Dear Readers,
Frank Sinatra left us on May 14th, 1998 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His wife Barbara and children Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina were at his bedside when he passed away, at what his fans worldwide thought was the “young age” of 82.
Frank’s fans believed the famous words of their favorite Italian-American icon “May you live a 100 years and may the last voice you hear be mine”, and somehow expected him to be around for at least “Cent’anni.” On Frank’s simple gravestone it says, Francis Albert Sinatra 1915 – 1998 “The Best is yet to come.” Let’s hope so…
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Frank Sinatra, felt like “family” to many fans in the early days of his career. And, like any “family” member, espe- cially one that has been part of our lives for over fifty years, Frank’s fans still miss him… Mauro Potestio, L’Italo Americano reader, who lives in Portland, Oregon, has a party room dedicated to Frank that is filled with Sinatra memorabilia he has collected since his high school days.
Mauro, a retired teacher, owns each and every commercial record Sinatra made in 78’s 33 1/3’s and CD’s and still listens to them. He never drives a mile that he does not have Sinatra on the speaker sys- tem. In Mauro Potestio’s party room, dedicated to Sinatra there are over 60 framed pictures. Mauro Potestio also hosts a dinner party each year in December, Frank’s birthday month. If you are a big Frank Sinatra aficionado and find yourself in Portland, Oregon, give Signor Potestio a call (503) 774-6921.
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Super Sinatra Fan, Mauro Potestio, is also a member of the Portland-Bologna Sister City Association which is focused on strengthening ties between the two widely separated cities. The non-profit Portland-Bologna- Sister City was started five years ago. Several professors of Italian related subjects at Portland State University are also actively involved with the Portland- Bologna Sister City Association.
Mauro Potestio wants to get the word out that BOLOGNA is far from simply being the lunchmeat many Americans think it to be. Bologna is actually an ancient Etruscan city, located near the fertile Apennine Plain in Northern Italy. Bologna is known for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma Ham, and Balsamic vinegars. As culinary exchanges intensify between the cities, more Portlanders could easily acquire an informed taste for Italian food, especially since Oregon’s food products will be showcased in Bologna, and vice versa with chef exchanges planned as well.
“Bologna is the culinary capital of Italy,” says retired educator and super Sinatra fan, Mauro Potestio, who travels there every summer. “We eat a lot of good Italian food, and drink a lot of wine. Oh, what spreads!” To learn more visit www.portlandbologna.org
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Frank Sinatra Didn’t Move Pianos, was the title of an article my “Bambina Caterina” wrote for a Success Line over a decade ago. At the time with a decade less “dolore”, I set it aside, but now with making it “A Cent’Anni” less likely, I thought the message it imparts was worth sharing in part with you: “Frank Sinatra didn’t move pianos,” a friend said. I took this to mean he focused on what he loved and what he was good at and left the rest to others. Perhaps this is what allowed “The Chairman of the Board” to become a legend and make time to enjoy living his every day.
People who plan, projects, analyze and organize everything to get a job done, are frequently the same people who would be tuning and moving pianos if they were in the singing business. They spend too much time on the process and not enough time on the passion. Life is for living, not doing things that suck the life out of you.
If you are feeling mired in the minutia of your life, try to get unstuck and get out from under, doing so will allow you to start singing and gliding into more real living. Leave the pianos to the moving experts. Start by making space in your life for true living and eliminating what you are not passionate about.
Get Clear About Your Priorities. We only have so much time in a day and our mental and physical energy is limited as Mauro Potestio, faithful Sinatra fan extraordinaire, has dedicated his party room to Sinatra and hosts a dinner party in his Portland, Oregon home each December 12, in Sinatra’s memory and honor. well. Pick your priorities and decide how to spend your time with this in mind.
Say NO To Anything That Doesn’t Interest You. Often, we get invited to events and if we have nothing scheduled at that time, we plan to attend. Sometimes, that’s fine. It is good to socialize, help out friends by attending group bene- fits. What is not good is to fill your days with activities that you are neutral about that simply waste your precious time.”
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Villa Scalabrini Retirement Centerin Sun Valley, California benefited from several Sinatra concerts in the late 1970’s. The up to date commercial kitchen at the Villa was dedicated to Frank’s mother Dolly Sinatra. In 1979, Frank Sinatra, who had already donated $250,000 dollars for the state of the art commercial kitchen at the Villa, following a “Tribute to Dolly” concert in Las Vegas added another $50,000 with proceeds from a concert at the L.A. Amphitheater.
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Sinatra’s stays in the San Francisco Bay Areawere mem- orable for his fans. In 1946, at the height of his singing career, students skipped school to hear him sing at Golden Gate Theatre. They stayed for show after show until Sinatra begged them to go home so others could get into the theater. He was in San Francisco a lot in 1957 to film the musical “Pal Joey.” Sinatra could be found at Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill, which the filmmakers had transformed into the mansion of Joey’s wealthy mistress (played by Rita Hayworth).
When it came to charity, Sinatra was generous with his time and talent. In 1979, he filled in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti at a benefit for the Opera House, telling the crowd, “My name is Luciano Pavarotti, but this afternoon I lost 178 pounds.” In 1981 Sinatra was in San Francisco for a benefit concert for the Mental Health and Child Abuse Foundation at the Masonic Auditorium.
He paid the Nelson Riddle Orchestra to accompany him. But he told the organizers of the benefit that if the information got out that he was donating everything himself, he couldn’t give a nickel. As a Democrat, Sinatra sang at a political rally for presidential candidate John F. Kennedyat the Mark Hopkins. The well- dressed Democratic matrons greeted Sinatra with what was described at the time as a “teen- ish clamor.”
He also campaigned in San Francisco for Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown in his race against Ronald Reagan. After switching political parties, Sinatra was back in San Francisco to help President Reagan win re-election. “He sang better when he was a Democrat,” wrote a local colum- nist. Sinatra and his cronies Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. kicked off their reunion tour at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1988, with Sinatra stealing the show.
At the Circle Star in 1989, Sinatra marked the debut of his own brand of pasta sauce by holing up a jar of tomato-basil sauce marketed by Artanis, that’s Sinatra spelled backwards. Once asked what songs he would sing if he had only one concert left, he said “I’d do ‘My Way’. I’d have to do ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin.’ I’d do ‘One for My Baby,’ which is sort of tied to me. You have to do what they want. After all, that’s why they’re there.”
10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410
