coccia institute - Coccia Foundation

The Joseph & Elda
COCCIA INSTITUTE
for the Italian Experience in America
Volume 2, Issue 1
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Fall 2004
Proud Moments...
Montclair State University has awarded
honorary degrees to Joseph & Elda
Coccia. The Coccias received Doctor of
Human Letters degrees at the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences
Graduation Convocation.
COCCIA INSTITUTE SUMMER ITALIAN FOR
CHILDREN RETURNS TO MSU
Scuola Fantasia, the Coccia Institute's annual Italian summer program for children, has
successfully completed its second summer at MSU. Under the auspices of the Coccia Institute's
Linguaviva initiative, and with a generous grant from the New Jersey Italian & Italian American
Heritage Commission, the program provided broad-based instruction in Italian language and
culture for children ages 6-12.
This year, the journey began in the fashion capital of Milan where students organized a sfilata
to model their own fashion creations. They then traveled to Venice where they visited the island
of Murano and created their very own stained glass figures.
The students continued their travels by visiting the Italian Riviera. Students presented a weather
forecast and gave suggestions for necessary attire. While visiting the beach, students painted a
mural depicting their vision of the Italian Riviera landscape.
The next stop was Florence. Students handcrafted "leather" bags and jewelry to be sold at
Mercato di San Lorenzo. During a short break where students discovered the adventures of
Pinocchio by participating in interactive storytelling.
Calling all cooks . . . next, the students were chefs for the day! Students prepared a pasta dish
and tiramisu. Off to the restaurant . . . students role-played placing and taking orders while
enjoying their meals.
The students still found time between their busy schedules and sightseeing to play soccer, bocce
and dance the Tarantella. In returning "home" students built a galleria to show their families
what they visited during their trip to Italy.
Based on the success of this year's program and the fun and educational experiences of the
students, the Coccia Institute will definitely continue to offer this program. Next year, the
Coccia Institute hopes to provide an Italian theater program for children as an addition to the
Scuola Fantasia. If you are interested in enrolling your child, you may contact the Coccia
Institute at any time to be placed on the Linguaviva mailing list.
Hope to see you next year!
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Comcast Cable Television has produced
a four-part series on the Coccia Institute.
Each half hour episode will air on
Comcast during this fall and winter.
Special thanks to Jo Shenman for
coordinating and filming this project.
The Coccia Institute is pleased to
announce that the Second Series of the
Italian Studies Collection is now
available. The set contains 18 volumes,
including one book in Italian and one
children's book.
The first person to share his story with
the Coccia Institute in our series on the
Italian Experience in America is James
Emiliani of Emiliani Beauty Supply. We
congratulate Mr. Emiliani on fifty
successful years in business.
This summer the Coccia Institute
presented "If Walls Could Speak," an
exhibit of the art of Joseph Coco. Works
from the series of 106 paintings and
drawings inspired by Sicily are on
display at the Institute.
The Coccia Institute and The Center for
Italian & Italian American Culture
hosted "Look What Came From Italy,"
an interactive story telling program
designed for children ages 5 through 13.
Guests learned how aspects of our
everyday lives are rooted in Italy.
C O C CI A I NS T I T U T E Ne w s le tt e r
COCCIA INSTITUTE
For The Italian Experience In America
Montclair State University
2004 Italian Studies Golf Classic Benefits
UNICO Italian Studies Chair at MSU
Joseph & Elda Coccia
Founders
Gina M. Miele, Ph.D.
Director
Mary Papazian, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Humanities &
Social Sciences
Faculty Board Members
Dean Mary Papazian
Dr. Nancy Carnevale
Dr. Paolo Posseidi
Dr. Marisa Trubiano
Dr. Gregory Waters
Advisory Board Members
Ralph A. Contini
Elisa Coccia-Dob
Jennifer D'Angiolillo
Mario Milleli
Philip Sergio
Sal Valente
Rudy Valli
All materials included in this publication,
except as otherwise noted, are copyright of
the Coccia Institute for the Italian
Experience in America, 2004.
Advisory Board meetings are held the 2nd
Monday of each month at 3 p.m.
Coccia Institute
for the Italian Experience in America
Montclair State University
Suite 171 Dickson Hall
Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 655-4050
[email protected]
http://chss2.montclair.edu/
cocciainstitute
The 2004 Italian Studies Golf Outing and Casino Night was held on
Monday May 24th , 2004 at White Beeches Country Club in Haworth,
New Jersey. The event was hosted by the College of Humanities and
Social Sciences at Montclair State University.
Mother Nature produced an ideal day for golfing and good luck held
throughout the day as golfers were welcomed to the White Beeches
Country Club. For those who preferred cocktails and cards to birdies and
bogies, the golf classic was followed by a grand reception and casino night
at the Florentine Gardens Estate in River Vale.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation to the 2004 Honoree,
Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano for his long-standing and unwavering
support for Italian Studies. The presentation was followed by the raffle
of two round trip tickets to Rome Italy including a 3-day stay at a Rome
hotel, donated by Calabria Tours (Caruso family).
Proceeds from this year's event will support the initiative of UNICO
NATIONAL in establishing an Italian/Italian Studies Chair at Montclair
State University.
We wish to thank all our sponsors for their generosity particularly our
corporate sponsors - lead sponsor Countrywide Home Loans, Valley
National Bank, Elite Developers, Calabria Tours, Brioschi, Coccia Realty,
Konica Minolta Corporation, Revlon and Unilever.
Once again, we say "MILLE GRAZIE" to all those who participated and
look forward to joining with you to support Italian Studies in the future.
Would you like to share the story of YOUR Italian Experience in America?
The Coccia Institute is collecting personal stories for selection to be included in our newsletter
Eventually, we will produce a book detailing the experiences of Italian Americans from all walks of life.
To be included, call the Coccia Institute at 973-655-4050.
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C OC C I A I NS T IT U T E Ne ws let te r
From The Director’s Desk
Cari Amici,
"Tutto per la famiglia." I was reminded of
this maxim today as we concomitantly
celebrated the life and mourned the death
of my uncle, Valentine J. Miele, Sr.
Everything for the family. This has
signified a multitude of things at various
times in our journey as Italian Americans.
La famiglia, in the Jersey City of 1950,
represented tutta la comunita, i vicini di
casa, i paesani, the men and women who
would linger on their stoops in the warm,
summer evenings, the great aunts and
uncles, cousins, friends who were named
honorary cousins, compari, and comari.
This was the fabric of the famiglia which
my uncles and my father knew: the
community which revolved around Holy
Rosary Church.
Jersey's cities, rather than to her vast
farmlands. These men and women found
comfort in the bustle of life in the city and
in the knowledge that they were never
alone. The suburbanization of the Italian
American communities brought with it the
rise of the nuclear family. Regretfully, the
meaning of la famiglia was forever
changed.
Until the very day of his passing, my uncle
fervently believed in la famiglia as the
embodiment of an entire community - a
clan which encompassed figures who had
crisscrossed in and out of one another's
lives for decades. A king among men, he
will be sorely missed by the very
community which he tenderly nurtured
through his friendships and at his business
on 3rd Street in Jersey City. "The old
Italians are dying," Lawrence Ferlinghetti
once wrote. The veracity of those words
leaves me somber and uneasy today. What
does that mean for us, as Italians
Americans, as human beings?
First built in 1885 and reconstructed in
1903, the historical Holy Rosary Church
(Chiesa di Santo Rosario) proudly
identifies itself as "The First Italian Parish
in the State of New Jersey." Though
Jersey City was once home to a large
Italian community, during the second half
of the twentieth century many Italian
families joined in a mass exodus from its
neighborhoods. While my uncle and his
family remained, my parents relocated to
the suburbs upon my birth. The move
provided me with many benefits, however,
I was distanced from the rich culture in
which neighbors were often relatives, if
not by blood, than in spirit and loyalties.
If the old Italians are dying, must their
values and customs necessarily follow?
For all of their limitations and lacks, a
great many "old Italians" knew what
mattered. It cannot be denied that in their
efforts to keep their families united, early
immigrants often inadvertently divided
them.
Stories abound of brothers
estranged after an argument about the
family business and parents who
attempted to dictate the lives of their adult
children, forbidding them to move away,
to pursue careers, or to marry outside of
their community. Perhaps they were
myopic and could not see clearly past the
want of a cohesive family unit. Their
methods may have been flawed at times,
their grip too tight, their fear
overpowering. Yet, can we fault them for
their desire to remain united? The legacy
of Italian Americans, reduced to a dictum,
might read: La famiglia e tutta e tutto per
la famiglia.
Returning home today after the funeral, I
finally understood why Italian immigrants,
many of whom had been farmers in the
Old Country, gravitated towards New
Will saving Holy Rosary Church resurrect
the "Little Italy" of Jersey City? Certainly
not. However, the desecration and
destruction of this sacred site can be
regarded only as a sacrilege by the
descendents of an immigrant class which
changed, in ineffable ways, the face of the
American landscape. Holy Rosary, the
First Italian Parish in New Jersey: a parish
which still celebrates, every Sunday, a mass
in Italian and another in Latin, a church
whose altar is embellished with an Italian
flag, a parish from whose front steps
marches each year a band of Italian
Americans in celebration of old world
traditions. Down the same stairwell, in the
1950's, immigrants would descend at
regular intervals with a statue of the Virgin
hoisted on their shoulders.
Legacy. What does that word mean?
Legacy: intangible, omnipresent, powerful.
It binds us, legacy does, to phantasms and
living beings alike. Unwittingly, I learned
from Valentine Miele's legacy before his
earthly presence was denied us. I believe,
as do many Italian Americans, that family
is paramount, that life has a purpose
beyond the trappings of wealth, career,
and upward mobility.
I choose a
"purpose-driven life" devoted to loving
and leaning, teaching and learning. And
thus, in many respects, my uncle was my
mentor.
This morning at Holy Rosary Church, at
the altar where my uncles and my father
were baptized, the priest closed his homily
by avowing, "Each day can be Valentine's
Day." You may not have known Valentine
John Miele, Sr., yet I'd venture to say there
is one like him in your midst. Make it your
mission to know that person better, to
record his or her stories, to model your life
on his or her legacy. One day it shall be
your legacy which others hold dear. Tutto
per la famiglia perche' la famiglia e, senza
dubbio e per sempre, tutta.
If you would like to help save a vital piece
of Italian Americana, please contact Holy
Rosary
Church
(201)
795-0120,
www.holyrosarychurch.com.
Cordiali saluti,
Gina M. Miele, Ph.D.
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C O C CI A I NS T I T U T E Ne w s le tt e r
BECOME A MEMBER OF
COCCIA INSTITUTE
If you support the
mission and programs of the
Coccia Institute,
now is your opportunity
to do something about it!!
You can help us continue our programs
by becoming a member
Call for membership information
(973) 655-4050
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C OC C I A I NS T IT U T E Ne ws let te r
The Italian Experience in America
The Success of a
True Italian Gentleman
Thomas Edison once said, "There is no substitute for hard work."
We cannot be absolutely sure he was thinking of James Emiliani
when he said this, but he most definitely should have been.
That s because James Emiliani is a perfect example of what
dedication, persistence and a never-give-up attitude can achieve
over a lifetime. For James, "never" and "too hard" are not words in
his vocabulary, either in English or Italian. In his spectacular and
wide-ranging half-century career, he has gone from tapping out
Morse Code to successfully conducting his business empire on the
Internet, from sorting letters in a small Italian post office to
tremendous success as full-service distributor of beauty products,
from little more than hope and ambition on his boat journey to the
U.S. in 1951 to international prominence as a philanthropist and a
noted civic leader.
But you wouldn t know it to talk to James. The gentleman is a selfeffacing gentle man solidly grounded in his beloved family and his
community. His life has been one of great love, from 50 years of
wedded bliss with wife Mary, through the constant nurturing and
care of his three married children and his 10 grandchildren. And
his giving to numerous charitable and other worthy organizations
is simply remarkable.This impressive success story begins with his
birth on Jan. 2, 1928, in Montelepre Provincia di Palermo, Italy.
One of five children, his father, Giacomo, worked as an electrician
while his mother, Rosa (Gaglio), was a loving homemaker to her
bustling brood.
From an early stage, James showed the drive that is a hallmark of
his life. Along with working as a Morse code operator during the
allied occupation of Sicily, young Jimmy also worked at the local
post office where, in a sign of things to come, he was soon
promoted to assistant postmaster. Since he only had two jobs, he
felt it necessary to also do bookkeeping for a local construction
company. Despite all this, he still found the time and passion to
found ACLI, a democratic labor association before we could have
guessed becoming its president. And he did all of this before the
age of 23. When he slept is not listed on his resume. James met his
wife, Mary, when he was 13 years old. Mary came to American in
1947. James felt the sharp pangs of separation from his beloved
and the couple were engaged on one of his trips to America. They
were married in 1950 and James moved permanently to America
in 1951. The couple settled in the Silver Lake section of Belleville
and promptly set out to claim their fair share of the American
dream. James father-in-law, Nicola Calderone, gave him the idea
to enter the barber supply business. James not only thought this a
sharp idea, but a business he could revolutionize. And he did.
Starting with the first
Emiliani Beauty Supply Store in Irvington, New Jersey in 1962, he
expanded wisely and well, working hand in hand with his brothers
Sal, Domenic and Roi and later welcoming son Domenic (Don)
now president of the company -- and daughter, Maria, to the
family business. Brother Dom is an active partner in this family
business.
In the 1960s, James expanded his company s presence in the
marketplace to include beauty salons. James tactics worked so well
that Emiliani Enterprises, now one of the leading wholesale fullservice distributors of beauty care products in the nation, is
celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
James has always happily shared the fruits of his labors and his
charitable endeavors are too numerous to mention. He has
established two annual scholarships in his father s name, one for
children in his native Montelepre and one in the United States. He
is an active member of numerous organizations and clubs,
including UNICO and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. He is on
the Board of Directors of Columbus Hospital Foundation and a
member of the Board of Advisors for American-Union Bank.
Emiliani Enterprises also supports many charitable organizations,
including Feed the Children, Make a Wish Foundation, Lupus
Foundation, Alzheimer s Research Foundation, Deborah Hospital,
Special Olympics and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
James has received many accolades and awards throughout his life,
but perhaps none was as special as the Spirit of Life Award he
received from the City of Hope Medical Center in Los Vegas for
his support for breast cancer research in 2002. In presenting this
award, the Medical Center said of James: "Jimmy truly embodies
the Spirit of Life Award because he is generous giving of his
time, energy, wisdom and passion. He regularly renews his
devotion to his staff, to the thousands of salons he services, and
to his loving family. Known for his warm smile and soothing
demeanor, Jimmy is a gentleman in every aspect of his life, and
has set a great example for all of us to follow."
Provided we, like him, can thrive with little or no sleep!
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C O C CI A I NS T I T U T E Ne w s le tt e r
the table for 6 p.m. dinner every night and
attended Mass every Sunday. In that town,
however, I was regarded as a minority.
CI: Now you live in New York City. Is the
Italian American experience different in the
city from the experience in a small rural town?
COCCIA INSTITUTE
CONVERSATION
with
ADRIANA TRIGIANI
Dr. Gina Miele, Director of the Coccia
Institute & Jennifer D'Angiolillo, recently sat
down for a conversation with author Adriana
Trigiani. The following is a summary of their
talk.
COCCIA INSTITUTE (CI): In all of your
novels, the Italian American experience is a
central theme. To what extent is this a
conscious goal of your work?
Adriana Trigiani (AT): I am obsessed with
Italian American culture and very
conscious of these themes. I am the
person in our family who digs out old
letters. In a way, I have become a curator
of my
family's history, especially my
grandmothers. I have a box of letters from
1930-1955 that my grandmother wrote to
her family in Italy. My father was a
filmmaker, so we also have footage of my
grandmother that was used in a TV
commercial for Queen of the Big Time. I
had based the novel on my grandmother
Yolanda's story, so it was especially
exciting to use her image in the
commercial.
CI: Were you at all conscious of your Italian
American identity when you were growing up?
AT: I grew up in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
In the fourth grade, I write down "Italian"
to describe my race. My parents spoke
Italian. We had seven children around
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Coccia Institute
Recommended
Reading
Queen of the Big Time
AT: Italians are Italians wherever you go,
but in New York, I am surrounded by other
Italian Americans. It is truly a gift and a
joy. I chose to live in the city because I
need a pulse and to be among diverse
people.
CI: Your novels don't shy away from exposing
tensions and tragedies inherent in the Italian
American family. What is the message you
would like people to leave your novels with?
AT: One message is that even when
betrayed by a family member, Italian
Americans have a certain loyalty to each
other. I have to write what I see, so my idea
of the Italian American experience will be
unique to my perspective. I am particularly
interested in women and the family. I have
been empowered by the women in my own
family and I want to tell these stories that
have not traditionally been told to
mainstream America. My goal is to do that
while creating something well-crafted and
beautiful.
CI: So far, you have reached that goal. What's
next for you?
AT: On October 5, I have a cookbook
coming out. It's called Cooking With My
Sisters and its based on my grandmother's
recipes. My grandmother was famous for
her cooking and when she died, she hid all
of her recipes behind the cabinetry in her
kitchen. We only discovered her recipes
when doing renovations to the house.
Lucia Lucia
Big Stone Gap
Big Cherry Holler
Milk Glass Moon
CI: We'll look forward to seeing that. Thanks
so much for talking with us.
If you would like more information about
Adriana Trigiani or the Coccia Institute's
Conversation with her, please call the Coccia
Institute at 973-655-4050.
all by Adriana
Trigiani
C OC C I A I NS T IT U T E Ne ws let te r
Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani
An Authentic Story of the
Italian Experience in America
Adriana Trigiani's latest novel,
Queen of the Big Time, brings us
to the small Italian American
community
of
Roseto,
Pennsylvania, where we meet Nella
Castelluca. Nella is the middle
sister in a family of five daughters
and has aspirations of attending
college and becoming a school
teacher. As Nella quickly learns,
however, sometimes dreams are
quashed by circumstances beyond
her control and she must learn to
seek happiness where she can find
it.
Trigiani's pages are filled with
references to traditional Italian
American communities and
customs.
For example, she
explains how the town of Roseto
was settled by northern Italian
immigrants who could not get
work among Italians in New York
or New Jersey because of their
distinctive dialect. Instead, these
Italians settled in Pennsylvania to
work in quarries and mines. They
carried with them their old
customs, even recreating the
geography of their Italian town in
Roseto, down to replicating which
families lived next to each other.
They also brought their religious
festivals, including the feast of Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel (from which
the title Queen of the Big Time is
derived). Many of these historical
details have been passed down
through Trigiani's own family. In a
recent interview, Trigiani revealed
Coccia Institute Presents
Men Of The Cloth
that Nella is based on her
grandmother who grew up in
Roseto and who passed down her
stories through the generations.
Queen of the Big Time, more than
any other of Trigiani's novels,
draws the reader into the
traditional Italian American family.
Nella's struggle between selfsacrifice for the sake of the family
and her own happiness mirrors the
dilemma which faced (and still
faces) many Italian American
women. Trigiani manages to
reveal how the family can be
simultaneously supportive and
demanding, even to the extent of
suffocating its individual members
for the common good. However,
Trigiani's characters are never
bitter; they accept their lot in life
with humor and warmth, making
the best of what they have
accomplished and relying on the
love of those around them.
Trigiani is to be commended for
producing novels that accurately
and positively reflect on the Italian
American
experience
while
appealing to a wide audience.
Queen of the Big Time is no
exception and is a must-read for
those interested in Italian
American issues as well as for
those simply looking for a
heartwarming story of life and
love.
-Jennifer D'Angiolillo, Esq.
On Sunday, June 27, 2004 The Coccia
Institute for the Italian Experience in
America and The Center for Italian and
Italian American Culture, Inc. joined to
present to the public a private screening of
Vicki Vasilopoulos' independently produced
film project, Men of the Cloth.
The documentary chronicles the history of
Italian master tailors whom Vasilopoulos
describes as men of "humble upbringing"
who make "exalted clothing." While the
central focus of the film honors the devotion
of master tailors to their craft and their
struggle to keep their ancient tradition as
artisans alive in an automated era, this is also
an immigrant story.
By interweaving the sagas of Nino, Renato,
Checchino, and Giacomo into the fabric of
her film, Vasilopoulos unravels history,
offering her audience both a comprehensive
account of the sartorial tradition in Italy and
the United States, as well as a glorious
glimpse into the struggles and successes of
Italian immigrants. Replete with archival
footage, family photographs, confessional
interviews, slice of life imagery, and music
which evokes the old country, Men of the
Cloth will undoubtedly resonate with the
experience of the Italian American
community.
Ms. Vasilopoulos' project, once completed,
will bring a rich tapestry, woven by threads of
many lives, to the American public. If you
would like more information about Men of
the Cloth or are interested in making a
contribution to the New York Foundation
for the Arts in support of the film, please
contact the Coccia Institute for the Italian
Experience in America at (973) 655-4050.
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C O C CI A I NS T I T U T E Ne w s le tt e r
JOIN THE NEW JERSEY COMMISSION &
COCCIA INSTITUTE FOR ITALIAN HERITAGE MONTH
ACTIVITIES ON OCTOBER 23!
We invite all Italian Americans to join the New Jersey Italian & Italian American Heritage Commission and the Coccia
Institute for Italian Heritage Month Activities on October 23!
Starting at 9 a.m. and until 3 p.m., the Commission will present a day of educational and fun events at Rutgers University.
The day's highlights will include a Congress of leaders of Italian American Organizations who will discuss "Issues Affecting
NJ Italian American Organizations Today." There will also be lectures and panels on issues from "Combating Negative
Stereotypes of Italian Americans" to "Italian Art Through the Ages." For more information on the Commission's programs,
please see www.njitalia.nj.gov or call 732-932-0670
At 7 p.m., the Coccia Institute will present an Italian Heritage Program at Montclair State University's brand new Alexander
Kassar Theater. The program will feature renowned concert singer Danny Tarantino. Mr. Tarantino will perform a selection
of pop, jazz and Sinatra classics plus Italian favorites. Additionally, the Coccia Institute will honor friends of Italian Culture
& Heritage with a short tribute. All proceeds of the concert will benefit the Coccia Institute's Italian Studies programs!
Newark native Danny Tarantino is a headline concert singer who has worked in the vocal tradition of "classic pop" for more
than two and a half decades. Mr. Tarantino pays tribute, in concert, to Frank Sinatra and to several great American
songwriters. Mr. Tarantino has been performing for three decades on the concert hall stages of Lincoln Center, Carnegie
Hall, colleges, theaters and performing arts centers.
Save the Date:
Oct. 23, 2004 --
New Jersey Commission
Italian Heritage Day at Rutgers
Oct.- Dec. 2004 -- The Italians of Montclair Exhibit
Montclair Free Public Library
Oct. 23, 2004 --
Coccia Institute Italian Heritage
Concert with Danny Tarantino
Nov. 3, 2004 --
Luigi Fortanella Lecture
Nov. 12-14, 2004 -- Il caso Papaleo at MSU
Dec. 12, 2004 --
La Befana program for children
April 9, 2005 --
1st Annual State Wide Italian
Dec. 13, 2004 -American Student Conference at MSU
May 23, 2005 --
Italian Studies Golf Classic & Casino Fundraising Event
Grazie to our
VOLUNTEERS
If you would like to help,
please call us
973-655-4050
Dr. Miele Lecture
Calandra Institute, Queens Coll.
COCCIA INSTITUTE
for the Italian Experience in America
Montclair State University
Dickson Hall, Suite 171
Montclair, NJ 07043
We can't continue to
promote Italian Culture &
Heritage without you!
Please Visit Our Website:http://chssfp.montclair.edu/cocciainstitute/
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