Dear Readers,
A March minestrone of Italian Connections: Australians, an estimated twelve thousand of them, many with Italian surnames, have moved into “the Big Apple” within the last decade, thereby creating a “Little Australia” neighborhood in lower Manhattan.
The Australian expats, many natives of Melbourne, Sidney and environs, have started businesses and carved out a life, far from their native land, however, knowing how to “parlare inglese” has made their move a smoother ride. Several Aussie themed restaurants have sprung up south of the East Village, where popular dishes and drinks straight from Down Under are served and also blocks north of Little Italy, hence NOLITA.
Adriano Olivetti’s father, an engineer, invented a typewriter in 1903, which thanks to my father Vincenzo, I was using to type my term papers in college by the 1950s. By the 1970s “Broadway Joe” Namath, New York Jets star quarterback, his knees in orthopedic ruin but his popularity intact, was successfully selling on television everything from Ovaltine to Olivettis.
In a 1972 TV spot the slogan “Olivetti girls have more fun” was concocted as part of a campaign to sell more Olivetti typewriters to secretaries. The notion of secretaries as “girls” drew the ire of feminist groups, so to appease them Olivetti’s adman created another Olivetti spot casting Joe, who could type (we all had to take typing in those days) as the secretary.
In the spot, Joe cast as a secretary, is taking dictation from a good-looking, well-dressed middle-aged boss he addresses as “ma’am.” “I’m very pleased with your work Joseph” she says perusing his Olivetti typed copy. “By the way what are you doing for dinner tonight?” Ever so slightly, Joe turns to the camera. Then one hears the sound of a typewriter going over the margin: ding. The typewriter does the “Broadway Joe” wink, meaning just enjoy, don’t take it too seriously.
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“Grazie” to Tony Ghezzo, via the pages of L’Italo-Americano, I learned more about Olivetti the typewriter, the company and the man, which I would like to share in part with you: Adriano Olivetti’s (1901-1960) father, Camillo Olivetti, a bright engineer first developed a typewriting machine in 1903 and by 1908 had founded the first typewriter factory in Italy; it had 20 employees.
Adriano Olivetti learned from his father not only business management, but the necessity of being genuinely interested in his workers’ welfare and to treat employees with fairness and equity. He enjoyed discussing with them their problems and was proud of finding solutions together. The factory truly had the atmosphere of a family. Adriano was born in 1901 in Ivrea, a small town of 9,500 people a few miles north of Turin.
After completing his studies in industrial chemistry in 1924, he visited the USA and toured several industrial plants. Impressed by what he observed, he returned to his factory in Ivrea and totally modernized it, making assembly lines more efficient and productive. In 1932 he developed and produced the first portable typewriter. In the same year Adriano took over from his father Camillo and modernized the whole industry technically, but retained his father’s genuine interest in the welfare of his workers.
In 1959, Olivetti purchased in the USA the typewriter company Underwood with its 11,000 employees and five years later sold his computer division to General Electric. The Olivetti Company continued to develop and manufacture the most advanced PC (personal computer.) In Italy, from the very beginning, he directed his attention to people living in the smallest villages of Piedmont and as a result of his efforts, communities that might have been ghost towns became prosperous and thriving.
At the end of World War II the Olivetti factory of Ivrea had 8,000 workers. All its employees enjoyed all kind of benefits, pension, welfare, medical assistance, and wages that were the highest in Italy. Inside the factory were canteens and stores where the employees could buy at reasonable prices groceries, clothing, appliances, books, etc. Adriano Olivetti did not stop there; he built houses for his employees, provided transportation to and from the working area, and built schools, libraries and gyms for their children.
In Addition, Olivetti created a unique organization called the Comunità (Community) in which a group of experts were available to assist employees in a predicament or in financial difficulty. The “Comunità” idea spread. The various “Comunità” in North Italy were solving workers’ problems and people were no longer attracted by the promises of Communism. Soon the principles of “Comunità” spread all over the country.
Thanks to Olivetti’s “Comunità”, in the following year’s national elections the Italian Communist Party lost a very high number of votes. Statistics proved that because of Olivetti’s organization and its influence on the working class, Italy was spared from the tentacles of Communism. Under Adriano’s guidance, the Olivetti Company worked to achieve technological excellence, innovation and international leadership.
He acquired world fame for developing and manufacturing one of the most advanced electric calculators of the time, the “Divisumma” (1948), the most versatile typewriter, the “Olivetti Lettera 22” (1950), and for producing Italy’s first electronic computer, the Elea 9003, but his idea of success was not only to achieve commercial accomplishment, but to help poor people becoming productive and content with their lives. When Adriano Olivetti died, in 1960 at age 59, his employees felt they had lost a loving father. Olivetti left a business operation on all major international markets and 36,000 employees, of whom more than half were overseas.
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In Buona Salute Magazine deserves your support, especially because it focuses on the Italian American communities of the West, with particular emphasis on Northern California. In Buona Salute Magazine is published bi-monthly and every issue contains a fresh look at subjects of interest. For example, inside the Jan.-Feb. 2008 issue, the one with Marco Belinelli, Italy’s NBA Golden State Warrior hero on the cover, was an ad for Tommy Lasorda’s wine, distributed by Casa Torelli imports.
The Lasorda brand, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red wine and the Chardonnay di Sicilia, both products of Italy, looks promising and I jotted down the www.lasordawine.com info to learn more. Inside is a story on the San Francisco Athletic Club, the World of Opera Event at the I.A.H.F. in San Jose, info on the Pininfarina, Ferrari espresso machine, the North Beach neighborhood, places to go, people to see and places where to eat, plus a profile of Salesian Boys and Girls Club Director Russ Gumina, basic Italian lessons, recipes and crosswords and a list of Italian American events where you are welcome and a great Italian American books selection.
Here is a brief blurb on “Italians in the Santa Clara Valley”, by Frederick W. Marrazzo. Two hundred photos fill the pages of “Italians in the Santa Clara Valley.” Author Frederick W. Marrazzo documents, through vintage imagery, the history and impact of Italians in the valley: $19.99. Available through area bookstores, independent retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing, at arcadiapublishing.com.
To subscribe go to www.saluteitalian magazine.com or call In Buona Salute magazine publisher and editor-in-chief. Robert De Feo at 916-436-6211, you will be glad you did.
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