2014 January - March Edition

The
Golden Lion
Official Publication of the Grand Lodge of New York
Largest Italian-American Fraternal Bi-Monthly in New York State
1 9 05 - 20 0 5
“The Order Sons of Italy in America is the oldest and largest organization of Italian-American Men and Women in the United States and Canada”
VOL. 48 NO. 1-2-3
JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014
2014 WINTER CHARITY BALL
A HUGE SUCCESS
OSIA NY GRAND LODGE FOUNDATION HONORS 6 LEADERS
IN THE ITALIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND BEYOND
NY GRAND LODGE FOUNDATION
To Honor with the 2014 Golden Lion Award
At the 32nd Annual Golden Lion Awards Dinner
Friday - April 11, 2014 - Garden City Hotel
Frank V. Carone, Esq.
Partner at Abrams, Fensterman,Fensterman, Eisman,
Formato, Ferrara, and Wolf, LLP
Anthony Malatino
Senior Vice President/Financial Advisor
Malatino and Associates at Morgan Stanley
Hon. Edward P. Mangano
Nassau County Executive
The six 2014 Winter Charity Ball Honorees are shown flanking OSIA NYS
President and NY Grand Lodge Foundation President, Joseph F.
Rondinelli (center). From left: Antoinette Biordi, News 12 LI; Anthony
Baratta, National OSIA President; Cpl. Manuel Ocia Jiminez, USMC; and
Pat, Joseph, and John Iavarone of Iavarone Brothers. The young master
Michael in front left, is the son of Ms. Biordi.
Please See Page 8 for Additional Winter Charity Ball Coverage
Frank V. Carone
Anthony Malatino
Edward P. Mangano
Please See Page 4 for Additional Information
Our thoughts and prayers
are with those in uniform
in harm’s way
~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Easter
To All Our Dear Readers
Buona Pasqua
A Tutti I Nostri Cari Lettori
~ Ordine Figli d’Italia in America ~
Deadline
for the
Next Golden Lion Issue is
May 7, 2014
All articles for publication must be typed and double spaced.
All photograph captions must be typed and all persons identified.
If possible submit all photographs in black & white for better reproduction.
Digital photos should taken in the highest quality setting possible of camera,
a minimum of 300 pixels per square inch (psi) is desirable.
All articles and captions must be received before the deadline date.
Please Note - Photographs are NOT returned, unless a self-addressed
envelope is provided. (Sufficiently large for photo size submitted).
The Editor reserves the right to edit articles, letters, advertisements, and
other material submitted for publication, for its length, clarity, accuracy,
and for conformity to the ideals of the Order.
The Golden Lion
Official Publication
of N.Y. Grand Lodge
Order Sons of Italy
in America
Published Bi-Monthly
Circulated 5 times per year among
the NY OSIA Membership with a
family readership of over 40,000
throughout the New York State Area.
Editor
Sal Moschella
Co-Editor
Marjorie Moschella
Nancy DiFiore Quinn
Advertising Manager
Anita Rosato
Contributing Writers
Mike Cutillo
Dr. Ciro T. De Rosa
Prof. Philip J. DiNovo
Florence Gatto
Dr. Joseph A. Tursi
Finalmente!
Are You Changing Your Address?
Please Notify The Golden Lion
This will assure that you will receive your copy of the Golden Lion
on time at your new address, and the NY Grand Lodge will save the
75 cents charged by the United States Postal Service for each
returned newspaper.
Please notify us of a change of address as soon as possible.
Print all requested information, otherwise changes cannot be
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Name ________________________________________________
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First
MI
Lodge # ________
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MAIL TO: New York State OSIA Grand Lodge
Attention: Golden Lion
2101 Bellmore Avenue, Bellmore, NY 11710-5605
#
2 • The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
Past Editors
Frank Rossi
Guido Vitiello (Emeritus)
Joseph Maglioto
Frank Rossi
Frank Malerba
Peter R. Zuzolo
August A. Di Renzo
State Photographer
Natale Mannino
The Golden Lion is the official publication
of the New York State Order Sons of Italy in
America (NYS OSIA) Grand Lodge, the
largest and longest established organization
representing New York's women and men of
Italian heritage. The Golden Lion strives to
provide timely information about NYS OSIA,
while reporting individuals, institutions,
issues and events of current or historical significance in the New York Italian-American
community.
The Golden Lion is published 5 times yearly: (Jan-Feb-Mar, Apr-May-June, Jul-Aug,
Sep-Oct, and Nov-Dec) by NYS OSIA, 2101
Bellmore Avenue. Bellmore, NY 11710,
516-785-4623. Mailed at periodicals postage
rates at Bellmore and at additional mailing
offices under USPS permit #017-248. ” 1997
NYS OSIA. All rights reserved.
Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited. Statements of
fact and opinion are the responsibility of the
authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees and
members of NYS OSIA. The Golden Lion
accepts queries, unsolicited manuscripts,
news releases, reviews, and comments, but
does not assume any responsibility for unsolicited materials. Letters to the editor must
include the name, address, and daytime telephone number of the author to be considered
for publication.
Annual subscriptions are included in the dues
for NYS OSIA.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
The Golden Lion, 2101 Bellmore Avenue.
Bellmore, NY 11710. NYS OSIA membership information is available at 800-322OSIA. Archives are maintained at the
Immigration History Research Center,
University of Minnesota. Printing by Richner
Communications, Inc., Garden City, NY.
New York State Grand Council
Joseph F. Rondinelli............................................... State President
225 Massachusetts Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758
Home Tel: 516 799-0044
Cell Tel: 516 659-4404
Fax No. 516 221-6742
Email: osiajfr@aol.com
Carolyn Reres........................................... State 1st Vice President
Robert Ferrito.......................................... State 2nd Vice President
Thom Lupo................................... State Immediate Past President
Anthony Naccarato............................................... State Orator
Michele Ment........................................ State Recording Secretary
Biagio Isgro, Jr........................................ State Financial Secretary
James Spatafore............................ State Corresponding Secretary
2712 Smith Drive, Endwell, NY 13760
John A. Fratta........................................................ State Treasurer
Angela DeCosimo....................................... State Principal Trustee
State Trustees
Susan Alicea
Anthony Corsello
Anthony DiCostanza
Gina Ferrara
Louis Gallo
Valerie Gobbo
Patrick Iandoli
Cesare Maniccia
Louis Mazzacone
John M. Rubbo
Toni Spinelli
Joseph Vallone
Keith Wilson
State Past Presidents
Anthony J. Gulotta+
Crescenzo Pitocchi+
Stefano Miele+
Corrado Stornello+
Salvatore Cotillo+
John J. Freschi+
Stefano Miele+
Frank Catinella+
Andrew J. Malatesta+
Francis X. Giaccone+
Peter R. Zuzolo
Ubaldo N. Marino+
Joseph A. Montemarano+
Amedeo H. Volpe+
Nicholas G. Viglietta
Carmine A. Ventiera+
Joseph Parillo, Jr.+
+
Peter A. Brevett
+
Joseph Sciame
Salvatore H. Migliaccio
Joseph Cangemi
George Montopoli+
Joseph J. DiTrapani
P. Vincent Landi+
Carlo Matteucci
Joseph Bologna+
Nancy DiFiore Quinn
Joseph E. Fay+
Salvatore Lanzilotta
State Appointees
Rev. R. Adam Forno ...................................................... NYS Chaplain
Eleanor Jobbagy............................................... New York State Deputy
Louis Gallo ........................................... New York State CSJ Chairman
Joseph Sciame and Luigi Squillante ......... NY State GMM Co-Chairs
New York State Member Bene Emeritus
Carmine Cocchiola +
Giuseppe A. Nigro +
Constantine Fascia +
Gregorio Morabito +
Lillian Black +
Philip Iannuccilli
Frank Picarazzi
Maria Dell’Unto +
Giacomo DiNola +
Andrew Torregrossa, Sr.+
Rev. Julius Valentinelli+
Joseph G. Bologna +
E. Howard Molisani +
Thomas F. Rosolio+
P. Vincent Landi +
Anne Fiore+
Hon. Angelo D. Roncallo+
Amelia B. Magnotta +
F. Joseph Leone +
Arthur L. Pardi +
John Musicaro +
Edward Innella
Hon. Josephine Gambino+
Hon. Dominic R. Massaro
Peter R. Zuzolo
Louis L. Giambra+
Joseph Parillo, Jr. +
Nicholas G. Viglietta
Salvatore Marasa+
Emanuel J. Aragosa
Frank D’Andrea+
Joseph E. Fay+
Joseph Sciame
Rev. Donald B. Licata+
Lucy F. Codella
Louis Ambrosio
John Dabbene+
Dan Colantone
Joseph Cangemi
Joseph J. DiTrapani
Carlo Matteucci
Nancy DiFiore Quinn
Salvatore Lanzilotta
Antonette Innella+
Sylvia Summa
Joseph Montemarano+
New York State Hall of Fame
Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro+
Francis Mezzatesta, Esq.+
Dr. Vincent Buffa+
Stefano Miele, +
Peter R. Zuzolo
Joseph Sciame
+Deceased
National Officers/Appointees
Nancy DiFiore Quinn........................................National Fifth Vice President
Joseph J. DiTrapani.................................National Immediate Past President
Thom A. Lupo....................................................National Financial Secretary
Carlo Matteucci.....................................................................National Trustee
Nicholas Mauro.....................................................................National Trustee
Peter R. Zuzolo..........................................,................National Past President
Joseph Sciame.............................................................National Past President
Joseph J. DiTrapani..................National Sons of Italy Foundation President
Salvatore Lanzilotta...........................................National Foundation Trustee
Bruce Lankewish................................................National Foundation Trustee
Marianne Principe O’Neil.................................National Foundation Trustee
Carmine Federico..........................National Arbitration Commissioner Chair
Salvatore Lanzilotta................................National Arbitration Commissioner
Joseph F. Rondinelli..................................Supreme Cabinet Co-Chairperson
Rev. R. Adam Forno...........................................................National Chaplain
Joan Rondinelli................................................Cooley’s Anemia Chairperson
Dominic Massaro.........................................National CSJ President Emeritus
Grand Lodge Office
Eileen Stavis, Office Manager
Carol DiTrapani, Executive Assistant
2101-03 Bellmore Avenue, Bellmore, N.Y. 11710-5605
Tel. 516-785-4623 1-800-322-OSIA Fax 516-221-OSIA (6742)
www.nysosia.org • nysosia@aol.com
From The State President’s Desk
President’s Photo Album
who graciously hosted our meeting. I
encourage you to attend our Plenary
Sessions when they are held in your area.
You will find the business meeting of
New York OSIA both informative and
interesting. The Spring Plenary Session
will be held on Saturday, April 26th at
the Rockland Lodge #2176 in Blauvelt.
Plan to join us for the day!
More than 100 guests gathered on
Sunday, February 9th, for the
Alzheimer’s Charity Brunch Fundraiser
held at the Westchester Manor located in
Hastings on the Hudson. Sincerest
thanks to State Alzheimer’s Chairperson
Anna Magliato, Co-Chair Genevieve
Lembo, and their committee for preparing such a pleasant and successful event.
Joseph F. Rondinelli
State President
Grand Lodge of New York
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the
NYSOSIA Grand Lodge:
I
hope your holidays were enjoyable
and as pleasant and memorable as
ours. While we all seem to get caught
up in the excitement of the season, it is
truly a time when families come together
and we are reminded of the importance
of our customs and traditions. It is hard
to believe the holidays have come and
gone so quickly!
The New Year 2014 has indeed begun,
and filled with its usual busy schedule of
events and activities. On Friday evening,
January 31st, more than 250 guests
attended the Twenty-First Anniversary
Winter Charity Ball hosted by the New
York Grand Lodge Foundation. This
premier charitable event held at the
Chateau Briand, was once again, a social,
financial, and fraternal success. TwentyOne years of charitable giving is a special milestone and one to be so very
proud of. First Lady Joan Rondinelli,
Co-Chairs Annette Lankewish, and
Madeline Matteucci and their entire
committee did an outstanding job in
coordinating this memorable evening. It
was a superb event for all in attendance
and most especially for our distinguished
honorees. OSIA National President
Anthony Baratta, Antoinette Biordi,
Joseph, Pat and John Iavarone, and Cpl.
Manuel Ocia Jimenez USMC, were
delighted and very touched by our warm
New York OSIA welcome. During the
evening, a donation of $2,500 was presented to the Hope for the Warriors
Foundation and a special donation of
$2,500 was also given to the Cooley’s
Anemia Foundation. The evening was a
proud moment for me, personally, as
President of the New York Grand Lodge.
Best wishes and continued success to all!
On Saturday, February 1st, the Plenary
Session of the Grand Council was held at
the Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 in
Deer Park. Various committee reports
and updates were approved and the business of the Order was conducted and
completed in a fraternal manner. Our
sincere appreciation to Lodge President
Bob Savino and all the lodge members
On Sunday, February 16th, I was
pleased to attend the 34th Annual CSJ
Dinner Dance held at the beautiful
Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.
With 200 guests in attendance, our honorees - Arba Sicula (“Sicilian Dawn”)
and the AATI Long Island Chapter
(American Association of Teachers of
Italian) were lauded for their outstanding
commitment and involvement within the
Italian American community. Both
organizations are positive role models
and we were honored to pay tribute to
them for all the work they do to promote
Italian culture. Warmest thanks to CSJ
Chairman Louis Gallo, Dinner Chair
Josephine Morici Cohen, and the entire
CSJ Committee for an outstanding afternoon, highlighting the important work of
our honorees and the Commission for
Social Justice. In the coming months our
CSJ will continue its important work,
always promoting the positive contributions of Italian Americans and reaffirming our unwavering objective in promoting social justice for all.
On February 19-23rd First Lady Joan
and I attended a National OSIA Winter
Plenary Session in New Orleans,
Louisiana. I was privileged to join with
National IPP Joseph DiTrapani, National
5th Vice President Nancy DiFiore Quinn,
National Financial Secretary Thom
Lupo, National Past President Joseph
Sciame, National Trustees Carlo
Matteucci and Nicholas Mauro, National
Foundation Trustees Bruce Lankewish,
Salvatore Lanzilotta, Marianne Principe
O’Neil and National Chaplain Fr. Adam
Forno. Many serious issues confronting
OSIA were discussed, as well as new
ideas to keep our Order strong and viable
in the 21st century. I am honored to
serve as the Supreme Cabinet CoChairperson and thoroughly enjoy working with the other State Presidents representing Grand Lodges from across our
great nation. I assure you that our
Supreme Lodge is working diligently to
keep our Order in the forefront of the
Italian American community, and to
make sure that our membership is always
informed and continues to move in a positive direction. Your New York OSIA
“National Team” is proud to represent
you!
During the month of February, many
new Presidents and Officers are elected
throughout our lodges. Let me thank
those who have served as Lodge
NYS CSJ’s 34th Anniversary Dinner. On February 16, 2014, State
President Joseph F. Rondinelli (3rd from left), attended the gala affair honoring the Arba Sicula (Sicilian Dawn) and the American Association of Teachers
of Italian (AATI) - Long Island Chapter for their devotion in promoting the Italian
language, culture, and traditions. Joining the State President are, from left:
OSIA National Immediate Past President Joseph DiTrapani; NYS First VP
Carolyn Reres; Dr. Gaetano Cipolla, representing Arba Sicula; Dr. Joseph
Tursi, representing AATI; NYS CSJ Chairperson Louis Gallo; NYS CSJ Event
Chaiperson Josephine Morici Cohen; and NYS Second VP Robert Ferrito.
Presidents and congratulate our Brothers
and Sisters who are stepping up to
assume the mantle of leadership. During
the month of March, Installation of
Officers will be held across our State.
Our Order stands on protocol and ceremony, so, I ask that you make every
effort to salute the outgoing President
and Officers, and warmly welcome the
newly elected President and his/her slate
of Officers who are committed to serve.
I encourage our new leaders to be positive, upbeat, and most of all, “lead by
example.” It is important that you work
together on behalf of the lodge, for there
is no better way to keep a lodge cohesive
and strong. Please rely on your Lodge
Deputy for guidance and direction where
needed. The Lodge Deputies represent
the State President and should always be
available for any special concerns that
arise in the lodge. I look forward to
being a part of as many installations as
the schedule will allow. If I cannot
attend, I will do my best to send a representative from the Executive Board or
Grand Council to represent me.
All lodge Presidents should be planning to attend this year’s Leadership
Seminar on Saturday, April 5th at the
Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 in White
Plains. A continental breakfast will be
served at 9:30am and the seminar will
begin at 10:00am. A buffet lunch will
also be served. This seminar is for
Lodge Presidents and Vice Presidents
and you must be registered with the
Grand Lodge Office to attend. It will be
a full day of presenting information that
will help prepare you for your leadership
role in OSIA. Please try to attend!
As we look ahead - many of our state
activities and committees will step into
high gear. As January to June is our
busiest time of the OSIA calendar year,
please plan to support our many important events. The April 11th Golden Lion
Awards Dinner is moving into full swing,
as well as the Cancer Research Charity
Fundraiser on March 23rd, the 16th
Annual Cooley’s Anemia Culinary
Classico Dine-A-Round on April 1st,
OSIA’s Annual Bowling Tournament on
April 27th, the Walk for Education and
Culture on May 17th, and the 108th
Annual State Convention on May 29June 1st at the Villa Roma Resort. Also,
the State Scholarship Program will be
held on Saturday, June 14th at Tappan
Zee High School in Orangeburg, New
York. The OSIA agenda is filled with an
ongoing commitment to keep the New
York Grand Lodge on the move!
As I close this message - First Lady
Joan and I extend our heartfelt thanks for
your generous outpouring of care and
concern during a very difficult time for
our family. Your expressions of sympathy when Joan’s father Benny Maiorana
passed away on January 30th was greatly appreciated and will always be
remembered. Please keep in your personal thoughts and prayers our beloved
brothers and sisters who have gone to
their “eternal rest” and to those who are
facing life’s most difficult challenges.
Our prayers are with you!
As we continue to do the good work of
the Order, I thank you for your dedication, support, and respect for our beautiful heritage and fraternal friendship.
Let’s all look forward to the new-year
with renewed energy and enthusiasm!!
Fraternally,
Joseph F. Rondinelli
State President
Grand Lodge of New York
The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 3
From Your Chaplain
J
oseph Rondinelli, President of the Order Sons of Italy in America New York
State Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc., has announced the date of the 32nd
Annual Golden Lion Awards Dinner, which is the Foundation’s major annual fund-raiser. It will be held Friday, April 11, 2014 at the Garden City Hotel in
Garden City, N.Y.
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
D
uring a month’s stay in Florida,
before returning to my parish for
the Christmas Season liturgies, I
repeatedly saw a holiday television
commercial produced by the Florida
food chain PUBLIX that became the
talk of people everywhere.
The commercial began with a little
girl running towards a Christmas tree
saying “I found it, I found it!”, and then
places an ornament on the tree. The
child joins her mom at the fireplace
and helps her place Christmas cards on
the mantle. Her dad asks, “Do you
know who is coming?” to which she
says “yes”; then she asks her parents if
they could bake cookies—sugar cookies.
While preparing the dough in the
kitchen (with Publix flour of course)!
dad asks, “Do you think he will bring
you something?” to which she responds,
“I don’t know.” She cuts the cookie
dough dedicating one to “Daddy.” Dad
asks her, “Are you going to leave him
cookies by the tree?” to which she says
“No.” “How will you get the cookies to
him?” dad asks. She responds, “I am
going to give them to him,” to which the
parents respond with perplexed smiles.
As she arranges the plate of newly
baked and decorated cookies the little
girl shouts with excitement, “He’s here,
he’s here!” and runs to the front door
and opens it. She says with great joy,
and with the plate of cookies in hand, “I
made these for you.” The camera
reveals an elderly man leaning over
hugging
the child.
She tightly
embraces him with her eyes closed and
with a beaming smile says, “I love you
Grandpa!”.
So touched by the Christmas well-wishes from PUBLIX my eyes watered each
time I saw it. For me it was the message
of Christmas: that each of us in the family of humanity is offered a loving
embrace by God who became one of us
in Jesus. We are all welcome to accept
Golden Lion 32nd Awards Dinner Announced
President Rondinelli has appointed OSIA State Second Vice President, Robert
Ferrito, to serve as General Dinner Chairperson, and OSIA State Past President,
Nancy DiFiore Quinn, to serve as Journal Coordinator for the event.
Reverend R. Adam Forno
State and National
Chaplain, OSIA
that embrace of God and to embrace
God in return, as did the child with her
grandfather. We must remember, too,
that in a spirit of gratitude and joy the
child prepared for that embrace from
her grandpa by the work of her hands in
making the cookies.
I write to you during the Christmas
Season which the church celebrates
until January 12th, the Feast of the
Baptism of the Lord. After a seven
week interlude of Ordinary Time we
will begin our Lenten Season followed
by Holy Week/the Easter Season and the
next issue of
the Golden Lion
Newspaper. How will we use this time?
In a spirit of gratitude and joy can we
allow ourselves to be embraced once
again by our benevolent God and
embrace God in return? Yes, by the
quality of our relationships with and
service to others. The Order Sons of
Italy in America affords us a host of
ways to express this love through our
fund raising and charitable deeds, our
work in promoting a positive image, our
desire to preserve our heritage and continue the legacy of those who have preceded us.
Mr. Rondinelli announced that the honorees for the 2014 Golden Lion Award,
presented to outstanding Italian Americans, will be: Frank V. Carone, Esq.,
Partner at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara & Wolf,
LLP; Anthony V. Malatino, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor at
Malatino & Associates at Morgan Stanley; and the Honorable Edward P.
Mangano, Nassau County Executive.
This premier event will not only highlight the success of our distinguished honorees, but will also celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of the prestigious Golden
Lion Awards gala.
The OSIA New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc. was created to carry out
the cultural, educational, and philanthropic endeavors of the Order. Major
Foundation programs include: the Commission for Social Justice, formed to fight
bias and stereotyping, particularly in the media; and the Garibaldi-Meucci
Museum, a city, state, and national landmark owned and administered by the
Order Sons of Italy in America.
The Foundation conducts an extensive college scholarship and grant program
throughout New York State. Also granted each year, are funds to numerous charities, such as the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the
Doug Flutie, Jr. Autism Foundation, Cancer Research and the OSIA Gift of Sight
Program.
For further information regarding the 32nd Annual Golden Lion Awards
Dinner or for information about membership in the Order Sons of Italy in
America contact: Order Sons Of Italy In America - New York State Grand Lodge
Foundation, Inc. - 2101 Bellmore Avenue. Bellmore, New York 11710-5605 800.322.6742 ~ 516.785.4623 ~ Fax 516.221.6742. www.nysosia.org
Remember The Date!
Like the child in the PUBLIX commercial let us resolve once again to be
embraced and to embrace others
through the prism of service and the
spirit of “Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity” throughout this New Year
2014.
108th State Convention
May 29 to June 1, 2014
At Villa Roma Resort and Convention Center
Rev. R. Adam Forno
National/NYS OSIA Chaplain
In Mem oriam
Grand Lodge of the State of New York
41st Annual Bowling Tournament
DATE: Sunday, April 27, 2014
PLACE: Farmingdale Lanes, 999 Conklin St. F’dale (516) 249-4300
TIME: 8:30 AM - Breakfast
9:00 AM - Practice Session
9:30 AM - Tournament Begins
FEE:
20.00 per bowler for three (3) games. To ensure reservation,
your entire fee and form must be received by April 22, 2014
Coffee and Doughnuts will be served for breakfast
Lunch and Shoes are included!!
For further info. contact Keith Wilson, Chairperson @ (516) 633-1435
4 • The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
District Lodge Member
Benny Maiorana
DOD
1/29/2014
2
2245 Doris Yarcell Collins
12/31/2013
2
2385 Frank DeCicco
1/27/2014
3
2344 Frank Alberti
1/31/2014
3
2344A Madeline Panzarella
2/6/2014
Father of NY Grand Lodge First Lady Joan Rondinelli
Lodge President
Lodge Past President
Past State Trustee
Lodge Past President
May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Names as submitted by Lodges as of February 14, 2014
2014 Winter Plenary Session
Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 - Deer Park - February 1
On Saturday, February 1, 2014, the Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 of
Deer Park, hosted the NY Grand Lodge Winter Plenary Session. Lodge President
Bob Savino is being presented an “Appreciaton Plaque” from NYS First Vice
President Carolyn Reres for the lodge’s gracious hospitality in welcoming
National, State, Lodge Officers, and guests to its lodge hall, to conduct the business of the Order. .1st VP Reres acted as Presiding Officer for the morning session of the Plenary.
:
.
Share Your Heart
With Cooley’s Anemia
OSIA National President Anthony Baratta, from Illinois, attended the Plenary
Session to show his appreciation for the commitment of the New York Grand
Lodge in supporting the Supreme Lodge. President Baratta was honored the previous night by the NY Grand Lodge Foundation at its Annual Winter Charity Ball.
Letters
To all the New York State Grand Lodge Officers and Members
My heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and
respect that was shown to our late friend BROTHER JOSEPH E. FAY during
his illness and upon his death.
Your donations, cards, messages and prayers have been overwhelming and
appreciated so very much.
Please remember: he always enjoyed being among you and loved you all.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Lucy F. Codella
“His Guardian Angel”
Former National Third VP
2014 Dine Around
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 - 7:00pm
At Verdi’s of Westbury
$45 pp
Honoring State First Lady Joan Rondinelli
Contact: Mary Naccarato @ 516-921-7839
or Mildred Mancusi @ 5 16-295-0984
Attention All NY State Officers and Chairpersons
Scheduled Plenary Sessions
April 26, 2014 - Spring Session
Hosted by Rockland Lodge #2176 - Blauvelt
October 25, 2014 - Fall Session
Hosted by St. Francis of Assisi Lodge#2629 - Beacon
The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 5
2014 Installation of Officers
Mar. 1 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Brumidi Lodge Hall, 2075 Deer Park Avenue, Deer Park. 4:00pm. Contact: Robert
Savino @ 631-422-6934. (New President)
Mar. 2 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Stuart Thomas
Manor, S. Farmingdale, 12:00pm. Contact: Keith Wilson @ 516-633-1435. (New
President)
Mar. 3 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Clinton Martin Park,
1601 Marcus Avenue, New Hyde Park, 7:30pm. Contact: Vincent Illuzzi @ 917-9228045.
Mar. 3 - Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Henrietta Acampora Recreation Center, 39 Montauk Highway, Bluepoint, 7:00pm.
Contact: Dorothy Curto @ 631-289-7470.
Mar. 4 - Joe DiMaggio Lodge #2248 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Joe
DiMaggio Lodge Hall, Hopewell Junction, 7:30pm. Contact: Joe Zingone @ 845-2217234.
Mar. 5 - Loggia Glen Cove #1016 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Loggia Glen
Cove Hall, 69 Glen Street, Glen Cove, 8:00pm. Contact: Kathryn Grande @ 516-9226747. (New President)
Mar. 6 - Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Byzantine Church of the Resurrection Reception Hall, 38 Mayflower Avenue, Smithtown.
Contact: Nicholas Mauro @ 631-698-1272.
On January 18, 2014, NY State President Joseph Rondinelli (standing, 4th
f/right) attended Columbus Lodge #2143’s Golden Anniversary Gala Dinner
Dance. The lodge honored all its Past Presidents for their leadership since the
institution of the lodge in 1964. In addition, Lodge IPP Keith Wilson and National
IPP Joseph DiTrapani (1st and 2nd from right respectively) were also honored.
Also in photo are the Past Presidents, Lodge President Edward Bochynski and
TOB Councilman Joseph Pinto.
Mar. 9 - Loggia Giovanni da Verrazzano Lodge #1236 - Installation of Officers
Ceremony at Del’Arte Restaurant, 20 Mountainview Avenue, Orangeburg, 10:00am.
Contact: Rocco Trentinella @ 845-596-2789. (New President)
Mar. 10 - P. Vincent Landi Lodge #2239 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Knights
of Columbus Hall, 683 Rt. 25A, Rocky Point, 7:30pm. Contact: Ralph Ferrara @ 631662-1235.
Mar. 11 - Fr. Vincent Capodanno Lodge #212 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at St.
Andrew’s Episcopal Church Hall, 4 Arthur Kill Road, Richmond Town, Staten Island,
7:30pm. Contact: Colette Grillo @ 718-966-2322. (New President)
Mar. 13 - Geneva Lodge #2397 & GAIL Lodge #2397A - Joint Installation of Officers
Ceremony at Geneva Lodge Hall, 31 Prospect Avenue, Geneva, 7:00pm. Contact: Mike
Cutillo @ 315-789-3333, ext 264. (New Presidents)
Mar. 17 - Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge #2234 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
American Legion/Rusty Bohm Post #411, 39 Nassau Avenue, Islip. Contact: Theresa
Pernice @ 631-231-7033.
Mar. 17 - Fr. John Papallo Lodge #2684 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Smithtown Landing, 495 Landing Avenue, Smithtown, 7:30pm. Contacty: Maddalena
McKee @ 631-269-2906.
Mar. 18 - Giovanni Caboto Lodge #2372 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Seaford
American Legion Hall, 2301 Penatiquit Avenue, Seaford, 7:00pm. Contact: Patricia
Ferrari @ 516-244-4825. (New President)
Mar. 18 - Donatello Lodge #2559 - Intallation of Officers Ceremony at Westbury
Recreational Center, 360 Post Avenue, Westbury, 7:30pm. Contact: Annette Lankewish
@ 516-933-7393.
Mar. 19 - America Lodge #2245 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at VFW Hall, 68
Lincoln Road, Franklin Square, 7:45pm. Contact: Gloria Maffettone @ 516-483-1151.
(New President)
The Joe DiMaggio Lodge #2248 of Hopewell Junction was honored that
this year’s prestigious Member of the Year Award was presented to brother
Michael DeLuca. The award was presented to Mike, shown on the left, by
President Joseph Zingone and First Lady, Elizabeth at the lodge’s Christmas
Party held on December 15th.
Mar. 19 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Most
Precious Blood R.C. Church Hall, 113 Baxter Street, Little Italy, NYC. Contact: Ernest
Magliato @ 347-992-0637.
Mar. 19 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Port
Washington Senior Center, 80 Manorhaven Blvd, Pt. Washington, 7:00pm. Contact:
Anthony Conetta @ 516-883-4266.
Mar. 20 - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Marconi Lodge Hall, Islip, 7:30pm. Contact: Joseph Franzone @ 631-669-7275.
Mar. 24 - Marco Polo Lodge #2214 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at Marco Polo
Lodge Hall, 3483 Hempstead Turnpike, Levittown, 7:30pm. Contact: Mary DeRosa @
516-579-1716.
Mar. 26 - Arturo Toscanini Lodge #2107 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at St.
Matthew R.C. Church, Monsignor Leo J. Goggin Hall, 35 N. Service Road, Dix Hills,
7:30pm. Contact: Edith Zuzolo @ 516-795-4513 or Fran Bruno @ 631-981-2497.
Mar. 26 - St. Francis of Assisi Lodge #2629 - Installation of Officers Ceremony at
Knights of Columbus Hall, Townsend Street, Beacon, 7:00pm. Contact: Lou Mazzacone
@ 845-797-3278. (New President)
Mar. 28 - Capt. Kathy Mazza Lodge #2163A & Galileo Galilei Lodge #2253 - Joint
Installation of Officers Ceremony at Bethpage Community Center, 103 Grumman Road
W, Bethpage, 7:00pm. Contact: Adele Balsamo @ 516-679-8921 or Jean Cuccia @ 516935-2566. (New President/Galileo Galilei Lodge)
as of 2/17/14
6 • The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
The Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 President Bob Savino presents Tina
Atherall, Executive Vice President of Hope for the Warriors (center of photo) a
check in the amount of $22,913 from the November fundraiser. Included in the
photo (from Bob's far left) is Past President and Event Chairperson John Vigiano;
and Daniel Calise, OSIA State Chairman to the Hope for the Warriors. On Tina's
immediate right - OSIA New York State 1st Vice President Carolyn Reres and
Brumidi Ladies Auxiliary President Sabrina Savino.
santa Visits true Believers
Kids Christmas Parties
Columbus Lodge #2143 - Farmingdale. At the lodge’s Annual Children
Christmas Party, some of the children are shown being entertained by a magician
prior to the arrival of Santa. Upon his arrival, the close to 100 children present,
made Santa most welcomed with their shrills of joy. Each child got a present of a
toy, in addition to food, face painting, toy ballons, and a most favorite - cotton
candy. All the kids promised to be back next year.
Loggia Glen Cove #1016. Children’s Christmas Party. The lodge held its
annual Children’s Christmas Party in December. It was a wonderful day for the
children, parents and grandparents. They had a great DJ who entertained the
children with music and games. The children were treated to a wonderful lunch
and received some great gifts from Santa. The children are shown with Santa
(Tony Sclafani).
The Joe DiMaggio Lodge #2248 of Hopewell Junction held its annual
Children’s Christmas party on December 21st. The children enjoyed having
lunch and sampling the many, many donated desserts. A great time was had by
all, looking at and enjoying the beautiful train sets which were set up and run by
brother Al Marotta. As usual, the highlight of the party was a visit from Santa.`
Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Smithtown. Christmas carolers provided entertainment and refreshments to residents of Siena Village Seniors’
Housing in Smithtown. Adding to the merriment were Mrs. Claus (Diane Carson),
District II NYS CSJ. As part of a community service project, Special Ed
Teacher’s Aid Janet Galvin at Levittown’s Summer Lane School and CSJ Laison
from Caboto Lodge, enlisted the Senior Italian Language Class from Levittown's
Division Ave. H.S. to introduce the Italian language and culture to students in her
class.They all played tombola, learned about La Befana, sang Buon Natale, and
enjoyed some gelato. It truly was a joyful and positive event! Standing in back row
are the students from the H.S. (Stephany Sandoval, Alfredo Esposito, Geovanny
Qufroz, Jillian Kong, Bridget Kim, and Joseph Traina). Seated are the students
from Summer Lane School Also in photo are: Mrs. Serrentino, Italian language
teacher; Mrs. Cambronero, DLC-Summit Lane teacher; and Mrs. Galvin.
Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Smithtown. Members of the lodge celebrated Christmas at a Buon Natale dinner held at a local restaurant. Providing
accompaniment to the Christmas carolers was Dave Setteducati. Pictured are
the volunteers who sang the Italian version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas",
"I Dodici Giorni di Natale." From left: Walter Thomas, Sr., Frank Latorre, Blake
Rocca, Geraldine Iannello Graham, Dr. John and Christine Giordano, Evelyn
Castiglione, Anthony Izzo, John Carricato, Cataldo Baldi, Angelo Crimi, and
Ralph Pace.
The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 7
21st Winter Charity Ball
by Nancy DiFiore Quinn - NY Grand Lodge, Past President
T
he New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc., Order Sons of Italy
in America, was proud and privileged to honor the following outstanding individuals at the 2014 Winter Charity Ball … our own
National OSIA President Anthony Baratta; Antoinette Biordi of
News 12 Long Island; Joseph, Pat and John Iavarone (The
Iavarone Brothers) and Cpl. Manuel Ocia Jimenez, USMC from
the Hope for the Warriors Foundation.
The Winter Charity Ball has become one of OSIA’s premier events.
This year’s honorees were wonderful and we have added each of
their names to our long list of past Charity Ball honorees. The room
was filled with over 250 guests who enjoyed a heartwarming program, delicious food and great music. We really did have lots of fun
while putting together a financially successful event.
During the evening, a donation of $2,500 was presented to the
Hope for the Warriors Foundation by our Foundation President
Joseph Rondinelli. Also, a donation of $95,000 was presented by
National OSIA President Anthony J. Baratta and SIF Foundation
President Joseph DiTrapani to Anthony Viola, National Executive
Director of the CAF and Gina Cioffi, Esq., National Executive
Director. This large donation was the result of various fund raising
activities from OSIA lodges all over the country during a two year
period. In addition, a donation of $2,500 was also made to the
Cooley’s Anemia Foundation to sponsor a patient and their family to
attend the upcoming 2014 Annual Patient Family Conference to be
held in Chicago.
We must take this opportunity to thank Charity Ball Chairlady
First Lady Joan Rondinelli and Co-Chairs Annette Lankewish and
Madeline Matteucci … along with the entire Winter Charity Ball and
Journal committee. The commemorative journal was spectacular and
the entire affair will “long be remembered” as one of the best!
The objective of the NYSOSIA Winter Charity Ball is to help provide funds for various charitable endeavors. Support of this annual
event enables the Foundation to continue its philanthropic mission in
supporting charitable causes as in past years.
Many thanks again to our honorees and for everyone who attended
this event. Each of you helped to make this an unforgettable and elegant occasion. n
~~~~~~~~~~
8 • The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
Down Memory Lane - 2002 Winter Charity Ball
2
1
st
w
i
n
t
e
r
C
h
a
r
i
t
y
B
a
l
l
The three recipients of the
Grand Lodge Foundation’s
Ninth Charity Ball Awards,
pose with State President
Joseph J. DiTrapani (l), and
National
First
Vice
President Joseph Sciame
(r). From left: Honorees
John and Agnes Funk;
Coordinator
for
State
Charities and NY First Lady,
Carol DiTrapani; National
First Lady Betty Messa; and
Honoree, National OSIA
President Robert A. Messa.
The”Winter” Charity Ball
was held on January 25,
2002, in a balmy 50+ temperature.
Living life alla prossima volta
by Mike Cutillo - Contributing Writer
I
have long been an admirer of the lifestyle in our favorite
Old Country that I think helps them live longer - and
more stress-free - lives.
The Italians, for example, have a saying that they apply
to numerous situations: Alla prossima volta. Often they
shorten it to: Alla prossima. It literally
means “until next time” but often is
used in a context such as this: “What?
You forgot to get the milk at the store?
Ah, don’t worry. You can get it next
time.”
Don’t worry. Next time. There’s
always a next time.
I experienced that first-hand last
fall when I was part of a group trip to
northern Italy, and we were exploring
the historic, 400-year-old Ambrosiana library in Milan.
We had just walked under a version of DaVinci’s “Last
Supper” painted about 1615 by Andrea Bianchi, a disciple
of Leonardo. Better known as “Il Vespino” - which as far
as I can figure through various translation websites basically means “The Vespino” - Bianchi was commissioned
to do the copy because the master’s original, completed in
1497, already was falling into disrepair. (Interesting that
DaVinci’s original and Bianchi’s copy are both still going
strong, a combined 916 years after they were created!).
From the room with the “Last Supper,” we walked into
the old library itself, and Ifelt as if I were in a scene from
a Dan Brown novel. The walls of the two-story room are
lined with centuries-old books and manuscripts, treatises
on religion, science, the humanities, the antiquities, medicine. If you have been to Hobart and William Smith’s
Blackwell Room, you have an idea of what the library
looks like. Just picture larger and much older.
Paintings of a number of popes look down at you from
the second story, surely praying for your soul. But the
highlight for me is that the Ambrosiana library — named,
by the way, for Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan — contains a display of DaVinci writings and drawings called
the Codex Atlanticus.
Housed in more than a dozen glass cases around the
library’s ground floor are some of DaVinci’s notes,
designs and musings on a wide range of subjects: weaponry, flight, mathematics, musical instruments.
And I mean, they are right there, separated from the
public only by those knee-level red velvet ropes that you
might see in a movie theater. You can lean over the ropes
and get your face so close to Leonardo’s precious works
that you can fog up the glass.
The boys back home just weren’t going to believe this,
so I had to take some photos, especially of the drawings of
flying machines, pulleys, anatomy, even raindrops and
water.
Throughout the museum and library there had been
signs stating that flash photography was not allowed.
Photos were OK but no flashes that could disturb these
delicate and priceless books and works of art.
The library had no such sign, at least that I could see,
but I assumed the rules were the same — no flash. So I
made sure the flash was off on my camera and took about
eight or 10 shots, some so close and detailed that when I
look at them I want to go build a pulley myself.
After soaking up the history and the atmosphere one last
time, I made my way toward the exit, passing a security
guard to whom I nodded.
He looked a little like Woody Allen with arms folded
across his chest, and I was caught offguard when he said,
“No photos.”
“Excuse me,” I offered.
“No photos,” he repeated.
I said, in my best Italian, “I realize flash is prohibited,
but I thought you could take photos in here without a
flash.”
Woody unfolded his arms, stuck out the index finger on
his right hand and waved it from side to side, scolding me.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk ... no photos,” he said, his eyebrows rising in
one of those “Do we understand each other?” looks.
Now I was stuck. I had already taken the photos. He had
watched me take them. I thought, “Why didn’t you stop
me after one?” In my mind’s eye, I envisioned a tussle
over my Canon ensuing, with this pipsqueak Woody Allen
lookalike wrestling it away from me and ripping the film
out like in those old movies.
Then I remembered ... it was a digital camera. It didn’t
have film.
I didn’t know where we were supposed to go from here,
but I did recall that Italian attitude thing. So I said, “Next
time I come here, sir, I will not take any photos.”
Woody nodded contentedly, refolded his arms across his
chest and went back to “guarding” the precious artifacts.
So, until next time ...
Mike Cutillo is a past president and currently president
elect of Geneva Lodge 2397. He is Executive Editor of the
Finger Lakes Times, a daily newspaper in upstate New
York, and can be reached at mcutillo1@rochester.rr.com.
The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 9
Then
and
Now
by Florence Gatto - Contributing Writer
I
Redheads
t is no secret; my hair color is not
natural. I’m told I was blonde when
I was a baby. Now, at my age I
think it is genetics versus chemical, and
L’Oreal auburn #23 won the battle!
I remember calling my father’s cousin
“Cugina la Russa” because she had natural red hair. I never
knew her by any
other name until I
was told her actual
name was Nettie.
She had a fiery temperament to match
her hair! The first
time I went to Italy,
I was stunned to
find so many redheaded relativesand all with fair skin and light eyes.
Contrary to the stereotype image of
Italians having swarthy complexions
and dark hair, our ancestors truly are a
mosaic of complex DNA.
The boot shaped peninsula jutting out
into the Mediterranean was an inviting
geographic obstacle for any floating
vessel throughout history. When visitors
bumped into the shores of Bella Italia,
they stayed awhile and left agricultural
seeds for lemons, oranges, grape, olives,
carob, cotton, sugar cane, eggplant, etc.
They also left human seeds, SO, that
explains the medley of our physical
characteristics.
I have two grandchildren with the
crowning glory of bright red hair! Their
mother is British and perhaps they come
down the line from the strawberry
haired Queen Elizabeth I. That would be
a revelation.
There have been many other historical
figures with red hair- Cleopatra, Van
Gogh, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander the
Great, Napoleon, and Barbarossa. His
grandson became the Holy Roman
Emperor Federico II from 1220-1250.
Federico II was born to the German
Henry VI and a Sicilian mother, Queen
Constance. Freddy had red hair! I
recently read his biography, “The
Falcon of Palermo” by Maria Bordihn.
Federico II loved Sicily and nature. He
was a cultured scholar, linguist, and
poet. He encouraged writing in Sicilian
for the emotional power in love poetry.
He established the Sicilian School of
Poetry where the sonnet was invented.
Federico II’s sarcophagus of red marble
is in the Cathedral of Palermo.
Through the years, the reputation for
redheads has been mixed. They are
attractive, stubborn, sensitive, wise, or
quick tempered, That almost sounds like
little orphan Annie. Some red heads can
be sultry, vivacious, creative, or capricious - somewhat like Lucille Ball. I had
a friend with flaming red curls that
bounced about her shoulders. She was
energetic, zany, and a devilish prankster.
She claimed her antics came directly
from the fire atop her head. Once she
convinced her neighbors that watering
her special leafy plant with beer made it
grow faster. They are called carrot tops,
gingers or in Italian, “pelo rosso” and
many “Reds” may have a streak of mischievousness.
My gorgeous red haired grandchildren
are a ray of sunshine and certainly
sparkle in a crowd. Who knows, my
Sicilian family may carry genes from
the famous redheaded Emperor
Federico II! Then, the children could
possibly have the potential to become
poets or naturalists. What a nice gift. My
other six beautiful grandchildren have
varied shades of tresses, from blonde to
chestnut brown, to claim their
Mediterranean heritage. My hair is “reddish,” created at a hair salon, and carries
no genetic attributes!
Florence is a Past President of the
Giovanni Caboto Lodge #2372, and a
member of the OSIA Scholarship
Committee. Flo is the author of “The Scent
of Jasmine - Vignettes from a Sicilian
Heritage.” She has studied in Italy under
Fullbright and NYS Teacher Grants.
Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire
103 Years Ago
O
n that fateful day of March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the shop of the
Triangle Shirt Waist Company in NYC, that occupied the top 3 floors of
a 10 story building. 146 lives were lost that day, mostly young Italian
women who burned to death inside the building, unable to escape, or who
leapt out windows to escape the flames, only to die as they fell to the
ground. But many women did make it out - by climbing down blazing hot
stairwells or overcrowded elevators that threatened at any minute to burst their
cables. So many lives were lost because of locked doors; doors that opened inward
instead of outward (with so many people pressing against them, the doors could
not open); faulty fire escapes; and fire apparatus too short to reach up to the top
floors of the building. The horror of this incident caused an investigation of the
city's “Sweat shops” so that today there are stringent laws regarding safety conditions in all factories. A memorial to those lives lost, is that today factory workers
need not worry about losing their lives to such tragic, and unnecessary, circumstances. The sacrifice ot the 146 death and of hundreds that were scarred for life
should always be remembered.
10 • the Golden Lion • January-February-march 2014
A Love Affair With Bread
by Dr. Ciro De Rosa
W
hile it may be true that man does not live by bread alone, most people would
find themselves hard pressed to find an Italian who would agree with that
notion. It seems the Italian affinity for this most basic food in many ways
defines who he is. It’s the Sicilian bread that papa, pressing the huge round loaf to his
chest and wielding the long sharp knife with the skill of a surgeon, creating slices of
bread, all with the same thickness and length. It was his specialty, and to watch the feat
was a wonderful sight to behold. I remember mounds of sausages and peppers that rest
comfortably between long thick slabs of crisp golden brown crust. Perhaps a couple of
meat balls and maybe a spoon full of sauce was a wonderful delight. Just the thought it
waters the mouth.
Perhaps a lovely Cibatta loaf baked to a dark turn and dusted with flour; when sliced, reveals a solid body of well cooked
dough that defies anyone not to savor its delicate texture. Or
what many Italians consider the perfect bread, Semolina. Its pale
yoke color surrounded by a sesame crust scored with golden
brown ridges that give it a solid body that holds up to the ruby
red sauce scooped from the simmering pot on the stove. Maybe
just a loaf of Italian bread, seeded or plain, that makes slices of
salami and provolone picante a feast for the palate.
No mother ever had to force her little Angelo or Angelina to eat
a piece of bread. Hands automatically reached for the slices piled
high in the wicker basket used exclusively for the purpose of keeping the bread fresh
and tender. It’s the snack, slathered with ricotta and a light sprinkling of sugar that the
child reduces to a happy burp.
There are so many wonderful types of breads; rye with fennel, sourdough, potato
bread, pannini, Portuguese loaves, French baguettes. One could go on about what is
truly “the staff of life,” and we Italians consume it with gusto. It is ever present on the
dinner table even when one is making short work of a plate of pasta. It’s dunked in
sauce, covered with any number of delicious meats, vegetables, and sometimes, when
we can get them, figs, succulent and brimming with their sweet nectar. Bread can be
stuffed with sausage, spinach, prosciutto or all three! Peppers and eggs swimming in
extra virgin olive oil nestled between two slices of any of the aforementioned breads is
probably our all time favorite.
Yes, it’s true. The thought of eating a bit of well cooked bread to us Italians causes
eyes to roll and brings beaming smiles to our faces! Bring on all the fancy stuff if you
must, but please don’t forget the bread!
Professor De Rosa is a member of the Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232, Islip. He is a
long-time educator, and is presently a Professor at the University of Phoenix, Arizona.
His writings have appeared in other Italian American publications.
P rosPective c andidates F or
s tate t rustees
and
c ommissioners
LET THE ENTIRE NY STATE MEMBERSHIP KNOW ABOUT YOUR
QUALIFICATIONS SO THAT THEIR LODGE’S STATE CONVENTION DELEGATES
WILL CAST THEIR VOTE FOR YOU
DON’T GET CAUGHT WITHOUT AN ELECTION AD
IN THE APRIL-MAY-JUNE 2014 ISSUE OF THE GOLDEN LION!
PLACE YOUR AD BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!
Special Convention Rates
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Make checks payable to: The Golden Lion and mail to OSIA Grand Lodge Office,
Attention Anita Rosato, 2101 Bellmore Avenue, Bellmore, NY 11710
OR CALL GRAND LODGE OFFICE AT (516) 785-4623 or Anita at (631) 271-1272
DEADLINE FOR ADS IS MAY 5, 2014
Want to keep “in the loop” on the happenings in new
York osia? if you do not receive our email blasts ...
please log on to www.nysosia.org and contact us with
your name and email address. We look forward to
adding your name to our email list. Grazie!
Commission For Social Justice
“Fighting Bias,
Building Pride”
Louis J. Gallo Jr.
CSJ Chairman’s Message
Greetings My Brothers and Sisters
I
hope you’re having a happy new year so far. As the new year unfolded I automatically became very pensive about what long term goals CSJ should strive
for now that our transition from the previous administration was fully completed. I settled on three: 1) create a solid relationship together with other ethnic
and racial groups to combat deleterious discrimination and stereotyping 2) create
strong, durable positive image programs to offset negative imagery of Italians in
print and broadcast media and 3) make CSJ more well-known to the general public. I promptly then sent out an agenda to all district chairpersons, the Executive
Board, and state officials, which becomes our blueprint and touchstone to follow
in the coming year that reflects these goals.
This agenda focuses basically on the district chairpersons and liaisons to act as
the eyes and ears of CSJ right down to the local level. District personnel should
meet regularly and discuss the minutes of the Executive Board and adapt CSJ
activities at the state level to the local level. Any negative imagery or stereotyping should be reported to the District chairman and then forwarded to the
Executive Board for action if any. Personnel should also develop a strong bond
with two institutions at the local level---the public library and the schools, particularly the teachers of Italian. Here these facilities should be encouraged to promote Italian cultural and educational programs and publicize them to the general
public or through social media. In this fashion CSJ becomes an important spoke
in the local community wheel, and hopefully the public would then appreciate
Italian culture, or maybe even join a lodge as regular or social member.
Once the agenda was distributed, CSJ went into action. The last complete act
of our transition was the recommendation of the sub-committee of Leo Cimini,
Jean Gagliardo, and me regarding our new storage facility. We settled on A Space
Place on New Highway in Farmingdale, and the Board approved it. It’s much
more centrally located for Board members, and we are saving $53 per month with
insurance in comparison to our old facility in Freeport. Thank you Leo and Jean
for all your hard work in this endeavor! Thanks to CSJ District 5 Chairwoman
Susan Alicea, we organized a meeting in Garnersville in Rockland County with
lodge presidents and deputies. I focused my presentation on developing a strong
district grass-roots operation, providing guidelines for liaisons regarding their
responsibilities, and encouraging all to convince students of Italian to take the
Advanced Placement Italian program. District 5 lodges do not have liaisons, so
Susan’s main task right now is to urge all lodge presidents to select liaisons for the
district, find a meeting place, and focus on the agenda I set out for all district
chairpersons I described above. Good luck Sue! At this meeting I approached
NYS Scholarship Chairwoman Michele Ment and suggested we work together to
sustain a strong AP program and do our part to keep it alive. Overtures have been
made to District 6 Chairman Joe DiCarlo for a meeting with liaisons there.
Arrangements are also being made to use SKYPE technology for our February
meeting to invite the upstate districts to participate. All this travel and SKYPE
technology serves the one clear purpose of developing CSJ into an influential and
powerful organization that promotes our missions right down to the local grassroots.
Furthermore, we turned our attention to local schools this past quarter. I presented my “History in a Box” program to the Italian Club of 88 energetic elementary students at Parkway Elementary School in East Meadow, L.I. The theme
is many cultural artifacts we take for granted in our everyday living have their origins in Roman and Italian history. Thanks go to Immediate Past National CSJ
President Tina Haemmerle, who organized the event in conjunction with the
teacher Anne-Marie Barbieri and her assistant Melissa. The enthusiasm was electric and the pupils were so eager to participate. This month, District 3 Chairman
Tony Corsello and I will be meeting to plan our April program with St. Clare’s
Elementary School in Staten Island. This was the school CSJ granted $2,000 to
sustain their Italian language program. School staff and CSJ personnel related so
well with each other that it was decided we collaborate in a future program. I
received a call from the Superintendent of the Lawrence School District on Long
Island and was informed that they were creating an Italian language program in
their Inwood and Cedarhurst Elementary Schools every Wednesday for 1 hour
after school from now till April. We were asked to provide help if need be, and of
course we will. Undoubtedly, we never forget to impress young minds on the
accomplishments of Italians that hopefully over time will deflect an absorption by
them of Italian stereotypes. Time will tell.
On the subject of schools I have fabulous information to report! If you remember from my last column I reported that the Greece School District, a suburb of
Rochester, was entertaining the thought of eventually cutting the Italian language
program in the 7th grade at Olympia High School. We galvanized into action the
teachers, lodge members, and taxpayers. We targeted the district’s November 12th
school board meeting to demand a rescission of their proposal. At this meeting the
school board trustees immediately announced that they were re-instating Italian at
the above-mentioned school. Those involved were so elated that they joined the
Vincent Lombardi Lodge. Thanks go to the President of the lodge and Board
member Jennifer Rube’ who helped me in this campaign. This effort proves that if
we all stick together in a common cause we can never be defeated! In addition,
now that Board member Vincent Marmorale has completed his documentary on
”Saving the Jews” during WW2 he is preparing snippets from the documentary for
distribution to local schools. Thank you Vinnie!
Besides schools, we finally are rekindling old channels and forging new ones
to spread the influence of CSJ and collaborate with other groups which could aid
us in our quests. Contacts and communications have been made with Arba Sicula,
AATI-LI, and B’nai B’rith. Arba Sicula (“Sicilian Dawn”) for 34 years, with an
international membership numbering 1,800, has promoted Sicilian language, culture, history, and literature. AATI-LI (American Association of Teachers of
Italian-Long Island) provides our students a tripartite dimension----by teaching
Italian the students learn the history and the culture. Was it any wonder then that
CSJ chose these two institutions as honorees at our annual dinner/dance celebration on February 16th? (See below). It is high time that we elevate on a pedestal
the literati (writers and poets) and the teachers who do so much incessantly in
transmitting our culture and language to all. Without them it would be very difficult to convey that transmission. CSJ and BB have decided to plan periodic programs throughout the year to build a solid relationship and to aid each other in our
missions. We are trying to secure a riveting film (“Perlasca”) about an unsung
Italian, Giorgio Perlasca, who saved 5,000 Jews in Hungary during WW2, We feel
this effort will be a great way to initiate a strong bond between CSJ and BB, and
we will invite everyone to see this movie.
During this quarter we saw a golden opportunity to fulfill our mission of promoting positive imagery of Italian culture. Over the past year, District 1 lodges
have been preparing a culture festival that will finally be launched on Saturday,
June 28th at the Brush Barn property in Smithtown on Route 25. Since financial
resources are a concern, I made a proposal to the lodge representatives that CSJ
be the lead sponsor of the event since we are more equipped than they are. They
and the CSJ Board agreed. With our Board membership and the lodge representatives working together we expect this event to be a signature extravaganza for
us and Suffolk County. Plans are well underway, and we will of course keep you
posted.
Never forgetting our primary mission of fighting defamation and stereotyping,
we engaged in some notable occurrences for us to report to you. As soon as
Columbus Day arrived, self-styled pundits and Monday morning quarterbacks
surfaced to spew their usual venom and assault on Columbus’ legacy. I spent the
quarter battling writers and contributors to letters to the editor attempting to counteract their distortions, and it was arduous. So I decided to create a 10-member
Truth Squad and Response Team of the Board, which would help me react to so
many of these diatribes against Columbus. In this manner we will cover more
ground without too much of a burden on one person. The Wandering Dago truck
has hit the newsprint recently. The judge in the case will now deliberate on the
most important item in the lawsuit against the state---the state’s breach of first
amendment rights of WD. It has been reported that the presiding judge wants each
side to offer a definition of what a “public forum” is since the so-called breach
occurred on state property (the Saratoga Raceway and Empire State Plaza, if you
remember). So we wait with bated breath for the outcome. Finally, Aflac
Corporation has been peddling an ad entitled “Family Business” that subjects the
Aflac duck to a mob shakedown. We’ve mustered facebook posts and e-mails to
the company and have now combined with Italian organizations around the country with a nationwide phone campaign to two local Aflac agencies and executives,
expressing our displeasure with the ad and demanding that corporate respect our
appeals to terminate the ad. The company has ignored our conjurings, but we press
on. Stay tuned!
On a lighter note, on February 16th we celebrated our 34th annual brunch/dinner fundraiser at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens. Over 200 people
were in attendance to honor Arba Sicula and AATI-LI as mentioned before. Mille
Grazie to Event Chairwoman Josephine Morici Cohen, Souvenir Journal
Chairpersons Angela DeCosimo and Eleanor Jobbagy, Raffle Chairperson Jean
Gagliardo, and the rest of the Committee----Keith Wilson, Joe Vallone, Pat Ferrari,
Stella Grillo, Linda Gallo, and Molly Vallone. Many expressed to me how
enthused they were at the whole event. It surely was the highlight of the month.
So onward we trek! We hope you are satisfied with what we do and feel free to
offer suggestion and help. Thank you!
Fraternally,
Lou
Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 11
We l c o m i n g N e w M e m b e r s
Membership 2013-2014
New members initiated as of February 1, 2014
Arturo Toscanini Lodge #2107, Dix Hills. Three members were reinstated
and two new members initiated. Herald Peter Zuzolo (l) and President Stanley
Klein (c) pose with new lodge members (l-r): Anita (Founder Eraldo Colini’s sister) and Founder Robert Scutellaro, Vitina Pititto (Founder Frank Burzo’s daughter), Frances Vassallo, and Maria Burzo (Founder Frank Burzo’s niece). Anita,
Robert, and Maria were the three reinstated members.
Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Smithtown. Seven new members were
recently welcomed into the lodge. From left: Nicholas Vissichelli, Debra Vessa,
Paul Arcario, Melisa Roach, Frank D'Agostino, Jeanne D'Agostino, and Teresa
Zinser. Benvenuti a tutti.
Columbus Lodge #2143 - Farmingdale. Two new brothers, Angelo Graci
and Dennis Costa (left to right) were sworn into the lodge on February 12, 2014.
They are shown taking the Oath of the Order being administered by State Trustee
and lodge brother Keith Wilson, who acted as Herald at the Initiation Ceremony
Get More Out Of Your Membership
Join a Committee In Your Lodge
12 • The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
DISTRICT I
2201
Joseph Lombardi
2107
David Bennardo
Susan Billi
Nicholas Ciappatta
Lisa Taranto-Fernandez
Eliott R. Lonardo
Salvatore Lupinacci
Anna Saladino
2234
Sr. Maryann Borrello
Salvatore Bisulca
Marie Gallagher
Anna Imperiale
Greg Mead
David Nobile
Helenia Rocchetti
2319
Paul Arcario
Frank D’Agostino
Jeanne D’Agostino
Antonio LaGattuta
Michael Marsico
Melisa Roach
Debra Vessa
Nicholas R. Vissichelli
Teresa Zinser
2330
Lou Bongiorno
2451
Rose Bonner
Clare T. Mason
Maryanne Mathys
DISTRICT II
1016
Orazio E. Bencivenni
Mario Bencivenni
Lucia Cirolo
Anntette Medugno
Vito A. Palmieri
Maria Sherlock
Valentina Solomita
Maria Stanco
Antonio Verni
1389
AnnMarie D’Angelo
Frank D’Angelo
Angelo Porracchio
2143
Denis Costa
Robert Giachetti
Angelo Graci
Murray Kaplan
Joseph Lombardo
2163
Kathleen Burdge
Doreen Florio
Kellie Rutkowski
Jodi Serker
Alison Schmitt
Lisa Wilson
2180
Michael Orzano, MD
2245
Annette Koziarz
Roasalie Laviero
2353
Lorriane Bongiorno
Melina Vitale
2372
Anita Arcuri
Domenick Arcuri
Rosemarie Arcuri
Patricia DiStefano
Patrick Ongegno
Kimberly Musicaro Enderley
Donna Losee
Taryn Lehmann
DISTRICT II (con’t)
2180
Daniel J. Mazzeo
Theresa Mazzeo
Virginia Reed
2206
Regina Ackley
Janet Ripa Fine
MaryAnn Hansen
Toni Marano
Ronald Marciano
Michael Moslin
Andrew Stein
2667
Diana Ferrante
Victor DeGuida
Christina Pontecorio
Michael Pontecorio
Vinny Ramnarine
Brian Schreier
Joann Wolff
DISTRICT III
285
Karen Ciarcia
John Ciarcia
Josephine Scialoia
Joelle Magliato
Robert Viscusi
Sean Wilson
2344A
Maria Neuroth
2859
Margaret R. Finamore
Phyllis M. Loretta
2867
Ida Anselona
Jason A. Carlascio
Tracy Russo
2875
Louise Rosete
Lewis Stellman
DISTRICT IV
213
Milena Pesce
Gerard Pesce
Raffaele Riverso
Antonio Longo
John Torzilci
Michelle Varnit
2600
Andrew Avitable
John P. Ficchi
Robert A. Ficchi
Patrick Magliari
Robert Magliari
2248
Carmelina DeStefano
Claudio Dectreste
Ronald Paglia
Carmella Penirelli
Alfred Polidore
Helen Saraceno
Frank Vaccariello
DISTRICT VI
321
Joseph Anastasio
Alberto Biasiucci
Bob Alesio
Pietro Bucci
Joe Careccia
Daniel Crowley
Anthony Dilallo
Dave DeMarco
Wendy DeMarco
Angelna DeOrio
John L.DeOrio
Robin Gould (con’t)=
DISTRICT VI (con’t)
321 (con’t)
Jack Hanson
Kristie Hanson
Antonio Iannacito
Thomas Leone
Michael Masucci
George A. Montone
Josephine A. Minard
Enzo Pantano
Mario Pecoraro
Joseph Riccio
Antonio Sgueglia
Gennaro Sgueglia
Eileen Zocco
DISTRICT VII
443
Ben Amorese
Gino Bucciarelli
Richard Bulger
Patrick Cibulsky
Chris Condon
Thomas Cucchiara
Vince Gance
David Gittens
Robert Fiori
John DiIorio
Keith Hudak
Cardin Kibler
Dominic Lenzo
Frank A. Lombardi
Peter Morelli
Robert A. Martone
David Nowetner
Salvatore Paolini
Joseph Polakovich
Christopher Renda
Anthony Rogers
Rick Rodgers
James D. Rossi
Jeff Rowe
Angelo Santacroce Jr.
John Seliga
Al Slowick
Michael Tanzini
Steven Wasko
Shaun Wilcox
487
Jaime Florance
1047
Domenick Brancato
James DaDamio
Lucillie Alberici
1730
Donna M. Johnson
Theresa A. Quail
DISTRICT VIII
2270
Rufus Brey lll
Stepanie Brey
Caherine A. DiNicola
Patricia E. Johns
Samuel Mammano
Jacueline P. Perrotta
2397A
Frances Barberi
Maria Cohrs
Lisa Davdli
Palma Fratto Evans
June A. Felice
Yolanda A. Nicoletti
Ester A. O’Brien
Sandy Schading
2014 OSIA UPCOMING EVENTS
State/National Events
2014
Mar. 23 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Foundation
Cancer Research Charity Fundraiser, Concert
Performance with Giada Valente at the Dix
Hills Performing Arts Center, Dix Hills,
2:00pm, $50pp. Contact: Joseph Fratta @
917-548-1889 or Mona Splendore @ 631827-4799.
Apr. 1 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Foundation
Annual Cooley’s Anemia Dine-A-Round at
Verdi’s of Westbury honoring State First
Lady Joan Rondinelli, 7:00pm, $45pp.
Contact: Mary Naccarato @ 516-921-7839 or
Mildred Mancusi @ 516-295-0984.
Apr. 5 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Leadership
Seminar to be held at the Antonio Meucci
Lodge Hall, 279 Maple Avenue, White
Plains, 9:30am. Contact: Carol DiTrapani @
516-785-4623.
Apr. 11 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Foundation
32nd Anniversary Golden Lion Awards
Dinner honoring Frank V. Carone, Esq.,
Anthony V. Malatino and Nassau County
Executive Edward P. Mangano at the Garden
City Hotel, 7:00pm. Contact: Eileen Stavis or
Carol DiTrapani @ 516-785-4623.
Apr. 26 - NYOSIA Spring Plenary Session to
be hosted by Rockland Lodge #2176 at
Rockland Lodge Hall, 46 Van Wyck Road,
Blauvelt. Contact: Eileen Stavis @ 516-7854623.
Apr. 27 - NYOSIA Bowling Tournament to
be held at Farmingdale Lanes, 999 Conklin
Street, Farmingdale, 9:00am breakfast,
9:30am tournament begins, $20 per bowler.
Contact: Keith Wilson @ 516-633-1435.
May 17 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Foundation
17th Annual Walk For Education & Culture at
Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, Parking
Field #1. Registration 8:30am, Walk StepsOff 10:00am. Contact: Angela DeCosimo @
516-658-9592 or Eleanor Jobbagy @ 516358-9151.
May 29-June 1st - NYOSIA 108th Annual
State Convention to be held at the Villa Roma
Resort, Callicoon. Contact: Carol DiTrapani
@ 516-785-4623 or Annette Lankewish @
516-933-7393.
June 14 - NYOSIA Grand Lodge Foundation
Scholarship Program to be held at Tappan
Zee High School, Orangeburg, 11:00am.
Contact: Michele Ment @ 845-225-1144.
Oct. 25 - NYOSIA Fall Plenary Session to be
hosted by St. Francis of Assisi Lodge #2629,
Beacon, New York. Location TBA. Contact:
Eileen Stavis @ 516-785-4623.
Nov. 22 - NYSOSIA Gift of Sight Annual
Awards Luncheon to be held at the
Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston
Parkway, Douglaston, 12:00pm. Contact:
Marianne Principe O’Neil @ 516-883-5762.
Local Lodges
2014
Mar. 8 - Luigi Pirandello Lodge #2875 - St.
Joseph Party at Holy Family Church, Fresh
Meadows, 7:00pm, $30pp. Contact: Maria
DeInnocentiis @ 718-454-1696.
Mar. 8 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 Festa Della Donne Dinner at Gabriele
D’Annunzio Lodge Hall, Rotterdam, $20pp.
Contact: Angelina Donadio @ 518-694-1869.
Mar. 15 - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 Feast of St. Joseph at Marconi Lodge Hall,
Islip, 6:30pm. Contact: Elizabeth Panza @
631-277-9724.
Mar. 15 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - St.
Joseph’s Day D/D at Ramada Inn, Syracuse,
6:30pm, $35pp. Contact: Carmine Federico
@ 315-457-5010.
Mar. 16 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 - St.
Joseph’s Celebration at Meucci Lodge Hall,
White Plains. Contact: Umberto Amato @
914-769-9122.
Mar. 20 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211
- Military Bridge at Brumidi Lodge Hall,
Deer Park, 6:30pm, $10pp. Contact: Rose
Dispinseri @ 631-254-3015.
Mar. 22 - Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319
- Night at the Races at Frank Brush Barn,
Smithtown, 6:00pm, $15pp. Contact:
Nicholas Mauro @ 631-698-1272.
Mar. 22 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - St. Joseph’s
Celebration at Clinton Martin Park, New
Hyde Park, 6:00pm, $20pp. Contact: Teresa
Tallini @ 631-385-3442.
Mar. 22 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - St.
Joseph’s D/D at Columbus Lodge Hall, S.
Farmingdale, 7:00pm, $30pp. Contact: Tony
Musarra @ 516-293-0342.
Mar. 23 - Fr. Vincent Capodanno Lodge #212
- St. Joseph’s Celebration at Nucci’s Italian
Restaurant, Staten Island, 12:00pm, $70pp.
Contact: Carol Berardi @ 718-448-1398.
Mar. 29 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211
- Murder Mystery D/D Live Show at Brumidi
Lodge Hall, Deer Park, 7:00pm, $45pp.
Contact: Karen Lorito @ 631-539-9113.
Mar. 29 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 “Karoke Kick-Off” for Autism at TJ Byrnes
Bar & Grill, 77 Fulton Street, NYC, 8:00pm,
$10pp. Contact: Joe Fratta @ 917-548-1889.
Apr. 3 - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 Social Night at Marconi Lodge Hall, Islip,
7:30pm, $15pp. Contact: Joseph Canestro @
631-678-3220.
Apr. 4 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - 46th
Anniversary Scholarship D/D Cellini
Charitable Foundation, 7:30pm. Contact:
Alfonso Squillante @ 516-280-4080.
Apr. 5 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 Guy’s and Gal’s Shopping Extravaganza for
Alzheimer’s at Most Precious Blood Church
Hall, Little Italy, NYC. $5pp. Contact: Anna
Magliato @ 347-306-9558.
Apr. 10 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Grab Bag
Bingo at Marcus Christ Hall, New Hyde
Park, 7:30pm. Contact: Marta Nunziato @
718-428-8545.
Apr. 12 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 Entertainment evening at Meucci Lodge Hall,
White Plains. Contact: Flavia DiNota @ 914769-9122.
Apr. 12 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Atlantic City
Trip. Contact: Salvatore Squillante @ 516505-8880.
Apr. 15 - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 Scholarship Fundraiser at Marconi Lodge
Hall, Islip, 7:30pm, $25pp. Contact: Robert
Necci @ 631-256-6397.
Apr. 26 - Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 Chinese Auction “Italian Style” at St.
Lawrence Church Parish Hall, $15pp.
Contact: Cliff Miller @ 631-563-8413.
July 28 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - Annual
Lodge Picnic at Marjorie Post Park,
Massapequa. Contact: Chris Molina @ 516220-9619.
Apr. 27 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 - Wall
of Fame D/D at the Davenport Country Club,
New Rochelle, 4:00pm. Contact: Rita
Cestone @ 914-948-3608.
July 27 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 Festival at the Valhalla Dam. Contact: Mario
Cermele @ 914-325-1239.
. 27 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 - 15th
Annual D/D at Sirico’s Catering Hall,
Brooklyn, 1:00pm, $85pp. Contact: John
Fratta @ 646-261-8614.
May 1 - America Lodge #2245 - Annual
Fashion Show at Verdi’s of Westbury.
Contact: Nancy Binda @ 516-354-5166.
May 2 - Daughters & Sons of Italian
Heritage Lodge #2428 - Annual D/D honoring State First Lady Joan Rondinelli (Past
State Cooley’s Anemia Chair) and District III
State Deputy Louise Corsello (Past State
Alzheimer’s Chair) at the Immaculate
Conception Center, Douglaston, 7:30pm,
$80pp. Contact: Anne Marie Mace @ 917214-9169 or Carol Fagan @ 646-321-6141.
May 10 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Night at the
Races at Clinton Martin Park, 7:00pm.
Contact: Luigi Squillante @ 516-292-2488.
May 13 - Galileo Galilei Lodge #2253 Night at the Races at Wm. Bennett
Community Center, Hicksville, 7:00pm,
$10pp. Contact: Tony D’Angelis @ 516-9351463.
May 15 - Per Sempre Ladies Lodge #2344A Chinese Auction at Jani Chinese & Japanese
Restaurant, Franklin Square, 6:30pm, $30pp.
Contact: Mildred Mancusi @ 516-359-1745.
May 18 - Loggia Glen Cove #1016 - 94th
Anniversary D/D honoring IPP John Macari
at the Swan Club, Glenwood Landing,
12:00pm, $85pp. Contact: Kathryn Grande @
516-922-6747.
May 20 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Memorial
Mass at Notre Dame Church, New Hyde
Park, 7:00pm. Contact: Vincent Illuzzi @
718-275-0407.
May 23-26th - Joe DiMaggio Lodge #2248 Italian Festival at East Fishkill Recreation
Field, E. Fishkill. Contact: Joe Zingone @
845-221-7234.
May 27 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 Scholarship Ceremony at Meucci Lodge
Hall, White Plains. Contact: Ms. Sandy @
914-441-6917.
June 12 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Scholarship
Night at Marcus Christ Hall, New Hyde Park,
7:00pm. Contact: Anna Mulea @ 516-5960910.
June 14 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 - Boat
Trip on the “Klondike.” Contact: Tony Amato
@ 914-328-1533.
June 27 - Anthony Maggiacomo Lodge
#2320 - Manhattan Cruise departing from
Fort Slocum Dock, New Rochelle, 7:00pm,
$85pp. Contact: Steve Troccoli @ 914-9681234.
June 28 - CSJ/District I Lodges - Italian
Culture Festival at Frank Brush Barn,
Smithtown, 11:00am, $5pp. Contact: Lou
Gallo @ 631-821-2290.
July 7 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - Annual
Picnic and Meeting at Ramada Inn, Syracuse,
6:00pm. Contact: Josephine Federico @ 315457-5010.
July 19 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Annual
Fishing Trip. Contact: Salvatore Squillante @
516-505-8880.
July 24 - Donatello Lodge #2559 - 30th
Anniversary D/D at Chateau Briand, Carle
Place. Contact: Maria Kobylarz @ 516-8527345.
Aug. 8 - Duca Degli Abruzzi Lodge #443 Pig Roast at Lodge Hall, Endicott. Contact:
Bartender @ 607-785-2567.
Aug. 22-Sept. 1 - Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge
#2234 - Annual Mother Cabrini Feast at
Suffolk County Community College.
Contact: Theresa Pernice @ 631-231-7033.
Sept. 11 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Grab Bag
Bingo at Marcus Christ Hall, New Hyde
Park, 7:30pm. Contact: Marta Nunziato @
718-428-8545.
Sept. 13 - Duca Degli Abruzzi Lodge #443 Annual Clam Bake at Lodge Hall, Endicott.
Contact: Bartender @ 607-785-2567.
Sept. 16 - Per Sempre Ladies Lodge #2344A
- Special “Tea Party” for State First Lady
Joan Rondinelli at Greis Park Recreation
Center, Lynbrook, 7:00pm. Contact: Mildred
Mancusi @ 516-359-1745.
Sept. 26 - Anthony Maggiacomo Lodge
#2320 - Annual D/D at Westchester Manor,
7:00pm, $85pp. Contact: Peter Tamburri @
914-476-9659.
Sept. 28 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - Annual
Italian Feast & Festival at N. Broadway,
Massapequa, 11:00am. Contact: Tony
Ventiera @ 516-851-8531.
Sept. 28 - Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319
- 40th Anniversary D/D at The Elks Club,
Smithtown, 2:00pm, $55pp. Contact: Robert
Graham @ 631-265-0205.
Oct. 4 - Fr. Vincent Capodanno Lodge #212 Testimonial D/D honoring IPP Theresa Corey
at LaGreci Staaten, Staten Island. Contact:
Rose Kelly @ 718-494-4928.
Oct. 5 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 John Michael Marino Lodge Foundation,
Inc., Scholarship & Charities Fundraiser D/D
honoring IPP Eric Pappalardi at Chateau
Briand, 12:00pm, $85pp. Contact: Marianne
Prince @ 718-631-7917.
Oct. 18 - Vincent Lombardi Lodge #2270 Annual Christopher Columbus D/D at
Burgundy Basin Inn, Pittsford, $60pp.
Contact: Jennifer Rube @ 585-381-5540.
Oct. 18 - Duca Degli Abruzzi Lodge #443 Annual Columbus Day D/D at Lodge Hall,
Endicott. Contact: Matt Coletta @ 607-7852567.
Oct. 18 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Atlantic City
Trip. Contact: Salvatore Squillante @ 516505-8880.
Oct. 18 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - Columbus
Day D/D at Ramada Inn, Syracuse, 6:30pm.
Contact: Carmine Federico @ 315-457-5010.
Oct. 24 - St. Francis of Assisi Lodge #2629 25th Anniversary D/D honoring State
President Joseph Rondinelli and State
Recording Secretary Michele Ment at St.
Rocco’s Hall, Beacon, 7:00pm, $85pp.
Contact: Louis Mazzacone @ 845-797-3278.
Oct. 25 - Duca Degli Abruzzi Lodge #443 Fish Fry at Lodge Hall, Endicott. Contact:
Rudy @ 607-785-2567.
Oct. 26 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 Columbus Day D/D in honor of the 100th
Anniversary of Antonio Meucci Lodge at the
Villa Barone Hilltop Manor, Mahopac.
Contact: Flavia DiNota @ 914-769-8987.
As of 2/18/2014
The Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014 • 13
OUR ITALIAN HERITAGE
by Sal Moschella - Editor
I
Early Italian Immigrants
t is a common misconception that Italians did not come to America until the mass
migration beginning at the close of the nineteenth century. But it was not long after
an Italian by the name of Columbus arrived on the shores of a new world, that Italians began to follow him to the new land. First, they came as explorers for other European countries; then as missionaries for the Catholic Church; then as artisans in the
earliest of British colonies; then as soldiers and politicians in the American revolution;
then as artist, musicians, teachers, tradesmen, and entrepreneurs. Each one was instrumental in shaping the political, cultural, and business world of an infant United
States.
These very early Italian immigrants, unlike most of the ones that came during the
early mass migration, arrived with the intention of permanently staying in the new
country. They mostly came from the northern part of Italy, because they were the only
ones permitted to travel to other countries, as parts of southern Italy, under foreign
domination, banned emigration. While not many in numbers, approximately 12,000
arrived between 1783 and 1871. They were viewed with admiration and respect for
their skills and mastery of the arts that they brought with them.
The very first Italian immigrants were the missionaries who arrived mainly in the
Western U.S. to establish and operate missions for the conversion of the natives and
to minister to the religious needs of the new settlers. Missionaries by the names of
Fra Marcos, who arrived with the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteen century, and
explored what is now Arizona in 1539; to Father Eusebio Chino, a Jesuit pioneer
who built missions in the mid sixteen-hundreds and is credited for the beginning of
the cattle industry in America; to Father Giovanni Nobili in 1844, who brought Christianity to the Indians of the Northwest and also became the precursor of Italian immigration to the West; and to Father Joseph Cataldo, a Sicilian who, for over sixty
years, built missions and worked amongst North Western Indian tribes during the
mid-nineteenth century. These Italian missionaries not only preached the word of
God, but are also considered, in their own right, explorers of the Western U. S., as in
many cases they were the first Europeans to reach that part of the world. Many others
were instrumental in establishing some of the area's first colleges, particularly in California. There were also many non-religious explorers, the most notable being Enrico
Tonti, who in the service of France, is credited with exploring extensive areas in the
Mississippi Valley from Wisconsin to Louisiana.
In the colonial period little is known of names or personal data, but their contribution as skilled artisans, manufacturers, and traders are well recorded in the annals of
the colonies of Virginia and Georgia, but particularly in Maryland, which in its early
history served as a haven for Catholics of all nationalities. During the American revolution: Francesco Vigo served as a soldier and financier, and later helped finance
the Rogers and Clark expedition of the Northwest territory in 1836; Filippo Mazzei
as a political philosopher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson, and whose ideology that
"....all men are by nature equally free and independent ..... and must be equal to each
other..." was incorporated in the Declaration of Independence as "all men are created
equal;" and William Paca as a politician (Governor of Maryland) and signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
In the post revolutionary period: Constantino Brumidi, painter of monumental frescoes in the U.S. Capitol, who was reverently nicknamed the "Michelangelo of the
Nation's Capitol;" and Giuseppe Ceracchi, sculptor of many works of art in the construction of Washington, D.C. In the Civil War, thousands served mainly in the Army
of the North, and as many as two hundred as officers, with three acquiring the rank
of general. Two, both born in Italy, (Luigi Palma DiCesnola and Thomas W. Hyde)
were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their gallantry in the service of
their adoptive country.
Although many of the early Italian immigrants were men of intellect and substance,
the bulk were mainly tradesmen, artists, artisans, teachers, musicians, and entrepreneurs who were able to capitalize on the needs of a developing nation. Throughout
the nineteenth century, cultivated Americans and others familiar with Italian culture
considered Italy as the "mother of the arts," and as such, Italians were very much in
demand by private individuals, as teachers and tutors for their children; by private
schools and Ivy League universities for their Italian studies departments; and by local
and federal governments in the construction of government buildings and monuments
of their cities and of most of the nation's Capital.
When the great wave of Italian immigrants reached the shores of this country towards the end of the nineteenth century, the attitude towards the Italians, for a multitude of reasons, changed drastically to one of resentment, hostility, and outright
hatred. Nonetheless, up to that time, Americans generally regarded the Italian immigrants as a civilizing influence on their emerging society, and most of them were more
than welcomed. n
Everybody is born with genius, but most people only
keep it a few minutes.
Edgard Varese
14 • Golden Lion • January-February-March 2014
Italian american heroes
Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients
gino J. Merli
Born - May 13, 1924 - Scranton, PA - Died - June 21, 2002, Peckville, PA
Diciamolo In Italiano (Let’s Say It In Italian)
By Professor Joseph A.Tursi - Arturo Toscanini Lodge #2107, Dix Hills.
(leZIone nuMeRo CInQue) leSSon nuMBeR fIVe
Rank and organization: Pfc., U.S. Army, 18th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry
Division. Place and date of action: Near Sars la Bruyere, Belgium, 4-5 September
1944. Entered service at: Peckville, PA.
Facciamo un pò di grammatica! (Let’s do some grammar!)
Citation: Pfc. Merli was serving as a machine gunner in the vicinity of Sars la
Bruyere, Belgium, on the night of 4-5 September 1944, when his company was
attacked by a superior German force. Its position was overrun and he was
surrounded when our troops were driven back by overwhelming numbers and
firepower. Disregarding the fury of the enemy fire concentrated on him he
maintained his position, covering the withdrawal of our
riflemen and braking the force of the enemy pressure. His
assistant machine gunner was killed and the position
captured; the other eight members of the section were forced
to surrender. Pfc. Merli slumped down beside the dead
assistant gunner and feigned death. No sooner had the enemy
group withdrawn, he then was up and firing in all directions.
Once more his position was taken and the captors found two
apparently lifeless bodies. Throughout the night Pfc. Merli
stayed at his weapon. By daybreak the enemy had suffered
heavy losses, and as our troops launched an assault, asked
for a truce. Our negotiating parry, who accepted the German
surrender, found Pfc. Merli still at his gun. On the battlefield lay fifty-two enemy
dead, nineteen of whom were directly in front of the gun. Pfc. Merli's gallantry
and courage, and the losses and confusion that he caused the enemy, contributed
materially to our victory.
1.
The verb essere (to be) is one of the most commonly used
verbs in Italian. The present tense forms are as follows:
S ee Y ouR l odge R affle C haIRpeRSon
o R l odge p ReSIdenT
“You have to be in it to win it!”
{
(Please note: tu is used with a friend, family member, someone who is well known
to you. The plural voi is used with two or more friends, etc. The formal lei is used
with persons with whom you are not too familiar: doctor, someone you meet for the
first time, teacher, etc. The plural of this form is loro which is also used to mean
they when referring to several people not present.)
2. essere is an infinitive. The infinitive is the basic form of the verb listed in dictionaries and vocabulary lists. English infinitives consist of two words: to + verb
form. Italian infinitives consist of a single word and end in -are, -ere, -ire.
frequentare to attend
avere to have
finire to finish
3. In Italian, the verb changes according to the subject of the sentence. Because the
verb ending indicates the subject, pronouns are usually omitted unless necessary for
emphasis or to avoid ambiguity.
Sono Pietro Bruni.
I’m Peter Bruni.
But: Io sono studente e loro
I’m a student and they are professors.
sono professori.
Siamo di Bologna.
We’re from Bologna.
But: Lui è di Bologna e lei è di Milano
He’s from Bologna and she is from Milano.
4. Negative sentences are formed by adding non before the verb.
Non sono di Torino.
I’m not from Torino.
Emilio non è di Roma.
Emilio is not from Rome.
As in English, the word no is often used in reply to a question to reinforce a negative
statement.
Lei è studente?
Are you a student?
No, non sono studente.
No, I’m not a student.
esercizio (exercise) a. You and some friends are visiting different Italian cities.
Say where each of you is. In your responses use the preposition a
Example: Luigi / Napoli
Luigi è a Napoli.
1. Marcella e Luisa / Firenze
2. Francesca / Perugia
3. noi / Bari
4. tu / Palermo
5. io / Milano
6. tu e Massimo / Pisa
esercizio (exercise) B. Answer the following personal questions in Italian.
1. Lei è italiano/italiana?
2. È di Milano? È di Messina? È di Napoli? Di dov’è (Where are you from?)
3. È dottore? È avvocato (lawyer)? È professore? È meccanico (mechanic) ?
4...È studente / studentessa?
ClIp and SaVe
#
The $100 STaTe Raffle IS heRe
So Take a ChanCe To WIn $20,000
loro sono
we are
you (fam.) are
they are
you (formal) are
answers to exercises
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Plural
noi siamo
voi siete
esercizio a
1 Marcella e Luisa sono a Firenze.
2. Francesca è a Perugia.
3. Siamo a Bari. (or) Noi siamo a Bari.
4. Sei a Palermo. (or) Tu sei a Palermo.
5. Sono a Milano. (or) Io sono a Milano.
6. Siete a Pisa. (or) Tu e Massimo siete a Pisa.
On June 15, 1945, by that time promoted to Sergeant, Gino Merli received the
Medal of Honor for his heroism from President Truman In addition, he received
two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained on two other occasions, in October 1944,
when he was caught in a shelling near Aachen, Germany, and in the Battle of
Bulge: the Bronze Star; the Battle of the Bulge Medal; and the Humanitarian Award
of the Chapel of Four Chaplains for his actions during World War II.
When he returned from World War II, again he put service over self, his duty
became serving other veterans. For 34 years, he was an adjudication officer at the
VA Medical Center in Plains Township. He traveled to the Normandy beaches in
1984 in the company of Tom Brokaw and was a source of inspiration for Brokaw's
book - The Greatest Generation. “He was a reluctant warrior, full of modesty and
humility," Mr. Brokaw said. “The fact that he went to a church and prayed for men
he had killed through the night was typical of him.”
In 1994, when he visited Sars la Bruyere, the townspeople honored him with a
marker. Other namesakes and honors for Merli are: The Veterans’ Center in Scranton was named for him in 2002; the Merli-Sarnoski State Park, located just outside
of Carbondale, PA; and Gino Merli Drive (one of the main roads) in Peckville,
PA. Gino Merli didn’t embrace fame for his role of war hero, yet he accepted them
as he lived his life, with a sense of duty. So the man who rarely talked about the
event that earned him the Medal of Honor responded to every letter praising him
for his heroic deeds.
In his final days, Gino still shied away from speeches, but he did like to stand
before a crowd for one purpose, he enjoyed leading a crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Merli was battling Parkinson’s disease and a heart ailment that held him
back from his civic duties. He died in 2002 at age 78, survived by his wife, two
sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren. n
Singular
io sono
I am
tu sei
you (familiar) are
lui/lei
he/she is
lei è
you (formal) are
esercizio B
1. No, non sono italiano, sono americano .....
2. Sì, sono di Milano,...
3. Sono meccanico....
4. No, non sono studentessa, sono...
Gino Merli was the son of a coal miner. He entered service in 1942 and served
with the 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (the same Regiment as the
previous issue MOH recipient Arthur De Franzo, and mostly likely fought in the
same battles in North Africa and Italy). With his division, he went ashore at Omaha
Beach on D-Day in 1944. After his acts of heroism in Sars la Bruyere, Merli also
participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December of the same year.
Presente di essere (The present tense of to be)
golden lion • January-february-March 2014 • 15
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