The Miners of Monongah
And the Families Who Lost Their Fathers
100 Years and One Star Later
Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood's Oldest Restaurant
Italians in... Switzerland? Ciao Ticino!
Lipstick and Steel-Toed Boots
A Real Life Winnie the Welder Recalls Her WWII Adventures
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ITALIAN AMERICA
Cook, eat, enjoy, repeat. A FAMILY. A BRAND. A LIFESTYLE.
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ITALIAN AMERICA
WINTER 2020
VOL. XXV No. 1
Italian America
®
T h e O ff i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r S o n s a n d D a u g h t e r s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a ®
Features
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100 YEARS AND ONE STAR LATER Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood’s Oldest Restaurant By Julia Stier
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ITALIANS IN … SWITZERLAND? Ciao Ticino! By James Blake Wiener
LIPSTICK AND STEEL-TOED BOOTS
A Real Life Winnie the Welder Recalls Her WWII Adventures By Kristin D’Agostino
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The Miners of monogah And the Families Who Lost Their Fathers By Miles Ryan Fisher
ON THE COVER: A real life Winnie the Welder, Peggy Citarella was a woman welder during World War II.
D e pa r t m e n t s 2 National News 3 Oggi in Italia 4 Regions 5 Mangia 6 Pagina Italiana
11 Bulletin Board
12 Our Story
13 Speakers Bureau 18 Book Reviews 24 OSDIA Nation
31 From the National 32 Foundation Focus 33 Fighting Stereotypes 34 Letters to the Editor 35 The Last Word 36 Piacere
Italian America is published by the Order Sons and daughters of Italy in America 219 E Street NE • Washington, DC 20002 • Phone: (202) 547-2900 • Web: www.osia.org Editor-in-Chief: Miles Ryan Fisher mfisher@osia.org Writers: Helen Colella; Julia Stier; Kristin D’Agostino; James Blake Wiener Translator: Serena Lonigro Proofreader: Peggy Daino, Marlene Palazzo Graphic Designer: Diane Vincent To advertise: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900
Italian America Magazine is a publication of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call (202) 547-2900. WINTER 2020
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ITALIAN AMERICA
National News
Italian American issues and events
Italian-American Congressional Delegation Supports OSDIA Last October, members of the Italian-American Congressional Delegation broke bread with National Officers of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in American (OSDIA). The delegation, which consists of 32 representatives and six senators, is co-chaired by Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr., from New Jersey and Representative Mark Amodei from Nevada. “It was very beneficial to meet with our Italian-American Representatives to discuss Italian-American issues and how we can work together to promote our heritage,” said Joseph DiTrapani, OSDIA Chief Operating Officer.
Front Row: OSDIA Chief Operating Officer Joseph DiTrapani; OSDIA First National Vice President Robert Bianchi, Esq.; Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA); Rep. Brian Higgins (NY); Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ). Back Row: Rep. Joe Morelle (NY); Rep. Darren Soto (FL); CSJ President Robert Ferrito; Rep. Thomas Suozzi (NY); Rep. Mike Doyle (PA); Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA); Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT); Jeff Fortenberry (NE); SIF President Joseph Sciame; Rep. John Larson (CT). Not pictured but in attendance were John Garamendi (CA) and Rep. Anthony Brindisi (NY).
White House Welcomes Italy President Sergio Mattarella On October 16, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella to the White House, where they celebrated the bond shared by their respective countries. “Tonight we celebrate the extraordinary friendship between Italy and the United States,” President Trump said, “and we honor the faith, courage, and countless achievements of our Italian-American community.” President Trump then went on to speak about the historical accomplishments of many individual Italians, including Christopher Columbus. “His memory stands as an enduring testament to the daring spirit that built our great civilization. And as long as I have anything to say about this … it will always be Columbus Day.” Many notable Italian Americans were in attendance at the White House Ceremony, including many members of Congress as well as Mario Andretti, Eugene Scalia, and General Peter Pace. “Countless Italian Americans have answered the call to defend our nation in uniform, serving in every war and every branch of our armed forces,” President Trump stated. After being introduced, President Mattarella, who is OSDIA COO Joseph DiTrapani represents the the first Sicilian President of Order at the White House. the Italian Republic, took WINTER 2020
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Italy President Sergio Mattarella at the ceremony last October. the podium. “More and more people, including many youngsters, now consider the United States and Italy as a home which they can live in and move back and forth in, therefore supporting our countries with passion and determination as they head toward the future,” he said. He went on to stress the importance of the bonds between the United States and Italy, particularly as they relate to defense policies, social relations, and economy and trade. The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America were proud to be represented by Chief Operating Officer Joseph DiTrapani at the White House ceremony. “As the president stated,” Mr. DiTrapani later said, “‘Italian Americans have invigorated every aspect of our society, culture, and history.’ I believe that our organization and all of its members are the perfect testament to that.” ITALIAN AMERICA
Oggi in Italia
Italy’s news, politics, and culture
Venice Experiences Worst Flooding since 1966 On Tuesday, November 12, the water level in Venice reached more than six feet—the worst flooding in Italy since the 1966 Venice flood. Through the next five days, water levels in Venice rose more than five feet three separate times. Since 1872, when records were first kept, that level had not been reached more than once during a week’s span. “Venice is on its knees,” said Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro. Italy declared a state of emergency, and St. Mark’s Square along with its surrounding stores and museums were closed off to the public, as this was the hardest hit area. The mayor estimated that the flooding has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. In response to this catastrophic flooding, the Sons of Italy Foundation rallied its Disaster Relief Fund, which has provided aid to Italy in the wake of numerous natural disasters, most recently the 2016 Central Italy earthquake. “In the past, the Sons and Daughters of Italy have answered the call to action when tragedies have struck the land of their ancestors,” said OSDIA National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn and Sons of Italy Foundation President Comm. Joseph Sciame in a joint statement. “While
Individuals slog through St. Mark’s Square prior to the square being cordoned off. we know that Venice’s needs will be great, now is the time for our members to once again answer the call and make as generous a contribution as possible.” Please see Page 32 of the magazine for more information about the Sons of Italy Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund and how to donate.
Italy’s Schools to Study Climate Change and Sustainability Beginning in the fall, Italy’s public school students will be required to study climate change and sustainability. About 33 hours of study relating to climate change will be built into the curriculum of already existing civics classes. Study relating to sustainability will be built into more traditional subjects, such as geography, mathematics, and physics. This initiative has been spearheaded by Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti with the intent of making Italy a world leader in environment-related matters. “I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school,” Fioramonti said. To support this initiative, he has assembled a panel of scientific experts to help rework the national curriculum. The panel includes Jeffery D. Sachs, a world-leading expert on economic development and the fight against poverty; Jeremy Rifkin, an economic and social theorist; and Kate Raworth, an economist working for the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. WINTER 2020 3 ITALIAN AMERICA
“The 21st century citizen must be a sustainable citizen,” Fioramonti said.
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Regions of Italy
Italy’s Twenty Regions
Trentino-Alto Adige The Land of Italia and Germania
Trentino-Alto Adige is a particularly unique region, due in large part to its location. It borders Austria to the north, Switzerland to the northwest, and two Italian regions: Veneto to the east and south, and Lombardy to the west. The region goes by many names because of its two distinct provinces: Trento and Bolzano, commonly referred to as South Tyrol or Südtirol, its German name. For this reason, you may hear the region referred to as TrentinoAlto Adige/South Tyrol or Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Interestingly, the Province of Bolzano/South Tyrol not only occupies the northern territory of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, it is also the northern-most part of Italy. North Tyrol and East Tyrol are parts of Austria and border Bolzano/South Tyrol. The region’s other province, Trento, occupies the southern territory of the region. FUN FACT: In South Tyrol/Bolzano, all road signs and public notices are written in both Italian and German. It was not until 1919 that Italy annexed TrentinoAlto Adige. Prior to that, the region was part of AustriaHungary (and its predecessors, the Austrian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire). Under Mussolini, inhabitants of the region were given the choice to accept Italian citizenship or retain their German citizenship and migrate north. This, however, did not lead to the intended creation of a wholly Italian region, though more than 90% of the region’s people have Italian citizenship. In Bolzano/South Tyrol, the majority (about 70%) speak German, many of its inhabitants having Austrian or Christmas Market in Vipiteno, a small village in Bolzano. (Ekaterina Kondratova)
Campitello di Fassa, a small village in Trentino that sits within the Dolomites. (Dontsov Evgeny) Bavarian heritage. Both German and Italian share status as the province’s co-official languages. Meanwhile, in Trentino, the language landscape is far less disparate, the majority speaking Italian. Though the two provinces bear distinct differences in heritage, their geographies offer many similarities. Both provinces are very mountainous, Bolzano/South Tyrol being located completely in the Alps. The Dolomites offer postcard-worthy views, and it is no surprise that this region is world-famous for its ski resorts. Visitors not only frequent Trentino-Alto Adige in the winter, but also in the summer to hike the mountains and spend time at the northern tip of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Trentino-Alto Adige is a notably wealthy region, and Bolzano/South Tyrol is one of the most developed areas in all of the European Union. There, work abounds in a variety of industries ranging from machinery and steel to tourism and agriculture. When it comes to food, Trentino-Alto Adige distinguishes itself from the rest of Italy with just how popular sausages and goulash are, clearly a product of the Austrian/ Hungarian/German influence. With this in mind, many of their meals revolve around such foods many a skier undoubtedly consumes to warm up after a day on the slopes. Trentino-Alto Adige Capital: Trento Population: 1,070,340 (16th of the 20 regions) Size: 5,524 square miles (11th of the 20 regions) Provinces: Bolzano, Trento
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Mangia!
Salsa di Pomodoro Cruda
Pepperoni Arrostiti e Pomodori Secchi
Raw Tomato Sauce
Roasted Peppers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Ingredients 1 pound pasta, dry or fresh 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 sweet onion, minced 1 cup pine nuts 1 tablespoon large capers packed in salt, chopped 4–5 sweet red peppers, peeled and minced after roasting 2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, minced 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 cups of marinara sauce • Place the peppers in an ovenproof pan under the broiler. Rotate the peppers often to char on all sides. Place the peppers into a paper bag and seal or in a covered pot until they cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skin as best you can, core out the seeds and stems, and discard. • Pour the oil into a medium-large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté about 10 minutes until tender and golden brown. • In the same pan, add the rinsed capers and pine nuts, and sauté for 1 minute. Stir until the pine nuts are just about a light golden color. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, marinara sauce, and roasted peppers. Mix together in the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt then pasta, and bring back to boil. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Strain the pasta, and save a cup of pasta water. Place the pasta back in the pot, fold in some of the sauce, torn basil, and some of the pasta water if needed. • Top with additional sauce, a dash of extra virgin olive oil, and either grated Romano or Parmigiano cheese when serving.
Ingredients 2 pounds ripe cherry tomatoes cut in half 4 cloves cracked garlic 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 sprigs of fresh basil, leaves only 1 tablespoon salt and black pepper, or to taste 4- to 6-quart pot 1 pound dry pasta, preferably spaghetti ½ teaspoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese for topping, optional • Slice the cherry tomatoes using a sharp knife and add them to a 4- to 6-quart pot. • Separate the leaves from three of the six basil sprigs. Fold in salt, extra virgin olive oil, and the basil leaves using a large wooden spoon. • If you are away from home, cover the tomatoes with a glass lid. If the pot has no lid, use cling film wrap to cover the top of the pot. Place the pot in direct sunlight for several hours. I have left it to ripen for up to five hours. You can also speed up the process with the traditional method of heating it on the stove until tomatoes become soft. • The salt and heat will break down the tomatoes and produce delicious juicy goodness. This is the time to dip in a crusty piece of bread to taste.
If you liked these recipes, find more (with many fish recipes!) in Daniel Paterna’s Feast of Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian’s Recipes Celebrating Food & Family.
• Slice the rest of the basil and add more if you prefer. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, then pasta, and bring back to boil. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Strain the pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water. Place the pasta back in the pot, fold in some of the fresh tomatoes, torn or sliced basil, and juice. Add some of the pasta water if needed. • Top with additional fresh tomato sauce when serving, a dash of extra virgin olive oil, and either Romano or Parmigiana grated cheese.
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ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 5
Pagina Italiana
Per chi studia la nostra lingua
Vino Pregiato e Rose Ibride Translated by Serena Lonigro
Chiunque avesse conosciuto Hadley Jackson, compresa Bianca Amorelli, veniva conquistato dal suo sorriso seducente e dall’affascinante accento del sud. I suoi modi garbati ammaliavano le donne. Il suo temperamento socievole conquistava gli uomini.
ingredienti che prometteva di sradicare qualunque tipo di erbaccia permettendo, al tempo stesso, ai fiori di sbocciare. Sarebbe un miracolo se funzionasse, pensò Bianca.
Anche Bianca cadde sotto il suo incantesimo. Era attratta da lui come la promessa dell’acqua e della luce del sole attirava il suo giardino di rose ibride. Lo sposò, credendo che insieme avrebbero avuto una vita perfetta.
Ogni giorno, prima del rituale che anticipava la cena − quando la coppia gustava un bicchiere di vino sul patio che dava sul giardino − Bianca si affrettava a curare le rose. Seguiva le istruzioni sull’etichetta dell’elisir e somministrava il dosaggio giornaliero: un quarto di un cucchiaino dissolto nel liquido. Poi attendeva.
Dopo alcuni anni di matrimonio un altro lato di Hadley iniziò ad emergere. Divenne possessivo, ed in quei momenti, Bianca temeva per la sua sicurezza. Un giorno mi farà del male, pensava.
Non ci volle molto prima che ogni erbaccia sparisse e, come promesso, le rose ibride fiorirono oltre ogni immaginazione. E con loro, anche Bianca. La vita era bella di nuovo.
Anche gli altri iniziarono a notarlo e l’unico assaggio che Bianca ebbe della sua cosiddetta raffinatezza, ruotava attorno alla sua ossessione per i vini pregiati importati dai migliori vigneti italiani. “Solo il meglio per me,” diceva lui. “E per te naturalmente, Bianca.” Poi assaporava ogni sorso del suo vino.
Per celebrare, decise di costruire uno spettacolare gazebo per organizzare delle feste pomeridiane con degustazione di vini alle quali invitare i suoi amici. Ora tutti coloro che faranno visita potranno godere delle mie bellissime rose, pensò lei.
Bianca cercava di non farci caso e trovava scuse per l’atteggiamento prepotente di Hadley, ma lui continuava a minacciarla come le erbacce che cominciarono a crescere nel suo roseto. Non importava quanto lei cercasse di dimostrargli il suo amore, lui continuava a soffocarla proprio come le erbacce facevano con le sue rose. Mentre guardava i suoi amati fiori, decise di seguire il consiglio di sua nonna. Devi sempre prenderti cura della vita, le diceva sua nonna. Perché la vita è meravigliosa. Si rivolse ad internet, dove trovò e acquistò un contenitore di “elisir miracoloso,” una miscela speciale di
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A poco a poco tutti iniziarono a notare come Hadley Jackson non facesse più parte della sua vita. Non la tormentava più come faceva in passato. Alcuni amici chiesero, “Dov’è Hadley? Che fine ha fatto?” Senza pensarci due volte Bianca rispondeva, “È andato a sud. Abbiamo concordato una separazione amichevole. Quindi per quanto mi riguarda, è una questione morta e sepolta.” A volte i suoi amici la stuzzicavano su quanto le fosse costato il gazebo. Bianca sorrideva e rispondeva “Non è niente in confronto a quello che mi è quasi costato Hadley.” Bianca amava le sue rose ibride e rendeva loro omaggio tutti i giorni. Ogni sera, prima di cena, camminava ai margini del giardino e versava delicatamente un po’ del suo vino sull’erba. “Ecco a te Hadley,” diceva. “Solo il meglio per te.” Serena Lonigro was born and raised in Napoli. She graduated from the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures and now works in marketing and news media.
(800) 222–4750 | clv@cord.edu | ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org
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Fine Wines and Hybrid Roses By Helen Colella
Everyone who met Hadley Jackson, including Bianca Amorelli, was taken by his engaging smile and charming southern accent. His suave manners captivated women. His gregarious personality won men over.
To celebrate, she decided to build a spectacular gazebo for afternoon wine tasting parties that she began to host for her friends. Now everyone who visits can enjoy my beautiful roses, she thought.
Bianca fell under his spell, too. She was drawn to him like the promise of sunshine and water to her hybrid rose garden. She married him, believing they’d have the perfect life together.
Everyone slowly began to notice how Hadley Jackson was no longer part of her life. He no longer tormented her as he did before. A few friends asked, “Where’s Hadley? What’s happened to him?”
After a few years of marriage, another side of Hadley began to emerge. He became possessive, and when he did, Bianca feared for her safety. One day, he’s going to hurt me, she thought.
Without a second thought Bianca would answer, “He went south. We agreed on an amicable separation. So as far as I’m concerned, he’s a dead issue.”
Others began to notice, and the only glimpse Bianca got of his so-called refinement revolved around his obsession for fine wines imported from Italy’s best vineyards. “Nothing but the best for me,” he’d say. “And of course, you, Bianca.” Then he savored every sip of his wine. Bianca tried to overlook and make excuses for Hadley’s domineering behavior, but it continued to threaten her just like the weeds that began to grow in her rose garden. No matter how much she put forth to show her love for him, he continued to choke the life out of her just as the weeds were doing to her roses. As she looked upon her beloved roses, she decided to follow her grandmother’s advice. You must always care for life, her grandmother had told her. For life is beautiful.
Sometimes her friends teased her about the expense of the gazebo. Bianca would smile and answer, “It’s nothing compared to what Hadley almost cost me.” Bianca loved her hybrid roses and paid homage to them on a daily basis. Every evening before dinner, she’d walk to the edge of the garden and gently pour a splash of her wine onto the grass. “There you go Hadley,” she’d say. “Still nothing but the best for you.” Helen Colella is a published freelancer, mother of five, and teacher. She writes educational books and general articles/ stories for adults/children.
She turned to the internet, where she found and purchased a container of “miracle elixir,” a special blend of ingredients that claimed to eradicate weeds of all kinds yet allowed flowers to bloom. It would be a miracle if it worked, Bianca thought. Every day, before the couple’s pre-dinner ritual of enjoying a glass of wine on the patio overlooking her garden, Bianca would hasten to tend to the roses. She followed the directions on the label of the elixir and delivered the daily dosage: one-quarter teaspoon dissolved in liquid. Then she waited. It didn’t take long before every weed vanished, and as promised, the hybrid roses bloomed beyond imagination. And with them, so did Bianca. Once again, life was good.
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By Julia Stier
Walking through the doors of the Musso & Frank Grill is like taking a step back in time. A restaurant dedicated to excellence and tradition, the famous Musso & Frank Grill set the table to celebrate a century of quality culinary service on September 27, 2019. This Italian-American establishment has the title of “Hollywood’s Oldest Restaurant”—with the stories to prove it. With patrons ranging from silent film stars and literary lions to
everyday Angelinos, Musso’s has been at the heart of all things Hollywood for the last 100 years.
Musso’s own Hollywood Star, unveiled on September 27, 2019. This was the first time a Hollywood Star was given to a restaurant. (Courtesy of Musso & Frank Grill)
In 1919—four years before the iconic Hollywood sign went up— the Musso & Frank Grill opened as Frank’s Café. Then, when owner Frank Toulet partnered with restaurateur Joseph Musso, the pair changed the name to the Musso & Frank Grill (commonly referred to as Musso’s) and hired French chef Jean Rue as the restaurant’s master chef. Just eight years after its original opening, Toulet and Musso sold Musso’s in 1927 to the similarly named John Mosso and Joseph Carissimi, two Italian immigrants who retained the establishment’s name. Today, the three granddaughters of John Mosso and their families manage the restaurant. Mosso’s great-grandson, Mark Echeverria, serves as the current Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Proprietor. Since its opening, Musso’s history and the history of Hollywood have been intertwined.
The Musso & Frank Grill, which has always been located at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard. (Courtesy of Musso & Frank Grill) WINTER 2020
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Even in its early years, Musso’s maintained a roster of elite regulars. In the 1920s, the restaurant saw an influx of silent movie stars, such as Charlie ITALIAN AMERICA
This past year, for the restaurant’s 100th birthday, the owners of Musso’s celebrated its future by honoring its past. Echeverria says that at Musso’s, one can “get a taste of what old Hollywood used to be, what Hollywood is now, and what the future of Hollywood will be, because we’re not going anywhere.”
Musso’s famous martini, named one of the top 20 cocktails in America. (Tina Whatcott-Echeverria)
Chaplin and Mary Pickford. Chaplin was an early regular and became so attached to one particular table that the front window booth has been officially dubbed “The Charlie Chaplin booth.” Chef Rue used to make a special dish for Pickford and her then-husband and fellow silent film star, Douglas Fairbanks, from a recipe they brought back from Italy. As Echeverria explains, while Pickford and Fairbanks were on their honeymoon in Rome, they got their hands on the original recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo by presenting Chef Alfredo with a gold fork and spoon. Echeverria says that, according to their knowledge, Musso’s was the first restaurant to ever serve the dish in the States. A decade later, when the Screen Writers Guild still resided on Hollywood Boulevard, Musso’s elite Back Room (which opened in 1934) became a haven for literary legends. John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and T.S. Elliot, among others, were frequent visitors. They would sip cocktails, edit manuscripts, and perhaps even dream up a chapter or two for their next novels. In fact, Raymond Chandler wrote several chapters of The Big Sleep in the Back Room. WINTER 2020 9 ITALIAN AMERICA
Musso’s is known for much more than its famous clientele, however. During the 1940s and 1950s when martinis were the cocktails of choice, Musso’s was stirring up some of the best in town. “Musso’s and martinis were synonymous at that point,” Echeverria says. That association has stood the test of time, and in 2008, GQ named the Musso’s martini one of The 20 Best Cocktails in America.
The celebrations began the last week in September with the Monday launch of Michael Callahan’s new book about the Musso & Frank Grill. Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch detective novels—almost all of which include a scene set in Musso’s— wrote the book’s introduction which, Echeverria shares, includes a “little vignette on how to drink the perfect martini.” The book is brimming with tales from Musso’s illustrious past and includes never-before-shared recipes for some of the restaurant’s most popular items—including that famous recipe for their Fettuccini Alfredo. The anniversary revelries continued that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with invite-only events for
A look inside the Musso & Frank Grill. (Tina Whatcott-Echeverria) ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 9
As early as the 1920s, Musso’s appeared in numerous movies, TV shows, and even books. Its iconic interior has provided the set for many blast-from-the-past shows such as the 1922 silent film Cops and the retro television series Mad Men. Last year, many saw Musso’s on the big screen in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The Musso & Frank Grill book commemorates 100 years of Hollywood’s most famous restaurant.
Musso’s regulars. On those days, menu prices rolled back to what they were in 1919. Guests could sip martinis for only 10 cents and cut into a steak for just a buck. Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Al Pacino film “Once Upon a Time” in Musso & Frank Grill. (Andrew Cooper)
And then, on Friday, September 27, the Musso and Frank Grill received the most iconic Hollywood gift of all: an Award of Excellence, better known as a star on the Hollywood Boulevard. This marked the first time a restaurant was bestowed this honor. In a city that’s always changing, how has the Musso & Frank Grill endured? Echeverria thanks, in part, the Italian heritage of the original owners. He acknowledges that his great-grandfather, John Mosso, a native of Torino, had a focus and determination that came with being an immigrant in America. “Throughout the generations,” Echeverria says, “we’ve kept that dedication and that same mindset of we’re going to make this work, we’re going to get it done no matter what it takes.” Julia Stier is an LA-based actress and writer. When she’s not in rehearsal, she loves to explore her city and write about her adventures. Learn more at www.juliastier.com
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Bulletin Board
What’s new: discounts, services and events
Congratulazioni, Joseph! Congratulations to Joseph Donato, winner of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) Do You Know Your Roots contest that was held in honor of Italian American Heritage Month last October. Joe was randomly selected from those who joined, gifted, or renewed their OSDIA At-Large Membership in October. Joe’s father, Michael Donato, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest child of Joseph and Carmella Donato (née Annunziato). Joseph’s mother, Roseann Donato, was also born in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest child of Peter and Louise Perrotta (née Pascone). Both sides of Joe’s family arrived in the United States at the close of the 19th century amid the great wave of Italian migration. “They were patriotic Americans who remained proud of their rich Italian heritage,” Joe wrote about his parents and grandparents. “They taught me the value of a good education, good music, laughter, and friendship. Their sacrifice and encouragement afforded me an opportunity to pursue a career of consequence.”
Save the Date! The Sons of Italy Foundation’s 32nd Annual
NatioNal EducatioN & lEadErship awards Gala Friday, May 22, 2020 Hilton McLean Tysons Corner McLean, Virginia Visit www.osia.org for NELA GALA updates and announcements. WINTER 2020 11 ITALIAN AMERICA
(Right) Joe with his paternal grandmother, Carmella. (Left) Joe’s maternal great-grandfather, Al Pascone. Joe is choosing the My Italian Family “5 Generations Back” Research Project, which will locate his ancestors’ names, occupations, where they grew up, and many more amazing historical details.” Look for Joe’s results in Italian America’s Summer 2020 issue. The Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America would like to offer a special thanks to Bianca Ottone from My Italian Family for donating the research package. To find out more about your own roots, visit www.myitalianfamily. com. Remember that all OSDIA members can receive a 10% discount from My Italian Family.
Sons of Italy Foundation Scholarships Apply Now! Every year, The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) awards 10-12 scholarships that assist outstanding Italian-American students with their college and graduate studies. Grants awarded are up to $20,000 per student. This year’s scholarship recipients are invited to be guests at the SIF’s annual National & Education Leaderships Awards (NELA) Gala that will be held on May 22, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Each applicant will receive a one-year At-Large Membership to the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, which includes a one-year subscription to Italian America magazine. Scholarship information and application can be found on:
http://www.osia.org For questions or assistance, contact scholarships@osia.org
Deadline to Apply: February 29, 2020
The 2019 SIF scholarship recipients at the NELA Gala.
ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 11
Our Story
Italian American history and culture
The Foundation of Hellenism and the Sons & Daughters of Italy Join Forces to Honor Constantino Brumidi The Michelangelo of the Capitol. The Michelangelo of the United States. The Michelangelo of America. These are the superlatives bestowed on a man who was buried in an unmarked grave at Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C. For 72 years, the grave would go unidentified until it was rediscovered and his name— Constantino Brumidi—was placed on it in 1952. Today, however, Brumidi gains increasingly more praise for the artistic feat of bringing the European style to the New World while incorporating American themes. Brumidi was born in Rome, Italy, in 1805 to a Greek father, Stavros Broumidis, and an Italian mother, Anna Bianchini. It was in Italy that, at age 13, he began studying the art of fresco painting and developed a flair for it that was noticed early on. He painted in several Roman palaces and even the Vatican for three years. With a revolutionary mindset, Brumidi joined the Risorgimento in its formative years and was soon forced to leave Italy. In 1852, he made his way to the United States. He initially settled in New York City, but two years later, he relocated to Washington, D.C., upon seeing the vast possibilities that lay in the nation’s new U.S. Capitol Building, whose architecture incorporated classical Greek and Roman styles. For 25 years, Brumidi worked on various projects inside the U.S. Capitol. He painted the Brumidi Corridors, hallways on the first floor of the Senate wing whose designs were based on the works of Raphael, which appear in the Vatican. He also painted the Frieze of American History, which wraps around the Capitol’s rotunda and features scenes from America’s young history. The plaque donated by the Sons of Italy Foundation and But what he is most Grand Lodge of Maryland on known for—and for behalf of the Order Sons and which he receives refer- Daughters of Italy in America. WINTER 2020
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ences to Michelangelo—is the Apotheosis of George Washington, which adorns the dome of the rotunda. Brumidi also painted two paintings—Liber ty and Union—that hang in the entrance hall of the White House as well as paintings of Peter and Paul that adorn the interior of the great dome of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.
(L. to R.) Contractor Dominic Petrucci, Foundation of Hellenism of America President Michael Servos, and Sons of Italy Foundation President Joseph Sciame at the ceremony.
On October 19, the Foundation of Hellenism of America—a Greek heritage organization—unveiled a 6’2”, 500-pound bronze statue of Constantino Brumidi in Brown-Leanos Park in Annapolis, Maryland. The $60,000 statue was sculpted in Verona, Italy, through John Mazzolini Artcraft of Cleveland, Ohio. Last summer, it took a flight across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. The Foundation of Hellenism of America’s President, Michael Servos, contacted the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), seeking to build a bridge between the two organizations. The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF)—OSDIA’s philanthropic arm—contributed $5,000, and the OSDIA Grand Lodge of Maryland contributed $1,000 toward the construction of the statue’s foundation and pedestal. With a total amount of $6,000, OSDIA commissioned Dominic Petrucci, an Italian immigrant, to build the foundation and create the plaque. At the October 19th ceremony, SIF President Joseph Sciame and OSDIA Grand Lodge of Maryland State President Anita Lombardi Riley both served as guest speakers. “This marks a wonderful partnership in which two heritage groups came together to honor a man who deserves to be recognized and remembered,” said SIF President Joseph Sciame.
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Speakers Bureau
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Sons & Daughters of Italy Speakers Bureau Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these experts directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. For more speakers see: www.osia.org at “Culture & History.” To apply as a speaker, contact Miles Fisher at mfisher@osia.org • COLORADO Inspirational speaker, educator, and musician James Divine speaks about growing up Italian. He gives a comedic and dramatic presentation on what it was like growing up with a mom from Napoli and can also incorporate live saxophone music of Italian songs. He is the author of I Cannoli: My Italian Life. Book signing. Contact: (719) 2384193 Email: jamesthedivine@gmail.com Website: www.jamesdivine.net Will also travel to: Anywhere in the United States • FLORIDA Retired law professor Michael J. Polelle speaks about his novel, The Mithras Conspiracy (Lido Press), a thriller set in Rome about a cult dedicated to the Roman god, Mithras. He also speaks about American Constitutional law issues. He is a former columnist of Fra Noi Magazine and an award-winning legal writer. Book signing. Contact: (941) 388-1840 Email: 7polelle@jmls.edu Website: www.mjpolelle.com Will also travel to: West Coast and other areas in the United States • NEW YORK Author, journalist, and photographer Eleanor Foa speaks about Italian Jews, their history, and their World War II experience in Italy as well as the story of Italian Jewish printing and how/ why it came about. She also talks about the memoir writing process and her recent release, Mixed Messages: Reflections on an Italian Jewish Family and Exile (Centro Primo Levi, Inc.). Book signing. Contact: (212) 879-1542 Email: efoa@usa.net Website: www.eleanorfoa.com • NEW YORK Artist, educator, national speaker, and exhibiter Patrick Morelli speaks about art and creating national monuments. He is the creator of two national monuments: “Behold” Monument honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at King Historical Park, and “Eagles Rock September 11th Memorial” overlooking the former site of the Twin Towers and honoring the victims with a 165-foot granite “Wall of RememWINTER 2020 13 ITALIAN AMERICA
brance.” He has designed and sculpted “La Bellissima America”/“America the Beautiful”—a tribute to ItalianAmerican immigrants as well as their sons and daughters. He is also the author of two novels. Book signing and sale of existing fine art sculpture and graphics. Contact: (518) 782-4671 Email: MorelliART@ aol.com Website: www.MorelliART.com (National Monuments and National Art Education Programs); www.Braveheartsandminds.com (Dramatic and comic novels) Will also travel to: Anywhere nationally or internationally • NEW YORK Author Anthony Sciarratta speaks about art, entertainment, Italian culture, and his debut novel, Finding Forever (Post Hill Press), an Italian-American love story set in the 1970s. Book signing. Contact: (646) 593-2254 Email: asciarratta95@gmail.com Website: www.anthonysciarratta.com Will also travel to: Anywhere in the New York City area • RHODE ISLAND Professor of Renaissance art and architectural history Dr. Rocky Ruggiero speaks on art and architecture dating back to ancient Rome and traveling through the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. He has appeared as an expert witness for NBC News, the History Channel, and NatGeo/NOVA PBS, and produces a popular podcast series called “Rebuilding the Renaissance,” which is available on all major hosting platforms. He now divides his time between the U.S. and Italy. In the U.S., he offers specialized lectures, educational seminars, and cultural events as a paid speaker on Italian art and architectural history. In Italy, he offers private excursions and week-long study programs throughout the country. Contact: (401) 390-1356 Email: rockyr@rockyruggiero.com Website: www.rockyruggiero.com Will also travel to: Anywhere in the U.S. and Canada
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By James Blake Wiener
When crossing the border from Italy’s regions of Lombardy and Piedmont into the Swiss canton of Ticino, one cannot help but notice the shared culture and climate between the neighboring populations. The Ticinese converse in fluent Italian, cultivate olive and chestnut trees, and live in stone, square houses rather than timbered chalets. Aside from the ubiquitous Swiss flags and piazzas named after Wilhelm Tell, you would be forgiven for mistaking Ticino as merely an extension of Italy’s northern regions.
“How is it that Ticino is not a part of Italy, and why do the Ticinese speak Italian rather than French or German?” they ask. Contemporary Ticinese, in turn, continue to ponder similar questions with regard to their distinct cultural identity. The history of how the Ticinese kept their Italian language and unique traditions over the centuries is an unusual story of cultural continuity, shifting borders, and protracted emigration.
Tiny in size but endowed with lovely snow-capped mountains, elegant lakeside cities, and countless vineyards, Ticino is where Swiss order and financial acumen merge with Italian charm and finesse. However, the ties which bind the Ticinese to both Italy and Switzerland are an endless source of confusion to outsiders. Sonogno is a quaint alpine town that lies in the remote Valle Verzasca in Ticino. First mentioned around 1200 AD, Sonogno’s inhabitants speak a unique dialect of Italian that is a mixture of Latin and Celtic languages. A view of Lake Lugano. Lugano is the largest city in Ticino and the largest city with an Italian-speaking majority outside of Italy.
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Castelgrande is the largest of the three castles in Bellinzona. The castles of Bellinzona are the only remaining examples in the Alps of heavy military architecture, which date from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Bernardino Luini (1480-1532 AD) painted the stunning frescoes in Lugano’s Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1529 AD. Over 150 figures can be seen in this fresco representing the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The Celtic inhabitants intermarried with Roman settlers, fusing their respective cultures into something entirely new: the Gallo-Roman culture.
Identity in Switzerland is very localized. Each canton of Switzerland has its own laws, dialects, and history.
Switzerland is anything but typical. It has four official languages—German, French, Italian, and Romansh—and medieval traditions of direct democracy. Switzerland is neutral and has never been a member of the European Union. Despite the country’s small size—comparable to Vermont and New Hampshire combined—the rugged Alps kept people apart, allowing the Swiss to retain their dialects, religious faiths, and cultural practices over the centuries. So how was it that a part of Switzerland ended up speaking Italian? For hundreds of years, the Celtic peoples occupied much of present-day Switzerland until their defeat at the hands of Julius Caesar in 58 BC ushered the Romans into Switzerland for the next 500 years. The Romans established their capital at Avenches in what is now western Switzerland and oversaw the construction of administrative centers in Zürich, Geneva, and Locarno. In true Roman form, they built aqueducts as well as transalpine roads, which carried goods north and south over the Alps. WINTER 2020 15 ITALIAN AMERICA
Switzerland’s ethnic and linguistic composition is a direct result of what transpired following the retreat of the Romans. As the Roman legions departed, Germanic tribes vied for control over the region between 400 and 750 AD, and they each left a distinct demographic footprint. The Alemanni moved into what is central and northern Switzerland, where they outnumbered and absorbed the remaining Gallo-Roman population. Their descendants, the Swiss Germans, make up 63 percent of the Swiss population and speak various dialects of High German.
The geographic distribution of the four languages spoken in Switzerland. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 15
and cities throughout Ticino and Italy. The Ticinese amount to 8 percent of the Swiss population and are the heirs of the Lombards, speaking Lombard dialects of Italian and maintaining close ties with their kin in nearby Lombardy. The ties that bind Ticino to Italy solidified during the Middle Ages, when the cities of Como and Milan exercised political control over Ticino. Ticinese towns like Bellinzona, Lugano, and Locarno grew and flourished through their economic links to Milan, Genoa, and Venice. A view from Castlegrande of castles Montebello and Sasso Corbaro. All three of Bellinzona’s castles are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The canton of Ticino borders the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont to the south.
In western Switzerland, the Burgundians and Franks settled around Lakes Geneva, Bienne, and Neuchâtel. They adopted the local Latin dialect and intermarried with the more numerous Gallo-Roman population. Their descendants, the Swiss French, make up 23 percent of the Swiss population and speak French. Those Gallo-Romans who lived in the isolated southwestern Alpine valleys avoided occupation by Germanic tribes, and their Latin vernacular developed into a Romance language: Romansh. Romansh-speakers comprise only 0.5 percent of the Swiss population. Those who speak Romansh can claim to be the direct descendants of ancient Roman colonists and settlers.
And what of Ticino? Two Germanic tribes, the Ostrogoths and the Lombards, took Ticino as well as much of northern Italy by conquest in the aftermath of the Roman Empire’s collapse. The Lombards understood that Ticino’s alpine passes were pivotal thoroughfares in Europe—they were arteries for lucrative trade and cultural exchange between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Controlling these passes enabled the Lombards to attain great riches and power, which in turn enabled them to rebuild old Roman fortresses WINTER 2020
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By the dawn of the Renaissance, the Swiss Confederation (founded in 1291 AD as the precursor of modern Switzerland) coveted Ticino’s wealth and alpine passes. So the Milanese, under the Visconti and the Sforza dynasties, erected three magnificent castles in the city of Bellinzona to keep the Swiss out: Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro. These castles are among the finest Italian castles ever engineered and demonstrate Renaissance ideals of precision in symmetry and form. The Castle of Sasso Corbaro in Bellinzona was constructed by the Milanese in only six months’ time in 1479 AD.
With the onset of the Italian Wars (1494-1559 AD), Milanese control came to an end. The Ticinese preferred the Swiss to the French as overlords, and the Swiss took over Ticino between 1500 and 1513 A.D. The Swiss with their Ticinese allies even managed to briefly occupy Milan before being defeated by the French at the Battle of Marignano in 1515 A.D. It was after that disastrous defeat that the Swiss adopted a position of neutrality, and they have not participated in a foreign war since then. With peace and order restored, Ticino received great Italian artists like Bernardino Luini (1480-1532 AD), a protégé of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the stunning frescoes in Lugano’s Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli. The Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Enlightenment, Napoleonic Wars, and Industrial Revolution all affected Ticino in varying degrees, like the rest of Switzerland. Ticino, however, remained something of a quiet backwater compared to the more affluent Swiss German and French cantons. Enlightenment ideologies and the Napoleonic Wars first officially bound the cities of Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio and Vallemaggia together in 1798 AD. Five years later, they joined Bellinzona, Riviera, Leventina, and Blenio to form the new Swiss canton of Ticino in 1803 AD. The mid-1800s were tumultuous for the Ticinese as uneven industrialization impoverished many, spurring emigration to the United States and Australia. ITALIAN AMERICA
For both Elide and Andrea, Ticino shares Italy’s lively, warm Mediterranean vibe. “The fact that we speak Italian plays an important role in Ticinese culture and identity. It colors our daily lives,” Elide interjects with aplomb.
Ticinese wines like Merlot are traditionally served in a ceramic bowl known as a “boccalino.” These boccalini are decorated with the colors of Canton Ticino’s flag.
Italian revolutionaries met and planned the Risorgimento in Ticino during the 1850s and 1860s. Switzerland’s non-participation in the World Wars spared Ticino the devastation seen in neighboring Italy. Although he failed in making Ticino a part of his Irredentist Italy1, Benito Mussolini spent time in Ticino in 1903-1904 and 1908-1910. He worked as a bricklayer in Lugano and even socialized with the Ticinese social leader Guglielmo Canevascini.
Today, Ticino is among the most prosperous regions of Switzerland and Europe. Lugano ranks second only to Zürich in its number of banks, and Italians cross the border every day to take advantage of low Swiss taxes and high Swiss wages. The Gotthard Base Tunnel—the longest railway tunnel in the world—seamlessly connects Ticino to the rest of Switzerland. But what do the 354,375 Ticinese think about their identity, culture, and ties to both Switzerland and Italy? Elide Garbani-Nerini and Andrea Calzascia, two Ticinese professionals, both see Ticino as having its own distinct traditions within Switzerland and vis-à-vis Italy. “Having lived in other parts of Switzerland, I sometimes feel ‘Ticinese’ before ‘Swiss,’ and sometimes I feel ‘Swiss’ before ‘Ticinese.’ This is a very Swiss tendency, I think,” Elide says. “Nonetheless, I’m very fond of many of our Ticinese traditions involving food and wine. I love our seasonal events like carnevale in winter, chestnut festivals in autumn, and the Locarno Film Festival in summer, too.” Andrea praises Ticinese cuisine, adding, “There’s nothing like a good polenta or minestrone in a grotto (stone-made restaurants where one can eat Ticinese food) or a fizzy Gazzosa soda.” Andrea says the medley that is Ticino resembles a cocktail. “You can distinguish the ingredients coming from Switzerland and Italy, but the mixture has a unique taste.” 1 A nationalist movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries that championed the unification of geographic areas in which indigenous ethnic Italians and Italian-speaking persons formed a majority of the population.
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Andrea continues, “We share a deep cultural overlap with Lombardy in terms of our manners and way of life. I feel connected to Switzerland, but in terms of culture, I feel a connection to Italy too.” Andrea touches upon the role Ticinese dialects play in shaping a singular Ticinese identity. “I think the strongest bond I have with my Ticinese identity lies with my local dialect. I relate it to my family, and therefore home and Ticino. In each valley and village, we have dialects. In some cases, the words are completely different from standard Italian. I can spot the linguistic differences within the generations of my family, and we laugh about ‘old’ words that the younger generation is not using anymore.” For Andrea, one of the more interesting aspects about Ticino is its history of emigration and how the experiences of Italian emigrants and their diasporas mirror that of the Ticinese. “Ticino is a place of migration. Many Ticinese had to leave their villages and families to find a better life elsewhere,” Andrea explains. “Roughly a third of the Ticinese population left in the 1800s. As was the case with the Italian diaspora, Ticinese emigrants sent money back to their home, too.” he explains. Around 100,000 Ticinesi emigrated to Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand in the last two centuries. It is estimated that around 27,000 went to California between 1850 and the end of World War II, while 12,000 headed to South America.
Elide finds happiness when out in nature, and she relishes the uniqueness of Ticino’s landscapes. “What makes Ticino special, in my view, is its variety and natural beauty. Having breakfast in a medieval city and hiking along a mountain ridge, followed only a few hours later by a refreshing swim in a river or lake is something that you can’t experience everywhere. Ticino is bathed in sunshine year-round.” It’s no surprise, then, that in Ticino one finds a palpable blend of Italianità and Swiss independence. By virtue of their history, language, and culture, the Ticinese continue to hold onto their rich traditions, celebrating their mutual ties to Switzerland and Italy. James Blake Wiener is a public relations professional and cultural heritage consultant based in Zürich, Switzerland. A Co-Founder of Ancient History Encyclopedia (ancient.eu), James earned his BA and MA in History from New York University. To learn more about his work, visit jameswiener.com. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 17
Book Reviews
WINTER 2020 selections
A CENA CON FLUFFY By Giovanni Tempesta
When author Giovanni Tempesta emigrated from Sicily to California, along with his luggage came a set of customs that made for humorous situations when Italian culture met American culture. The ensuing clash of cultures culminate in A Cena con Fluffy, 18 short stories printed in both English and Italian, allowing readers to also brush up on their Italian language (and Pugliese skills). A Cena con Fluffy illustrates the various ways in which Tempesta had to make his way professionally and personally in the new land. Upon arriving, he befriends other Italians, many of whom play practical culture-related jokes on each other—some understanding the new customs better than others and using that to their comical advantage. Of course, through these friends, Tempesta learns of other hilarious stories and includes them in his set of short stories. “Did You Enjoy the Cake” jokes about the misunderstandings between Italians, both because of different dialects and of Italian mixed with broken English. “The Colors of the Flag” has a memorable anecdote about taking the U.S. Citizenship test. “America Ruined You!” is a comical case of reverse culture clash, in which Tempesta adopts an American custom and brings it back home on a visit. “A Future Doctor” is simply hilarious—and slightly insane—for its anecdotes. Without a doubt, the book’s eponymous story is by far the most humorous and the most epic culture clash of all. While the stories in A Cena con Fluffy are all humorous, they achieve much more than mere laughs. They highlight the 1960s, a time when Italian immigrants had a foothold in the United States, yet still struggled to make their way (though not as they did in the early 1900s). Recognizing this time frame of Italian immigration makes these stories a worthy read every bit as much as the humor in them.
Visit www.osia.org to find a selection of recent books written by OSDIA members!
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MIXED MESSAGES: Reflections on an Italian Jewish Family and Exile By Eleanor Foa
Born in Naples on the eve of World War II, author Eleanor Foa was an infant when her family was forced to flee—first to London, then to New York. Seventy years later, she returns to Italy to recover what she can about her family history, retracing steps that were lost to both immigration and war. Through Foa’s open account of her family and her journeys, there is much to be learned about history and perspective. Having grown up in a family whose influence can be traced to the Risorgimento, Foa uncovers interesting facets of history involving her lineage—such as the German Jews who, restricted in their homeland, took their knowledge of printing to Italy, where it burgeoned. She traces the overall path that Italian Jews took, through times of segregation and times when segregation was lifted (under Napoleon’s rule).
DID YOU KNOW? During World War II, Great Britain declared Italians “enemy aliens” and sent them to internment camps on the Isle of Man. Of course, in retracing her family through Naples and Northern Italy, Foa must confront World War II. She gives an honest perspective of both Italians’ anti-authoritarian attitude that saved many Jews (in 1937, Italy was the only country in Europe allowing Jews to enter without a visa) as well as the anti-Semitism that existed. Foa shares particularly poignant and unique perspectives, such as her experience as an American teenage girl visiting post-war Naples, which offers an enhanced Ferrante-esque look at what an American woman would perceive in that situation. One particularly notable anecdote involves a New York cab driver who—perhaps a bit begrudgingly—comes to her struggling family’s aid. From overarching historical events to seemingly minor anecdotes, Foa weaves history and family together in a way that shows readers how every family has a history—and that history is a part of every family. ITALIAN AMERICA
On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans
The Brooklyn kid By Domenick Scarlato A Completely True Story Involving Murder, Love, Adventure, Action, Intrigue & Humor. The Brooklyn Kid is a dramatic story of events which lead a boy to manhood only to reach not a crossroad, but four crossroads.
If you enjoyed The Brooklyn kid novel then the contInuIng Saga II IS for Sale on amazon for $8.99
He could only choose one to follow. After reading these interesting adventures, which road will you choose? Domenick Scarlato, a second generation Italian American, was born and raised in the slums of Brooklyn. He was expelled from high school and joined the U.S. Navy at 16 years old. He served as a Frogman as part of the Underwater Demolition Team during WWII.
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Domenick worked as a welder in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and during that time he went to evening school. While raising five daughters, he completed his H.S. diploma and went on to receive his B.S., M.A., and Doctorate from New York University. Before his retirement, he was a high school teacher, an administrator, and an adjunct professor for New York University at New Paltz.
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Walworth Street to Wall Street How an $85 a Week Clerk Became a $100 Million Investment Banker A Wall Street Memoir by Pasquale “Pat” Scida Italian America, Wall Street, and Brooklyn collide to produce The American Dream Pasquale “Pat” Scida, deeply rooted in his Calabrian ancestry, marries and takes an entry level position on Wall Street. A willingness to accept challenges and do any job propel him forward, as the markets and the political and world events that affect them become his backyard. But the hard edges of Corporate America get in the way. His ethnicity, Brooklyn origins and his own insecurities hold him back. At home his success on Wall Street is criticized by family and friends because he’s “sold out and gone in with the da big guys,” and “nobody knows what the hell those guys on Wall Street are doing.”
Walworth Street to Wall Street is an Italian-American success story, a Brooklyn story, a family story, and an inside look at Wall Street.
Available In Paperback and Electronic Form On Amazon and Barnes & Noble WINTER 2020 19 ITALIAN AMERICA
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A Real Life Winnie the Welder Recalls Her WWII Adventures
By Kristin D’Agostino
The melancholy cry of gulls; the crackle of sparks; the click clack of work boots on a ship’s deck. These sounds play like a familiar song in the mind of 98-year-old Peggy Citarella when she recalls her days as a welder in the Charlestown Navy Yard in the 1940s. A real life Winnie the Welder, Peggy Citarella gives her best Rosie the Riveter pose.
On a recent visit to her home in Burlington, Vermont, Citarella beams from beneath perfectly coifed white curls as she shares photos from her welding days. A closer look reveals that seven decades haven’t dimmed the radiant smile of the twenty-oneyear-old girl in coveralls, her dark hair curled into a pageboy, a welding gun clutched in her gloved hand. The story is one she’s told many times throughout the years. One day, while working at a candy factory near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, Citarella, then just twenty years old, restlessly scanned Peggy Citarella welding during World War II. WINTER 2020
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Citarella tartly replied that she was nice, but she certainly was not ordinary. A week later she’d won herself a spot among the men in Arno’s small, but lively evening class. Citarella soon discovered she had a knack for welding. She relished working with her hands and the feeling of joining two pieces of metal into one. Soon, Arno began complimenting her work and asking her to assist other students. Within five months, Citarella was asked to teach her own class. When she stepped in, enrollment soared.
A depiction of “Winnie the Welder.”
the ‘Help Wanted’ ads for a better paying job. “I kept seeing the word welder in the men’s section,” she recalls. “I looked it up the dictionary, and it sounded interesting.” Hopping a bus for Boston, Citarella searched for a welding class at one of the area technical schools. She chuckles when she recalls these visits. “Nobody would let me enroll for a class,” she says. “One time I heard a man say ‘Tell her to go and buy a cookbook!’” Finally, one afternoon she found herself at a drugstore counter where she asked the clerk for directions to the Newton Trade School. Ironically, the school’s welding instructor Tony Arno was having lunch a couple seats away. The clerk introduced them, and Arno offered her a ride to school. “When we got inside, he told me the cooking class was down the hall,” she says. Upon learning that she wanted to study welding, Arno replied, “Welding is a man’s job … dirty, repetitive, and dangerous. Nice, ordinary girls don’t learn how to weld.” WINTER 2020 21 ITALIAN AMERICA
“The scuttlebutt was there was a young girl teaching, so all the men wanted to see who she was,” Citarella says with a smile. “The first class I gave a lecture and said I didn’t want any funny stuff and wasn’t available for dates.” Though Citarella enjoyed teaching night classes, she grew restless during
the day. She decided to apply for a job at the Charlestown Navy Yard, which employed 50,000 workers at that time. When she arrived at the yard, the secretary told her they weren’t hiring office help. So Citarella told her she was looking for a welding job. “We don’t have any women in the welding yard,” the secretary replied. After sharing that she had teaching experience, Citarella landed an interview with a supervisor who set her up with the challenge of welding different sized metal pieces together into a small box with a set of stairs inside. Citarella thought out the problem carefully and worked her way through. In the end, the supervisor remarked that she “had made a stairway fit for Buckingham Palace and a box fit for her majesty’s jewels.” Needless to say, she got the job and soon found herself the only female employee at the Navy Yard.
Two women welding in an Aircraft construction class in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1942. (Everett Historical) ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 21
Labor of Love A recruitment poster from 1944 depicts a beautiful woman in a suit clutching a handful of letters. “Longing won’t bring him back sooner. Get a War Job!” it declares. Soon, Citarella became one of the scores of women who stepped into the shoes of men who were overseas. She balanced her night teaching job with a new day job helping to build battleships. As Citarella recalls, there was a rivalry between the female riveters and welders of the era. “You always heard people talk about Rosie the Riveter, but never heard anyone talk about a welder,” Citarella points out. “I made sure I’d tell people, I’m not Rosie the Riveter. I’m Winnie the Welder.” Despite her coveralls, work boots, and helmet, Citarella always took pride in her appearance. “My nails were always polished, my hair combed, my lipstick on,” she says. “The men would joke they weren’t used to seeing anyone with lipstick on under their helmet.” Overall, she says, the men treated her well, though she received her fair share of cat calls, mostly from admiring sailors. After a week on the job, she noticed management had installed a new ladies’ bathroom just for her.
A classic shot of women welders who worked for Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. in Pascagoula, Missouri in 1943.
New female-friendly rules forbade spitting, rude gestures, and foul language. Soon, Citarella saw other women workers take their places among the men in the yard. The work was difficult, but she enjoyed it. Once, she worked for thirteen straight weeks without a day off. “I was young and strong,” she says. “When you’re doing what you love it’s never a burden.” Each day had a new challenge. One day she’d weld pipes or work on a ship’s exit ramp, the next day patch a fracture in the metal walls. As a female welder, she was constantly being tried and tested. She rose to the challenge and worked
her way up to being trusted to work on submarines, which required greater skill. “They gave me jobs they thought I’d refuse to do,” she says. “I never gave them the satisfaction of saying I didn’t want to do it.” Citarella soon learned the dangers of welding firsthand. One cold winter day while working high on a ship’s mast, she took a tumble down through a manhole and onto a sharp piece of steel. The injury paralyzed her for a week. Luckily, she’d been wearing long johns beneath her coveralls, which helped to shield her body. “When I came back, the job I got hurt on nobody had wanted to do, so I finished it,” she says. Welding also had its payoffs. Over the two years she worked at the Navy Yard, she worked her way up through three levels to become a first class welder, where she made more money and was trusted with more complex tasks. She says she felt like “one of the boys,” unlike many women who were happy staying in the lower, safer ranks. One day after welding some large sheets of metal together, she took off her helmet to find five men
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standing behind watching her. “I heard one guy say, ‘Whaddya think?’ and the other guy say, “She’s gonna put us all out of business!”
All in the Family
End of an Era When the soldiers came home in 1944, Citarella’s working life changed overnight. She and her fellow female workers were let go as the men reclaimed their former posts. Citarella realized she would likely never weld again. “I walked out of the Navy Yard gate and got a little teary,” she recalls. “It was the end of an important era.” Realizing she wouldn’t be happy in a typical office job, Citarella decided to take one of the sewing classes she’d once avoided. She went on to take a job in Boston’s garment district for several years before meeting her husband in 1948 and going on to have a family of her own. Though Citarella never picked up a welding gun again, her memories of the Navy Yard remain close to her
During occasional power outages at the Navy Yard, Peggy Citarella made bracelets like this one by warming steel rods until they became pliable. For this piece, a 1943 quarter provides an eye catching touch.
heart. Not long ago, while waiting in the car in a store parking lot, Citarella glanced over and noticed the rear doors on a nearby truck had been welded. Getting out of the car, she stooped over to examine them. The driver came up behind her. “What are you looking at?” he asked. “I’m just checking out the welding,” she answered. “Do you know anything about welding?” he responded. “Yeah, a little bit,” she answered. “I did that,” he told her. “Whaddya think?” Sparks flicker in Citarella’s brown eyes when she recalls her answer. “I told him, I says, you could never work for me!”
Peggy points to herself in a photo alongside fellow male and female welders. WINTER 2020 23 ITALIAN AMERICA
Kristin D’Agostino is a writer and educator based in Burlington, Vermont. She leads memoir writing workshops and retreats for Italian Americans in Italy that enable them to explore their roots, record their family stories, and share them with others. She can be reached through www.vivaitaliaretreats.com
Citarella’s Italian roots run deep. With a mother who hailed from Sicily and a father from Lombardy, she grew up speaking Italian in her Boston home. Later, after moving to Somerville, Citarella formed a tight bond with the many Italians in the neighborhood. She met her husband Armand—who passed away in 2015—through a friend who once played with him as a child growing up in Italy. The two married in 1948 and moved to Vermont soon after. In 1977, she and Armand, a university professor, spent a year’s sabbatical touring Italy from north to south with their three children. Citarella is one of the founding members of Vermont’s Italian Cultural Association (VICA), a group of Italophiles who’ve been meeting in the Burlington area since 1983. “It started as several people meeting in my kitchen,” Citarella recalls. “I had looked in the phone book and there were few Italian names at the time, but we made plans to start a club anyway.” The club eventually grew and moved to space at the library where members socialized and shared homemade Italian food. These days, VICA has 250 registered members, many of whom meet for activities like language classes, restaurant dinners, and visits to Italian films. Citarella, who has an active social life, still attends monthly VICA coffee hours with her daughter, Judy. When asked the secret of her youthful energy, Citarella replies with a grin, “Plenty of good olive oil and good sex!” ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 23
OSDIA Nation
OSDIA LODGES AT WORK
pennsylvania-new jersey
new york
In honor of all veterans throughout Mercer County (New Jersey) and beyond, the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association—led by its president, Cavalier John Scarpati, Sr., a proud member of Piazza Nuova Lodge #2665 of Yardley/Newtown—restored a World War II statue that is currently displayed in front of the WWII memorial on West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey. The statue will soon find a permanent home at Veterans Park in Hamilton, New Jersey.
On her 18th birthday, Jenna Mazzacone was inducted as a new member of the St. Francis of Assisi Lodge #2629 in Beacon. Jenna represents the fourth generation of her family to join St. Francis of Assisi Lodge! The induction was presided over by Grand Lodge of New York President Anthony Naccarato at the St. Francis of Assisi Lodge’s 30th Anniversary Dinner Dance.
MCIAFA Cavalier President John Scarpati, Sr., and Kathi Wargo-Adie, MCIAFA Military and Veterans Committee Chairperson.
Jenna Mazzacone is sworn in by Grand Lodge of New York President Anthony Naccarato.
arizona Last year, the Leonardo DaVinci Lodge #2992 of Glendale held its first annual Veterans Fundraiser Gala to benefit Soldier’s Best Friend (SBF), a non-profit organization that trains dogs and pairs them with U.S. military veterans living with combatrelated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Most of the dogs are rescued from local shelters. The veterans and dogs undergo the training together in order to build a trusting relationship. The DaVinci Lodge Fundraiser Committee set an initial goal of raising $4,000, which is the cost of the six- to nine-month training program. The fundraising event was held at the Arizona Broadway Theatre in Peoria and was well attended by lodge WINTER 2020
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members, their families, and friends— including then sitting OSDIA National President Vera Ferrara Girolami and First Gent Honorable Judge Al Girolami. Guests ate and drank and danced the night away while bidding on auction items and anticipating the raffle drawings, particularly that of the grand prize: a Nespresso Coffee Machine.
(L. to R.) SBJ Event Coordinator Savanah Tanner, Lodge President Marie Chiaramonte, Lodge Treasurer Paula Pitruzzello, and Lodge Past President Antoinette Trifiro.
Through the hard work of lodge members, the generosity of local businesses, and the support of City of Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat, the DaVinci lodge was able to present a check to SBF for the amount of $6,817! The Committee is planning a second fundraiser this May at the Arizona Broadway Theatre to once again benefit Soldier’s Best Friend. ITALIAN AMERICA
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
illinios-wisconsin On November 2, 2019, the Amicizia Lodge #2999 of Kenosh, Wisconsin, received its charter. The ceremony for the institution of the new lodge was conducted by OSDIA National 4th Vice President Richard R. Della Croce, Grand Lodge of IL/ WI President Paul R. Loparco, and Grand Lodge of IL/WI Immediate Past President Marie Marsalli. The charter was presented to Lodge President Joseph Cardinali. With 32 charter members, the lodge was officially welcomed into the Grand Lodge of Illinois/Wisconsin. On behalf of his lodge’s membership, President Cardinali thanked the Grand Lodge for their support, fraternalism, and friendship. Grand Lodge of IL/ WI President Loparco in turn thanked Cardinali for his passion in forming an OSDIA lodge in Wisconsin and wished him and his membership great success in the future.
california The Membership Committee of the Northern Solano Lodge #2534 of Fairfield has created a program to share their Italian Heritage with the local community. Committee members Don and Jeanne Cradduck, Frank and Brenda Mossa, and Joe and Gloria Niccoli collect used issues of Italian America magazines from fellow lodge members and place them in waiting rooms at dental and medical practices as well as other businesses in the local area.
The Membership Committee highlights their lodge on the cover of every magazine they distribute.
Northern Solano lodge members distribute Italian America magazine. (From L. to R.) Joe Niccoli, Frank Mossa, Dr. Mark Anderson, Jeanne Cradduck, and Don Cradduck. “This publication is filled with interesting articles and pictures of such high quality that we felt it should be shared with as many people as possible,” said lodge member Don Cradduck. “Not only does this project promote our Italian Heritage, it also exposes our organization to those who may not know about us. This is an easy way for all lodges to promote the Sons and Daughters of Italy.” Bravissimo, Northern Solano lodge members!
florida Last October, Vincenza DiLiberti, President of The Daughters of Italy Lodge #2825 in Clearwater, received the prestigious Italian-American Women of Excellence Award from the Italian Club Ladies Auxiliary, Inc., of Tampa. The 15th biennial awards luncheon was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Italian Club.
(Front Row – L. to R.) Grand Lodge of IL/WI President Paul Loparco, Lodge President Joseph Cardinali, and Grand Lodge of IL/WI Immediate Past President Marie Marsalli. (Back Row – L. to R.) OSDIA National 4th Vice President Richard R. Della Croce, Lodge Vice President Sabrina Lucchetta-Wood, Lodge Recording Secretary Domenic Savaglio, and Lodge Treasurer Krista Gaudio. WINTER 2020 25 ITALIAN AMERICA
Vincenza was chosen as this year’s recipient to honor her more than 25 years of promoting the Italian culture. She was recognized for being the founder of two successful Italian women’s organizations (The Daughters of Italy Lodge #2825 and Le Italo-Americane di Oggi, the first women’s Italian organization in Florida); for being the originator, director, and producer of Italian radio (“Giro D’Italia”) and television (“Italia Delle Regioni”) programs in the Tampa Bay area; and for bringing a positive mindset to the numerous Italian cultural activities she organized and advanced.
Founder and President of The Daughters of Italy Lodge, Vincenza DiLiberti showcases her award. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 25
Crowds form on the hillside and around the entrance of Mine No. 8. (West Virginia & Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries)
And the Families Who Lost Their Fathers By Miles Ryan Fisher
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Hysteria overcame Monongah. Shrieks of women and cries of children. Some women began pulling handfuls of hair from their own heads. Some dug their fingernails into their faces. Others took up a vigil, praying for the coal miners of Monongah, West Virginia. The entire town arrived less than an hour after two mines exploded, and crowds grew to unmanageable proportions. Chaos ensued as ad hoc rescue teams assembled. It was December 6, 1907—the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas. That morning, in the No. 6 mine, a cable pulling 19 mine cars—each loaded with more than two tons of coal— snapped. The string of cars rocketed a quarter-mile deep into the mine, ripping out electrical wiring and collapsing timber props and partitions. The force of the cars created a blast of air that displaced methane gas and caused an inordinate amount of coal dust to swirl. Though the exact cause of the initial explosion was never determined, experts believed that sparks generated by the accident ignited the coal dust or methane gas. What ensued was the worst mining disaster in United States history. At the turn of the 20th century, the nation experienced a labor shortage, particularly in the mining industry that was thriving in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. In order to satisfy this shortage, thousands of Italian and Polish immigrants were brought from Europe to work in the mines. By 1910, Italian miners were the largest immigrant group in the industry. Many of them, coming from the central and southern regions of Italy, set sail from the Bay of Naples, bound to a contract they signed with their mine employer that reduced them to an indentured servant. WINTER 2020 27 ITALIAN AMERICA
Families and townspeople await news of any survivors. (Photo by U.S. Bureau of Mines, Courtesy of Mine Safety and Health Administration)
Caskets of miners killed in the explosion line the streets of Monongah. (West Virginia & Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries)
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began to gather outside the mines. Families, neighbors, fellow workers. Just 25 minutes after the explosions, the first volunteers ventured into the No. 6 mine to find survivors. Time was the enemy, the explosion having released several lethal gases—chokedamp, afterdamp, blackdamp, whitedamp—that would kill the miners if the initial blast hadn’t. At this time, no air respirators existed in the United States.
The large fan and the boiler house of Mine No. 8 were completely destroyed by the explosion. (West Virginia & Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries) The immigrants that ventured to western Pennsylvania fared better than those in northern West Virginia, including towns like Monongah, where wages and working conditions were inferior. In fact, in all of the United States, no organized rescue teams existed, though they did in Europe, and no federal mine safety and health laws existed even though mining was
the most dangerous occupation in the world. This relegated any safety and health monitoring to the jurisdiction of the state, and different states enforced different degrees of regulations, with the weakest being West Virginia.
The initial explosion in the No. 6 mine was so resounding that it could be heard eight miles away. Fire shot sixty feet into the air, and with it, several tons of earth. Bricks and timber flew through the air, and the debris rained down for the next fifteen minutes. The initial explosion in the No. 6 mine triggered a second explosion in the adjacent No. 8 mine, causing one hundred feet of mountainside to blow EXPERT ITALIAN VACATION PLANNING, straight out. CUSTOMIZED FOR YOU. myitaliandestination.com
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Minutes after the explosions, all of Monongah—a town of mostly Italians—
After an hour and a half, the first rescue team surfaced without a survivor. It wasn’t until four o’clock in the afternoon that a survivor was found, giving Monongah hope. By Saturday morning, rescue efforts had increased dramatically, but as the rescuers dragged body after body—charred and faceless—from the mines, hope diminished. By nightfall, the rescue efforts changed from locating survivors to recovering bodies. It was clear that there was no life left. Only five miners—an Italian father and son along with three Polish miners—survived the explosions. Every undertaker in the area was contacted, and before long, the town’s coffin supply was depleted. Bodies were taken from the mines, loaded onto wagons, and transported to First National Bank, which served as a temporary morgue. Other bodies were taken to the basements of Our Lady of Pompeii (the Italian church) and St. Stanislaus (the Polish church). The miners who couldn’t be identified— their bodies dismembered, their faces unrecognizable—were taken from the mine entrance directly to the graveyard and buried in a plot of donated land because Our Lady of Pompeii and St. Stanislaus were so new they didn’t yet have their own graveyards. Agony swept over the women of Monongah as the dead were tallied. ITALIAN AMERICA
However, it was—and would always be—impossible to calculate just how many miners perished in the explosions. The boards for the brass tag system, in which the miners would place a numbered brass tag on a board outside the mine and then place a duplicate brass tag in their pockets, had been obliterated. Still, that system didn’t account for the many miners who worked off the books. Many were de facto apprentices who were hired by other miners, while others were young teenage boys who spent their days inside the mines alongside their fathers. In the end, the official death total was 362—171 of them, Italian. According to experts, however, the total was over 400 and could have exceeded 500. The immediate aftermath of the tragedy was every bit as tragic. Wives were left widowed. Children were left fatherless. Families, many surviving day-to-day on the income of a coal miner, were suddenly poverty-stricken, left destitute in a state and country that had no worker’s compensation laws and no safety net. A Grand Jury exonerated Fairmont Coal Company, the company in charge of the mine, from bearing any responsibility to the survivors. For many Italian widows, with small children to feed and no source of income, their first thought was to return to Italy.
The situation was so dire that all ethnic prejudice disintegrated. Everyone in the surrounding communities rendered aid any way they could. Priests of the Italian and Polish churches, Father Joseph D’Andrea and Father Joseph Lekston were instrumental in communicating with the families of their respective parishes and those providing the aid. The American Red Cross also arrived, launching a relief committee— the first time the organization had ever supported a man-made disaster. Prior to the Monongah mining disaster, the Red Cross had responded to strictly natural disasters. With approximately 300 widows and 1,000 fatherless children, the Red Cross set a goal of
raising $250,000. Money arrived from all kinds of places—unions, churches, companies, newspapers, President Teddy Roosevelt and Vice President William Taft, and even schoolchildren who sold a railroad car full of apples to raise funds. By February, $140,000 had been raised. Unfortunately, just $17,000 of it came from Fairmont Coal Company, whose profits didn’t suffer from the disaster. In fact, just a month following the mine disaster, they issued an extra dividend. As the disaster relief contributions accumulated, there were barriers to getting the money to the survivors of the men who’d died. There was the language barrier that prevented many Italian widows from accessing impor-
The miners of Monongah at the entrance to one of the mines. (West Virginia & Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries)
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tant information. Many single miners had no survivors to come forward to recognize their deaths. Still others had dependents back in Italy, who had to somehow be notified1. Then there was the problem of determining, for deceased workers without dependents, if their families in Italy would be compensated2. The Monongah mine disaster led, in large part, to the creation of the Bureau of Mines under President William Taft on May 16, 1910. The federal bureau was responsible for establishing a system to investigate mine disasters and publish reports on the findings to be distributed amongst the mining community. The ultimate result of the bureau was the development of preventative methods and improved safety, such as certification requirements of any new mining equipment—the first such requirement of any industry in the United States. But perhaps the biggest change that Monongah triggered was a simple shift in perspective—away from the acceptance of the inherent dangers of mining and toward embracing the improvement of worker safety and health. But the loss of life that Monongah experienced would always remain palpable. Less than a year after the tragedy, on July 5, 1908, Dr. Robert Thomas Webb officiated a ceremony at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in Fairmont, West Virginia. The ceremony came at the behest of 41-year-old Grace Golden Clayton, who, mourning the loss of her own father from the Monongah 1 It was determined that of the deceased workers, there were 339 total dependents living in Europe, 233 of them in Italy. 2 They were, but often times it was difficult to identify them and deliver the payment, as many lived in remote towns. It is likely that there were cases in which families in Italy never knew what had happened to their loved one.
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In 2003, the town of San Giovanni in Fiore, located in the Province of Cosenza in the Calabria region, honored miners who perished in the explosions, since many of them had emigrated from the town. The town installed a memorial with the engraving: Per non dimenticare minatori calabresi morti nel West Virginia (USA). Il sacrificio di quegli uomini forti tempri le nuove generazioni. Monongah, 6 dicembre 1907; San Giovanni in Fiore, 6 dicembre 2003 (Lest we forget the Calabrian miners dead in West Virginia (USA). The sacrifice of those strong men shall bolster new generations. The memorial installed at San Monongah, December 6, 1907, San Giovanni Giovanni in Fiore. (Beppeveltri) in Fiore, December 6, 2003) In 2007, for the 100th anniversary of the mine disaster, the Molise region presented Monongah with a bell, which was cast at the Marinelli Foundry (which also produces bells for the Vatican) in the town of Agnone. The bell now sits in Monongah’s town square. During the presentation ceremony, students from Monongah Middle School read the names of the dead. In addition to this, the Italian government paid to restore the graves of the miners who were laid to rest in Mount Calvary Cemetery. They also placed a granite monument memorializing the mine disaster. Before it sits two stone benches, one marked “Mine 6” and the other marked “Mine 8”. In 2009, Italy’s sitting President George Napolitano recognized all the victims The black granite monument placed of the disaster by honoring them with in Mount Calvary Cemetery by the the Stella al Merito del Lavoro (Star of Italian government. (Richard Viglianco) Reward of Work). mine disaster, believed that the loss of every father should be observed. Little did she know, this ceremony would be regarded as the first Father’s Day in the history of the United States. Sixty-four years later, a day originally dedicated to the loss of fathers—many of them Italian immigrants—was signed into law so that every father across the country could be celebrated and remembered.
Miles Ryan Fisher (mfisher@osia.org) is the Editor-in-Chief of Italian America magazine. If you are interested in reading more about this, please see Davitt McAteer’s Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster—The Worst Industrial Accident in U.S. History. A special thanks to Grand Lodge of West Virginia State President Richard Viglianco for his help with this article.
ITALIAN AMERICA
From the National
WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU
From the President’s Desk
By Nancy DiFiore Quinn
Where did the time go? We are already into 2020 and all the holidays are behind us. First Gent John and I hope that you had a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are busy preparing our agenda for the upcoming Plenary Session of the Supreme Council taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Orlando, Florida, February 13-16. This would be a wonderful opportunity to see how the leaders of OSDIA work together. If anyone would like to attend, please call Emily Knoche at our National Office, and she will be happy to help you. Our COO Joseph DiTrapani has been working diligently to meet as many Italian and Italian-American leaders as possible in the Washington, D.C. area. As you can see on page two of this issue, he held a very successful dinner meeting with the Italian-American Congressional Delegation to seek their assistance on various subjects of concern to the Italian-American community. Unfortunately I could not attend any OSDIA events during October/November 2019 because I had back surgery, which I am thrilled to report went extremely well. I am now up and around, back to work and ready to do the work of the Order.
The Commission for Social Justice—and CSJ President Robert Ferrito—have been working feverishly on the constant attack of Christopher Columbus. We need to keep our guard up and contact either our State CSJ or National CSJ if we see or hear anything denigrating to our heritage. We will be sending out a “donation” envelope to raise much needed funds for the CSJ, so please be on the lookout for it. Believe me, any donation will be most appreciated. SIF President Joseph Sciame has been working with COO DiTrapani to coordinate our 2020 NELA Gala, which will take place on May 22, 2020, at Hilton McLean Tysons Center in McLean, Virginia. Our impressive honorees have been confirmed, and we look forward to meeting the wonderful scholarship recipients who receive our generous awards. While everyone is aware that membership is the heart and soul of any organization, OSDIA has been able to hold its ground and even increase in small numbers. We are even in the process of establishing a subordinate lodge in Rome! If you or anyone you know would like to open a lodge in your area, please contact our National Office, and they will direct you to the proper person to help this become a reality. Lastly, I want to let you know that we are keeping current on the destructive floods that devastated Venice last November. The high water flooded its streets, squares, and many landmark churches. The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) has set up a Venice Flood Relief Fund. All donations to this fund are tax-deductible. The SIF will be working directly with the Embassy of Italy to direct funds to emergency relief, recovery, and/or rebuilding as requested by the Italian Government. I sincerely believe that we are on our way to a successful 2020. Hopefully membership will grow, finances will increase, and we will meet our challenges head on to protect the Italian-American community.
OSDIA National Officers present the 50th Anniversary National Certificate to the Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 of Islip, New York. WINTER 2020 31 ITALIAN AMERICA
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The Sons of Italy Foundation ®
HELPING THOSE IN NEED
The Foundation Focus By Joseph Sciame, President
I trust that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and rang in the New Year with many hopes and expectations for 2020. As President of the Sons of Italy Foundation, I certainly have a lot of hopes and expectations for the charitable work we will be embarking on this upcoming year. First and foremost, we must continue raising funds for our Venice Flood Relief campaign, which we launched nearly two months ago. Many members have shown their support for a city that is certainly beloved by all, and we need to keep this momentum going! Please send in the form below to help boost our total— and remember 100% of donations for Venice flood relief will be going directly to the Save Venice project. Thanks to our close relationship with the Italian Embassy, we are already linked up with a project to help provide relief to flood victims and get them the support they need as recovery and rebuilding efforts get underway. As we look ahead to the 32nd Annual National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala this May, I am excited about our impressive group of honorees. This prestigious event, one I have been a part of since its inception in 1989, is always a superlative evening that brings out the best in our Italian heritage and its charitable ways.
This year, we look forward to recognizing another donation to Help Our Military Heroes as well as another donation to a patriotic cause that will be made on stage at the gala! And, of course, we also look forward to meeting a new, promising group of scholarship recipients. Since 1989, we have awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships. If you know of any students who would be great recipients, please see the information on page 11 of this issue. Speaking of worthy causes, I hope that all of you have read the article on page 12 about the wonderful project that resulted in the installation of a very impressive statue of Constantino Brumidi in Annapolis, Maryland. When the Foundation of Hellenism of America reached out to The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) for our support, we were more than happy to oblige! Owing to the leadership of Grand Lodge of Maryland State President Anita Lombardi Riley, the $5,000 donation that the SIF made and the $1,000 donation that the Grand Lodge of Maryland made to build the base on which the Brumidi statue stands serves as a great example of the many projects—both large and small—that the SIF supports.
YES! I would like 100% of my donation to help Save Venice. Please accept my tax-deductible donation towards the 2019 Venice Flood Disaster Relief To donate online, visit www.osia.org/sif To donate by phone, call the National Office at (202) 547-2900
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Mail to: Sons of Italy Foundation, Attn: Venice Flood Relief, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
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The Commission for Social Justice ®
fighting defamation
The CSJ Perspective
By Robert M. Ferrito, President
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. This past year the Commission for Social Justice experienced some historical moments, most notably the apology we secured from the Mayor of New Orleans for the 1891 lynching of 11 Italians—the largest lynching in United States history. The apology garnered national—even international—attention and will always be one of the finest accomplishments spearheaded by the New York CSJ and the National CSJ. In addition to that historical moment, we combatted many forms of injustice that arose. We fought the inexcusable slighting of Mother Cabrini by the She Built NYC project. We defended Italian language programs that were threatened. We fired back at the New York Post for its mafia-related headlines. And naturally, we attacked those who threatened and disparaged Columbus Day. Recently, we supported a national petition submitted by New York CSJ to make vandalism of a Columbus statue a hate crime. We already have more than 2,000 signatures! The petition will be sent to Attorney General William Barr. If you haven’t signed the petition, please go on to www. change.org and type in the search box “Make vandalism of a Columbus Statue a hate crime”. Click on the link to the petition and sign it! After you sign it, you will have the opportunity to share it on social
media—please do so! It is time for our Attorney General— and our country at large—to recognize the vandalism of Columbus statues for what it is: a hate crime. As we look ahead, the onslaught against Columbus Day will certainly persist, and this year we come prepared to fiercely defend our day. The CSJ is part of the newly formed Columbus Heritage Coalition, which includes many other Italian-American and Columbus-related groups and organizations. The Columbus Heritage Coalition gives us the ability to pool our resources so that we can intensify our Save Columbus Day campaign, which will utilize public relations professionals so that our campaign receives national attention and press. Armed with funds and PR professionals, we will not just defend our holiday—we will confront those who try to take it away. With this in mind, it is essential that we raise funds to contribute to what will be a very visible national campaign. We received substantial donations from our appeal in the fall issue, and I hope that this will be the case for this issue as well. As our National President mentioned in her column on page 31, this year we will be launching a mailing to request donations to the CSJ, which will help us contribute—and therefore play a larger role—in the Columbus Heritage Coalition. But don’t wait for this appeal to hit your mailboxes—donate now so that OSDIA can play a central role in the Columbus Heritage Coalition!
YES! I would like to help Save Columbus Day.
Please accept my tax-deductible donation to support the Commission for Social Justice’s mission. To donate online, visit www.osia.org/csj To donate by phone, call the National Office at (202) 547-2900
Charge my credit card for the total amount of: Type: AMEX / MC / VISA
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(Please make check payable to the “Commission for Social Justice”) Mail to:
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Commission for Social Justice, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2020 33
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Letters to the Editor Through the years, I have enjoyed many of the stories in the Sons of Italy magazine. I have never really appreciated any others like I did “Call Me Pasquale”! It seemed to really hit home. What a beautiful story! I felt like I was right there with them! Thank you so much for sharing that story. Ann Nonni Cambridge Italian Lodge #506 (Cambridge, MA) I had forgotten our conversation about Pagina Italiana—that the translation would now be included within the magazine— and there it was in the Fall edition! Grazie mille! What a great thing! I really enjoyed your article “Call Me Pasquale”. There’s a young owner of a local restaurant who is named Pasquale. I’m going to show it to him the next time we go there!
I really enjoyed your article on the two Pasquales. I copied it to send to a good friend of mine who lives in Connecticut. His dad was a Pasquale, and possibly his grandfather, but my friend goes by Patrick or Pat. One of his twin sons is “Little Pat” or Patsy, and one of his grandsons is Patsy.And now, it has come full circle because my friend’s newest great-grandbaby is called Pasquale! At our last Lodge meeting in Tucson, one of the members was talking about the article and reminiscing about the Pasquales in her family. Thanks for a great story. Mary Lou Esposito Old Pueblo Lodge #2349 (Tuscon, AZ)
Ellen Whittaker G. Marconi Lodge #1620 (Lee, MA)
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ITALIAN AMERICA
Italian America®
Italian America Magazine is produced by the national headquarters of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America®, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 202/547-2900. Email: nationaloffice@osia.org Chief Operating Officer Joseph J. DiTrapani Editor-in-Chief Miles Ryan Fisher Director of Finance Adam Jacobs Program Director Emily Knoche Managing Director Justin Smith Italian America is the official publication of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSDIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide. ®
Italian America (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall by OSDIA, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. ©2015 Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees, or members of OSDIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSDIA, the Commission for Social Justice, or the Sons of Italy Foundation. Italian America accepts query letters and letters to the editor. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Italian America assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Annual subscriptions are $20, which are included in dues for OSDIA members. Single copies are $4.95 each.OSDIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSDIA National Office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSDIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSDIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSDIA or at www. OSDIA.org. Archives are maintained at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Printing by Printing Solutions Inc., Sterling, Va. To advertise: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc. WINTERAMERICA 2020 35 ITALIAN
By Miles Ryan Fisher Editor-in-Chief, Italian America Magazine
The story of Monongah does not stand alone. It does, however, stand as one of the most horrific tragedies to befall blue collar workers before labor laws were established to protect them. Many of these blue collar workers were immigrants. Many of these immigrants were Italian. Many of these Italians were our ancestors. They worked in industries before safety and health regulations were developed, before companies were made to care about their workers, before our government and society valued lives over production. They died not just in coal mines, but also in factories and on railroads and docks and construction sites. Perhaps one of the most poignant pieces about how workers like our ancestors were treated was Christ in Concrete by Pietro di Donato, an Italian immigrant bricklayer who managed to write a penetrating novel about the construction industry despite having no more than a seventh grade education. Stories like his and that of Monongah must be told to all future generations so they can understand the sacrifices that were made in order to give us the opportunities—and laws—that we have today. Of course, it’s with this sentiment that we keep our ancestors’ spirit alive, by learning about and appreciating the sacrifices they made to give us—and society at large—the laws and protection that we are afforded. But many lives were lost in this process. Though Monongah led to what is considered the first Father’s Day in our country, remembering these workers, and workers from all industries during the time of early industrialization, makes me reflect on another holiday: Labor Day. While the origin of Labor Day, and to a certain extent the reason we celebrate it, has grown hazy, what remains clear are the working conditions—and the holidays it includes—that we now enjoy. Perhaps it is time for our Labor Day to be more focused on honoring the workers who brought us these conditions that we, to a certain degree, take for granted. Maybe this day should shine a more luminous annual light on the workers who didn’t have holidays or sick days, worker’s compensation or unemployment benefits, proper safety equipment or safety precautions, fair wages or reasonable workdays. Maybe Labor Day should pay homage to the workers—ones like our ancestors—whose perseverance brought us the working conditions we enjoy today. After all, if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t even know what a weekend is.
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Piacere! PLEASED TO MEET YOU, Elena
Elena Delle Donne Elena Delle Donne plays guard/forward for the Washington Mystics in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has been awarded the WNBA Most Valuable Player award twice—in 2015 and 2019— and, this past year, led the Mystics to their first WNBA championship. Hailing from Wilmington, Delaware, Elena attended the University of Delaware (2009-2013), where she excelled as a Blue Hen. In 2013, she was selected second overall in the WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky, with whom she played three seasons before becoming a Mystic. In her first season, she won Rookie of the Year honors and has since been named an All-Star in six of her seven seasons. Her paternal grandfather emigrated from Naples, and her paternal grandmother’s family emigrated from Rome. Translated, your name means “Elena of the Women.” How do you want young girls to view you, and what kind of impact would you like to have on them? That translation is very fitting for me, actually. I want young girls to see me as someone who always shows compassion and kindness to others, speaks up in the face of injustice, and persists through adversity to reach their dreams. I want to make sure that I’m not just remembered as a basketball player, but also as someone who made the sport, and hopefully the world, better. Like many Italians, your family plays a central role in your life. Talk about the importance you place on family. My family is easily the most important part of my life. Most decisions I have made so far have been to remain close to them and in particular to my sister, Lizzie. Lizzie is deaf and blind and has been diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy. The only way for me to interact with her is through touch, so it’s really important that I’m close to home and able to let her know that I’m always there for her. My family keeps me grounded and brings me back to what is most important. Tell us about a source of inspiration you draw from every time you step onto the basketball court. Definitely, Lizzie. Because she can’t see or hear, she doesn’t know me as Elena, the basketball player. To her, I am just her sister, which reminds me that no matter the outcome, she will be proud of me and love me just the same. It motivates me to play better, to realize how forWINTER 2020
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tunate I am to be able to play the game that I love, and to enjoy every minute of it. You’ve partnered with PETA in the past, and animals clearly have a special place in your life. Tell us a little bit about your dogs. We have two dogs, Wrigley (follow him on Instagram! @thewrigleydelledonne) and Rasta, whom we adore. During my rookie season in the WNBA, I was a bit lonely and wanted a companion. Growing up, I always loved bigger dogs. I got Wrigley, a Great Dane, and named him after the Chicago Cubs stadium. Rasta is my wife Amanda’s dog. She was adopted and brings so much joy to our life. We love taking them on walks around town, lounging around the house with them, and sometimes even dressing them up! You were voted WNBA league MVP for the 2019 season, but you give a lot of credit to your teammates for your success. If you were to travel with them to Italy, what places would you want to visit with them? My teammates are a huge part of my success this season. They put me in such a great position to be successful and I’m really thankful for everything they do for me both on and off the court. If we traveled to Italy, there would be a few things we’d have to do. First, we’d have to explore the history of the country—the Colosseum (this is cool because it’s still what they model most sports arenas after), Vatican City, Pompeii, etc. Then, I’d have to take them to all of the scenic places for good Instagram photos like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, and a few more. I LOVE to eat. We would go to all the best restaurants and markets trying all the different food. ITALIAN AMERICA
Ring in the NEW YEAR with
COTTO E MANGIATO
FORUM
right with the ff o r a e y e th rt Sta
best of It a l y
C’È POSTA PER TE
OLTRE LA SOGLIA QUARTO GRADO
#CR4 LA REPUBBLICA DELLE DONNE
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Call your local television provider and ask for Mediaset Italia! Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.
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