Dear Readers,
Happy New Year and as you list your new year resolutions be sure to include renewing your subscription to L’Italo-Americano now, so you can extend your subscription expiration to 2010 and continue enjoying L’Italo-Americano News without a mid-year interruption.
L’Italo-Americano, publishing since 1908, will pass on positive news about your heritage and community each week of the New Year 2009. In January 1980 a big “Italian Connection” took place. The unification of two Italian newspapers became effective Jan. 1, 1980 and two Italian newspapers, L’Eco d’Italia and L’Italo-Americano, became one.
I was there at the ceremonial signing as was our editor Mario Trecco, the late Northern California representative Roger Boschetti of San Francisco and Mario Trecco’s good friend Roy Ventress. Joseph Roy Ventress, who left us suddenly November 2008, was there as a legal advisor to L’Italo-Americano.
Mr. Ventress was also an assiduous reader of L’Italo-Americano and as one of the founders of the Patrons of Italian Culture and Italian Heritage Foundation, cared deeply about our heritage and felt that a merger between the two papers would enhance and enrich the Italian American community throughout the State of California and beyond to all of the Western United States.
The January 1980 merger, as mergers go, was pretty harmonious thanks to Eve Sodo, who passed away in January 1997. Eve managed the San Francisco office for many years and helped smooth the transition of two newspapers into one unified edition of L’Italo-Americano by soothing the ruffled feathers of some change-resistant Bay Area readers. Eventually, the professionalism and dedication of the “new” newspaper staff became apparent to all.
The Order of the Scalabrini Fathers acquired L’Eco d’Italia, the Italian newspaper of San Francisco and Northern California and the unification of the two Italian newspapers became effective Jan. 1, 1980.
The signing of the contract, after long and careful negotiations, took place in San Francisco. Very Reverend Angelo Calandra, Provincial Superior of the Scalabrini Order from Chicago, was present to make the transaction official with his signature and was assisted by Rev. Vincent Cutrara, Provincial Bursar.
Also attending the ceremony were: Mario Trecco, editor of L’Italo-Americano, who became editor of the unified newspaper; Miss Eve Sodo, secretary of L’Eco d’Italia, who remained in the capacity for L’Italo-Americano; Joseph Roy Ventress, whose legal assistance was invaluable in the negotiation; and Stephen L. Mana, legal advisor for the owner and editor of L’Eco d’Italia, Mr. Pierino Mori, who resided in Toronto and could not attend the ceremony. As a form of community celebration of the event, a luncheon was held at the Fiore d’Italia Restaurant in North Beach by Il Cenacolo, an Italian organization meeting monthly to foster the promotion of the Italian culture and language.
Mario Trecco, editor of L’Italo-Americano was invited to address the group. He stressed the importance of keeping alive a noble tradition of San Francisco, that of having a strong, effective and timely newspaper. “This is assured,” he said, “by the present event: the merger between the two newspapers of California into one, namely L’Italo-Americano and L’Eco d’Italia.
It is better to have one strong newspaper than two weak ones.” And with the first unified January 1980 issue, L’Italo-Americano truly became the only Italian American weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi. In 2003, after state approval of the Articles of Incorporation, by-laws were drafted with the invaluable help of the late attorney Gene Carloni, a non-profit entity (L’Italo American Foundation) was created which assumed the responsibility of publishing our newspaper.
The sole purpose of the L’Italo American Foundation, headed by Comm. Robert Barbera, is to assure the long-term survival of L’Italo-Americano as the voice of our community, far beyond our 2008 centennial year. “Sempre avanti…and Mille Grazie” to our advertisers, readers and those unsung angels behind the scenes who are unselfishly dedicated to keeping our hundred year publication not only alive but strong and flourishing “per altri cent’anni!”.
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January jottings: Desserts is stressed spelled backwards. Have a dessert break and a cup of chamomile tea and feel the stress disappear. Friendship is like a bank account. You can’t continue to draw on it without making deposits. Goodbye in any language “That money talks, I’ll not deny, I heard it once: it said Goodbye.”
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Anniversary gifts traditionally given are: First Paper Second Cotton Third Leather Fourth Fruit/Flowers Fifth Wood Tenth Aluminum Fifteenth Crystal Twentieth China Twenty-fifth Silver Thirtieth Pearls Thirty-fifth Coral Fiftieth Gold Sixtieth Diamonds
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