most professionally presented, but not necessarily, professionally done, will be given serious consideration.
Judges for the DVD category can include any number of committee members, but not less than two. They cannot be a member of a competing Chapter in the same category size. The Chapter size categories will be the same as given for the scrapbook
competition. The committee chair will have no voting privilege and will act solely as the facilitator, proving the guidelines and
answering questions. In the event of a tie, the deciding factor will be the overall artistic presentation.
34
September 2015
UNICO National
ComUNICO
Queensboro, NY
News
Food Bank/Shelter Fund
QUEENSBORO’S ANNUAL
CONCERT
The Queensboro Chapter and the Juniper Park Civic Association, along with
many of our members recently sponsored
our annual concert in the park. Chapter
Member Anthony Nunziata has organized this for years! There was a medley
of Sicilian, Abruzzese and Neapolitan
favorites, along with over 700 attendees.
A great evening for all.
We heard the great voices of Jessica
Carvo and Elio Staccio.
Food Bank and Shelter
Grant Applications are available
through the National Office.
Deadlines for consideration are
60 days before either the MidYear Board of Directors Meeting
or the Annual Convention.
Elio Staccio standing among the crowd,
entertaining us with his great voice. Elio
also preformed songs that had us all
singing along with him.
From left: President Michael Mucaria,
Chairman of the Board John Ficano,
Joe Papavero, guest unknown, Frank
Fabrico and Philip Joseph.
UNICO National
The Rutherford Community Food
Pantry, Inc., Rutherford, New Jersey is
one of seven recipients of the Torraco
Food Bank/Shelter Fund 2015 Grants.
Pictured are Rutherford UNICO members
and RCFP representatives from left:
Barbara Lipari Laborim, Barbara Pilarcek,
RCFP Board; Patty Hirsch, Genevieve
Kacmarcik, Rutherford Social Service
Director; Nicholas Iocca, Maureen Bigley,
RCFP Board; Joan Tidona, Shirley Tokarz,
Councilwoman Carolyn Smith and
Dolores Gennaro.
September 2015
To donate to a
UNICO Charity
make checks payable and mail to:
UNICO Foundation
271 US Highway 46, West
Suite F-103
Fairfield, New Jersey 07004
All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible
35
National Convention - Ice Breaker
From left: Marilyn and Joe Nasello,
Dominick and Alina Nicastro, Talia and
Dave D’Arco.
Anthony Bengivenga and Pat Pelonero
set up the signage.
From left: Steve Pelonero, Dave D’Arco,
Ann Walko and Joe Agresti
From left: Frank Paolercio, Gene
Antonio, Joe Almeida, Matt and Mario
Giovannucci and Mike Veselka.
From left: Sheriff Joseph Arpaio,
Dave D’Arco, Joe Agresti and
Dominick Nicastro.
From left: Frank Paolercio, John DiNapoli
and Chris Tomasello.
Jean Chomko and Frank Greco.
From left: Paula Varsalona-Marino, Marie
Rose and Ralph Contini.
Pat Strocchia and Lou Mattaliano.
From left: Sandy Giordano, Denise Silva,
Michael Walko, Karen Arakelian and
Diane Markley.
From left: Lisa Adubato, Tom Park and
Debbie Bailey.
Former First Ladies Linda Spano and
Cindy Caperino.
36
September 2015
UNICO National
National Convention - Ice Breaker
Linda Spano and Nina Held.
Father Bob Wolfee.
Frank Greco and Frank Paolercio.
Richard D’Arminio.
Angela DiNapoli and Carol Cannata.
Tom Vaughan entertains the crowd.
Mark McDade gets a dance lesson.
Jennifer and Jim DeSpenza.
Lupe and Tony Fornelli.
Linda-Gail and John Alati.
Paula and Joe Marino.
Linda and Michael Spano.
UNICO National
September 2015
37
National Convention - Family and Friends
From left: Steve Pelonero, Rick
D’Arminio, Andre’ DiMino, Manuela
D’Arminio and Pat Pelonero.
Joe and Paula Marino.
From left: Ron Giametti, Michael and
Linda Spano.
From left: Father Bob, Maggie Pettinato
and Pat Pelonero.
The Office Staff and Friends enjoy dinner
at Cucina Alessa’.
From left: Ron Giametti, Michael Spano,
Ralph Contini and Ron Manzella.
Father Bob and Paul Domico.
From left: Mary Berger, John DiNapoli
and Monica Viana.
The Registration Table.
From left: Manny and Pat Alfano, Gene
and Marie Antonio.
Pennsylvania Members enjoy dinner.
New Jersey District X Members gather
for dinner.
38
September 2015
UNICO National
National Convention-General Session
The Marine Corps Color Guard opens
the Convention.
From left: Jenny DiMino, Manuela
D’Arminio and Alina Nicastro.
Lou Pandolfi presents Ann Walko with a
Convention Cap.
Francine Nido and Frank Greco.
From left: Linda-Gail Alati, Nicki Carpinelli
and Nina Held.
Steve Perillo presents UNICO National
with a check for $12,000.
President D’Arminio calls members up
for a best goatee contest!
The UNICO National Executive Board is
sworn in by President D’Arminio.
President D’Arminio swears in the
District Governors.
Past National President Frank Licato
swears in new President Walko as
Michael Walko holds the family bible.
Ann Walko presents Richard D’Arminio
with the Past President’s Plaque.
The Past National Presidents accept
Richard D’Arminio into their ranks.
From left: Richard and Manuela
D’Arminio, Michael and Ann Walko.
Members and friends of New Jersey
District X join Ann Walko on the podium
prior to her swearing in as UNICO
National President.
Manuela D’Arminio is welcomed into the
Past First Ladies Club.
UNICO National
September 2015
39
National Convention-Awards
From left: President Richard D’Arminio,
Americanism Recipient Sheriff Joseph
Arpaio and Frank Cannata.
Francine Nido presents Bob Kievit with
a Membership Award for the St. Joe’s
H. S. Montvale Chapter.
Joe Corsini and Michael Mucaria receive a
Membership Award from Francine Nido.
From left: Richard D’Arminio,
Distinguished District Governors Mark
McDade and Carmine Campanile and
Frank Greco.
From left: Richard D’Arminio, Outstanding
District Governor Steve Pelonero, Frank
Greco and Joe Agresti.
Orange/West Orange member Frank
Paolercio accepts the Model Chapter
Award from President Richard D’Arminio
and Lou Pandolfi.
The Exceptional Local Project is awarded
to the Montville Chapter. From left:
Richard D’Arminio, Joe and Paula Marino,
Karen Arakelian and Lou Pandolfi.
President Richard D’Arminio presents an
Exceptional Local Project Award to Celeste
and Lou Pandolfi.
Celeste and Lou Pandolfi accept the
Model Chapter Award from President
Richard D’Arminio.
Scrapbook and DVD Award winners
from left: Lou and Celeste Pandolfi, Joe
Kovacs and Marilyn Nasello.
Montville members Joe Marino and Karen
Arakelian accept the Model Chapter Award
from Richard D’Arminio and Lou Pandolfi.
Chapter Members display their Chapter
Achievement Certificates.
40
September 2015
UNICO National
National Convention-Red Carpet
From left: Jonathan Cerone, Laura
Contini, Steve Perillo and Maria-Rose
and Ralph Contini.
Jennifer and Jim DeSpenza join Valeri
Orsini for a picture with “Jack and Marilyn”.
Linda and Frank DeFrank.
Lou Mattaliano stops for a picture with
“Marilyn and Jack.”
From left: UNICO National President
Ann Walko, “Jack”, Bernice Hornchak,
“Marilyn” and Brad Mayer.
Angela and John DiNapoli’s pose with
“Jack and Marilyn.”
Linda-Gail and John Alati take a picture with
“Jack and Marilyn.”
“Jack and Marilyn” are pictured with the
Agresti family and friend.
Long time friends gather for their annual
picture with “Jack and Marilyn.”
Mike and Marlene Veselka meet “Marilyn
and Jack on the Red Carpet.
From left: Peter and Maggie Pettinato,
Michele and Mark McDade, Monica
Viana and Mary Teresa Morrison.
“Jack” greets the Paolercio family and
friends.
UNICO National
September 2015
41
National Convention-Gala
Convention Chairs from left: Frank
Cannata, Frank Paolercio and John
DiNapoli.
2015-2016 District Governors.
Regional District Governors Ron Giometti
and Bob Tarte.
From left: Past National President Mike
Veselka, Vastola Award Recipient Ralph
Contini and UNICO National President
Ann Walko.
Past Vastola Recipients standing from
left: Joe Agresti, Frank Paolercio,
Tony Fornelli, Manny Alfano and John
DiNapoli. Seated: Ralph Contini.
From left: UNICO National Office
Manager Pat Pelonero, National Chaplain
Fr. Bob Wolfee and UNICO National
Executive Director Andre’ DiMino.
From left: National President Ann Walko,
Basilone Freedom Recipient General Anthony
Zinni and Michael Walko.
From left: Ralph Contini, Presidential
Award Recipient Steve Perillo and Past
National President Richard D’Arminio.
The Executive Board from left: Anthony
Bengivenga, Patty Hirsch, Dominick
Nicastro, Ann Walko, Tom Vaughan, Lee
Norelli and Frank Greco.
From left: Michael Walko, Louis DeFillipo
Award Recipient Captain Charles Gatlin
and Ann Walko.
New Jersey District X.
Past National Presidents.
42
September 2015
UNICO National
National Convention-Gala
From left: Michael Walko, UNICO
National President Ann Walko and Past
National President Frank Licato.
Manuela and Richard D’Arminio.
From left: Lee Norelli, Dominick Nicastro
and Tom Vaughan.
Father Wolfee gives the invocation.
From left: Frank Cannata, Louis DeFillipo
Award Recipient Captain Charles Gatlin
and President Ann Walko.
Basilone Freedom Recipient General Anthony
Zinni accepts his award.
East Meets West! President Ann Walko
presents Past National President Kathi Stozza
with a beautiful bouquet.
President Ann Walko gives her inaugural
speech.
From left: Frank Cannata, Presidential
Award Recipient Steve Perillo and Past
National President Richard D’Arminio.
Frank Cannata and Ann Walko.
Frank Cannata and Manuela D’Arminio.
Ann Walko and Frank Greco.
UNICO National
September 2015
43
National Convention-Gala
Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter
Members.
New Jersey Chapter Members.
New Jersey District X Members.
New Jersey and Tennessee Chapter
Members.
New Jersey Chapter Members
California Chapter Members.
Pennsylvania and New York Chapter
Members.
The Orange/West Orange Chapter.
Connecticut Chapter Members.
New Jersey and Connecticut Chapter
Members.
St. Louis, Illinois and Wisconsin Chapter
Members.
Award Recipients and New Jersey
Chapter Members.
44
September 2015
UNICO National
National Convention-Gala
From left: Richard and
D’Arminio and Valeri Orsini.
Linda Spano and Carol Cannata.
Ralph Contini and Michael Spano.
The Marinos and the Fornellis.
From left: Marlene Veselka, Lee Norelli,
Michele and Tom Vaughan and Debbie
Bailey.
John DiNapoli and Frank Licato.
Frank and Cindy Caperino.
Michael Spano and Tony Fornelli.
Manuela D’Arminio and Linda Spano.
Alina and Dominick Nicastro.
The D’Arminio Family.
Ron and Janet Benjamin.
UNICO National
Manuela
September 2015
45
News ComUNICO
Ella T. Grasso Schoalarship Essay
A Humble Heart
by Dominic Conti
Six pounds of pasta, eight loaves
of garlic bread, and fifty meatballs; the
aroma swarms our Italian style circular
kitchen as eight of my dearest friends
and I devour every savory mouthful.
Topping off our meal with sesame
seed cookies, frosted fig cookies, anise
biscotti, and homemade cannolis make
the day even more spectacular. This is
my world...a hospitable home, loving
parents, positive reinforcement for others, and a sincere respect for country.
A place where my Mom teaches us a
deep faith in God, and my Dad works
unconditionally to provide for his
cherished family. These qualities created the firm foundation of my life,
because my Italian grandparents and
extended family came to this country
three generations ago with a vision
of familial, professional and spiritual
growth. They succeeded in their plight,
and I am here today as an Italian American who is a living testimony and an
enriched young man continuing in the
dream of my ancestors. There never
was a particular experience which encompassed my Italian heritage all in
one. There was, however, a particular
man who created many positive memories for me that will last a lifetime and
represented all we stand for as Italians
making a difference in this great nation. I can’t count the endless hours I
went through, before I was finally able
to articulate my thoughts on paper and
express into words to describe such an
extraordinary man, a one- in- a- million man, ”my hero”, Uncle Chuck
Gallucci. Not many people can say
they actually knew a true hero in their
lifetime, but we had one of the greatest
ones right here in our own family.
At the age of thirteen, Uncle Chuck
lost his father, and he and his older
brother, my “Papa”, quickly became
the men of the house; running the
farm, tending the family Italian grocery store, as well as trying to finish
school. While attending college in
Michigan, he worked in restaurants as
a dishwasher and fed himself the leftovers that came through his line as his
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gloves dripped with soap and water.
He earned a Business degree and took
that knowledge seriously, by saving
all the money he could from random
jobs, until he was able to purchase his
first piece of property. Eventually, he
became immensely wise with his investments, and he was able to buy and
sell homes quickly while making an
honest profit from them. He was a man
of deep faith, putting his Lord and Savior first in his life, not just by words,
but by his actions. He was the most
unselfish person I knew, and charity
was his middle name. That’s the true
Italian way! His generosity extended
out beyond description; outside the
walls of his own family, to the community around him, and even beyond our
American borders.
His character was one of strength
and perseverance, yet his spirit one of
humility and grace. A true American
who loved his country and appreciated
the freedom this country gave his own
family and allowed him to become a
successful entrepreneur at a young
age. He appreciated the perseverance
it took for his grandparents to immigrate here from Piemonte, Italy, and he
never wanted his family’s transition to
the United States to be in vain. Uncle
Chuck wanted to create a legacy of the
Gallucci family for all generations to
come, and he did just that.
Italians are known for their welcoming smiles and insistent warmth,
and Uncle Chuck epitomized these
attributes. His working hands were
always busy building and rebuilding,
and the compassion he had for those
in need was indescribable. He couldn’t
tolerate anyone longing for anything,
when he had the financial means in
which to help them….a soft bed to
sleep in, a warm meal, the shirt off his
back, extra pocket money, medical attention for a forgotten child, running
water for those without …and….yes,
even a church to give an entire poverty
stricken town a place to worship God.
This was Uncle Chuck, our ‘miracle
worker’. He made sure people were
not discriminated against when in his
presence, by having conversations with
September 2015
them and many times offering them
jobs and even inviting them as welcomed strangers into his home. He felt
everyone was a child of God and worthy of justification and happiness.
He forgave those who took advantage of his generosity and never had a
mean thing to say about anyone. His
fantastic sense of humor allowed him
to always see the positive side of life,
no matter how bad things may have
been going for him in his personal or
business life. He never had children
of his own, but my mom was his Goddaughter, and because of this, they had
a special bond. At a very young age,
I knew what an honor it was to have
Uncle Chuck in our lives. I knew him
until I was thirteen years old, but his
memory is implemented forever.
As mentioned above, he built a
church, not just any church, but a
church per the request of Mother Teresa called “The Immaculate Heart of
Mary”, located in one of the poorest
towns of Mexico called El Florido. My
mom has shared many stories of her
quietly listening on the phone while
Uncle Chuck, living in San Diego,
spoke to Mother Teresa in Calcutta,
India. He would joke with Mother with
his amazing sense of humor, and she
would laugh and call him “Mr. Chuck”
in her shy humble tone. She had
contacted him when she heard about
his numerous philanthropic work in
Mexico helping build orphanages and
providing clean running water to any
neighboring village suffering from contamination. Mother Teresa also heard
of his work with Sister Liley who lived
in a convent with fifteen other nuns.
They slept on the floor or on cots in
three small sheds, with hanging sheets
for walls, and no official bathrooms for
them to use. Within six months, Uncle
Chuck built suitable rooms for these sweet
‘sisters’ along with a simple chapel for
them to pray and worship. His love for the
“least of these” was remarkable.
Underneath the foundation of this
modest church, in which the altar
stands, is buried multiple pictures
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UNICO National
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Ella T. Grasso Schoalarship Essay
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of generations of the Gallucci family. All of our pictures are there! He
included the “Stations of the Cross”
in stained glass windows with our
families’ names etched on the bottom; Louis and Margaret Gallucci
Family is my family on Station
#5, depicting Jesus falling for the
first time while carrying the cross.
Mother Teresa made sure he did
not add too many ornate decorations, as simplicity was important
to her. Uncle Chuck quotes in his
book, A Change of Heart, that he was
“so honored and humbled that the
Gentle Master above gave him such
an incredible opportunity to do these
projects for the poor. An opportunity
that took many truckloads of cement,
thousands of bricks, tons of steel,
tens of thousands of nails and hardware, hundreds of sheets of plywood
and a huge number of labor hours.”
He said, whenever he felt too much
pride or became boastful, he would
“remind himself Jesus built an entire
incredible bridge to heaven using
only three nails on a cross.” He accomplished all this with his own
money and never asked for a dime
from anyone. With all our Uncle
Chuck did in these journeys of love
and sacrifice, there does not exist 1
plaque on any building or one stone
with his name on it recognizing him
for his generosity and hard work.
Uncle Chuck taught each of us
the value of an honest and loyal work
ethic, because Italians keep fighting
and not allowing obstacles to stand in
their way of having a wonderful life
filled with opportunities. Because of
his tight work schedule, he was the
only man I knew that wore his watch
backwards. He did this so as to never
offend anyone when he wanted to
check the time having to get to another
appointment. Other people’s feelings
always took priority over his own.
In addition to his work outside our
borders, his work in the United States
was truly admirable and effected multiples of people in a positive way. He
provided hundreds of jobs for work-
UNICO National
ers at various health clubs, private
preschools, and other properties he
owned. He believed in empowering
oneself to be independent so one can
take care of his family with honor
and integrity. Uncle Chuck loved to
eat his Italian food, but he also reminded us to take care of ourselves
at the same time, and loved his
health club businesses. He took people off the street and nurtured their
confidence, simply by employing
them and teaching them how to take
care of themselves and respect their
own lives. He would even house
them in some of the vacant properties he owned. Through the years, we
witnessed him make enough money
to last five lifetimes, and giving most
of his money to charity and eventually losing what he had left due to
people taking advantage of his generosity, he said, with a smile on his
face, “he never felt richer in his life,
and he would do it all over again if
given the chance.”
Uncle Chuck wrote this before he
passed away seven years ago: “My
Prayer to You”:
May you remember that life is a
mystery to be lived, not a problem to
be solved, therefore strive to live by
virtue and not by appetite.
May you remember we are more
than a body with a soul, rather we
are a soul with a body and that life is
merely a short span of years between
two eternities.
May you remember that life is
not about what happens to you, life is
about how you react to what happens
to you.
May you remember to help those
less fortunate than you because love is
the reason for our season here on earth
remembering that we only get to keep
what we give away.
May you remember that success
should not be measured by heights
achieved, but rather by obstacles overcome, never letting defeat have the last
word.
May you remember the Lord’s
September 2015
promise, “be not afraid, for I am with
you always.” Therefore, have the courage to awaken the hero in you and
blaze a trail for Christ.
May you remember that the entrance fee into heaven may be:
Loving more than others think is
wise.
Risking more than others think is
safe.
Giving more than others think is
practical.
Forgiving more than others think
is possible.
Finally, until we meet again, may
the good Lord keep you in the palm of
His hands, remembering that He is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
What a legacy he left for us and
a true positive Italian American experience that will last a lifetime;
not just for me, but for everyone
who was blessed to be part of his
life. There is no doubt, Uncle Chuck
encompassed the attributes of the
UNICO Foundation in Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity to its fullest meaning, and
I am proud to be here to share his
life with others.
To donate to a
UNICO Charity
make checks payable and mail to:
UNICO Foundation
271 US Highway 46 West,
Suite F-103,
Fairfield, New Jersey 07004.
All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.
47
News ComUNICO
Ella T. Grasso Schoalarship Essay
Eel on Christmas Eve:
My Italian-American Story
by Kathryn Kerr
During the first few moments of
dusk on Christmas Eve, just as the sun
dips below the horizon and the sky
fades from orange to black, the cellar kitchen of a snow-covered house
simmers with aromas of cooking fish.
Oil crackles in a frying pan, spitting
under the influence of the stove’s heat.
Experienced Italian hands place strips
of eel into the pan, causing the oil to
scream and sizzle as it sears into the
fish’s breading. They are left to simmer
for a few moments, browning in the
spitting oil, until each strip is flipped,
allowing the opposite side to embrace
the heat. Once the hands deem the eel
to be cooked enough, they remove the
strips from the pan and layer them
on a waiting plate. The hands wipe
themselves clean on an apron, then lift
the plate, holding on securely as the
steaming eel is carried up the steps to
the main floor of the house.
At the top of the steps, the
cellar door opens, releasing the fishy
tinge into untainted air. Slowly and
quietly the scent creeps through each
room, silently engulfing the home.
The plate of eel travels past the family room, where children squeal in
anticipation of Santa’s arrival while
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
blares from the television. Wisps of
the redolence gently glide past the
TV as Clarice consoles Rudolph about
his nose being different from everybody else’s. “But that’s what makes
it so grand!” she exclaims, just as the
hands carry the plate through the main
kitchen, where other types of fish bake
in the oven and the finishing touches
are added to pasta dishes. Finally, the
eel arrives in the dining room, where
a long table is elegantly set with fine
china and trimmed with subtle Christmas decor. Shrimp with cocktail sauce
adorns each place setting and the different dishes of fish occupy the center
of the table. The hands gently place
the eel on the table, joining the baccala, smelts, squid, and anchovy pasta.
This is the tradition of the Feast of the
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Seven Fishes, and to me, it is the culmination and embodiment of my Italian heritage.
I was born into the epitome
of an Italian-American family, at least
on my mother’s side. However, the
numerous Italian experiences I have
had atone for the sin of my father’s
Scottish and German heritage. While
I always feel connected to my Italian
side, Christmastime is when I identify
most strongly with my roots. During
Christmas, every major aspect of Italian culture culminates. As I see them,
these aspects are food, family, music,
and religion.
Most Italian-Americans will
agree that food lies at the heart of Italian culture. While Italy abounds with
astounding architecture, artwork, and
history, the country’s immigrants could
not bring these pieces of their culture
with them to their new lands. Instead,
they brought recipes as reminders of
their homeland, and it is these recipes
which have flourished in America.
For every city boasts countless Italian restaurants, and every home looks
forward to ‘pasta nights’ for dinner. Through food, Italian traditions
have become incredibly interwoven
into American culture, all because of
Italian-Americans’ incorporation of
their culture and their food into their
new lives. My family provides a great
example of this. We have retained our
Southern Italian heritage by celebrating
Christmas with the Feast of the Seven
Fishes. Yet fish is only one aspect of
the Italian food offered during the
Christmas season: traditional Italian
cookies, rice pudding, and coffee are
always eaten for dessert. While Christmastime especially exhibits traditional
Italian meals, such dishes are also featured at all other holidays and throughout the year. In fact, the majority of our
family dinners have always included
some sort of Italian dish. Even when
my mother did not have time to cook,
she would never drive down the street
to McDonald’s for Happy Meals. Instead, she would quickly boil water for
rigatoni or penne and heat the homemade red sauce she would store in the
September 2015
refrigerator, allowing for a quick yet
delicious meal. I grew up spoiled on
the finest recipes Italy has to offer,
which made my transition to bland,
greasy college food all the more difficult.
Family dinners such as these
have always been emphasized. At
least once a month, my extended family would gather around my grandmother’s table on Sunday afternoons,
eating some form of pasta with her
famous sauce, which was passed down
from her Italian ancestors. After we
children finished, we would play with
one another while the adults shared
updates about relatives and friends,
reminisced upon old family memories,
or argued about recent topics in the
news. Oftentimes friendly and loving arguments would occur no matter
what the topic of discussion was; for
what sort of Italians would we be if we
did not engage in impassioned debates
over pasta and wine? After all, arguing, even in a friendly manner, appears
to be engrained within our nature. We
are born with a gene for hot blood that
will boil at the slightest provocation,
and there is no better time to argue
than around the dinner table with
those we love the most. Arguments,
it seems, are expressions of affection
for Italians, and no meal or holiday
is complete without them. Holidays,
especially Christmas, are when the entire family gathers together, laughing
and arguing, embodying another pillar
of the Italian-American lifestyle.
Christmastime also incorporates another staple of this experience:
music. Throughout the Christmas season, holiday music of Italian artists,
especially that of Frank Sinatra, floats
throughout the house, encouraging
Christmas spirit. I vividly remember
decorating my grandparents’ home
while Sinatra’s smooth, rich vocals
bellowed from the stereo system.
Music such as this is important because it connects us to our heritage
even more. We celebrate our roots by
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UNICO National
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Ella T. Grasso Schoalarship Essay
...continued from page 48...
singing along to the music of those
Italian-Americans who express their
heritage through song. While many
Italian artists are beloved by my family, none receives more attention than
Sinatra. Each year at La Festa Italiana
in Scranton, my uncle, whose vocals astonishingly emulate Sinatra’s,
performs a repertoire of his songs.
Through these concerts, my uncle introduced me to a style of music that is
very important to Italian-Americans,
allowing me to create deeper connections with my identity as one.
Perhaps the largest contributor to my identity with my heritage is
Catholicism. Because of Catholicism,
I feel even more connected to my
heritage, for the center of the Catholic
universe lies within the heart of Italy.
Though the Vatican City is considered
a separate entity from Italy, it must
be influenced by the large, passionate country surrounding it. Like many
Italian-Americans, my religion is at
the center of my life. Catholic values
have shaped my morals and decisions,
thus defining who I am as a person. I
have seen religion’s importance and
influence in the lives of my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles.
Their piety and devotion, along with
their level of happiness, has encouraged me to emulate them so that I, too,
might live in such a manner of peace
and happiness. Additionally, Catholicism’s overarching message of loving
and helping others heavily influenced
my career decision of entering pharmacy, through which I can combine
my desire to aid those in need, with
my interest in science and medicine.
The college I attend, Duquesne University, is a Catholic institution which
encourages the highest level of education while emphasizing the importance of service and kindness to the
community. Because of this, Duquesne
appears to be the best place to help me
become a competent and compassionate pharmacist.
College is not my first experience of a Catholic education; I was
fortunate enough to attend Catho-
UNICO National
lic grade school and high school as
well. Throughout my time in Catholic
school, I have been surrounded by
people who are very similar to me,
while also being very different. For
while most of my classmates were
Catholics raised in similar family situations, none grew up with any emphasis upon Italian culture as I did. For
few of them were Italian, and those
who were did not have strong connections to their heritage. Throughout
elementary school, I often felt separated from my friends. None of them
emphasized their culture to the extent
my family did; none of them served
fish for Christmas Eve dinner. Whenever I discussed my holiday plans
with my friends, they gave me strange
looks, crinkling their noses while asking why we eat fish, of all things, on
Christmas. At times, I remember feeling like Rudolph did, solitary and
misunderstood. I wished I could experience a “normal” Christmas with
“normal” foods that were not fish. Yet
as I matured, I realized the importance
of this tradition, for I soon recognized
that it embodies everything held dear
to Italian-American culture, containing
traditional Italian food, family, music,
and religion. I recognized that Christmas focused my sense of identity, for it
emphasized and strengthened all these
aspects which define my life. Yet I did
not need a Clarice to tell me that my
different “nose,” my heritage, made me
“grand”; this was something I realized
for myself. This sense of identity has
made me proud to be Italian. While
others may cringe at the notion of fish
on Christmas, I embrace it. For nothing
on earth will smell as comforting as
frying eel on a cold winter’s night in a
warm home where Sinatra’s carols are
background music to a loving family
arguing ceaselessly into the night, as
snow falls gently and peacefully on the
eve of Christ’s birth.
September 2015
Ella T. Grasso
Literary Scholarship
Established 2012
“It is not enough to
profess faith in the
democratic process;
we must do something about it.”
~Ella T. Grasso
Through her dedication and commitment to service, Ella Grasso positively impacted the lives of many Americans.
Born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
on May 10, 1919, Ella was the only child of
Italian immigrants, James and Maria Oliva
Tambussi. Her parents highly valued education, and instilled in their daughter the
love of learning. A gifted student, Ella won
a scholarship to the prestigious Chaffee
School. Upon graduation, she attended
Mount Holyoke College, on scholarship,
where she earned her BA, magna cum
laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1940; her MA
in 1942. Following graduation, Ella served
with the War Manpower Commission of
Connecticut as Assistant Director of Research. She married Dr. Thomas Grasso;
they had two children, Susanne and Jim.
In 1970, Ella Grasso won election to
the Congress of the United States from
the Sixth Congressional District of Connecticut by over 4,000 votes. Her outstanding performance in Congress was
acknowledged; she was re-elected in
1972 with over 60% of votes cast.
One of the most significant pieces of
legislation Grasso supported and influenced was the National Cooley’s Anemia
Control Act of 1972. This Act established
programs to assist patients dealing with
the serious blood disorder that primarily
affects people of Mediterranean descent.
Ella Tambussi Grasso was overwhelmingly elected Governor of the state of Connecticut in November 1974. Inaugurated in
January 1975, she became our nation’s first
woman to hold a state governorship in her
own right. She won re-election in 1978. Ill
health forced her resignation in December
1980. Ella Grasso succumbed to cancer the
following February.
UNICO National has established the
Ella T. Grasso Literary Scholarship to honor
the accomplishments of an extraordinary
Italian American. This scholarship will be
awarded to an undergraduate college student, submitting an original short story or
essay celebrating their Italian heritage.
49
News ComUNICO
In Memoriam
New Jersey District X
Carbondale, PA
Lionel Lessard
Lionel Lessard passed away on Friday, August 28, 2015. He was 91 years
young.
He was a member of the Manchester
Chapter of UNICO National.
The Manchester Chapter will miss
him and his outspoken voice very much.
Memorial contributions in Lionel’s name may be made to the Robert
L. Lessard.
Scholarship Fund, c/o East Catholic
High School, 115 New State Road,
Manchester, CT 06042.
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Members of Plainfields’ and Clark
Chapters joined together in laying a
wreath at the foot of the Columbus
Statue in Hamilton, New Jersey as part
of a re-dedication ceremony. The statue
was recently vandalized, but restored
by Italian American activists. From left:
Renato Birbin, Past National President;
Santi Buscemi, President Plainfields’
Chapter; Bill Hearon, New Jersey District
X Governor; John DeAndrea and Bob
Bengivenga.
September 2015
Members attend the Carbondale Pioneer
Nights Festival which provides fund
raising space to local groups. The
Carbondale UNICO Chapter has a pizza
stand each year in the festival.
UNICO National
ComUNICO
News
Olimpia Milano Basketball
The Italians Are Coming!
The Italians Are Coming!
... to Chicago’s United Center
on October 1st and to Madison
Square Garden on October 4th.
On Thursday, October 1st at
7:00 PM, Italian basketball powerhouse A/X Armani Exchange
Olimpia Milano, from Chicago’s
sister-city Milan, will face-off
against Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv at
the United Center in the first leg of
the inaugural Euro Classic Tournament. On Sunday, October 4th at
12:30 PM, A/X Armani Exchange
Olimpia Milano and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv will play at Madison
Square Garden in the second leg of
the inaugural Euro Classic Tournament.
For the very first time, European-style basketball in its purest form will be on display at the
in Chicago’s own United Center,
when the most successful team
in Italian Basketball history A/X
Armani Exchange Olimpia Milano
hosts the most successful team in
Israel, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
The Euro Classic Tournament will
then entertain fans in The Big
Apple when they travel to New
York to play the second leg of the
inaugural tournament in Madison
Square Garden. Olimpia Milano
has been an incredible story of
success since its founding in 1936,
and as it inaugurates its octogenarian anniversary this season, it
is launching the Euro Classic, a
tournament 80 years in the making.
The Euro Classic will be a great
opportunity to showcase the high
quality playing-style of the best
European teams in the birthplace
of basketball. It will be a great opportunity for the Italian community and the Hebrew community
to attend a game played in an Old
World atmosphere with all the fanthusiasm© and excitement, all on
display in the brave new world of
an NBA arena. From the entertainment of the fans displaying their
team’s colors, everything will be
UNICO National
like watching a championshipcaliber basketball game back home,
but on the biggest stage in the
world. What makes the event even
more spectacular is that the opposing teams are two of the most successful in International basketball
history as demonstrated by their
having won a total of 9 European
titles combined.
The Story of Olimpia Milano:
“Le Scarpette Rosse” (“The Red
Shoes”)
Olimpia Milano, which has
been owned by fashion icon Giorgio Armani since 2008, is the
most successful team in the history of Italian basketball. It has
won the Italian championship 26
times, has won the European title
3 times, and has won 8 additional
prestigious, international tournaments. Olimpia Milano has always
reaffirmed its excellence as the
most successful team in Italian
basketball history by developing
the best Italian players, who take
pride in wearing Olimpia Milano’s
signature scarpette rosse. This
year’s team features team captain,
Alessandro Gentile, the youngest
M.V.P. in the history of Italian basketball. Olimpia Milano has always
been steeped in class, innovation,
courage and spirit. With the announcement that successful Head
Coach Jasmin Repesa will coach
the team for the 2015- 2016 season,
Repesa will be reunited with Gentile whom he coached in Treviso as
a young prodigy. Olimpia Milano
is renowned for excellence and is
the most widely-followed team in
Italy, with an average of 9,000 fans
attending its home games. Every
home game is broadcast live on
National TV.
The Story of Maccabi Tel Aviv:
Maccabi Tel Aviv has always
been the symbol of Israeli sports,
a team which is synonymous with
the nation of Israel, having won
51 national championships in
61 seasons, starting in 1954. The
club has always been an International powerhouse, mixing the best
September 2015
Israeli players with the best American players. Maccabi’s history is a
history of excellence. In 2004 and
2005 the team was able to repeat
and win back-to-back European
titles. In its history, it won six
European championships, while
participating in 15 finals and winning 41 national cup tournaments.
Maccabi was the first International
team to defeat an NBA team back
in 1978 in Tel Aviv, and then the
first team to defeat an NBA team
on its home court in 2005. It has
played 22 games against NBA
teams in the United States.
Olimpia Milano and the U.S.A.
For Olimpia Milano, inaugurating the Euro Classic is in character
with its long and storied history.
In 1987 Olimpia took part in the
first official competition between
an NBA and a European team, held
in Milwaukee. No club outside
the NBA has more representatives
in the Naismith Memorial Hall of
Fame in Springfield: Coaches Cesare Rubini and Sandro Gamba,
and players Dino Meneghin, Senator Bill Bradley and Bob McAdoo.
The list of great players in America
who used to play for Olimpia is
impressive and also includes Mike
D’Antoni (whose number 8 jersey
has been retired), Danilo Gallinari,
John Gianelli, Albert King, Rolando Blackman, Joe Barry Carroll,
Skip Thoren, and Antoine Carr.
*Attend the inaugural Euro
Classic: A/X Armani Exchange Milano vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
In Chicago: Thursday, Oct. 1st @
7:00 PM at The United Center
In New York: Sunday, Oct. 4th
@ 12:30 PM at the world’s most
famous arena, Madison Square Garden
Individual tickets: may be obtained via www.Ticketmaster.com
or by calling 800-745-3000. EA7
Olimpia Milano website: http://
www.olimpiamilano.com
Link to the Version in Italiano:
http://www.olimpiamilano.com/
press-kit/
51
News ComUNICO
Prayer to the
Computer Advice
LA Festa
Are You Prepared For The Crash?
by Steve Pelonero
UNICO National Photographer
La Festa Celebrates 40th Anniversary
This is a true story.
It happened shortly after the
UNICO National Convention in Newport Beach, California. Upon arriving
home, I had a horrifying experience.
Imagine losing everything: hundreds…
no, it was thousands. I had lost a little
over 100,000 to be exact.
It wasn’t my stock portfolio. It was
my entire digital photo library on my
hard drive. So again, are you prepared
for the crash?
Yes, my personal excel files are
just as important, along with event
fliers and copies of sponsor logos for
my own Passaic Valley UNICO Chapter. But consider having a collection
of over 100,000 digital photos! With
UNICO and local events, along with
the various photography jobs that I
have done (Sweet 16s, anniversaries,
birthdays, christenings, photo challenges, and yes - even some weddings), I was prepared.
What would you do if you took
digital photos of a family event, a
Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas
Party, or even your own UNICO Chapter event, and after you uploaded
them to your computer the next day
you went to look at them and the hard
drive had crashed? When I came back
from the Convention and finally sat
down to look at the photos, it was then
I realized my hard drive had crashed
and it was entirely unreadable. I cannot stress enough how important it is
to back up your files!
Thank God that I had the foresight
to get an online backup service that
automatically uploads my new files
on a daily basis. There are many services out there. I’m not saying mine
is the best, but I’ve been using www.
BackBlaze.com for four years at $5 a
month. The moral of this story: Always Be Prepared.
www.PeloneroPhotos.com
52
Blessed Virgin
La Festa Italiana is celebrating
its 40th anniversary this year. The
end-of-Summer festival attracts over
100,000 guests, who are afforded the
opportunity to enjoy live entertainment, Italian food, specialty pastries,
various activities and novelty shopping. The event has expanded to
four days, opening on Friday for
the very first time. The Lackawanna County Commissioners marked
the organization’s milestone with a
“Good Works” certificate.
From left: Commissioner Edward G.
Staback, Commissioner Jim Wansacz,
Christopher DiMattio, La Festa President
and Commissioner Patrick M. O’Malley.
New feature
The UNICO National Office has had
many requests from members wishing to
participate in Novenas that require publication. These types of Novenas appear in other publications such The
Italian Tribune, FraNoi and local
community newspapers.
We are now offering this feature to
our readers. If you would like to participate, please send a check for $20/issue
and your initials to:
ComUNICO Prayer
271 US Highway 46, West
Suite F-103
Fairfield, New Jersey 07004
September 2015
NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL — (1X)
Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and
show me herein you are my mother. Oh
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of
Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech
you from the bottom of my heart to
succor me in this necessity. There are
none that can withstand your power.
Oh show me herein you are my mother.
Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee. (3X)
Holy Mother, I place this cause in your
hands. (3X) Holy Spirit, you who solve
all problems, light all roads so that I can
attain my goal, you who gave me the
divine gift to forgive and forget all evil
against me and that in all instances in
my life you are with me, I want in this
short prayer to thank you for all things
as you confirm once again that I never
want to be separated from you in eternal
glory. Thank you for your mercy toward
me and mine. (Say this prayer three consecutive days and after three days, your
request will be granted. Publication
must be promised.)
LAA
DPM
TFP SA
IPP
AD
SP
JCG
JCS
TO OFFER A PRAYER TO THE BLESSED
MOTHER send a Check for $20, made out
to UNICO and your initials to:
ComUNICO Prayer
271 US Highway 46 West
Suite F-103
Fairfield, NJ 07004
UNICO National
ComUNICO
Pennsylvania District I
Waterbury, CT
The Waterbury Chapter held their
93rd Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner honoring Greater Waterbury senior
high school students of Italian heritage.
Ten Scholarships of $1,000 each were
awarded during the event. The scholarship recipients for 2015 were: Carissa
Ciarlone, Kelly Edwards, Elizabeth
Frenis, Julianne Frenis, Tyler Gargano,
Katie Grendzinski, Avery Liotta-Henderson, Hannah McCasland, Alexis Rinaldi,
and Filomena Stabile.
Scholarship award recipients and
their families along with members of
UNICO celebrated their success with a
dinner and awards ceremony. The guest
speaker for the evening was Brandon
Dufour, President of All-Star Driver, the
largest driver education school in Connecticut.
Members of the UNICO Scholarship
Committee included: Bianca Daniels,
Robert Gerace, Dawn Maiorano, Nicole
Maiorano, Francine Nido, Connecticut
I District Governor; Carmine Paolino,
Frank Travisano and Patricia Varanelli.
News
From left: Louis Gelada, Dominick
Nicastro, UNICO National Executive
Vice President and Frank Travisano,
Chapter President.
At a recent District meeting there was
an IAOVC presentation. From left: Mike
Bouselli, President Happy Valley; Mike
Resigno, President Scranton; Mary
Marrara, Manny Alfano IAOVC President
and UNICO Anti-Bias Chair; Carrado
Gigante, Presenter; Bernard Brutto,
Pennsylvania I District Governor; Andre’
DiMino, UNICO National Executive
Director; Chris DiMattio, Past National
President; John Terrano, President
Wilkes Barre and Mike DeCosmo,
President Hazleton.
From left: Brandon Dufour, Elyse Bonanno,
Dominick Nicastro, UNICO National
Executive Vice President; Robert Gerace
and Frank Travisano, Chapter President.
2015 Scholarship Recipients.
From left: Peter and Mariane Petrarca and
Carol Russo.
UNICO Leadership and Wilkes Barre
Chapter meet at District Governor’s
Meeting. From left: Bernie Brutto,
Pennsylvania I District Governor;
Manny Alfano, John Terrana, Wilkes
Barre Chapter President; Andre DiMino,
Executive Administrator; Dominic
Ortolani, Corrado Gigante and Chris
DiMattio, Past National President.
The DEADLINE for the
Nov. 2015 Edition of ComUNICO is
Friday, October 16, 2015
Scholarship Committee: front row from
left: Nicole Maiorano, Carmine Paolino
and Bianca Daniels. Back row: Robert
Gerace, Dawn Maiorano, Francine Nido
and Patricia Varanelli.
UNICO National
Send Chapter news to UNICO National Office:
[email protected]
ComUNICO will only accept high resolution digital
photos attached to an e-mail and test in MS Word as an
attachment or in the body of an e-mail.
September 2015
Scranton Chapter attendees at
Pennsylvania District I Governor’s
meeting held at Arcaro & Genell’s.
53
SHARE YOUR
ENTHUSIASM!
Join us Today!
UNICO National is the largest Italian American Service Organization in
America. With 127 local Chapters in
18 states and more being formed right
now, we have an unparalleled track record of giving that dates back to 1922.
Through the UNICO Foundation, we
donate annually to cancer and Cooley’s
anemia research, mental health initiatives and scholarships.
Through our many National Award
Committees, we present awards in literature, science, amateur and professions athletics and military service.
Through our Anti-Bias Committee, we
promote positive images of Italian Americans and battle negative stereotypes.
Through our local Chapters, we provide countless volunteer hours and
support worthy causes of all sorts.
If you are looking to celebrate your
heritage, serve your community and
build lifelong friendships, UNICO
National is the organization for you!
To find out more,
call 973-808-0035
Or visit www.unico.org
54
September 2015
UNICO National
STARTERS Cool Stuff
▼ MORE THAN JUST A CART
Ornate, colorful and richly narrative, the carretto siciliano or carrettu
sicilianu is a horse- or donkey-drawn cart native to Sicily. Each province
has its own unique style — for instance Palermo’s carretto is shaped like
a box while Catania’s is covered with more elaborate designs. The carvings
and brightly painted scenes convey local history and folklore.
Introduced by the ancient Greeks, these two-wheeled carts made out of
wood and iron reached the height of their popularity in the 1920s. Handcrafted by crews of skilled woodcarvers, metal workers and painters, the
carts hauled items like produce, wood and wine. They were also used as
taxis and to this day are popular in parades and weddings.
The carretto is handed down from generation to generation and can still
be seen traversing the streets of Sicily today. The Museo del Carretto
Siciliano in Terrasini, Palermo, is dedicated to keeping the history of these
carts alive. Even modern day designers like Sicily’s own Domenico Dolce
of Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has been inspired to incorporate
elements into his own creations. (Wikipedia, Museo del Carretto Siciliano, Dolce
& Gabbana)
This turn-of-the century carretto features a host of historical scenes,
including Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Each wheel
is decoratively painted and elaborately carved with angel figures on each
spoke. Inscribed on both sides of the cart is Daneu, Palermo, Italy. $12,000
| www.1stdibs.com
From cellphone cases to high heels, Dolce & Gabbana’s designs were
definitely inspired by the carretto siciliano. store.dolcegabbana.com
Vally Mary Jane Cart Painted Heels, $1,095
Sicily Bag Macro Polka Dot Flower Dauphine Purse, $2,195
Smartphone Case Cart Print Dauphine, $445
Key Rings, $395
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
September 2015
55
Books REVIEWS
Literary
crime story
by Fred Gardaphe
▲ JOSEPH BATHANTI
EXCERPT From the Book
Pittsburgh is self-consciously mythic,
over-determined in its symbolism: all
these bridges and tunnels, the sage and
capricious divagations of the Monongahela and Allegheny spawning against
banks of steel the juggernaut Ohio. You
don’t think about these things if you’re
born here and you sure as hell don’t use
language like this. Words are risky: another way to get your ass kicked
though, in East Liberty. Where I grew
up on Saint Marie Street, it was custom,
a sanctified rite, for people to disparage one another. The parable of the boy
whose face froze with his cruel impersonation of the octoroon with Bella’s
Palsy, or the paralytic who sat gargoyle-like on his porch in a wheelchair
because he had dived into the forbidden river and broken his back in the
shallows, the half-dozen wanderers
with plates in their heads. But there’s
food on your table, and your kids are
healthy. You get down on your knees
and thank God.”
The Life of the World to Come
by Joseph Bathanti
■ PUBLISHER:
■
■
■
■
The University of South Carolina Press
PAGES: 252 (hardcover)
COST: $29.95
ISBN: 13: 978-1-6117-453-3
WEBSITE: www.sc.edu/uscpress
Want more? Visit italianamericanvoice.com.
56
We all come from one East Liberty or
another. It’s a familiar place that gets
richer as time moves on. It’s that place
that memory forges out of fact and fantasy, out of what was and what should
have been — the place where imagination takes what once was real and weaves
it into something that’s useful. The pieces
of our personal history that come from
such places become the building blocks
of personality. And for
the fiction writer, that
past becomes a playground out of which
stories, often better
than the histories, are
spun.
East Liberty, Penn.,
a working-class neighborhood of Pittsburgh,
has been the setting for
much of the fiction and
some of the poetry of
Joseph Bathanti. His
first novel, about to be
reprinted, was in fact
titled “East Liberty.” In
his latest novel, “The
Life of the World to
Come,” Bathanti returns to his birthplace to set in motion all
the things that can turn a good boy bad.
George Dolce, a kid born to workingclass parents — both children of Italian
immigrants — is a smart, hardworking
college kid who gambles just enough to
help his family out. For the most part, his
bets are smart, safe and designed to get
him through college and into an Ivy
League law school. When he takes a job
at the local pharmacy, run by Mr.
Rosechild, a Jewish man who has money
to burn and a loyalty to his home team,
the Pittsburgh Steelers, George turns to a
bookie, taking the pharmacist for the
money he needs to keep his family in
their home when his father loses his job.
The worst happens after George falls
September 2015
in love with Rosechild’s daughter, and
the pharmacist’s betting gets out of hand.
George gets in trouble with his bookie,
which means he also must deal with the
local gangster who runs things in the
hood. The result is a tragic story of a
young man’s fall from grace and his futile
flight toward freedom.
Throughout the novel, George narrates what happens as well as what could
happen. The result is a
narrative tension that
keeps the reader wondering how it’s all going to
end. Bathanti, a poet as
well as a natural-born storyteller, casts a literary
crime story that becomes
part thriller, part comingof-age account of something that could happen to
any smart kid who tries
too hard to fight what he
perceives as the fate of following in his father’s
hopeless footsteps.
East Liberty is a place
where even the best of the
local kids end up on its
skid row streets. We see it
all first, as George gives his middle-class
girlfriend a tour of the neighborhood in
her father’s Cadillac, and later, as he
morphs into Michael Roman and walks
Crow, his new girlfriend, through East
Liberty’s tough streets in search of a way
to right all the bad he has done. While it’s
too late to change the past, George hopes
it’s not too late to save his soul.
Somewhere between George’s fantasies and the narrator’s reality lies the
magic that makes this novel a must read.
This tale of two Georges, crafted by a
master of the literary trade, reminds us
that literature can still do more than any
film to reveal the extremes humanity can
handle when facing the obstacles that
stand in the way of achieving our dreams.
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
REVIEWS Music
A different
drummer
by David Witter
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
recorded six albums with the Mangiones,
while working other sessions. In 1974,
his recordings increased to 19. During the
following years, he worked with artists as
varied as Chet Baker, Frankie Valli,
George Benson, Bette Midler and
Stephane Grapelli. He is best known for
creating the drum intro for Paul Simon’s
No. 1 hit, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your
Lover,” and the backbeat on Steely Dan’s
“Aja.” The former is a tight snare roll
with a distinctly military rhythm. On
“Aja,” Gadd turns
octopus, throwing
down crashing
cymbal and tomtom runs that
combine jazz,
rock and funk.
The ultimate
team player, Gadd
continues to regularly tour with the
likes of Eric Clapton and James
Taylor, in part because of his technical skills, but also his
willingness to forgo them. Gadd takes as
much joy in playing a simple pocket
groove as he does a 10-minute solo, whatever it takes to make a great record.
“There’s a lot of jazz drummers back
in the day who weren’t inspired by
groove or pop kinds of music,” Gadd told
The Dishmaster. “At a certain point, I
went to New York and I heard some guys
play very simply and the groove was
deep. You’d think it’s a simple, less technical approach, but it’s not. It’s not an
easy thing to do. It’s just as challenging as
playing very busy, but in another way.
The drummer I heard do it the first time
was Rick Marotta, and that’s what inspired me. To play less notes and make it
feel the best it could feel, and to record
where you start with the minimal amount
to make it feel musical and then add as
you go, it gives you somewhere to go.”
September 2015
▼
He may not be as famous as the solo
artists and front men of his generation,
but many within the music industry will
point to Steve Gadd as the best all-round
drummer of his era. A master of rock,
jazz, pop and blues for more than five
decades, his resume includes touring
and recording with the likes of Frank
Sinatra, Paul McCartney, B.B. King,
Chick Corea, The Bee Gees, Chet Baker,
Frank Zappa, Al DiMeola and James
Brown. Gadd’s percussion has appeared,
in one form or another, on almost 800
recordings.
Born in 1945 in
Rochester, N.Y.,
Gadd is of Sicilian
background. He
grew up in a closeknit, extended family, all of whom took
an active part in his
musical upbringing.
“They saw interest, which guided
me,” Gadd told The Dishmaster. “My
uncle gave me drumsticks before we had
television, and my grandmother used to
take me for lessons. I lived with my parents, my grandparents and my father’s
brother. My uncle and I would put on
records and the whole family would listen. We’d put on John Phillip Sousa
marches and I would play on little
round pieces of wood. It was a family affair.”
Like most great musicians, Gadd
was a prodigy. When he was 9 years old,
he met Gene Krupa, and at 11, he appeared on stage with Dizzy Gillespie. As
a young man, he honed his skills in the
U.S. Army Stage Band and at the Manhattan and Eastman school of music.
Gadd also began playing in a band that
included of childhood friends Chuck
and Gap Mangione.
Between 1967 and 1973, Gadd
IN THE SPOTLIGHT ▼
STEVE GADD AND FRIENDS,
LIVE AT VOCE
featuring Joey De Franceso
Steve Gadd has played in every
genre imaginable short of classical. On
this CD, he combines swing, blues and
funk in a downhome version of the
Great American Songbook. Like all of
his CDs, it is not a venue to showcase
Gadd’s tremendous chops. Instead, he
lays down a broad rhythmic canvas
upon which his collaborators — which
include Joey De Francesco, Ronnie
Cuber, Paul Bollenbeck and Edie Brickell — paint.
The CD opens with the Bob Dylan
standard, “Watching the River Flow.”
De Francesco’s Hammond B-3, Gadd’s
pocket drumming and Bollenbeck’s
guitar give it a jazzy, bluesy feel that
sets the tone for the album. The cool
swing continues on “Way Back Home,”
with De Francesco and Bollenbeck
adding a funk feel. “Undecided” and
“Bye Bye Blackbird” are more in a
bebop vein, and feature Cuber’s baritone sax.
The baritone sax and Hammond B3 take the group to church with their
rendition of “Georgia on My Mind.” But
the highlight of the CD is the old juke
joint standard, “Back at the Chicken
Shack.” The CD ends with two “bonus”
tracks, with Edie Brickell’s vocals
adding an odd bit of jazzy, street-smart
folk. If you like deep, soulful jazz and
downhome bluesy sax and organ that
swings with a mellow soul, this is the
CD for you.
Available at www.amazon.com
Want more? Visit italianamericanvoice.com.
57
Fashion REVIEWS
Queen
for a day
Sign me up! Who wouldn’t want to be queen for a
day? Fashion designer Alberta Ferretti certainly
broke out all of the tricks for her fairytale fall line.
Harkening back to the opulence of the Italian Renaissance, Ferretti incorporated details like gilded brocades,
flared skirts, high necklines, heavy embroidery, rich velvets,
jacquard patchworks, luxurious mohair and textured trapunto.
Alberta Ferretti has been working as a dressmaker since
1968. Known as “the woman who works to make women
always beautiful,” she currently runs two fashion lines, Alberta Ferretti and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti. Though her
company’s showroom is in the fashion capital of Milan, her
studio remains in her hometown of Cattolica. She designs
clothes that “enhance not only the silhouette but also the
personality of the women who wear them.” It’s no wonder
celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep,
Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Christina Ricci, Demi
Moore, Jessica Alba and Queen Rania of Jordan are all regular patrons. (www.albertaferretti.com)
These dramatic, captivating, almost theatrical ensembles
make you think of saying silly things like, “Oh, Romeo …”
or “Your palazzo or mine, m’lord?”
The centerpiece of Ferretti’s fall line is this layered, sheer silk
dress featuring intricate gold and red embroidery. The rest
of the runway didn’t disappoint, showcasing countless romantic looks in rich colors and luxurious fabrics embellished with gems, unbelievable embroidery and lace. Look
closely. Every last-minute detail has been attended to —
gemstone buckles on velvet heals, lace-trimmed collars and
cuffs, bobbles that sparkle like crown jewels. Playing queen
for a day is a pretty good gig.
by Mary Racila
58
September 2015
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
PEOPLE Newsmakers
Topof the
mountain
by Jim Distasio
Adriana Trigiani, perhaps the most
prolific and heartfelt chroniclers of the Italian-American experience in publishing
today, is going home.
A bestselling author of more than a
dozen novels and memoirs, an acclaimed
playwright and seriously funny writer/producer of series television,
Trigiani can now add cinematic auteur to her resume.
Trigiani is making
her big-screen debut as a
writer and director with
“Big Stone Gap,” a
charming adaptation of
her beloved 2001 novel,
starring Ashley Judd,
Patrick Wilson and
Whoopi Goldberg. The
film hits theaters on Oct.
9, and marks not only a
return to the novel that
started it all but also to
the real-life Virginia coal
mining town of the same
name that serves as the
film’s backdrop and Trigiani’s hometown.
The novel of the same name is a warm,
funny and inspirational tale about Ave
Maria Mulligan, a spitfire spinster who
runs the family pharmacy in her small Appalachian town and whose life and very
identity get turned inside out following the
death of her mother. Like so many protagonists in Trigiani’s canon, Ave Maria is a
proud Italian-American woman who’s defined not just by an ethnicity that sets her
apart in an otherwise homogenous community, but also by her inner-strength and grit.
Trigiani, who devotes a sizable amount
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
of her time and energy to discussions and
online book club meet-ups in the service of
her fans, says Ave’s devotion to making
other people happy, even if it means sacrificing her own wants, has made her a relatable and enduring heroine.
“People return to this character be-
cause they understand her loneliness and
her otherness. They get her,” she says.
Before Trigiani ever conceived “Big
Stone Gap” as a novel, it started out as a
screenplay following a life-changing trip
the author took to Italy to visit family near
the Italian Alps. There, she says, she saw
the parallels of her American family settling in the shadow of mountains and her
Italian ancestors making their home in similar terrain. Eventually, Trigiani transformed her screenplay into a novel, which
in turn spawned three successful sequels
— “Big Cherry Holler,” “Milk Glass Moon”
September 2015
▲ ADRIANA TRIGIANI
Unabashedly Italian American in life as
well as art, she has added screenwriting
to her already lofty authorial resume
with the imminent release of the movie
version of her novel, “Big Stone Gap.”
and “Home to Big Stone
Gap.”
The mountains would
prove to be a perpetual font
of inspiration for Trigiani.
“Throughout my career writing books, I returned to that
mountain path again and
again. It’s a metaphor for me.
It’s the climb, putting one
step ahead of the other,” Trigiani says.
Trigiani’s father, a garment manufacturer, grew up
in Roseto, Penn., an ItalianAmerican enclave famous for
its close-knit community and
unusually low instance of
heart disease in the mid-20th
century. (Inspired by her
grandfather’s home movies, Trigiani made
a documentary on this subject in 1996.) He
and his wife, a librarian, raised their seven
children in Big Stone Gap, Va. Trigiani’s
grandparents hail from northern Italy, near
Veneto and Bari.
Ave Maria is in some ways an avatar
for Trigiani’s early life — an Italian-American growing up in the South, culturally
marooned outside of her own family. “I
was bestowed with this insanely ornate
name that reminds people every day that
I’m Italian,” she says. “I’m always Italian.
Continues on page 60 …
59
… continued from page 59 …
It’s the first thing people see in me.”
Trigiani did not recede nor assimilate
but rather drew personal strength and creative inspiration from her ItalianAmerican family and its traditions.
“I wake up every day very aware
of my Italian-American heritage,” Trigiani says. “There isn’t a day that goes
by that I don’t call on it. My temperament, my opinions and certainly my
faith and sense of family and art,
everything about the way I create my
art, comes from the long line of
women and men in my family who
make things with their hands. They’re
working people, and I absolutely inherited their sense of perfectionism.”
Outside of long-form fiction, Trigiani is an experienced hand at television writing and producing, having
worked on “The Cosby Show,” “A
Different World” and projects for
ABC, Jim Henson Productions and
Lifetime. So it comes as no surprise
that the theatrical version of “Big
Stone Gap” is breezy, a little screwball and unabashedly old-fashioned.
As a first-time director, Trigiani handles her all-star cast, 1970s period setting and the narrative’s tonal shifts
with an assured, deft hand. It took
more than a decade to bring this story
to the screen, and Trigiani says she
used every minute possible to shape and
polish the characters’ journeys.
“I had a long, wonderful, luxurious
time to really finesse the characters and the
scenes in the book into the script,” Trigiani
says, adding that, once on location, “The
60
greatest artistic challenge was to stay in the
moment and revel in the gift and joy of the
actors interpreting it.”
Much of the film’s charms — and
certainly its emotional core — can be attributed to lead actress Ashley Judd. Similar to Ave Maria, Judd has
Italian-American roots mixed in with a little bluegrass/Southern belle charm by way
September 2015
of her native Kentucky. And like Trigiani,
Judd proved herself on set to be a workaholic and consummate perfectionist.
“She prepares unlike any actor I have
ever seen, knowing everything inside and
out about this character,” Trigiani says of
her star. “She embodies [Ave Maria], she
invents her.”
Before production began, Trigiani remained insistent that the film be shot on
location in Big Stone Gap and not in a
cheaper foreign locale doubling for her
hometown. This request was not subject
to negotiation, Trigiani says. “As the
granddaughter of Italian immigrants, I
can’t for the life of me understand why
you can’t make American products in the
United States,” she says.
If the excitement over “Big Stone
Gap’s” release wasn’t enough, Trigiani has
a highly anticipated novel about the
golden age of Hollywood, “All the Stars in
the Heavens,” slated for release just a few
days later on Oct. 13. As for seeing more
of Ave Maria
on screen,
Trigiani says
she’s content
to let audiences decide.
“I
wanted the
campaign for
this movie to
be: ‘If you’re
Italian-American, and you’re not in the movie theater,
we’re sending you back to Italy,’” Trigiani
says.
FRA NOI for ComUNICO
PEOPLE Newsmakers
Outof this
world
Photos courtesy of European Space Agency
by Jim Distasio
Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
spent a record-breaking 199 days aboard
the International Space Station, earning
distinctions for being the first Italian
woman in space as well as securing the
record for longest duration in space by a
woman when she returned home in
June.
But Cristoforetti’s months-long
trek among the stars, her first,
wasn’t without a little taste of
her native Italia.
In addition to her other accolades, the 38-year-old
Cristoforetti also holds the
unique honor of being the
first person ever to brew an
espresso in space. Yes, that’s
one small cup of coffee, but
one giant leap for baristas
everywhere.
With the help of coffeemaker
Lavazza and the engineering firm
Argotec, Cristoforetti brewed the
drink while orbiting more than 250
miles above our planet, using a cup specially designed for zero gravity to sip the
Italian staple. She even marked the occasion by donning a Starfleet uniform from
the TV show “Star Trek,” a pop culture favorite of hers, and tweeted from ISS, “Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever
devised. Fresh espresso in the new zero-G
cup! To boldly brew … ”
Cristoforetti, who also is an engineer,
fighter pilot and captain in the Italian Air
Force, wasn’t even supposed to break the
woman’s duration record on this mission,
the longest ever for the Italian space agency
ASI, but a technical difficulty with a Russian cargo spacecraft pushed the team’s re-
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turn date.
Cristoforetti says she doesn’t feel it’s a
record she’s truly earned.
▲ SAMANTHA
CRISTOFORETTI
One of the first women to join the Italian
military, she once again broke new
ground when she became the first Italian woman in space.
200 days in space
“I think records are more something
for media to write about because it’s potentially a piece of news,” she told Time magazine. “But of course for me, it really
doesn’t make a huge difference having
been in space 200 days as opposed to 190,
which would not have been the record.”
Despite her humble protests, Cristoforetti’s work on the Futura mission, a
name she helped crowd-source from the
Italian people in the lead-up to liftoff, was
a big deal. It not only worked toward scien-
September 2015
tific discovery in the fields of physical
science, human physiology and radiation research, to name a few of
many disciplines, it also moved
humanity one step closer to
greater space exploration
within our solar system.
Moreover, Cristoforetti’s
journey served as an inspirational story for her fellow Italians, especially for young
women looking to enter the
typically male-dominated fields
of science and technology.
Cristoforetti acknowledges
she’s now in a privileged position
to help guide others to follow their
dreams like she has.
“I really hope to be a role model for
anybody who is interested in this field,”
Cristoforetti told NASA in an interview. “I
think growing up I have looked up to men
and women equally and tried to learn from
other people who I felt could be role models, something that I could apply in my
life. Now, of course, what can be especially
important for women is that it can be encouraging to see that women can do that
and in fields where there are not that many
women it can be quite important, actually.”
For her efforts, Cristoforetti was
awarded a Knighthood of the Grand Cross
of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Continues on page 62 …
61
… continued from page 61 …
in July in a joyous ceremony at the Quirinale. “Capt. Cristoforetti, the whole of Italy
has been following you with affection and
admiration,” Italian President Sergio
Mattarella told the astronaut, adding that
the mission was “a huge success for science, the Air Force, and the Italian and the
European space agencies.”
Cristoforetti’s mission marks the culmination of a lifelong dream to head to the
stars as an astronaut, which came perilously close to never happening.
“It’s not like I chose space, but in a
way I was chosen, because I can’t really
find a moment in my life when I made a
conscious decision,” Cristoforetti told
NASA. “I just always said I want
to go to space at some point.
Maybe I did not even know that
there was such a thing as an astronaut, but I knew that I wanted
to explore space. I wanted to fly
up there.”
Born in Milan, Cristoforetti
grew up in a tiny tourist village
in the Italian Alps, where her
parents operated a resort. The environment offered a spectacular
and uninhibited view of the stars
thanks to scant light pollution,
and exploring the terrain stoked
Cristoforetti’s passion for adventure. Her grandmother helped
foster a passion for reading at a
young age, and her elementary
school teachers introduced her to
astronomy, eventually nudging
Cristoforetti into an exchange
program in the United States
while in high school and subsequently into the aerospace engineering program at the
University of Munich in Germany.
By the late 1990s, however,
Cristoforetti’s dreams of joining
the Italian space program were
running up against rules prohibiting women from entering
the Italian military. By the time
the prohibition was lifted in
1999, Cristoforetti was already
one year too old to enlist, but in
a fortuitous twist of fate, the Italian government created a threeyear grace period for women who
had waited patiently for this law
to pass.
So Cristoforetti, already
62
armed with an engineering degree, started
her college education again from scratch,
but this time at the Italian Air Force Academy to hopefully one day earn her shot at
space. Nine years later, she was among six
new astronauts welcomed into the European Space Agency.
She was selected for the ISS mission in
2012, and even with years of preparation
under her belt, Cristoforetti likened being
in space to feeling like a blank sheet of
paper.
“I discovered many things, like how it
feels to float — just that sensation of being
so light to the point of having no weight
September 2015
whatsoever, of being able to move in three
dimensions,” Cristoforetti told Time.
“Everything is just effortless. You’re like
Superman all day long for 200 days.”
Following her return to Earth — a 45minute, 250-mile free fall until a soft touchdown in Russia — Cristoforetti wasted no
time in expressing interest in getting back
to work.
“I hope I can continue contributing to
space exploration from Earth, making myself useful somehow and sharing my experience,” she said in an interview. “Of
course, I also hope that I will be able to go
back in space.”
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PEOPLE Legends
Political
trailblazer
by Otto Bruno
More than two centuries after the formation of our American democracy, we are
just now approaching a national election
with the very real possibility of a female
nominee on a major party ticket for president of the United States. When that happens, our nation will
have trailblazers like Ella
Tambussi Grasso to thank
for paving the rocky road
toward the acceptance of
women in power in our
public and political institutions. Grasso was the
very first woman ever
elected in her own right
as governor of one of
America’s 50 states. It
was a monumental
achievement in 1974, not
only for a woman but also
for a child of Italian immigrants.
Ella Rosa Giovanna
Oliva Tambussi was born
and raised in Windsor
Locks, Conn., on May 10,
1919, to Maria and Giacomo Tambussi. She may
have been an only child
but she was not a lonely
child, having grown up in
a neighborhood filled
with relatives and friends
that her parents had
known in Italy.
She was close to both
of her parents but her father was particularly dear to her. He started out as a machine operator and eventually opened a
bakery in Windsor Locks with his brother.
He went on to own a tavern before retiring
as a partner in the Windsor Locks Machine
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Co. Grasso once admitted that her father
“indulged and spoiled me.” In the biography “Ella Grasso: Connecticut’s Pioneering
Governor” author Jon E. Purmont quotes
Grasso’s son James as saying his mother
“absolutely adored” her father and she felt
▲ ELLA GRASSO
A woman of deep faith and unshakeable principles, she needed every
ounce of her resolve to reach heights
never before attained by a woman.
a “greater tie to him rather than her
mother.”
She was devastated when her father
died in 1971, saying, “I became a pathetic
fifty-year old orphan.” In remembering her
father’s influence she wrote, “He worked
September 2015
long hours, six days a week but he always
had time for me and he took me seriously.
From him I learned respect for others and
persistence. By his example, I learned one
does not abandon a task. Quit? We didn’t
quit anything.”
She may have been emotionally closer
to her father, but her mother had a decided
influence on her daughter as well. Grasso’s
parents encouraged educational advancement for their daughter from a very early
age, making whatever sacrifices were necessary to send her to Catholic grammar
school and later the prestigious Chaffee
School. Neither of Grasso’s parents ever
made it past the sixth grade, but she remembered them as “very intelligent and
generous people.” Grasso grew up with a
love for books and study, which no doubt
was actively encouraged by her mother.
She remembered that her mother believed
that learning “was a special key to living …
and … books were my ‘open-sesame’ to a
whole new world.
“My mother was self-taught,” Grasso
wrote. “She had a quick wit and charm.
She had great respect for learning and encouraged me in my studies.”
Grasso had a series of important and
influential mentors in her life beginning
with her parents. In the eighth grade, a nun
named Sister DeChantal, whom Grasso re-
Continues on page 64 …
63
… continued from page 63 …
membered as “a very modern woman,”
taught her at St. Mary’s School. She remained close to DeChantal until she died
during Grasso’s third term as Connecticut’s
secretary of state. Biographer Jon Purmont
believes that DeChantal's religious devotion greatly influenced Grasso’s character,
as it was faith that defined her moral outlook throughout her life.
In 1932, Grasso won a scholarship to
the private Chaffee School. She flourished
academically and discovered an entirely
new world of music, art and drama. However, she never felt completely comfortable
with the student body, which came from
considerably wealthier families than her
own. She admitted years later that she felt
as though a few of her classmates at Chaffee had “treated her with patrician disdain.” The Great Depression was spreading
across the nation, and as the child of working class immigrants in school with the
children of moneyed families, Grasso
viewed the culture of “the haves and the
have-nots” through a unique lens.
It was while she attended Chaffee that
she met a young Hartford native named
Tom Grasso. He noticed her on the beach at
Old Lyme. She was reading Shakespeare
and unlike the other girls tanning themselves on the beach, “she seemed intent on
reading, not meeting young men,” he later
recalled. He admits he had to pursue her
and asked for a date three or four times before she finally agreed to go out with him.
Their relationship proceeded slowly, starting as a friendship mixed with admiration,
affection and the shared desire to achieve.
Eventually, it turned into a long-term romance and a 38-year marriage. But before
she would become anyone’s wife, she had
to go to college.
Her studious nature served her well as
she entered the freshman class at Mount
Holyoke College on a scholarship in the
fall of 1936. She was enrolled in a brand
new, experimental program called the
“Two Unit Plan,” which permitted just 20
freshmen that first year. The idea behind it
was to allow students to focus on a specialized curriculum rather than a broad, liberal
arts plan of study. In this program, the students worked closely with a faculty advisor. In Grasso’s case, that was Amy Hewes,
chairperson of the Economics and Sociology Department and one of the faculty
members who’d championed the new
“Two Unit Plan” program.
64
Professor Hewes became another important influence in Grasso’s life and career. A much-admired teacher, she
emerged as a state and national advocate
and leader for labor reforms, particularly
child labor and women’s rights in the
workplace. Grasso learned a great deal
from Hewes and worked closely with her
on a variety of research projects.
Grasso never forgot the struggles and
terror of the Great Depression. Her empathy for the working class remained at the
foundation of her career in public life. She
often described herself as a “child of the
Depression” and recalled the sacrifices
her parents had made for her. She remembered that her parents had “lived tenaciously … we were pressed, other people
were destroyed. We ate, other people
starved.”
Her biographer believes that Grasso’s
childhood experiences in the tight-knit,
immigrant community of neighbors helping one another led to her “conviction
that, in a stressful, bleak and overwhelmingly harsh economic climate, government
must replicate on a larger scale what local
communities tried to do for themselves.”
As an interested young scholar,
Grasso began to realize that government’s
traditional role of non-involvement in
people’s lives was changing. FDR’s New
Deal further led her to realize that “the
machinery of government can be used for
the service of the people.” She began to
see, as she once said, a “relationship between politics and the lives of the people
— that what happens to us was affected
by government and I wanted to be part of
that government.”
The scholarly environment at Mt.
Holyoke proved invigorating to Grasso, as
did the frequent participation of the
school’s faculty in national and international affairs. Mt. Holyoke emphasized
participation and service, all of which she
found inspiring. She earned a B.A. in
1940 and a M.A. in 1942 in economics
and sociology. Upon completion of her degrees, she married her longtime beau.
Her time at Mt. Holyoke, her years
with teachers like DeChantal and Hewes,
and the changing political landscape of
America all convinced Grasso that her future lay in public service. As a 23-year-old
newlywed, Grasso took a job on “the lowest rungs of public service,” by her own
account, as an Interviewer for the State of
September 2015
Connecticut’s Employment Service.” The
position, insignificant as it may have initially been, gave her the ability to apply
her knowledge of labor and personnel relations as well as the skill of statistical analysis as she worked her way up to assistant
director of research in the Office of Manpower Research.
After four years in the workforce, she
left her position in 1946 to focus on starting a family. Her daughter Susanne was
born in 1948 and her son James in 1951.
In 1952, Grasso initiated her public life
as she ran for an opening in the Connecticut House of Representatives and won. She
was re-elected in 1954. In 1958, she ran for
the office of Connecticut’s secretary of state
and again proved victorious. She won reelection to that post two times, serving a
total of 12 years, the longest anyone had
held the post since 1835.
Grasso’s daughter Susanne once observed, “If it hadn’t been for my grandparents … my mother would have had a much
different destiny.” Shortly after Ella and
Tom were married, they purchased a home
right across the street from her parents in
the same neighborhood where Ella had
grown up. This proximity to her children’s
grandparents, as well as relatives and
neighbors she’d known all her life, allowed
her the freedom and security to leave her
children knowing they’d be watched over
by trusted loved ones.
In 1970, Grasso was persuaded to run
for Congress. She had been asked multiple
times before but had always turned down
the opportunity due to family considerations. Her husband had suffered two heart
attacks in the 1960s and her daughter had
been in a serious auto accident. By 1970,
her daughter was healed and her husband’s
health had stabilized. She was elected to
Congress and won re-election in 1972.
Once in Washington, however, she was
frustrated by the impotence of being a
rookie legislator. Washington was a rigid
hierarchy and it took years to build power
and affect any kind of worthwhile change.
Disenchanted with Washington, she
decided to run against incumbent Governor
Thomas Meskill in the fall of 1974. She
bested Connecticut Attorney General
Robert Killian in the Democratic primary.
While victory over Killian infused her campaign with increased confidence and support, she was nevertheless persuaded by
her mentor, the leader of the Connecticut
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PEOPLE Legends
State Democratic Party, John Bailey, and
other party leaders to choose Killian as her
running mate to strengthen the ticket and
unite the party. They went on to defeat
their Republican opponent by a margin of
over 200,000 votes in the November general election.
Grasso was an indefatigable campaigner. She was not only a rousing public
speaker but could also be an effective debater when the situation demanded it. She
refused to be reduced to a stereotype of the
be a difficult one. She inherited more than
a $70 million state debt that the previous
Republican administration had hidden
from the electorate. Rather than implementing many of the social programs for
which she campaigned, she had to make
cuts to the state budget, raise the sales tax
and lay off 500 state employees. Her popularity took a beating as she tried to establish a firmer economic footing for her state.
In 1976, Connecticut instituted a State Lottery. That, along with an increase in the
Grasso with Christopher Dodd, Abraham Ribicoff,
Jimmy Carter and Wilson Wilde
Official signing of legislation by Governor Ella Grasso
to establish the Office of Protection
weak female. Her election victory made her
the nation’s only female governor at the
time and the first woman of Italian ancestry to reach the governor’s office in the history of the United States. Aware of the
historic implications of her victory, Grasso
told voters, “I hope I have been a credit to
women, and to all persons.” Frances Farenthold, chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus, released a statement that in
part read, “Ella Grasso’s victory in Connecticut raises the hopes and expectations
of all women considering political careers.”
Grasso’s first year in office proved to
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state gasoline tax and judicious spending,
eventually led to a state budget surplus.
Nearly all of the laid off workers were rehired, and her ability to balance the state
budget while extending more aid to a variety of Connecticut communities raised her
stock among constituents.
As the first woman ever elected governor of a state in her own right (all others
ran on their husband’s records), Grasso received considerable national attention. She
was co-chair of the 1976 Democratic Convention in New York City. Her name was
mentioned as a possible candidate for president and/or vice president. Nevertheless,
September 2015
she had no intention of returning to Washington.
In February of 1978, Connecticut was
hit with a devastating blizzard that brought
the state to a standstill for several days.
Grasso personally went to the State Armory
to oversee rescue operations. Her visibility
in the midst of the statewide crisis cemented her image as a hands-on, compassionate leader. Her power and popularity
well established, she ran for re-election in
1978 and easily won a second term with
another huge margin of victory.
By the late 1970s America was headed
for another recession due, in large part, to
the high oil prices and gas shortages that
led to increased costs in industrial production. The oil crisis also resulted in higher
costs of running a variety of state and government programs. Grasso was once again
forced to raise taxes to make up shortfalls.
She established an odd/even system for gas
rationing and opened an emergency gasoline center at the State Armory. In part as a
result of her state programs, she was invited to Camp David to discuss energy issues with President Carter.
Sadly, as economic conditions worsened, so did Grasso’s health. She was diagnosed with cancer in March of 1980 and as
the year wore on, she grew increasingly
weak. In late 1980, she announced she
would resign. She felt her health was limiting her ability to serve the people of Connecticut in the manner that they deserved.
Her last day in office was Dec. 31, 1980,
and she died on Feb. 5, 1981.
From her mother’s passion for education to Sister DeChantal’s Roman Catholic
moral code to Professor Hewes’ dedication
to public service, Grasso took the examples
of so many strong women who came before
her to build a legacy of leadership, strength
and commitment to public service that has
since inspired multitudes of women to
continue her mission of positive political
change. But Grasso wasn’t just an example
of what women can accomplish or what
Italian Americans can accomplish, but of
what human beings can accomplish
through hard work, education and persistence.
There was an abundance of female role
models that shaped the life and career of
Ella Grasso but she wouldn’t want us to
forget her father’s influence as well. It was
he who inspired her with the idea that “we
never quit.”
65
Sports PEOPLE
In it for the
long haul
by Elena Ferrarin
One thing you can say about Miller
Bugliari: He knows a good thing when he
sees it.
The 80-year-old has spent his entire
coaching career — 56 years and counting
— guiding the soccer team at The Pingry
School, a private prep school in Basking
Ridge, N.J. At 812-102-68, he holds the
national record for most
victories as a high school
soccer coach, earning him
induction into both the
National Soccer Coaches
Association of America
Hall of Fame and the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Starting at Pingry as
assistant soccer coach in
1959, Bugliari taught in
the science department,
eventually serving as its
chairman. He also coached
other school teams.
So did he ever think of
leaving over the decades? “Everybody
has other opportunities, but every time
something happened here that I felt I
could help out,” he says. “The kids are
great to me, and I stayed.”
Effective coaches are the ones who
truly forge a connection with players, he
says. “If you have a 40-goal scorer or a
50-point basketball player, a LeBron
James, you’ve got to make sure he knows
what you want, but you also have to find
the right way to reach him,” he says.
“That’s the secret.”
How one reaches players differs from
person to person. “Some of them you
don’t have to say much at all, some of
them you have say, ‘Hey, that’s enough,’”
he says. “It’s getting to know each player
and finding out what gets to them.”
It’s also important to keep up with
66
the times in an ever-evolving world of
technology. “You have to make sure
you’re no so far behind that they think
you’re out of it,” he says.
Bugliari’s ties to the school are as
personal as they get: He was a student
there, as were his three sons. All three
boys, in fact, were members of the soccer
Photos courtesy The Pingry School
team and served as co-captains. Two of
them ended up playing soccer in college,
and one, Anthony, even played in New
Zealand and for the New York Athletic
Club.
Coaching your own kids requires
extra self-evaluation, Bugliari says. “Generally, if you’re fair, you’re watching
other kids and making sure you’re seeing
your own through the same eyes.”
Bugliari’s philosophy is to never cut
anyone from the team, regardless of skill
level. That means that during practice,
he’ll have as many as 33 players, about a
dozen more than other high school
teams, but only 15 or 16 will actually
play during games.
There is one imperative, though.
Bring a positive attitude, he says, or
you’re off the team.
September 2015
▲ MILLER BUGLIARI
A former student and soccer player at
The Pingry School, he has coached the
New Jersey prep school’s soccer team
for more than half a century, amassing
a hall-of-fame record along the way.
Bugliari served on the board of the
National Soccer Coaches Association
from 1974 to 1980, including one term as
president. One of his favorite memories
of that time is meeting Eunice Kennedy
Shriver when soccer was inaugurated
into the Special Olympics. “She was dynamic. Absolutely dynamic,” he recalls.
Another highlight was getting up
close and personal with the Italian national soccer team in 1994. The team,
which made the World Cup finals that
year, stayed in a hotel near The Pingry
School and practiced on campus every
day.
Bugliari, who played soccer in high
school and college, says he always knew
the sport would eventually boom in the
United States.
“It’s been in the last 20 years that it
really happened,” he says. “Then the
women took it up and you see what
they’ve done. It’s a wonderful sport. It’s a
natural sport. It’s played by everyone in
the world.”
When you ask him if he has plans to
retire, he laughs. “Not right now. I have a
couple more projects I’m trying to finish,” he says, such as raising money for a
field house and more scholarships.
“There’s always something. And school
is good for me.”
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PEOPLE
Film
A complete
artist
by Jeannine Guilyard
There are actors. There are directors.
admire onscreen, learning about their perThere are painters. There are poets. But
sonal tastes and opinions through their
every once in a while, you encounter one
posts.
and say, “Now there’s a complete artist.”
Through his fascinating posts and phoHe or she wholeheartedly embodies
tographs, I have come to admire and recreativity in the thoughts they share, the
spect Filocamo as a “complete artist.”
words they choose, the
way they express themselves, even the way they
carry themselves. It’s similar to that “it” factor that
distinguishes a star, but it
runs much deeper. One
such actor is Sebastiano
Filocamo.
Born in Messina,
Sicily, Filocamo studied
his craft in New York,
London, Berlin and
Milan. He also studied
briefly at Brown University in Rhode Island,
Filocamo on the set of “Sangue del mio sangue” (2015)
working as a disc jockey
at a local restaurant.
These days, he lives in Milan and travels
When I contacted him for an interview,
wherever his roles take him.
he was very enthusiastic to talk about his
A highly esteemed character actor with
experience as an actor. After corresponding
an impressive resume, he has worked in
with him, I have come to understand the
just about every medium, including theater, tremendous depth of passion and love he
television and film, sharing the spotlight
has for his craft.
with such luminaries as Roman Polanski
When I asked him about the breadth of
and Gerard Depardieu.
his experience in theater, television and
Although he’s an established actor and
film, he explained that he has always loved
has had supporting roles in several highdiversity and has made an effort to avoid
profile movies, his subtle yet commanding
repeating himself.
performance in “Anime nere” (Black Souls)
“I enjoy portraying characters with difis the one that grabbed my attention.
ferent psychologies, but often caused by soAs I often do these days, upon seeing
cial issues dear to me,” he shared. “I
“Anime nere,” I searched for him through
consider myself an interpreter and I really
Facebook and we became friends.
dig into the psyche of the characters. I like
Thanks to social media platforms like
auteur cinema where you can build a charFacebook and Twitter, actors today are far
acter and where there is a special attention
more accessible than in the past. We can be
to acting.
“friends” with or “follow” an artist who we
“Sometimes the characters stay with
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September 2015
▲ SEBASTIANO
FILOCAMO
A respected character actor with an
impressive resume, the passion he has
for his craft shines through in every role.
me after shooting, but this is something
that my family helps me to overcome.
However, the many footprints of the characters I have played remain hidden inside
me.”
Filocamo’s role as Antonio Tallura in
“Anime nere” was a dramatic departure
from his previous characters. He described
Tallura as “a silent, suspicious man who
avoids making eye contact. He was the
first-born, the one that will take the place
of the father, so he is always on guard and
suspicious of everyone, especially rivals.
He takes his time in responding and always
insists that his father have the last word.”
The film was a huge international success, and much of that success can be attributed to Filocamo and the rest of the cast
and their powerful, superb performances.
Filocamo is currently promoting his
latest film, Marco Bellocchio’s “Sangue del
mio sangue” (Blood of My Blood). The film
made its premiere at the 2015 Venice Film
Festival and is expected to be distributed
internationally.
“Anime nere” was in theaters earlier
this year and should be available on DVD
in the near future. Filocamo also has a role
in Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1995 film, “A Pure
Formality.” The story of a crazed writer,
starring Roman Polanski and Gerard Depardieu, it is available on amazon.com.
67
Living the
Italian dream
by Arthur Kenney
I first discovered the world
of Italian basketball in April of
1966 on ABC’s Wide World of
Sports, when I saw Rhodes
scholar Bill Bradley win the European Cup of Champions with
his teammates from Olimpia
Milano. A future NBA All-Star,
Naismith Memorial Hall of
Famer, and New Jersey senator,
Bradley was commuting weekly
from Oxford to play for the
The team retires Kenney’s number
team on their home court, the
PalaLido. I knew Bradley was a great
Bisacca, who tallied a 151-87 record
player, but what captured my attention
while playing against some of the best
was how skilled his teammates were and
teams in the nation. After graduation, I
how well they worked together. Their
played on Jim McGregor’s Touring Allteam game was so good that they had me
Star teams, travelling throughout Latin
at “Buongiorno”!
America and then playing the summer
I grew up in Manhattan, where bastournament circuit in the Italian resort
ketball is known as “The City Game.” I
towns. I played in Le Mans, France, for
played grammar and high school ball
two seasons, and in May 1970 received
with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was
an invitation to try out for Olimpia Miknown back then as Lew Alcindor. Our
lano.
team at Power Memorial Academy
I passed the test, and when club
racked up 71 consecutive victories over
owner and President Dr. Adolfo Bogon2-1/2 years on the way to earning the
celli launched into his invitation to play
designation “The High School Team of
for his team, I interrupted him in midthe Century.”
sentence with “Si! Si! Si!” I think I set
I went on to play at Fairfield Univerthe record for the shortest contract negosity under legendary coach George
tiation in history. On that day in May of
Simmenthal (Olimpia Milano) vs Ignis (Varese, Italy)
68
Kenney makes headlines
September 2015
1970, there was no happier
man in Italy, or the planet!
I initially roomed with
Giorgio Gaggiotti, the most
serious medical student
ever, who went on to become a famous surgeon. We
both spoke French as a result of our schooling, and
teammates Giorgio Papetti
and Paolo Bianchi spoke to
me in the Milanese dialect,
which seemed to be a misto
of French and Italian, so I enjoyed a
gradual emersion in the Italian language.
I enrolled at the British School of
Milan on chic via Montenapoleone. My
teacher was an elderly woman, Signora
Lidia Verga, who was a fantastic teacher,
and I would read my textbook, “Parliamo
italiano,” over and over. I looked forward
to going to class and then heading off to
practice with my teammates. They were
great at correcting my mistakes, and as
time went on, I began to think and even
dream in Italian. In reality, I was living
the dream … in Italian!
Everyone at the club took an interest
in my desire to learn as much as I could
about Italy. We were a Band of Brothers,
spending a lot of time together. Periodi-
After winning the Cup of Cups
against Spartak Leningrad
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PEOPLE Insight
▲ ‘ARTURO’ KENNEY
A New York native and standout high
school and college player in America,
he found his spiritual home on one of
the greatest basketball teams of all
time.
cally, Dr. Bogoncelli would give me his
season tickets to see performances at La
Scala, so I saw “Norma,” “Orfeo,”
“Tosca” and others. A gentleman in the
chorus, whose two daughters were fans,
also offered me tickets to the opera, and I
in turn gave him tickets for his family to
our sold-out games.
I enjoyed walking around Piazza San
Babila early in the morning passing il
Duomo and la Galleria along the way. On
occasion, I would have a cappucio (cappuccino) and brioche at Marchese. And
on Friday evenings, after seeing a film in
prima visione, my teammates and I
might go to la Pazza Pizza or have frulatto in Piazza Diaz. Life was good!
Head Coach Cesare Rubini had very
interesting friends, who became our
friends and fans. He knew designer Tai
(Ottavio) Missoni, who was a hurdler in
the London Olympics, and renowned
artist Roberto Crippa. Class and style
were a part of the Olimpia Milano DNA,
a tradition upheld by the current owner,
iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani.
Olimpia Milano was founded in
1936, marking its 80th anniversary this
coming season. During its long and illustrious history, the team has set the standard of excellence in Italian basketball.
They have won 26 Italian League Championships (scudetti), one less than the
New York Yankees in 35 fewer years.
My head coach was a two-sport
champion, starring on the Olympic water
polo team as a young man. A great defensive basketball player with Olimpia Milano, Rubini was Italy’s most successful
coach, winning more than 80 percent of
his games, including 15 Italian League
Championships. The president of the
Italian National Team in 1980, he led the
team to an Olympic silver medal in
Moscow. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in
2000, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Coach Rubini’s nickname — “Il
Principe” (“The Prince”) — says it all.
And at his side at the Olympics as well
as Olimpia Milano was Assistant Coach
Sandro Gamba, a fellow Naismith inductee and one of the most technically
astute coaches ever. To play for two such
illustrious coaches was a dream come
true, and that was only the beginning.
My teammates were outstanding
players, and more importantly, some of
the best people and friends you could
hope to meet. Of our nine Italian players,
six were on the Italian National team,
and one was on the junior national team.
During my three-year tenure, the
Current owner Giorgio Armani
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September 2015
team won the Italian League Championship once, the European Cup of Cups
twice, and the Italian Cup once. Our
winning percentage of 84.3 earned each
of us the Ambrogino D’Argento, similar
to the Key to the City, which is my
prized possession.
In 2013, the team retired my number,
18, but that individual distinction would
not have been possible without the familial environment fostered from the
ownership on down. It started with
Adolfo Bogoncelli and spread from
coaches Rubini and Gamba throughout
the team. The only thing that mattered
was the success of the club, and each
player was chosen because he possessed
that team-first attitude. It was an outstanding mindset — one team, one
dream!
My teammates and I looked after
each other both on and off the court, and
everyone sacrificed personal glory for the
sake of the team. That has been the
defining characteristic of Olimpia Milano throughout the decades, and what
differentiates it from other clubs.
Two generations later, Olimpia Milano continues its winning ways. With
Giorgio Armani as its owner, Jasmin
Repesa as its coach and Alessandro Gentile among its star players, the team epitomizes the skill, color, passion and
"fan-thusiasm" that consistently propels
it to the top the Italian basketball world.
A/X Armani Olimpia Milano will
play against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Chicago
at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the United Center,
and then at NYC’s Madison Square Garden at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. Tickets are
available at ticketmaster.com, with special discounts available by using the promotion code FraNoi.
Forza Italia, Forza Olimpia Milano e
Forza Bostoniano!
The team celebrates another
championship season
69
Ciao Italia™ with Mary Ann Esposito
CUISINE
When
in
Genova …
by Mary Ann Esposito
Pesto sauce is to the region of Liguria
what tomato sauce is to Campania.
The history books place the origins
of pesto all over the culinary map. Some
claim the crusaders brought basil seeds
from the Holy Land to Genoa. Others
claim it is an offspring of the herbal
sauces that the ancient Romans made.
To make pesto alla Genovese according to the rules laid out by the Consorzio
del Pesto Genovese, the ruling body that
oversees the traditional way to make it,
basil (basilica Genovese) must be cultivated in and around Genoa and only tender, young small leaves can be used.
Other ingredients include Ligurian extra
virgin olive oil and fresh, mild-tasting
garlic. The grated cheese must be either
Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano in
combination with pecorino cheese from
Rome, Tuscany, Sicily or Sardinia. The
pine nuts must be from Liguria, but walnuts are sometimes substituted. The salt
must be coarse sea salt. Only then are
you ready to make an authentic pesto as
the Genovese do so well.
To make pesto in the traditional way,
a marble mortar, preferably made with
Cararra marble from Tuscany, and a
wooden pestle must be used.
The basil leaves are washed in cold
water and dried. For every 30 leaves of
basil, one clove of mild garlic should be
used. The olive oil should also be mild,
not spicy. The garlic is added first to the
mortar and gently mashed with a few
grains of the salt using the pestle in a circular motion and against the sides of the
mortar.
The nuts are then added and mashed
70
so they are amalgamated into the sauce.
Next the leaves are added a handful at a
time along with a few grains of salt and
gently mashed in a rotating manner. This
is important because the essential oils in
the leaves of basil need to be release as
gently as possible.
When the basil is a brilliant green
liquid, the cheeses are mixed in. The
olive oil is last, dribbled in a little at a
time and mixed with the ingredients
until a fluid, not paste-like sauce is obtained. Pesto sauce is now ready to be
used on trenette or trofie (two classic
pastas of the region) and green beans
with potatoes. It is the last thing added
to minestrone soup and is the sauce favored for potato gnocchi.
Of course, there are many other uses
one can find for it: It is perfect mixed
into risotto, it adds extra flavor to
cooked vegetables and it makes for a
unique pizza topping as well.
Given the constraints of time today,
pesto can be made using a food processor. However, the taste and texture will
September 2015
not be the same as a batch made by hand,
and it will oxidize quickly due to the
bruising of the leaves by the steel blade
and the residual heat from the processor.
I have learned that there are two
things that basil dislikes: water on its
leaves, which turns them black, and
being put into cold water and stored in
the refrigerator. Basil, which derives from
the ancient Greek word for “royal,” needs
to be treated with care and respect.
Pesto Genovese
Enough to dress 1-1/2 pounds pasta
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon pine nuts or walnuts
2 packed cups fresh young basil leaves
Mild extra virgin olive oil
(Ligurian if possible)
6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
Reggiano or Grana Padano
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano
Recipe www.ciaoaitalia.com.
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CUISINE Recipes
A pesto
panoply
by Dolores Sennebogen
Ah, fresh basil. Each time I gather
some from the pot on my patio I stop for
a moment to deeply inhale its heavenly
scent. The botanical name for sweet basil
is ocimum basilicum, with ocimum derived from the Greek term for fragrant. At
this time of year when we’re using up
the last of our homegrown basil, Liguria
comes to mind. The region is most famous for Christopher Columbus, whom
we celebrate this month, and for its wondrous pesto alla Genovese. Basil flourishes in its mineral-rich terrain, and
some would say it is the world’s best.
Liguria is also known for its outstanding
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fruity olive oil, so it was inevitable that
these two palate pleasers came together
in the form of this alluring condimento.
I was recently treated to pesto made
by my friend Dina Giordano. She told me
her recipe came from
Genoa and is part of
fond childhood memories. “While we were in
Genova visiting my
Mom’s cousin Gina, she
cooked us Linguine with
Pesto Sauce, which we
had not tasted before. I
cannot tell you how de-
September 2015
licious it was to us. I said right away, ‘Zia
Gina, please, can you give us the recipe
to take back with us to Brooklyn? We love
it!’ Zia was delighted and she wrote the
recipe without hesitation. Back home,
Mom made it often and it became a tradition on Friday nights and during Lent.”
Mille grazie, Dina, for sharing your
memories and Zia Gina’s recipe. I’m offering additional recipes that star pesto
sauce, including a recipe that my mother
was given by her friend Mary Parisi almost 50 years ago.
Continues on page 72 …
71
… continued from page 71 …
LINGUINE CON
PESTO ALLA GENOVESE
(Linguine with Pesto Sauce)
For the condimento:
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 to 1/3 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup pignoli
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
3 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Put the above ingredients in a
blender or food processor and process
until smooth. Start with 1/4 cup olive oil
and add additional oil in a thin stream if
necessary for a smooth sauce. Set aside
while the pasta cooks.
To finish the dish:
Linguine cooked al dente
Additional olive oil
Additional sliced garlic
A handful of pignoli
While the linguine is cooking, cover
the bottom of a very large skillet with a
coating of olive oil and place over
medium heat. Add enough sliced garlic
to suit your taste along with the pignoli
and sauté them in the olive oil. Just before you drain the linguine, add the
pesto sauce to the skillet containing the
garlic and pignoli and heat it through.
Drain the pasta, saving a little of the
pasta water. Add the drained pasta to the
skillet and toss very well, continuing to
warm over medium heat. You may want
to add a small amount of the reserved
pasta water to help the sauce cling to the
pasta. When thoroughly combined, serve
hot with additional Romano cheese to
taste.
NOTE: This pesto recipe is enough
for up to 2-1/2 pounds pasta. The sauce is
also an excellent marinade for chicken. It
can be served over salmon or as an appetizer spread with crostini. You can mix a
little pesto into softened
butter to use on cooked vegetables. Whisk some into
your vinaigrette for tossed
salads.
— Dina Giordano
make a more substantial soup. Serve with
plenty of grated cheese.
Variations: You may omit the cabbage and add a bunch of chopped Swiss
chard or spinach with the tough stems removed. For a meatless meal, use olive oil
instead of pancetta and water instead of
beef broth.
— adapted from Mary Parisi
MINESTRONE
ALLA GENOVESE
(Vegetable Soup from Genoa)
1/4 pound pancetta
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
1 stalk celery, diced
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
1/4 pound cut green beans
1 large fresh tomato, cut up
1 large potato, peeled and diced
Beef broth
Salt and pepper
Zucchini (optional)
Pesto (see above)
Grated Cheese
1/4 pound cooked tubetti (optional)
Chop the pancetta,
parsley and garlic together and cook in a large
stock pot. In the rendered
fat, sauté the vegetables to
a golden color. Add about
4 pints of water or beef
stock and season with salt
and pepper. Cook slowly
until all of the vegetables are
tender and the soup thickens
a little. If using zucchini, add
it during the last 10 minutes
so it doesn’t get overcooked.
Stir in about 3 tablespoons of
pesto and some grated cheese.
Adding some small pasta will
72
September 2015
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CUISINE Recipes
RIGATONI PANNA,
PESTO, E POMODORI
(Creamy Rigatoni)
1/2 pint heavy cream
12 ounces chopped tomatoes,
well drained
1 pound fresh burrata cheese
Pesto sauce
Blanch and shock the tomatoes
quickly in boiling salted water, and then
peel them. Slice them into rounds and
season with salt, pepper and a little of
the optional sugar. Cut the burrata into
rounds and season with salt,
pepper and a generous
drizzle of the olive oil.
Stack the tomatoes and
burrata in alternating layers, seasoning each layer
with the pesto. Serve with
a chilled white wine.
— adapted from Chef
Christopher Daly
PASTA
CON PESTO
E ‘NDUJA
(Pasta with Two Sauces)
2 tablespoons pesto (see above)
4 cups rigatoni
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmigiano cheese
1 pound pasta of
your choice
1/2 cup Ligurian pesto
1/4 cup Calabrian ‘nduja (see note)
A little fruity olive oil
Grated Parmigiana or Pecorino cheese
Pour the cream into a large skillet,
add the chopped tomatoes and cook over
very low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from
the heat and stir in the pesto. Meanwhile,
cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling
salted water until it reaches the al dente
stage. Drain the pasta, gently rewarm the
cream sauce and add some of it to the
pasta. Toss it and place it in a prewarmed serving dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the pasta and sprinkle
with the cheese.
— Dolores Sennebogen
Cook the pasta in boiling salted
water until al dente. Meanwhile, dissolve the two sauces and a bit of olive oil
in a saucepan over low heat. Drain the
pasta and combine it well with the
mixed sauces. Serve in a preheated bowl
with grated cheese to taste.
NOTE: ‘Nduja (pronounced en-dooya) is a spreadable mixture of ground
cured pork (usually salami) seasoned
with Calabrian chilies. You can purchase
it online or in Italian specialty stores. For
spicier pasta, use equals portions of
pesto and ‘nduja.
— adapted from cooker.NET
INSALATA DI
POMODORO E BURRATA
PASTA COL PESTO
ALLA TRAPANESE
(Tomato and Burrata Salad with Pesto)
(Pasta with Sicilian Pesto)
4 heirloom tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)
Fruity extra-virgin olive oil
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4-6 very fresh garlic cloves, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
September 2015
1 cup blanched almonds,
roughly chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and
chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper
1-1/2 pounds bavette or bucatini
Pound the garlic, salt, basil and parsley into a paste in a mortar. Add the almonds little by little and then the
tomatoes. When all the ingredients are
reduced to a pulp, add some of the oil
and the pepper. Add the remaining oil a
little at a time until the sauce is smooth
and creamy. Cook the pasta in boiling
salted water. Drain and toss in a serving
bowl together with the pesto until everything is distributed evenly.
NOTE: This can be done in an electric blender, in which case you should
add a small amount of the oil in the first
step and the remainder with the tomatoes. You can reduce the garlic, according
to taste. Variations also include lightly
toasting the almonds, or adding one
minced pepperoncini (seeds removed).
— Dolores Sennebogen
▼ COOK’S TIP ▼
If you aren’t going to use all of your
homemade pesto right away you can
refrigerate it for 5 to 7 days. However,
be sure to store it in a glass jar filled almost to the top. Then cover it with a
thin layer of olive oil before sealing
tightly. This keeps it from oxidizing and
turning an unpleasant color. You can
also freeze leftover pesto t in ice cube
trays so that you can defrost small
amounts to use in soups, sauces or
pizza toppings.
73
Castel di Sangro PARTING SHOTS
Eternal battleground
by Nicola Orichuia
Few places have been fought over
as fiercely or for as long as the little hilltop town of Castel di Sangro. Situated in
southern Abruzzo, just across the borders of Lazio and Puglia, this village of
5,000 souls was the birthplace of the
mighty Aufidena tribe, which resisted
Roman dominance until 209 B.C. Emperor Augustus liked the town so much
he ordered the construction of a forum
and arenas for games, making it a lively
center of activity.
During the Middle Ages, though,
the town was sacked numerous times by
Hun and Saracen tribes, until the di
Sangro family took over and built a
74
mighty fortress in 1050, right on top of a
monolithic stone base that had served as
a guardian tower for several centuries
before. Still, the fortress could not hold
off the troops of Cardinal Colonna, who
burned and destroyed the town’s center
in 1228, punishing Castel di Sangro’s inhabitants for their loyalty to Holy
Roman Emperor Frederick II. A few
years later, Charles I of Naples drove the
message home with more sacking and
burning.
Castel di Sangro finally found peace
in the 1300s, when it became a flourishing trade center with many artisans
working for the caravans that traveled
September 2015
along the Via degli Abruzzi, the main
thoroughfare connecting the south and
north of Italy down the peninsula’s
mountainous spine.
The town’s last beating came during
World War II. On Nov. 7, 1943, German
troops occupied Castel di Sangro, razing
the town’s center and positioning it at
the heart of the Gustav line. The town
was pummeled for months, first by Allied troops and then by the Nazis once
the Allies seized control. The town’s role
in the victory was recognized with the
Bronze Medal for Civil Merit for “having
resisted fearlessly against the bombings
and oppression of the enemy invader.”
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