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Dear Readers,
March memories with an “Italian Connection”.

Julius Caesar, 100-44bc, laughed at a soothsayer’s warning to “beware the Ides of March” and a successfully plot for his assassination did indeed take place on March 15th, and, included the hand of his trusted, adopted son Brutus and is considered the most famous of classical betrayals. Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate, in part because they feared his dictatorship.

Ides, my dictionary informs, were in the ancient Roman calendar, the 15th day of March, May, July and October and the 13th day of the other months.
The soothsayer, who in reality may have just overheard the plot was very specific as to the day Caesar would be dead.

...

Roger Boschetti, a bright light in the Bay Area Italian American community and the State of California, for over half a century, was extinguished, March 8, 2004 at age 82 but he is still missed and the happy memories he helped create have not dinned. When Roger died the community lost one of its most active and colorful leaders.

There was not a single worthwhile Italian American program, sports activity or benefit that did not list his name as an active member or contributor.

In 1975, Villa Scalabrini of Los Angeles, Italian Retirement Center was still on the drawing boards and in March, Edward Di Loreto, chairman of the Villa Scalabrini finance committee reported that the campaign had reached the sum of $500,000 towards the goal of 3 million dollars.

In order to encourage more donations, a thank you Founders Banquet at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel was planned for the following month and Roger Boschetti was there.

On the program Frank Sinatra was listed as Honorary Chairman and his mother Natalie “Dolly” Sinatra, was Honorary Hostess, Mrs. Rose Di Bari did the decorations, Alma Piazza, Soprano sang the American and Italian National Anthems, his Excellency Egidio Ortona, Italian Ambassador to the USA brought greetings from Italy, Joseph Campanella screen and TV personality was Master of Ceremonies, our editor, Mario Trecco was in charge of Publicity and Roger Boschetti was there with camera to record the event for his Italian Television program, to encourage more financial founders to step forward.

Roger Boschetti was a businessman, labor leader, athlete, writer, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, WWII Veteran, lifelong volunteer and officer in many organizations and Northern California representative for L’Italo Americano newspaper for many years.

However, it is for the Italian American TV Annual Family Picnic that Roger is best remembered by thousands of Italian-Americans in Northern California.
In the early 1970s Roger Boschetti bought a block of time at a small television station, channel 20, in order to bring Italian-American television to our community.

Roger Boschetti organized the first annual Family Picnic in 1975, with low prices so all could attend and enjoy a family picnic, with plenty of fun and music. The Italian-American TV lasted twenty years and took place at Blackberry Farm, near San Jose between 1975 and 1988.

The early picnics were immensely popular and thousands came from all over Northern California, Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco, Stockton, Modesto, Gilroy, Half Moon. Bay and as far south as Monterey, some by chartered bus loads.

Some people arrived as early as 3a.m. in order to secure a favorite picnic table and were there when Roger and friends arrived at 4a.m. in order to set up the stage for the band and set things up so all would be ready when the family picnic goers arrived.

Roger Bochetti, like a diamond in the rough, was a multifaceted man. Roger was born, July 13, 1921, in Rome, Italy and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1927. He married the former Rachel Ramon from Austin, Texas and had two daughters and one son, namely Regina, Zita and Dino.

His parents emigrated from Tuscany, Italy and became United States citizens in 1926. He was the son of Cesare and Ida Micheli Boschetti.

He attended Salesian College in Livorno, Italy from 1931 to 1934 and came to San Francisco in 1935 where he graduated from Galileo High School in 1940. He also attended the University of San Francisco where he majored in labor law, collective bargaining and business administration.

Mr. Boschetti served in WWII as an officer in the United States Merchant Marine and saw action in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He received an Honorable Discharge along with many commendations; among them – a personal letter from the President Harry S. Truman.

An astute businessman, he served two years as Executive Vice President for Pacific Allside, manufacturers of prefabricated homes. He was also, at one time, the owner of the world renowned restaurant, Del Vecchio’s.

He also founded Ristorante La Bussola in North Beach and was the founder of “Il Pasticcione” a company that manufactured Italian gourmet pasta sauces, but he was never too busy to raise funds for many Italian causes including Assisi earthquake victims and raised over $60,000 for an Italian young man that needed a bone marrow transplant.

He received many honors and commendations. He was the recipient of the gold medal from the Italian City of Lucca and was knighted by President Pertini of the Republic of Italy in 1980. In 1990 he was awarded the peace prize from the City of Assisi.

In 1998 he was awarded the gold cross from the Republican Legion of Merit and was the recipient of many other recognitions and awards.
Roger Boschetti was unanimously chosen by California District II of UNICO National, as 2003 “Man of the year”, but those who knew Roger unanimously agreed that no matter the date, Roger was always “Man of the year’.

...

Joe DiMaggio, left us in March 1999 and the late slugger’s lawyer, for 16 years, Morris Engelberg penned an explosive new book, "DiMaggio Setting the Record Straight" (MBI Publishing Co.) with sports writer Mary Schneider.
The legendary Yankee Joe DiMaggio was set to remarry Marilyn Monroe the day she was buried.

Engelberg, who oversaw the Mr. Coffee pitchman's estate, says a tearful DiMaggio once told him that he was convinced the Kennedys were involved in the blonde bombshell's death at 36, on Aug. 5, 1962, an apparent suicide.
Joe DiMaggio, in life was a very private person and would be unhappy with his putative "good friend" putting his business on the street. I, along with thousands of Joe DiMaggio's longtime fans prefer to accentuate the positive.

Joe DiMaggio, "The greatest team player that ever lived..." was Connie Mack's appraisal of the "Yankee Clipper." Others have hit for greater averages, more runs, but his special talent was as an all-round team player, often winning, said one sportswriter “by his presence alone.”

When DiMaggio joined the Yankees in 1936 (leaner times, to be sure), he earned $8,500 a year as a rookie player.
Joe retired from baseball in 1951, having played in nine World Series. Some of his greatest games were played before he recovered from physical mishaps that often plagued him.

The lifetime batting average of "the great jolter" was 329. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
Joe Di Maggio made more money after he retired from baseball than when he was playing.

The merciless and autocratic manner in which management treated Joe DiMaggio and other ballplayers at that time indicated that the relationship between owners and their players was little better than a legalized "plantation system."

I met Joe many times, when he was in town visiting his sister Marie, his friend Reno or just buying Easter treats for his grandkids at See’s candy shop, but most memorable was his 1976 appearance at San Francisco Giants Italian Day at Candlestick Park. Even before Joe DiMaggio reached the field, several hundred fans spotted him making his way through the stands at Candlestick Park and started applauding.

The handsome, gray-haired Yankee Clipper was quickly surrounded by other former stars being honored by the Giants in a Bicentennial Salute to Italian-American ballplayers from San Francisco.

Two members of the Giants, John (The Count) Montefusco and John D’Acquisto, were introduced to DiMaggio and shook his hand vigorously. Chairman Al Baccari probably said it best when he introduced Joe DiMaggio with these words:
“Joe DiMaggio, pride of the Yankees for 15 years, 1936 through 1951, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame and San Francisco’s greatest gift to the game, with lifetime major league batting average of 325.”

“Grazie” for the memories, Joe.

 

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