Dear Readers,
The 100th Anniversary Celebration Banquet of our L’Italo-Americano newspaper (1908-2008) took place on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel (333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) and it was with great joy that I was able to attend and be amidst Italian Americans who while celebrating L’Italo-Americano’s 100 years of news and service are aware that only with dedicated effort can this valuable weekly voice of our community be preserved. ‘Tis said that “Better than the gold of kings is the memory of happy things.”
Therefore on this 100th anniversary celebration for L’Italo-Americano, let me share my happy memories with you. Readers who enjoy my column can say “grazie” by raising a glass of vino “alla salute della buon’anima” (soul) of the late Cleto Baroni, courtly old world gentleman (nephew of L’Italo-Americano founder, Gabriello Spini) who dedicated 68 years, in various capacities, to the success of L’Italo-Americano. I first met Cleto Baroni at a luncheon for members and potential members of the N.I.A.F. Council of 1,000 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, back in June 1977.
In 1977, living in Northern California, I was unaware of the weekly L’Italo-Americano publication. (The unification of the two newspapers, L’Eco d’Italia and L’Italo-Americano became effective January 1, 1980.) It was only by chance that a non-Italian friend, perusing his roommate’s copy of L’Italo-Americano in Los Angeles, spotted an item about the N.I.A.F. Council of 1,000 meeting and sent it to me knowing that, like the tower of Pisa, I was inclined towards Italians. In mid 1977, I walked into the Grand Trianon Room of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to attend a luncheon meeting hosted by Minnesota millionaire Jeno Paulucci, chairman of the N.I.A.F. who was in Los Angeles to discuss the idea of an “Advisory Council of 1000” for Italian Americans.
As I stepped into a grand ornate room, filled with a sea of suits and a blur of unfamiliar faces busy networking, only Dino Bolognese (che aveva gentilmente offerto il vino) stopped for a moment to dispense a bit of that highly touted Eye-talian warmth before taking his leave to oversee that the wine his company had donated was properly served. Dino hastily introduced me to Cleto Baroni, secure in the knowledge that this damsel in distress in unfamiliar social seas, would be heroically rescued.
Leading me by the hand from the back of the room to a front row table, Signor Baroni gave a slight bow, said something about the “prerogatives and perks of the press” and pulled out a chair, indicating I was to sit down in one of the best seats in the house.
After a few moments of mental, “Gee, whizzing”, I looked around my table as Signor Baroni graciously introduced me to everyone, including the lunch bunch at the surrounding tables and these are some of the people I met: The Honorable Judge Mario L. Clinco, Msgr. Augusto Moretti, l’attore Joseph Campanella, Charles Licata, Avv. Bruce Sottile, Joseph Micciche, Avv. George West, Hon. Alfred Peracca, Frank e Louis Vitale, Frank Palmieri, il banchiere Giuliano Lombardi, l’attore Cesare Danova, Renato Gugenheim, Eugenio Mazzarini del Consolato Generale, il Prof. Giovanni Cecchetti, l’Avv. Vito Rotunno con il figlio pure avvocato, Prof. Carlo Speroni, il Comm. Frank De Pietro, Richard Annotico, Frank Campanella, Dr. Eugene Casagrande, Ing. Mario Di Giovanni, Avv. Joseph Ventress, Joseph Privitelli, Ed Di Loreto, Prof. Fredi Chiappelli, Tony De Riggi, Joe Capitano, John Burney, Avv. T. Cacciatore, and class act NIAF event planner Philip DiFranco, media arts producer, author, and documentary film director.
Following the introductions, I found myself in a conversation with Mario Trecco, who in 1971 had become editor of L’Italo-Americano. It soon became clear that many Italian American organizations throughout the state of California did their things, unaware that a few miles away another Italian American organization even existed. Kaiser Industries had a slogan: “Find a need and fill it.”
My conversation with Mario Trecco clearly indicated a channel of communications between Southern and Northern California was needed; before lunch was over, Jeno Paulucci had signed up a new National Council of 1,000 member, and L’Italo-Americano had a new monthly column. It was called “News from Northern California.” By September 1977, in a sort of roving reporter with camera in hand format, I sent my first news from Northern California column about a benefit performance being presented by the Italian American Friends of the Oakland Symphony – a pops orchestra with Henry Mancini as the guest conductor at the Paramount Theater in Oakland and a reception following the concert honoring Mancini at the Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison in Oakland, California.
In October 1977, the rate of exchange was 875 Italian Lira to the U.S. Dollar and my monthly news from Northern California Column focused on the Big N.I.A.F. breakfast meeting at Bimbo’s and Columbus Day Banquet at the Fairmont Hotel in mid October that took place in San Francisco. Among those in attendance were: historian, author, and artist Alessandro Baccari, Joseph L. Alioto, former mayor of S.F., N.I.A.F. Chairman Jeno Paulucci, Frank Befera, pioneer cable television station owner from Duluth, Minnesota – William Armanino, Bay area Pesto Pioneer of Armanino Farms – Alvaro Bettucchi, South S.F. School Administrator and president of Italian American T.V. programs on Channel 20 – Honorable John Volpe, former ambassador to Italy and governor of Massachusetts, Democratic Presidential nominee – Walter Mondale from Minnesota and Fr. Giuseppe Costanzo from Sts. Peter and Paul Church in North Beach who gave the invocation.
By mid 1978, I volunteered to become a weekly columnist for L’Italo-Americano and for 30 years my weekly columns have attempted to accentuate the positive aspects of our Italian heritage and the many contributions Italian-Americans have made throughout the world. Italian contributions may be acknowledged by the Queen of England, who once stated in a speech before the Italian Parliament, “Your ancestors brought civilization to my people”, but are rarely reported in the daily press or media unless it is something that reflects badly on our Community.
As one of the 100th Anniversary Celebration Honorees, I remembered the words of my late father, Vincenzo, who always said, “If Italians could stick together, lottsa good things could happen for everybody” and dusted off a few previously used but still heartfelt words, I would like to share with you in case you were unable to attend due to the many miles we may be geographically apart: “I have always felt that although the accomplishments of our modern day astronauts and their trip to the moon is worthy of our admiration, their voyage was undertaken with the back-up of thousands, both in personnel, technology, and money.
“To me, the real pioneers of travel were our fathers and mothers and our grandparents who left their isolated and obscure villages to begin a journey to what was, for them, like another planet. “To a world thousands of miles away, they set out with no money and the added burden of not being able to read or speak one of the world’s most difficult languages. “The fact that we are here this afternoon represents an Old World dream fulfilled and honored.
Through the efforts of our Italian cultural group, and our giornale L’Italo-Americano, we can be assured that our children will never forget what our modern day media has ignored, neglected or distorted, and that is the history and brilliance of Italian connected gifts to the civilization of the world. “In memory of my immigrant parents and millions like them, I gratefully accept this award.”
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