Federated Italo-Americans to hold Columbus Day Banquet and Awards Ceremony on October 9

In keeping with the tradition, the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California will celebrate this year the 63rd Anniversary of Columbus Day with a banquet and award ceremony to be held on October 9th at Casa Italiana, in downtown Los Angeles. The event will begin at 5:30 with a reception, followed by dinner at 6:30. Awards presentation and entertainment will follow.

The Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, Hon. Nicola Faganello will attend the festivities. Two well known and esteemed members of the Italian American community will receive the Columbian Award. They are Robert Masters and Andrew Pampuro.

Here follows a brief biography of Andrew Joseph Pampuro (the biography of Robert Masters will be published in the next issue of L'Italo-Americano).

Andrew Joseph Pampuro

Andrew Joseph Pampuro was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 28, 1931. He is the eldest of three children, the products of a broken home. When his parents divorced, Andy was force to quit school and get a job to support himself. Starting in 1948 he went to work in the engraved stationery business and while working, he attended adult night school to obtain his high school diploma. That same year Andy met Louise LaMonica and in 1950 they were married.

In 1952, their only child, Rosemary, was born. In 1960, the California fever hit Andy and Louise and they headed west, settling in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. Eventually they purchased their first home in Hawthorne, where they lived for 25 years, before moving to Laguna Woods upon retirement.

In 1970, Andy and Louise joined the Centinela Valley Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy in America. Almost immediately, they both became involved with the lodge, where Andy assumed the position of editor of the lodge newsletter which he called “The Little Lion”, a position he held for 25 years, winning many awards at various conventions. In 1973 Andy was appointed to be a member of the Press and Radio Commission of the Grand Lodge of California and remained a member for 17 years.

Through the years Andy held many posi- tions at various levels and functions of the Order. He served from 1974 to 1981 as recording secretary of the United Lodges of Southern California. In 1974, he became recording secretary of the Centinela V alley Lodge, serving until 1983 when he became president of the lodge, serving in that position for ten years. During this time, under his leadership the lodge expanded. Then in 1997, Andy became president of the United Lodges and served for eight year in that position. From 1974 to 1983, he served as State Deputy to the Hacienda Lodge, then in 1983 he was appointed in the same position to the South Gate Lodge, serving for nineteen years.

Both Andy and Louise retired in 1997 and went on a wonderful tour of Italy and Spain. In 1999, they transferred to the Renaissance Lodge and in the same year he was appointed president of the Media Commission of the Grand Lodge and the new editor of the Il Leone, the official state newspaper of the Grand Lodge of California. For the past eleven years he has produced one of the best state newspapers of the Grand Lodges in the Order of Sons of Italy in America. Andy became president of the Renaissance Lodge in 2001, serving for five years in that capacity.

In 2004, he became president of the American Italia Club in Laguna Woods Village and is currently in his seventh term. In 1999, Andy was the guest speaker at the Columbus Day ceremonies held at the Los Angeles County Mall. Since then, he has served as MC every year under the chairmanship of Vita Zaccaria. Andy is the co-chair of the Orange International Street Fair for the Renaissance Lodge.

The work entails running a sausage and meatball booth, a pizza booth and a beer booth, working 50 hours for the duration of the fair. The funds raised from the street fair benefit the various charities supported by the lodge. For relaxation, Andy and Louise enjoy dancing, having taught line dancing. They also enjoy playing bocce and bowling. On October 28th they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary and will embark on a 14-day cruise to Hawaii. If you ask Andy which one of all his accomplishments with the Sons of Italy he is the proudest of, he will answer “being editor of the award winning and respected Il Leone.

L'Italo-Americano congratulates Mr. Andrew Pampuro as the recipient of the 2010 Columbian Award, a well deserved recognition for his many accomplishments and for his dedication to the Italian-American community.