THE ITALIAN TIMES

Transcription

THE ITALIAN TIMES
THE
ITALIAN TIMES
Published by the Italian Community Center
631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202
www.ICCMilwaukee.com
VOL. 35, NO. 5
DECEMBER 2013
NON-PROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
MILWAUKEE, WI
Permit No. 5716
PASTE ADDRESS LABEL HERE.
– CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED –
‘Tis the season for giving
Join Jimmy and Linda Spataro
in donating stock to the ICC
By Thomas Hemman
Times Editor
Late last year, Jimmy Spataro, a
past president of the Italian
Community Center (1985-86), and
his wife, Linda, were fondly discussing the organization, its history
and how proud they were to be
charter members. Jimmy recalled
how much his late parents, Jim and
Anne, loved the Center and Festa
Italiana.
Jimmy and Linda also knew
that the ICC, a nonprofit organization, had had its share of rocky
times in recent years resulting
from the worldwide economic turndown.
“We brought up a meeting that
took place in the latter part of 1984
at the old Italian Community
Center on Hackett Avenue when a
standing room only crowd was on
hand to vote on whether the organization should pursue a proposal
with Milwaukee County for the
purchase of the ‘Coachyards’ property (the former railroad property
where the current ICC stands),”
Jimmy said.
“An overwhelming majority of
the people who attended that meeting supported the proposal,” he
said. “My parents were in favor.
Everyone said, ‘We want to go back
to our home’ in the (Historic) Third
Ward” where the vast majority of
the Italian immigrants settled
when they first came to Milwaukee
starting in the late 1800s. Many of
the people in attendance that night
grew up in the Third Ward.
Jimmy, who was the ICC’s president-elect then, said members were
presented with financial projections
Please turn to page 11
Linda and Jimmy Spataro
ICC members elect Susie Christiansen,
Pietro Tarantino, Tony Piacentini and
Liz Ceraso to Board of Directors
By Thomas Hemman
Times Editor
Susan (DeSanctis) Christiansen,
Pietro Tarantino, Tony Piacentini
and Elizabeth Anne Ceraso captured the four open director-atlarge seats in the Italian
Community Center’s annual election. Results were announced at
the Oct. 3 general membership
meeting.
All of the incumbent officers –
President Gina M. Spang, Vice
President Giuseppe Vella, Treasurer Sam Purpero, Secretary Rose
Ann Ceraso-Fritchie and SergeantAt-Arms Joanne (Sanfilippo)
Czubek – were unopposed.
Election Committee Chairperson
Rosemary DeRubertis announced
that 581 ballots were counted
before the start of the Oct. 3 meeting. Ballots were mailed to 1,167
members.
The term for the newly elected
officers and directors officially
began on Nov. 1. They were ceremonially sworn-in at the general
membership meeting on Nov. 7.
The first official meeting of the
new Board is this Thursday, Nov.
21 at 6 p.m.
The newly elected officers serve
a one-year term and the four directors who were elected will serve for
two years.
Seven candidates ran for the
four open director-at-large seats.
The other candidates were Joseph
Jannazzo, Jr., Paul F. Iannelli and
Bruno Giacomantonio.
The officers
Spang is the second woman in
Please turn to page 10
Italians ready
for Folk Fair
this weekend
By Thomas Hemman and
Susie DeSanctis Christiansen
Getting ready to serve as representatives of Italian culture at the
70th anniversary Holiday Folk
Fair are volunteers from the
Italian Community Center and
members of Tradizione Vivente,
the Italian Dance Group of
Milwaukee and I Bei Bambini, the
Children’s Italian Dance Group.
The Folk Fair will take place
Friday, Nov. 22 through Sunday,
Nov. 24 in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park in
Please turn to page 12
Festive multi-cultural program presented at ICC
Festival di Danza e Cultura, a multi-cultural celebration, was presented on Tuesday, Oct. 15
before a large, enthusiastic audience in the
Pompeii Grand Ballroom of the Italian
Community Center as a commemoration of
Italian Heritage Month. This photo shows members of all the performing groups that evening.
Among them was the visiting Yabana-kai of
Narita City, Japan. Performing groups and
artists from Wisconsin included: West African
Drums, Tradizione Vivente: The Italian Dance
Group of Milwaukee, a gospel group Moving
Forward, Spanish Iberian Flamenco Dancers,
Nefertari African Dance Company, the German
Pommersche Tandeel Freistadt, Turam Turkish
Folk Dance Group and Lac du Flambeau flutist
Darren Thompson representing the American
Indian. The two-hour program was organized by
Gina Jorgensen, who is a member of both
Tradizione Vivente and the ICC’s Culture
Committee. The program was preceded by a
spaghetti-and-meatballs dinner. Approximately
250 people attended the event. (Times photo by
Tom Hemman)
414.272.0540
414.272.1311
Happy Holidays from the entire Glorioso family and staff!
We have brought Italy to Wisconsin!
Imported Italian Foods • Deli Sandwiches • Party Trays & Much More!
• Espresso/Cappuccino Bar • Expanded Deli & Cheese Department • Party Trays • Fresh Gelato
• Wine & Spirits Department • Pasta Dishes to Order • Italian Bakery Department
• Trio’s Pizza is Back!!! • Indoor Seating • Outdoor Seating (weather permitting)
O
Check our website: www.gloriosositalianmarket.com O
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For tasteful holiday entertaining or gifts with an incomparable
Italian and European flavor, visit Glorioso’s Italian Market.
Many of our choice, authentic delicacies you’ll find nowhere
else. Old World candies, cakes and chocolates boxed in Italy;
imported and domestic cheeses; salamis; cookies; crackers;
jams and jellies; fine canned fish; frozen pastas and frozen
seafood. We offer a complete line of imported spices, plus a
gourmet delicatessen second to none. Our choice meat and
produce departments feature the finest quality.
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• SPECIAL CUTS OF MEAT SUCH AS BROCCIOLANI
AND SPIEDINI • PARTY TRAYS ARE OUR SPECIALTY!
Don’t forget to visit
Glorioso’s Gold Imports & Diamond Center
1018 E. Brady St. (2nd Floor) • (414) 347-0992
Headquarters for Italian charms, Italian gold necklaces and bracelets.
We have the Perfect Holiday Gifts.
Check out our extensive collection of diamond jewelry, engagement rings, wedding rings, earrings, necklaces,
diamonds of all sizes, bracelets, charms, charm holders, pendants, religious medals and more!
PAGE 2 – DECEMBER 2013
THE ITALIAN TIMES
A message from Gina M. Spang,
Italian Community Center President
Thank you to Mr. Peter Gustin
and Mr. Ralph Busalacchi for their
recent service as Directors on the
ICC Board. I appreciate the time
and dedication that you gave to the
organization. A warm welcome to
new and returning board members
for this upcoming year; we have a
busy year ahead of us and I am
anxious to get started!
Students of the Milwaukee
School Of Engineering (MSOE) presented the first draft of their ideas
for the improvements and modifications to the ICC. We have a class of
seniors working with the ICC based
on the following criteria: reorganize space to create designated space
for the community center and more
clearly separate the banquet facilities, identify deferred maintenance
and create a major maintenance
plan for future capital improvements, retain area for parking and
look at expansion for a hotel or similar future opportunity. This is a
senior design project and involves
each design team developing a solution for the “client”. It was very
interesting to hear their questions
and ideas. There will be a few
more updates prior to their formal
presentation which is scheduled for
Saturday, Feb. 15th. The presentation will be at MSOE and everyone
is invited. We will provide more
details as we get closer to the date
of the presentation.
Vice President Joe Vella and I
recently met with representatives
from many of the Italian Societies.
It was a very good meeting! We all
have common challenges and we
identified good ideas for ways to
work together. One idea that we
want to develop is an all society
event to celebrate Columbus Day in
2014. We will keep you updated as
we continue these discussions.
I’m asking that all presidents or
heads of the societies contact
Constance Jones in the ICC office
and give her your contact information. When we were scheduling our
meeting, we found that much of our
information was outdated. So
please provide us with your contact
information so that all societies can
be invited to participate in future
meetings.
The Italian Community Center
is teaming up with the Historic
Third Ward Association for the
“Christmas in the Ward” which
takes place on Friday, Dec. 6th. It
will be a fun event with hot chocolate, lighting of the Christmas tree,
roasting chestnuts and fireworks!
Plan to come and represent the ICC
at this event.
Finally, I encourage our members to attend our monthly general
membership meetings. The meetings are a great opportunity to see
your board members, talk with
them and hear first hand what is
going on with the Community
Center. It is also a great time to
get together with your friends and
family. Our next meeting is
Thursday, Dec. 5th, which is our
Christmas dinner and dance. Our
next general meeting in 2014 will
be on Thursday Jan. 9th.
Happy and safe holidays to you
and your family.
– Gina M. Spang
ICC President
Deadline set for
January issue
of The Italian
Times
All advertising copy, news
stories and photos for publication in the January 2014 issue of
The Italian Times must be submitted to the editor no later
than Friday, Dec. 6. This will be
an online-only issue.
Advertising can be emailed to
editor Tom Hemman at themman@italiancc.org, sent to The
Italian Times, 631 E. Chicago
St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
631 E. Chicago St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916
(414) 223-2180
Published 11 times annually
Publisher . . . Italian Community Center
ICC President . . . . . . . . . . . Gina Spang
Newspaper Committee
Chairman . . . . . . . Rosemary DeRubertis
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas Hemman
Italian Page
Editor . . . . . . . Enrica Tarantino-Woytal
Advertising Sales
Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas Hemman
Advertising Sales
Representative . . . . . . Faye Ann Kessler
Editorial Contributors and Staff
Writers/Reporters . . . . , .Mario A. Carini
Angelo Castronovo, Barbara Collignon
and Susan Christiansen
Staff Photographers. . . . . . .Joe Spasiano,
and Tom Hemman
For advertising information, please call
(414) 223-2180 or send an e-mail to:
themman@italiancc.org.
Copyright 2013
The Italian Community Center, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
All advertisements must be in accordance
with the rules and requirements as determined by editorial policy. Paid advertisements are not to be interpreted as an
endorsement by the Italian Community
Center or its newspaper, The Italian Times.
In addition, the Newspaper Committee
reserves the right to reject ads based on editorial policy approved by the Board of
Directors of the Italian Community Center.
The Italian Community Center is a member of the Metropolitan Milwaukee
Association of Commerce, Visit Milwaukee
and the Historic Third Ward Association.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 3
Ted Glorioso, Ladies of UNICO and
Pompeii Men’s Club make large donations
for Thanksgiving dinner for the poor
The annual Thanksgiving dinner for the poor that the Italian
Community Center sponsors
received sizable donations from Ted
Glorioso of Glorioso’s Enterprises,
the Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO,
and the Pompeii Men’s Club.
Glorioso, a longtime member
and supporter of the ICC and the
Milwaukee Chapter UNICO
National, presented a $500 check.
The Ladies of UNICO, through its
Community Projects Committee,
made a $200 contribution and the
Pompeii Men’s Club donated $100.
In addition to those three large
donations, numerous individuals
made smaller contributions for the
meal, said Tony Lupo, who served
as chairman of the event. “There is
no middle man. All of the funds
that are raised for the dinner go for
the food that is served,” he added.
The dinner was held Sunday,
Nov. 17 at the Open Door Cafe at
St. John’s Cathedral in downtown
Milwaukee.
Lupo enlisted the volunteers
who served the meal. The culinary
staff of the Italian Conference
Center prepared the feast and
delivered it to the meal site.
Ted Glorioso (left), of Glorioso’s Enterprises, presented a $500 check to
Tony Lupo for the Thanksgiving dinner for the poor at his jewelry store,
Glorioso’s Gold Imports and Diamond Center, on Oct. 4.
Times photos by Tom Hemman
The Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO donated $200 for the Thanksgiving dinner. The check was presented at the ICC’s general meeting on Oct. 3 to
ICC President Gina Spang and dinner chairman Tony Lupo by Ann
Romano, chairperson of the UNICO Ladies’ Community Projects
Committee. Spang, Lupo and Romano are seen in the center of the picture.
On each side of them are the members of the Ladies of UNICO who were
in attendance that night.
Charles Lazzaro (right), Pompeii Men’s Club President, presented a $100
donation for the Thanksgiving dinner on behalf of his organization at the
ICC’s general meeting on Nov. 7. The check was given to Tony Lupo, dinner chairman.
PAGE 4 – DECEMBER 2013
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Joe Glorioso, acclaimed Italian food market
owner and one of the founding fathers of
Milwaukee’s Festa Italiana, dies at age 91
By Thomas Hemman
Times Editor
As a testimony to how much
Joseph T. Glorioso was loved and
respected, all one needed to see was
the extremely large attendance for
his visitation on Sunday, Oct. 20
and his funeral service and burial
the next day.
Joe, as many knew and called
him, died Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the
age of 91. He had been hospitalized
for two weeks prior to his death
after collapsing at the grave of his
late wife, Mary, who was struck by
a car and killed while crossing
Brady St. on May 10, 2004.
Joe was born on Apr. 20, 1922.
He was the oldest of seven children
– six boys and a girl – born to
Felice and Theresa Glorioso. They
were raised in Milwaukee’s old
Third Ward, the heart of
Milwaukee’s Italian community
and the location of the Sicilian
immigrant-built Our Lady of
Pompeii Catholic Church. Joe’s
father had been a peddler and fisherman in Sicily. He worked on
Commission Row after settling in
Milwaukee and bought and sold
produce and fresh fruit from a
pushcart, traveling to Bay View
and St. Francis.
After graduating from Lincoln
High School, Joe served in the
United States Army for 42 months
during World War II. He was stationed in the European front, seeing action in France. He earned the
rank of Technical Sergeant and
attained a Bronze Star for serving
in a war zone.
With the help of a $1,000 loan
that Joe’s father secured from his
boss, Joe and his brothers Eddie
and Teddy opened Glorioso’s Italian
Food Center at 1020 E. Brady St.,
on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side,
on Valentine’s Day in 1946. It was
reported in the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel that Felice wanted Joe to
open the store with his brothers
Eddie and Ted to keep them busy
and out of trouble.
In the beginning, Joe did the
ordering, Eddie handled deliveries
and Teddy did just about everything else that needed to be done.
Joe and his brothers worked hard,
sometimes spending the night to
get the tasks done. Their labors
paid off and the market became
Wisconsin’s largest Italian food
center.
The store established a loyal following of shoppers who valued
imported Italian oils, pastas, cook-
Joe Glorioso and his late wife,
Mary. The couple was wed in 1950.
Mary was tragically killed when
she was struck by a vehicle across
Brady St. in 2004.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
ies, canned goods, fresh cannoli and
bread from nearby Sciortino’s
Bakery, freshly made sausage, and
an extensive line of Italian cheeses
as well as the intimate feel of a
neighborhood shop. It quickly
became the cornerstone of the
Brady St. business community.
In 1950, Joe married Mary
Frinzi, whose family also operated
a grocery store on Water St. and
Broadway. The couple went on to
work together for more than 50
years.
Joe and his brothers added side
businesses in and around the store.
There was Trio’s Pizza and
Glorioso’s Villa. Today, Ted owns
and operates Glorioso’s Gold
Imports & Diamond Center at 1018
E. Brady St., upstairs from the
original market.
In late 2010, the Glorioso family
moved its business to a more spacious location at 1011 E. Brady St.,
a building that was once the Astor
Theater and the Brady St.
Pharmacy.
More than 70 members of the
Glorioso family have worked at the
business. Today, Joe’s son Felice
and Teddy’s son Michael are the
general managers of Glorioso’s
Italian Market. Eddie and Teddy
are still very active in the business.
Joe was working at the store on a
semi-retired basis right up to his
hospitalization. Semi-retired meant
maybe he took off a day or two.
Joe always spoke with pride
about the quality of the products
sold at his store, “Quality is
remembered long after price is forgotten,” he said.
The Glorioso family was honored
with the Wisconsin Small Business
of the Year Award in 2007 and has
been recognized as “Milwaukee’s
Best Deli” by OnMilwaukee.com on
numerous occasions.
When Glorioso’s celebrated 60
years in business on Brady St. in
2006, the Glorioso brothers
received a plaque from thenWisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. The
plaque cited Glorioso’s as “one of
Milwaukee’s best-known resources
for Italian foods, including dozens
of antipasti possibilities and tour
de force of olives. Glorioso’s also
carries a wide selection of cheeses,
cured meats and marinated vegetables.”
The citation further read:
“Glorioso’s remained an anchor on
Brady Street even during the
street’s declining days and played a
major role in the rejuvenation due
in large part to their support and
allegiance to the area which led
other property owners to realize the
hidden value of Milwaukee’s lower
East Side.”
The governor’s citation even
mentions something that everyone
who shopped at the market probably overheard at one time or another: “The brothers’ success in working together for the last 60 years,
despite disagreements and discussions in English and Sicilian – with
the latter adding undeniable flair
to the debates – has been based on
their ability to forgive and get back
to work.”
Festa and the ICC
In the 1970s, a movement began
in Milwaukee to re-establish an
Italian festival similar to the religious festivals that were held years
ago in the city’s old Third Ward,
but only on a grander scale. Joe
was one of the Italian movers and
shakers who made it happen.
Meetings to organize what would
become “Festa Italiana” were held
in the lower level of Glorioso’s
Villa.
When the decision to proceed
was made and the legal documents
were signed with the City of
Milwaukee to hold the first Festa
Italiana on the weekend of Aug. 46, 1978 on the Summerfest
grounds, Joe was in charge of food
operations and ordering all the
related food supplies. Back then,
and in fact for the first six years of
Festa, all the food booths were
staffed entirely by volunteers.
Professional restaurateurs, bakers
and deli operators weren’t brought
into the fold until 1984.
From the first Festa until the
mid 1990s, Joe was in charge of the
distribution area of the festival,
where vendors could get all of the
supplies they needed to accompany
the food they sold.
For more than a dozen years,
Joe served on the Festa Food
Committee, reviewing the contracts
and food menus of all the vendors
and offering his expertise on how
they could make their operations
run more smoothly or more successfully.
Glorioso’s has always been one
of the sponsors of Festa Italiana
and their store has always been the
place that sells the most advance
admission tickets for the festival.
Glorioso’s Gold Imports has frequently donated a jewelry prize for
the festival’s raffle.
After the first Festa, the Italian
Community Center was established. Joe and his wife, Mary, were
among the charter members. Joe
was elected to the original Board of
Directors in 1978 and was re-elected three more times, ending his
service after the 1981-82 term.
Joe and Mary were given the
honor of being the Re and Regina
(King and Queen) for the ICC’s second celebration of “Il Grande
Carnevale,” a pre-Lenten costume
and mask ball, in 1981.
Financial contributions by Joe,
his brothers and their families
helped to build the current Italian
Community Center. For many
years, Joe and Mary provided funds
each spring for the flower planting
and landscaping on the grounds.
That support continues in the form
of a memorial after Mary’s untimely death.
On behalf of the organization,
ICC President Gina Spang stated,
“We are deeply saddened by the
passing of Joe Glorioso. Joe was a
highly respected member of the
City of Milwaukee’s Italian community, a lifetime member of the
Italian Community Center and one
of the driving forces behind Festa
Italiana. As an early pioneer on
Milwaukee’s East Side, Joe and his
family established a family business that served as a hub for ‘all
things Italian.’ It was the place
where people gathered, ideas were
developed and decisions were
made. Joe’s legacy will live on
through his many contributions to
both the Italian Community Center
and Festa Italiana.”
Other organizations
Joe was also a co-founder of the
Holy Crucifix Society, a member of
When Joe Glorioso turned 90 in
April 2012, the family throw him a
birthday party at Glorioso’s Italian
Market. Times Editor Tom
Hemman was invited to come and
took this picture.
UNICO National, a member and
past president of the Milwaukee
Chapter of UNICO (1973-74), member of the Madonna del Lume
Society, Pompeii Men’s Club,
National
Italian
American
Foundation, Sons of Sicily, and
American Legion Post 418.
The Pompeii Men’s Club honored Joe as its “Man of the Year” in
1986. The award recognized his
“continuous and generous service to
the community.”
When Joe found some spare
time. he enjoyed fishing and doing
drawings in pen and pencil, his son
Felice said.
Survivors and memorials
Joe is survived by his son Felice
(Margaret) and daughter Rena; his
grandchildren Maria, the late
Theresa, Joseph and Francesca
Glorioso and Giana, Adrianna and
Benny Tralongo; his great-grandchild Zora Tralongo; his brothers
Eddie (Joann), the late Nick
(Dorothy), Ted (Rosemary),
Anthony (Lois) and Charles (Rita)
his sister Rosalie; and many other
relatives, friends and employees.
The family suggests memorials
to the Milwaukee Chapter of
UNICO Scholarship Fund.
Have something to sell to the
readers of The Italian Times?
Consider placing an ad in our
next issue. For advertising
information, please call
(414-223-2801 or send an email
to Editor Tom Hemman at
themman@italiancc.org.
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 5
Make your Thanksgiving Day dining plans at the ICC
Pre-paid reservations required for this bountiful feast
There’s no need to spend most
of your Thanksgiving Day in the
kitchen preparing your family
feast. Let the Italian Conference
Center staff do the cooking on
Thursday, Nov. 28. For the second
consecutive year, the ICC is offering a Thanksgiving Day buffet.
Pre-paid reservations are necessary for this bountiful feast, which
will begin with the first seatings at
11 a.m. Reservations will be taken
on the half-hour from that time on,
with the last seating scheduled for
4 p.m.
Business Manager Patrick
Morgan has kept the prices at
$24.95 for adults, $15.95 for children, ages 5-12, and free for children, 4 and younger.
Make your prepaid reservations
in person at the reception desk at
the Italian Community Center on
weekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by
calling 414/223-2180 and pay with
a credit card.
The Thanksgiving menu
The following array of sumptuous buffet choices awaits those
who come to the ICC for their
Thanksgiving dinner.
• Salads: Garden salad with
assorted dressings; Caesar salad;
Caprese salad; seafood tortellini
salad; and Waldorf salad.
• Appetizers: Fresh fruit;
assorted cheese and crackers;
antipasto, vegetables and dill dip;
and cranberry relish.
• Sides: Garlic mashed potatoes; sweet potato casserole; roasted yams; sweet corn; fresh green
beans almondine; and penne pasta
marinara.
• Meats: Oven-roasted turkey
and gravy; honey glazed ham;
carved prime rib au jus; Italian
sausage sauté; baked cod with
lemon dill butter; and meatballs in
sauce.
• Desserts: Tiramisu; cannoli;
pumpkin pie; apple pie; wild berry
pie; and many other assorted
tortes.
• Add-ons: Italian bread; butter; coffee; tea; and milk.
Free parking will be available
in the lot south of the building.
ICC expecting a full house for
its New Year’s Eve party
Doo-Wop Daddies to play after fabulous dinner at this reservations-only event
By Thomas Hemman
Times Editor
Don’t wait to make your reservations for the spectacular New
Year’s Eve party planned at the
Italian Community Center. The
celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 31,
beginning at 7 p.m., will include
lots of delicious food, plenty of
party favors and dancing to the
‘50s-‘60s sounds of the legendary
Doo-Wop Daddies.
General Manager Patrick
Morgan said, “The Doo-Wop
Daddies have always drawn large
crowds every time we’ve booked
them. So, I want to advise everyone
to get their reservations made
early.”
The cost for the evening is $75
per person. Reservations are
required and can be made using a
credit card and calling 414/2232180, or by mailing in the form
accompanying this story. Be sure
to make your check payable to the
Italian Conference Center and
submit it along with the reservation form to ICC, 631 E. Chicago
St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.
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The Doo-Wop Daddies are returning for a third consecutive year to perform at the Italian Community Center’s New Year’s Eve party.
If you wish to be seated at a
table with specific persons, please
list the names of those people on a
separate sheet of paper. Don’t forget to include your own name.
The ICC will not be allowing
walk-ins the night of the event.
At 7 p.m., guests will be able to
enjoy a variety of the Italian
Conference Center’s famous hot
and cold hors d’oeuvres in the galleria. There will be a cash bar.
An hour later, guests will be
called into the Pompeii Grand
Ballroom for a sumptuous dinner.
It will begin with an Italian salad
with Romaine lettuce topped with
mozzarella cheese, salami, prosciutto, tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts and pepperoncini.
The main course will feature a combination entrée – center cut beef
tenderloin topped with wild mushroom Bordelaise sauce and jumbo
shrimp scampi – served over angel
hair pasta, steamed vegetable medley, Italian bread, and coffee, tea,
iced tea or milk.
For dessert, guests will be
served tiramisu (ladyfinger cookies,
soaked in espresso and coffee
liqueur, layered with mascarpone,
dusted with cocoa powder and
chocolate shavings).
Following a midnight champagne toast welcoming the New
Year, a buffet station will be made
available. The buffet will feature
assorted cold cuts, cheese and relish trays, fresh rolls, pasta salad
and assorted cookies.
The Doo-Wop Daddies will play
from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Doo-Wop Daddies
Based in Milwaukee, the DooWop Daddies capture the demanding vocal styles of doo-wop music
with unsurpassed excellence.
That’s only the beginning. The
Daddies don’t merely recreate this
classic genre, but have redefined it
and made it their own 21st century
doo-wop.
The group’s live shows attain
that ideal unity of masterful performance and entertainment.
Combining elements of vintage and
cutting edge musical technologies,
the Daddies produce an exciting
theatrical show that remains faithful to the doo-wop style.
The Doo-Wop Daddies’ lineup
includes Mike Sturino, Mike Welch,
Ryan Clark, Mark Lansing, Tom
Riepenhoff, Lee Stephens, Lee
Wanek and Terry Casey.
ICC New Year's Eve Party Reservation Form
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262-781-3336
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013
Name(s) _________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
City _______________________________ State ______ Zip _____________
Phone ___________________ Email __________________________________
Please list the names of persons in your party on a separate sheet of paper. Tables
of 10 are available. Singles and couples: If you wish to be seated at a table with
specific persons, please list their names on a separate sheet of paper.
Total number of people attending _________ x $75.00 = $
The Reina Brothers and the staff of Reina International
Auto/Vespa Milwaukee congratulate the ICCʼs newly elected Officers and Board Members.
PAGE 6 – DECEMBER 2013
Please make your check/money order payable to: Italian Conference Center, and
mail to: ICC, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.
All payments are non-refundable and must accompany this reservation form.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Members’ Christmas dinner and
dance set for Thursday, Dec. 5
By Susie DeSanctis
Christiansen
Christmas Party Chairperson
Italian Community Center members, as well as non-member
guests, are invited to start off the
holiday season with a splendid celebration. The ICC’s annual
Members’ Christmas Party, on the
evening of the general membership
meeting, Thursday, Dec. 5, features
a sit down dinner, dancing, a bake
sale and lots of fun. The celebration
begins at 6 p.m. with a half-hour
cocktail reception (cash bar).
Dinner
A sumptuous dinner is being
planned. It begins with an Italian
salad with fresh greens and topped
with meats and cheeses. Guests
will then enjoy an entrée of tender
Sicilian steak, side of pasta, vegetables medley and fresh Italian
bread. Assorted Italian cookies and
gelato will be served for dessert,
courtesy of the Vella family, owners
of Sciortino’s Bakery, and the
Reina family of Gelateria Italiana
fame.
Dancing
Providing the entertainment for
the evening will be the popular deejay service, Music on the Move
Plus. The deejay for our party will
play danceable music for all ages –
whether it’s swing, polka, disco,
rock and roll or today’s best music –
everyone will be able to get out on
the floor.
Bake sale
A vast array of fresh-baked
cakes, cookies, cupcakes and pastries will be on sale. Made with tender loving care by fellow ICC members and the culinary staff of the
Italian Conference Center, you’ll be
able to find something to satisfy
your sweet tooth.
Reservations required
Advance reservations are
required. The cost for the festive
evening is $20 per member and $35
per non-member. Please use the
form accompanying this story to
make your reservations. Checks are
payable to the Italian Community
Center. You may also call 414/2232180 and make your payment with
a credit card. The reservation deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The dinner and dance are
replacing the regular general membership dinner and meeting; however, after dinner and before the
entertainment begins, there will be
a brief business meeting.
American Christmas Village
display coming to ICC
Christmas at the Italian
Community Center will be even
more festive than usual, thanks to
the generosity of a gentleman from
Chicago. Enzo Brusca, a member of
the Society of San Biaggio Platani
and friend of ICC members Ann
and Joe Zambito, has offered to
bring his extensive Christmas
Village to the ICC to display for the
entire holiday season.
The Village contains around 300
pieces. There are moving figures
and structures such as a ferris
wheel. Enzo has been collecting the
pieces for many years and has
amassed quite a collection of
unique pieces. He estimates it will
take him two days to put together
the display.
It will be available for viewing
in the Board Room starting Dec.1
and will run through the first week
of January during normal ICC
hours. Groups and families are welcome to come have lunch or dinner
and see this amazing display. ICC
Culture
Committee
Chair
Christina Ziino said, “It is sure to
put anyone in the holiday spirit!”
Large groups should notify ICC
receptionist Salina Castro in the
office when they are coming so that
a volunteer can be available to
answer questions. Admission is
free.
ICC General Membership Christmas Dinner & Dance
Reservation Form
Name(s) ____________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
________________________________________________
Phone No. ________________ Email _____________________________
Number of ICC members attending ________ x $20.00 = $_____________
Number of non-members attending ________ x $35.00 + $_____________
Make check or money order payable to: Italian Community Center. Send this form
and your payment to: ICC, Attn.: Membership Christmas Dinner & Dance. 631 E.
Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. Reservation deadline: Thursday, Nov. 25.
Calling all holiday bakers
ICC looking for volunteers
to donate baked goods for Dec. 5
Christmas party fund-raiser
The Italian Community
Center’s Members’ Christmas
Party is all set for Thursday, Dec.
5. As in the past, one of the big
attractions of the evening is the
fabulous bake sale featuring all
the delicious holiday baked goods
donated by ICC members.
Bake Sale Coordinators Joanne
Czubek, Gina Manning and
Rosemary DeRubertis are asking
members to “bring out the pots
and pans, nonna’s favorite recipes
and your baking skills” to help
make this year’s holiday bake sale
truly successful.
“Anything goes – cakes, cookies, candy, whatever your favorite
holiday treats might be – we welcome your donation,” Czubek said.
If you are unable to bake, bring
something from your bake shop.
Baked items can be dropped off at
the ICC office the day before or
the morning of the party. “If you
are unable to package your items,
we will do that for you,” Manning
said. “We will also do the pricing.”
“If you prefer to bring your
items the night of the party,
please have them packaged nicely
so they are ready to be priced and
sold,” DeRubertis noted.
Everyone who is interested in
donating to this fund-raising
event is asked to call Czubek at
414/529-0183 so the committee
can get a handle on what to
expect.
“Please come and join us for a
night of fun, friendship, holiday
cheer and delicious holiday treats.
Hope to see you there,” the coordinators added.
Snowblowers – Ariens & Toro
• Briggs & Stratton, Kohler & Tecumseh Engines •
SALES - SERVICE - PARTS
Yard-Man • Snapper • MTD • Murray • Poulan
4525 South 13th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53221
414/282-6449 – Fax 414/282-6701
ICC Member
Madeline Mary (Storniolo) Balistreri
on the 10th anniversary of her passing
Born: November 30, 1925
Married to Philip Balistreri
on November 22, 1944.
Passed away on November 7, 2003.
Beloved wife and mother.
Beloved daughter of the late Joseph
& Franchesca Storniolo.
Beloved sister of the late Joseph, Jr.
(Ruth), the late Rose, the late Mary,
Tony (Peggy) and Dorothy (Lionel)
LoCroix.
We will always love you!
Salvatore, Joseph, Donna,
Jack, Philip, Jr., Alex
and Philip Balistreri, Sr.
Sadly missed. Rest in Peace!
THE ITALIAN TIMES
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 7
ICC members: Make sure your children
or grandchildren attend the Befana
party on Saturday, Jan. 4
By Thomas Hemman
Times Editor
For the 12th consecutive year,
the Italian Community Center will
host a post-Christmas party for the
youngest children and grandchildren of ICC members. This party
celebrates the legend of La Befana.
The gift-bearing witch of Italian
folklore will greet and provide gifts
to youngsters on Saturday, Jan. 4
at a party that begins with a noon
lunch in the Pompeii Grand
Ballroom.
“Since the mission of the ICC is
to promote Italian culture, we
think it’s important that our children and grandchildren learn about
La Befana,” said Liz Ceraso, chairperson of the Avanti Committee,
which is organizing the event.
Having the party after the busy
Christmas season has also proven
quite popular with the parents and
grandparents, added Rose Anne
Ceraso-Fritchie and Mary Anne
Ceraso-Alioto, Avanti Committee
members, who are co-chairing the
children’s party.
Party details
Children are encouraged to wear
socks that day because, after they
eat lunch, the children will be
asked to take off their shoes and
leave them behind a curtain. ICC
officials have heard that Befana
has expressed an interest in leaving special treats in the children’s
shoes.
The lunch will feature a buffet
with food to please both the children and the adults in attendance.
The menu will include barbecue
beef sandwiches, chicken nuggets,
french fried potatoes, macaroni and
USA Today
lists our Festa
among 10 best
USA Today’s 10best.com posted on Nov. 5 a slideshow of the
best places to “Discover Italian
Heritage in America’s Neighborhoods.” And on that list is
Milwaukee’s Festa Italiana.
Festa Italiana in Milwaukee,
hosted by the Italian Community
Center, has been celebrated
every year at Henry Maier
Festival Park (Summerfest
grounds) since 1978.
Alongside a photo of the Festa
procession, 10best.com writes:
“Milwaukee hosts the famous
Festa Italiana, which was the
very first ethnic festival celebrated in 1978 on the grounds that
once housed the Third Ward, the
historic Italian neighborhood
that fell prey to urban renewal.
Since then, this site has
embraced ethnic festivals of all
kinds, resulting in Milwaukee
being known as the City of
Festivals. Milwaukee’s Brady
Street neighborhood also reflects
the city’s Italian past, with
authentic delis, bakeries and
restaurants.”
Also on the list are San
Francisco, Boston, San Diego,
Pittsburgh, Clarksburg, W.Va.,
New Orleans, Hollywood,
Chicago’s Taylor Street and
Manhattan’s Little Italy.
PAGE 8 – DECEMBER 2013
required by Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Please use the form accompanying
this article to make your reservations.
Please include on the form the
name and age of each child so that
gifts appropriate for each age group
are given out. Walk-ins on the day
of the event will not be permitted.
Anna Pitzo, a director on the
ICC Board, is making the arrangements for Befana’s visit.
La Befana
cheese, fruit, chocolate or white
milk for the kids and coffee for
adults.
For dessert, everyone will be
able to make their own ice cream
sundae.
The cost to attend is $15 per
person. Pre-paid reservations are
La Befana: The Yuletide Witch
In Italy, there still remains a
tradition involving the beneficent
witch named Befana. On the night
of the Feast of Epiphany (the 12th
and final day of the Christmas holiday observance), Befana leaves
presents in children’s stockings,
hung upon a hearth or a stairway
railing (a tradition quite similar to
the American Santa Claus story).
Legend has it that when Christ
was born, the Three Wise Men (I re
magi) stopped at Befana’s hut for
directions on their way to
Bethlehem and, in the conversation, asked her to join them.
Befana said no, she was too busy.
Later, a shepherd asked her to
join him in paying respects to the
Baby Jesus.
Again, Befana
declined.
When it became dark, Befana
noticed a great star illuminating
the sky just as the Wise Men had
told her earlier in the day. She
then realized that perhaps she
should have gone with them. So,
she gathered some toys that had
belonged to her own baby, who had
died as an infant, and boarded her
magic broom to find the kings and
the stable where the Christ Child
lay.
The legend states that, regretfully, Befana was unable to locate
either the Three Wise Men or the
place where Jesus was born. Since
then, each year at this time, Befana
continues her search for the Christ
Child and, leaves gifts along the
way for good children and pieces of
charcoal for bad ones.
Here’s an amazing fact about
Befana’s visits to the ICC’s
annual party: Not once in the
past 11 years has Befana left charcoal in the shoes or gift bags of any
of the children attending. Could
that possibly mean that all the children have been good?
CHILDREN'S LA BEFANA PARTY & LUNCH RESERVATION FORM
NAMES OF BOYS ATTENDING
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
AGE
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
NAMES OF GIRLS ATTENDING
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
AGE
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
Names of male adult members attending: ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Names of female adult members attending: ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cost: $15.00 per person. Total Amount Enclosed: $
. Make your check payable to: Italian Community
Center. Mail this form with your payment to: Italian Community Center, Attn.: Befana party, 631 E. Chicago St.,
Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. Reservation form with payment due Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013. No walk-ins permitted.
ICC Culture Committee members
participating in decorating Dousman
Stagecoach Inn in Brookfield for holidays
Members of the Italian
Community Center’s Culture
Committee have been invited to
decorate the historic Dousman
Stagecoach Inn for “An Italian
Christmas” the weekend of Dec. 78. Anna Pitzo, Fran SorrentiTollefson, Christina Ziino and
Santa Mazza comprise the decorating committee.
The inn is located at 1075
Pilgrim Parkway in Brookfield. The
hours are Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
and
Sunday,
noon-4
p.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2
for children 6-12.
“We will be decorating the drawing room, the dining room, several
bedrooms and the third floor community gathering room,” Ziino,
committee chair, said. “Anna Pitzo
will play the part of La Befana (the
Epiphany witch of Italian folklore)
and have story time on Saturday,
from 11 a.m.-noon and from 2 to 3
p.m. and Sunday, from 1 to 2 p.m.
There will be ornament decorating
for the children. The Elmbrook
Historical Society will also have
their bake sale and will be selling
hot soup from the recipe of the
Inn’s one time owner, Mrs. Brown.
There will be silent auction items.”
There will be a display of presepios, a shepherd bagpiper, traditional foods, music, linens and
other holiday décor.
This stately Greek Revival Inn
once stood at the corner of
Bluemound and Watertown Plank
Roads. It was built in 1842 by
Talbot Dousman, whose brother’s
son Hercules, later built the Villa
Louis in Prairie du Chien.
In 1857, Daniel Brown purchased the property and ran it as a
stagecoach inn to accommodate
travelers using the plank road that
ran from Milwaukee to Watertown.
After 1875, railroads supplanted
stagecoach travel and the inn
became a farm owned by Frederick
Zimdars. From 1887 to 1980, its
owners were Charles Dunkel and
his descendent, John Behling. John
Behling donated the inn to the City
of Brookfield who leased it to the
Elmbrook Historical Society.
In 1981, the inn was moved by
the Elmbrook Historical Society to
its current location at 1075 Pilgrim
Parkway in Brookfield.
For
more
info
go
to
www.elmbrookhistoricalsociety.org
or call 262/782-4057.
Find out how inexpensive and
effective newspaper advertising can
be. Contact The Italian Times for
details. Phone: (414) 223-2801
Email: themman@italiancc.org
THE ITALIAN TIMES
2014 schedules sought from Italian societies
and groups that regularly use the ICC
The 2014 meeting and social
event schedules of all societies,
clubs and organizations that regularly use the Italian Community
Center for their activities are needed by the Italian Conference
Center’s Sales and Catering
Department and The Italian Times.
David Stachowiak, Director of
Sales, Catering & Special Events,
and Michelle LeFebvre, Catering
Sales Representative, need these
schedules to guarantee dates and
hall/room availability.
Tom Hemman, Times editor,
needs the information to provide an
accurate reporting of events in the
calendar published in this newspaper.
All groups are asked to submit
their schedules including the
starting time of all events as
soon as possible. The goal is to
have the schedules from all societies, clubs and organizations by
the end of November.
Please submit schedules by
using any one of these methods:
• Send an email to Tom
Hemman at themman@italiancc.org
or to David Stachowiak at dstachowiak@italianconference.com or
Michelle LeFebvre at mlefebvre@italianconference.com.
• Fax the information to either
The Italian Times or the Italian
Conference Center Sales and
Catering Department at 414/2232187.
• Drop off the schedules in person at the ICC.
Groups that don’t comply with
this request may find it more difficult at a later time to get the
accommodations they most desire.
“We always try our best to accom-
modate all requests, but if we can
reserve dates and rooms early, it’s
to
everyone’s
advantage,”
Stachowiak said.
Added Hemman, “If we don’t
have your schedule of events and
the starting time of each event,
it becomes very difficult and a bit
frustrating to prepare an accurate
calendar listing for the newspaper.
We do hear about it when an event
is not listed in the calendar. This is
why we have to depend on the presidents or the designated representatives of the many organizations
to supply that information to us.”
January general meeting
moved from 2nd to 9th
Italian Community Center
President Gina Spang has
announced that the January general membership meeting will not
be held on the day after New
Year’s Day but rather on
Thursday, Jan. 9 starting at 6:30
p.m.
General meetings are normally
held on the first Thursday of the
month, but with holiday celebrations and travel, Spang said she
thought it would be best to move
the January meeting to the 9th.
Cake and coffee will be served
at the conclusion of the meeting.
All other ICC meeting dates
remain as normally scheduled.
Calendar of Events
November 19, 2013 – January 28, 2014
Tuesday, Nov. 19
• Abruzzese Society singers rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
Center, Italian Conference, Festa Italiana and The Italian Times will be
closed. Cafe La Scala will also be closed.
Wednesday, Nov. 20
• Società Maschile M.S.S. Del Lume election meeting, 6 p.m.
• Pompeii Women’s Club general meeting, 6 p.m.
• Filippo Mazzei Lodge of Order Sons of Italy in America Council
meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 31
• Italian Community Center New Year’s Eve party, 7 p.m. Details in
this issue.
Thursday, Nov. 21
• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 22 – Sunday, Nov. 24
• Italian Community Center and Tradizione Vivente participate in the
Holiday Folk Fair in the Wisconsin Exposition Building at State Fair
Park. Details in this issue.
Thursday, Nov. 28
• Happy Thanksgiving. The offices of the Italian Community Center,
Italian Conference, Festa Italiana and The Italian Times will be closed.
Cafe La Scala will also be closed.
• Italian Community Center’s Thanksgiving Day Buffet, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Details in this issue.
Monday, Dec. 2
• Italian Community Center Culture Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3
• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO membership installation and Christmas
dinner, 6 p.m.
• Pompeii Men’s Club Board meeting, 6 p.m.
• Abruzzese Society singers rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5
• Italian Community Center membership Christmas dinner and dance, 6
p.m. Details in this issue.
Wednesday, Jan. 1
• Felice Anno Nuovo! Happy New Year! The offices of the Italian
Community Center, Italian Conference, Festa Italiana and The Italian
Times will be closed. Cafe La Scala will also be closed.
Saturday, Jan. 4
• Children’s La Befana party, noon. Details in this issue.
Week of Jan. 6
• Italian Community Center’s winter bocce season begins with couples’
leagues on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and seniors’ leagues
on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Details in this issue.
Monday, Jan. 6
• Italian Community Center Culture Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 7
• Pompeii Men’s Club Board meeting, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 9
• Italian Community Center general membership meeting, 6:30 p.m. Cake
and coffee served after meeting.
Monday, Jan. 13
• Italian Community Center Finance Committee meeting, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
• Abruzzese Society meeting and spuntino, 7 p.m.
• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7
• Abruzzese Society annual holiday dinner and dance, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
• Filippo Mazzei Greater Milwaukee Area Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy
in America Council meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 10
• Abruzzese Society election meeting, 7 p.m.
• Milwaukee Chapter UNICO National meeting, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16
• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 13
• Charles Purpero book signing, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Details in this issue.
Saturday, Dec. 14
• Holy Crucifix Society Christmas party, noon.
Saturday, Jan. 18
• Italian Family History Club meeting, 10:30 p.m. Details in this issue.
Tuesday, Jan. 28
• Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO Board meeting, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 17
• Abruzzese Society singers rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
Daily and weekly classes and activities
• Bocce leagues. The winter bocce leagues season will begin the week of
Jan. 6. Look for more information in this issue.
Wednesday, Dec. 18
• Filippo Mazzei Lodge of Order Sons of Italy in America membership
meeting, 6 p.m. spuntino, 6:30 p.m. meeting.
• Free Children’s Italian class. Look for information on the spring semester in our next issue..
Thursday, Dec. 19
• Italian Community Center Board meeting, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 24
• Christmas Eve. The offices of the Italian Community Center, Italian
Conference, Festa Italiana and The Italian Times will be closed. Cafe La
Scala will also be closed.
Wednesday, Dec. 25
• Buon Natale! Christmas Day. The offices of the Italian Community
THE ITALIAN TIMES
• Italian classes teens and adults. Look for information on the spring
semester in our next issue.
• Tradizione Vivente, The Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee. This folk
dance group practices weekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the ICC. Visit
www.tradizionevivente.com for details. Ballate con noi! Dance with us!
• Members Room. Open to Italian Community Center members and their
guests, 8 a.m. - 9 p.m., Monday - Thursday and 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday
and Saturday.
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 9
ICC members elected Christiansen,
Tarantino, Piacentini and Ceraso to Board;
all officers re-elected without opposition
from page 1
the 35-year history of the organization to serve as president and will
become the first female to serve two
consecutive terms. Betty Puccio
served the ICC as its president during the 1989-90 term.
Spang had previously held the
vice presidency on two different
occasions and served as a directorat-large. A longtime, third generation member of the ICC, Spang has
served on numerous ICC and Festa
Italiana committees over the years.
She was the general chairperson of
the 2013 Festa Italiana and will
continue in that capacity for the
2014 celebration next July.
She is employed as the Director
of Facilities and Maintenance for
Milwaukee Public Schools. She is a
civil engineer with emphasis on
facilities and construction management.
Vella, who is completing his first
term as vice president, previously
served as a director-at-large. The
17-year owner of Peter Sciortino’s
Bakery, Vella is a longtime member
of the ICC and a past president of
the Madonna Del Lume Society. He
has been active in Festa Italiana
the last several years, serving on
the Management Committee, the
Advisory Committee and Food
Committee.
He and his wife, Rhiana, were
honored as Re and Regina (King
and Queen) of the ICC’s Il Grande
Carnevale in 2010. Carnevale is the
organization’s pre-Lenten costume
and mask ball.
Since the inception of the ICC in
1978, Purpero has served on the
Board for all but two years, holding
the positions of president (1982-83),
president-elect, first vice president,
treasurer and director-at-large.
This election marks his fifth consecutive term as treasurer. He has
been heavily involved in each of the
36 Festa Italiana celebrations
organized by the ICC.
Ceraso-Fritchie, a longtime
member of the organization, has
held the office of secretary for the
last nine years. She has long been
an active volunteer in Festa
Italiana. In the most recent years,
she has served as manager of golf
carts. She is currently the president of the Milwaukee Chapter
UNICO National. She is chairperson of the ICC’s Avanti Committee
and has been on the committee that
is responsible for orchestrating
Carnevale.
Czubek first won the sergeantat-arms post in the 2010 election,
making her the first woman to hold
the position in the history of the
ICC. She previously served on the
Board as a director-at-large (19972002). She has a long history of volunteer involvement in the ICC and
with Festa. She has been co-chairperson of Carnevale the last six
years and has chaired the
Membership Committee and the
Election Committee. She has volunteered for many events and has
been co-manager of Festa Signage
the last several years. For the last
18 years, she served as Festa’s volunteer coordinator.
Director
Susan (DeSanctis) Christiansen
PAGE 10 – DECEMBER 2013
Each of the newly-elected directors has a long history of volunteer
service to the organization.
Others serving on the Board
Dave Spano continues to serve
on the Board in the non-elective
position as immediate past president. Also continuing their service
are directors Dean Cannestra,
Henry Piano, Anna Pitzo and
Anthony Zingale, who are in the
middle of their two-year terms.
Departures from the Board of
the 2012-13 term are Ralph
Busalacchi and Peter Gustin.
Busalacchi was ineligible to run
because of the organization’s term
limit stipulation. Gustin, who com-
pleted his first, two-year term as
director, opted not to seek re-election.
Busalacchi was initially appointed to the Board five years ago to fill
a vacancy. He was elect for the first
time in 2009 and re-elected in 2011.
During the installation ceremony at the Nov. 7 general meeting,
President Gina Spang thanked
both Buslacchi and Gustin for their
service on the Board and encouraged them to remain active in the
organization.
The Election Committee was
comprised of Rosemary DeRubertis
as chairperson, Mary Ann Maglio,
Frank D’Amato, Bill Dickinson and
Sal Lo Coco.
President Gina Spang
Vice President Giuseppe Vella
Treasurer Sam Purpero
Secretary
RoseAnne Ceraso-Fritchie
Sergeant-At-Arms
Joanne (Sanfilippo) Czubek
Director
Elizabeth Ceraso
Director Pietro Tarantino
Director Tony Piacentini
The newly-elected directors
Christiansen returns to the
Board as a director after a one-year
hiatus. She was first appointed to
fill a vacancy during the 2005-06
term and was elected in the fall of
2008 and 2010 to two-year terms.
The term limit stipulation in the
ICC Bylaws prevented her from
seeking re-election last fall. No
director can serve more than two
consecutive, two-year terms without taking a one-year hiatus.
Tarantino last served on the
Board as a director during the
2009-10 term. He had previously
served in the same position from
the fall of 1999 through the fall of
2005 and re-elected to two-year
terms in 2006 and 2008.
Piacentini and Ceraso were
elected to their first two-year term
in 2012.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Join Jimmy and Linda Spataro in
donating stock to the ICC this holiday season
from page 1
on what it would cost to obtain a
20-year mortgage on the property
at $1.3 million and to build a $3
million to $4 million facility. “We
also explained that it would take
tremendous effort on everyone’s
part to make it happen,” he said.
“Everyone enthusiastically expressed support, and they said that they
would do whatever it would take.”
With the full-fledged backing of
the late Milwaukee County
Executive William O’Donnell, the
County Board approved the sale of
the Coachyards property to the ICC
on Mar. 20, 1986.
The ICC’s fund-raising efforts
hit a fever pitch from that point forward, recalled Jimmy, who was the
organization’s president by then.
Just as ICC members needed to
commit to a major fund-raising
effort back then, Jimmy said, the
children and grandchildren of those
members need to resolve their commitment to the organization today
to insure that the ICC can carry on
for generations to come.
The Spataros commitment
After making a $1,000 donation
to the ICC in October 2012, Jimmy
and Linda decided, on Christmas
Eve, it was time to do more and
make a donation that might stimulate others to contribute. They
decided to get the ball rolling by
making a donation of $18,435.81 in
stock to the ICC. The couple presented it as a Christmas gift in
memory of Jimmy’s parents. He
said he specified that the donation
go towards reducing the mortgage
on the building.
The couple was aware that a
charitable contribution of this sort
would not only benefit the ICC, but
would significantly lessen their
capital gains tax burden. An accompanying article addresses the legalities of making a stock donation to
a charitable/nonprofit organization
and the tax benefits.
“The stock market has had a
good year,” Jimmy noted. “People
have experienced capital gains. If
they want to get the tax benefit of
donating stock, it must be done
before the end of the year. Now is
the time to do it. Reduce your tax
on capital gains and make a holiday donation of stock to the ICC.
“It’s time for everyone to step up
and financially support the ICC so
that the dream that our parents
and grandparents had back in the
mid 1980s of an Italian Community
Center in the Historic Third Ward
can be carried on for future generations. Look over your financial situation, talk to your advisor and contact the ICC to make your donation.”
Charitable donations of stock
benefit everyone
Annex Wealth Management assisted with
the donation of stock from Jimmy and Linda
Spataro and offers the following information for
anyone thinking about donating stock.
If you are considering making a contribution
to a qualified charitable organization, such as a
church, school, charity or the Italian
Community Center, then consider donating
appreciated stock. The gifting of stock has several advantages over cash donations generated
by the sale of stock. The benefit to the donor
can be in the form of a bigger tax deduction.
The benefit to the charitable organization is
generally a bigger donation.
A gift of appreciated stock provides two
potential tax advantages to the donor. First,
the donor receives the fair market value of the
stock as a tax deduction. Secondly, the donor
avoids any capital gains from the sale of the
appreciated stock.
Let’s look at an example: Dan and Mark both
want to make charitable contributions to their
favorite charity. Both purchased $5,000 worth
of ABC stock 20 years ago, and now their
investments have a fair market value of
$25,000 each.
Dan chooses to sell his shares in ABC stock
to make his charitable contribution. He realizes
a gain of $20,000 on the shares. Dan now has
to pay $4,000 in tax on this $20,000 gain (20%
capital gains rate). He then takes the remaining funds that total $21,000 and donates this to
the charity. Assuming that Dan is in the 28%
tax bracket, he will realize a tax savings of
$5,880 (28% x $21,000) on the charitable contribution deduction of $21,000.
Mark makes arrangements with his charity
to donate his shares of ABC stock directly to the
charity. After the donation, Mark will not realize any taxable gain or pay any tax on the
$25,000 transfer of stock. Plus, he will receive a
charitable deduction for the full $25,000 fair
market value of ABC stock. Assuming that
Mark is also in the 28% tax bracket, the
$25,000 charitable contribution deduction will
generate a tax savings of $7,000 (28% x
$25,000) to him.
In Mark’s case, the charity received $25,000
AND he did not incur any tax on the transfer of
stock. In Dan’s case, the charity received only
$21,000 because he had to pay $4,000 in capital
gains on the sale of the stock. Official charitable organizations are not taxed when they sell
appreciated stock, so in Mark’s case no one pays
taxes.
There are a few issues to consider before
making the contribution: The appreciated stock
must have been held for at least one year, and
confirm that the donor qualifies for the “qualified appreciated stock” deduction. If the shares
were held for a year or less, the shares would be
treated as “ordinary income” for these purposes,
and the charitable deduction would be limited
to the stock’s cost basis.
There are also some benefits to selecting
stocks that have gone down in value for charitable purposes. First, sell the stock and then
donate the proceeds. The donor can then use
the realized loss from the sale as a deduction on
their taxes and a charitable contribution for the
proceeds. When devalued stock is donated, the
loss cannot be deducted.
For further information, people may contact
Dave Spano or Mark Beck at Annex Wealth
Management at 262/786-6363.
Thanks for your donations to the Italian
Community Center building fund
The officers and directors of the
Italian Community Center wish to
thank and acknowledge all those
who pledged, fulfilled a pledge or
contributed to the building fund.
To obtain information on how to
make a donation, please call
414/223-2808
or
visit
www.ICCMilwaukee.com.
The following donations were
received between Aug. 16 and Nov.
5, 2013.
This donations report is appearing in The Italian Times only during the times there is a print issue.
It is not appearing in online-only
issues. This was a decision of the
Newspaper Committee.
In memory of Joseph T.
Glorioso
Sally Rondinelli
Tony Machi
Paul & Rose Iannelli
John Coffaro
George & Judy Menos
Ron & Joanne Czubek
Tom & Rose Zingale
Noel & Minnie Schuster
Sal Mussomeli & Sally Mullins
Gino A. Dentice
August J. Amoroso
Tom & Marcia Nardelli
Bill & Rita Jennaro
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Jimmy & Linda Spataro
Mary Ann Maglio
Frances Firle
Nina Carini
Frank & Nina Galioto
Mary Winard
Nunzio J., Margaret and Anthony
Maniaci
Mary Costa
Melody & Sonny Gensler
Sam & Lucille Purpero
Anna Pitzo
In memory of Mike Carini
Mario A. Carini
Margaret M. Carini
Tony Machi
George & Gina Manning
Mary Ann Maglio
Frances Firle
Ines Spinelli
Betty Puccio
Jimmy & Linda Spataro
Sonny & Melody Gensler
Bill & Rita Jennaro
In memory of Jean Rose
Palmisano
Betty Puccio
Sam & Lucille Purpero
In memory of Bernardo Vitale
John & Antoinette Sanfilippo
Rosalie Glorioso
Joyce Damico
Colleen Schumann
J.M. Wilczyk
Isidore & Mary Pecoraro
Frank & Nina Galioto
In memory of Roy Cortese
Sons of Sicily
In memory of Joseph C.
Dimiceli, Jr.
Tony Machi
In memory of Joseph “Joe”
Saggio Jr.
Gordon & Bernice Boucher
Tony Machi
Sal Mussomeli & Sally Mullins
In memory of Santo Dentice
Angela Prochazka
Tony Machi
In memory of James Rappis
Tony Machi
In memory of Clarence Blend
Ron & Joanne Czubek
Sam & Lucille Purpero
In memory of Antonina
Storniolo
Salvatore J. & Antonette M. Lococo
In memory of Maria Carini
Salvatore J. & Antonette M. Lococo
Frank & Nina Galioto
Francis Firle
Mary Ann Maglio
In memory of Madeline
Roccapalumba
Francis Firle
Mary Ann Maglio
Mary Winard
Bill & Rita Jennaro
Frank & Nina Galioto
In memory of James Lee
Schneider
Tony Machi
In memory of Antonio Carmelo
Patti
Tony Machi
Gino Dentice
In memory of Peter A. Orlando
Sam & Lucille Purpero
Sal Mussomeli & Sally Mullins
Eddie & Joann Glorioso
John Coffaro
Jimmy & Linda Spataro
In memory of Eugene Scgaller
Scgaller Family
In memory of Tommy Gumina
Tony Machi
In memory of Richard “Dick”
Bartman
Jimmy & Linda Spataro
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 11
Italian culture to be well-represented this
weekend at Holiday Folk Fair by ICC,
Tradizione Vivente and I Bei Bambini
from page 1
West Allis.
ICC volunteers will operate a
culture booth under the guidance of
Phyllis and Geralyn Travia.
Tradizione Vivente and I Bei
Bambini will perform and staff an
Italian food booth. This year, the
ICC will not operate a booth in the
international marketplace.
Advance admission tickets,
priced at $10, can be purchased at
the ICC or by ordering them
through the Folk Fair’s website,
www.folkfair.org. Admission during
the three-day event will be $12.
Senior citizens and children, ages
6-12, are admitted for $10 and military personnel with identification
and children, 5 and under, are
admitted for free at all times. A
family four-pack is available in
advance for $36 through the website listed above or by calling
414/225-6225 and purchasing with
a credit card.
Folk Fair hours are: Friday from
2 to 10 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to
10 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7
p.m.
Tradizione Vivente will perform
daily at both the All Nations
Theater and the Music Pavilion
inside the Expo Center.
At the All Nations Theater, the
group will perform Tarantella
Fantasia. “This vivacious dance
comes to us from the province of
Agrigento, Sicily,” said longtime
group member Susan DeSanctis
Christiansen. “The steps and movements of this dance and the music
create the effect of a fantasy, so
they have bestowed upon this
dance the appropriate name of
Tarantella Fantasia, or Fantasy
Tarantella.”
At the Music Pavilion,
Tradizione Vivente will perform the
highly energetic and charismatic
dance, San Rocco, which “we were
fortunate enough to have received
from Ru Maccature, a performing
group in Carpinone, Molise, Italy,”
DeSanctis Christiansen said. “This
dance celebrates the protector of all
illnesses, Saint Rocco. Six centuries
after his death, San Rocco is still
honored in Patrica, Italy and
revered as the citizens’ Patron
Saint.”
On Sunday, I Bei Bambini will
charm the audience with their
dance, Tarantella Siciliana
(Sicilian Tarantella). “The children
have been working very hard to
learn this dance, and they are
excited to perform on the big
stage,”
said
DeSanctis
Christiansen, who serves as one of
the instructors with Marie Mattia.
The Italian food booth, operated
by Tradizione Vivente and its volunteers will be selling pizza, meatball sandwiches, bruschetta, chicken pastina soup with Italian bread,
and arancini (rice balls) along with
traditional Italian pastries and
desserts, such as cookies, tiramisu,
cannoli and cassata cake.
Sciortino’s Bakery and Palermo’s
Pizza are supplying all the food
that will be available at the booth.
The Italian culture booth will
feature displays that capture the
Folk
Fair’s
2013
theme,
“Celebrating the Culture of
Community.” According to Geralyn
Travia, “The culture exhibit will
feature three topics which pertain
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to the theme: sports of Italy (bocce
and soccer), arts and crafts handed
down from our Italian ancestors
(knitting and crocheting) and religious traditions celebrated by the
Italian community. We will give the
history of the topics, have current
events related to the topics, and
demonstrate how community plays
a role in all three of these topics.”
According to a news release
issued by the International
Institute, the Folk Fair’s organizing
body, the theme commemorates “a
community of people who are
bound together by common ties,
such as language, customs and
beliefs. They are also connected by
what they think, how they behave,
what they value and what they
pass on to the next generation. The
community gives them an identity
and a sense of belonging. It helps
us discover who and why we are.
The culture of community, sometimes called ‘folklore’ or ‘folklife,’ is
the living expression of culture
woven into everyday life – anyone’s
culture – learned and passed on
informally from person to person. It
must be alive and current to be
folklife, even though it may have
existed over long stretches of time.
This intangible cultural heritage
refers to traditions or living oral
traditions, performing arts, social
practices, rituals, festive events,
knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and
the knowledge and skills to produce
traditional crafts.”
The Holiday Folk Fair is the
largest indoor multicultural festival
in the United States. The first Folk
Fair was held on Dec. 10, 1944.
Despite a violent snowstorm, 3,500
people braved the weather and took
part in the event. In 1947, the fair
became a two-day event, and
Friday was added in 1964. More
than 40 ethnic groups traditionally
participate in the fair.
ICC Membership Christmas Party
Hosted by: Italian Community Center
Thursday, December 5, 2013 – 6:00 p.m.
ICC New Year’s Eve Party
Hosted by: Italian Conference Center
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 – 7:00 p.m.
Children’s La Befana Christmas Party
Hosted by: Avanti Committee
Saturday, January 4, 2014 – Noon
Rock and Roll Winter Blast
featuring Oldies But Goodies Spectacular
and other ‘60s Milwaukee Rock and Roll legends
Saturday, Feb. 1 – 6:30 p.m., Doors open
8:00 p.m., Show
Il Grande Carnevale
Hosted by: Italian Community Center
Saturday, March 1, 2014 – 6:11 p.m.
A Taste of Italy
Hosted by: Italian Community Center
Sunday, April 6, 2014 – 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Children’s Easter Party
Hosted by: Avanti Committee
Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Noon
William A. Jennaro Law, LLC
General Practice of Law
330 E. Kilbourn Ave., Ste. 1170
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414.271.1440 – Office
414.224.8660 – Direct Line
414.271.7680 – Fax
wajennarolaw@grgblaw.com
Of Counsel with the firm of
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP
PAGE 12 – DECEMBER 2013
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Visit our new website: www.canforabakeryinc.com
or join us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Canfora-Bakery
Homemade Cookies, Cakes, Pastries, Pies and Breads
Cassata Cakes, Cannoli and Mini Pastries,
Fresh Italian Bread, Fresh Bread, Rolls, Buccillata,
Cookies, Toto, Tre Colore, Amaretti & Much More . . .
The Canfora Family wishes everyone
Buone Natale e Buon Capodanno!
(414) 486-7747
1100 East Oklahoma Avenue, Milwaukee
THE ITALIAN TIMES
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 13
Festival di Danza e Cultura, a multicultural celebration, presented at ICC
The visiting Yabana-kai of Norita City, Japan are seen here. The group
was in Milwaukee as part of a sister state partnership between the State
of Wisconsin and the Prefecture of Chiba, Japan.
Turam Turkish Folk Dance Group performed two folk dances, Dellio, a
line dance from central Turkey (seen here), and Shakerolan, a dance performed at weddings and harvest celebrations.
Times photos by
Tom Hemman
The Spanish Iberian Flamenco Dancers, under the direction of Virginia
Topetiz, performed the Malaguena, a Spanish and Flamenco dance, and
the Sevillanas, a dance originating in Seville, Spain.
Tradizione Vivente: The Italian Dance Group of
Milwaukee performed, in rapid succession, three folk
dances – San Rocco, Tarantella Fantasia and La
PAGE 14 – DECEMBER 2013
The gospel group Moving Forward is seen performing here. The singers
are under the direction of Marilynn Douglas.
Peppinella – during its performance at the multi-cultural event. The group is performing this weekend at
the Holiday Folk Fair at State Fair Park.
Representing the American Indian
was Darren Thompson, a Lac du
Flambeau flute player, flute maker
and composer.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Nefertari African Dance Company performed Funga, which means welcome in Swahili and originated in West Africa. This dance of welcome is
performed at happy occasions.
Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt, a local group organized in 1977 to preserve the folk culture of their forefathers by performing songs and dances from the former
Pomeranian region of what we now know as Germany.
Keba Diabate and the West African Drums opened Festive di Danza e
Cultura. Diabate (fourth from right) is a master of drums and the 21-string
Kora (African harp).
The performers exhibited athleticism and physical
strength in the performance of this dance named
Pommersche. The dance unites both German and
Slavic dance elements.
A solo performance by a member
of the visiting Yabana-kai of
Norita City, Japan
HERE’S AN IDEAL GIFT FOR THE HOLIDAYS
THE RELUCTANT PATRIOT
(AN ITALIAN TRAGEDY)
By Edward Piacentini Bernardi
The Reluctant Patriot is a significant, historical novel about
a small community of poor, hardworking mountain people
who become involved in the turmoil brought about during
the rise and fall of Mussolini’s Fascist regime.
A heartwarming tale of illicit love under the eyes of the
enemy, collaboration, revenge and the excruciating pain
of a family and community torn apart by the actions of
politicians and the war they created.
The novel is based upon the author’s research of newspapers,
letter and extensive original conversations with family members and neighbors living in the United States and Italy; men
and women who lived through those years of femine and
destruction. This unique work is a must read and belongs in
your library.
Purchase @ author’s website: bernardipatriot.com
Or email order to: reluctantpatriot1@gmail.com
• Excerpt from Chapter 26:
THE ITALIAN TIMES
“The partisans, now regularly supplied with nighttime airdrops from American planes,
accelerated their reprisals. Families were torn apart as acts of vengeance became more
ferocious as the year wore on. Italians killing Germans. Germans killing Italians and worse,
Italians killing Italians. Gianni was becoming less and less convinced the partisan cause was
a noble endeavor.”
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 15
Shorewood students participate in
ICC’s Italian culture day program
About 50 third and fourth grade students from Lake Bluff Elementary
School in Shorewood came to the Italian Community Center on Monday,
Oct. 21 to learn and experience Italian culture. The program, known as
“Student Culture Day,” is organized by the ICC’s Culture Committee and
staffed by volunteers. Here, Culture Committee Chair Christina Ziino (far
right) explains to students what they can expect when they participate in
the Ellis Island immigrant experience. Ziino, who played the role of a
nurse, told these students that they would be filling the roles of Italian
immigrants arriving at Ellis Island in the early 1900s. Student Culture
Day is part of the ICC’s October celebration of Italian Heritage Month.
Students were given an opportunity to cut dough into various pasta
shapes on an authentic Italian chitarra during the pasta-making lesson.
Instructing this activity was Kathy O’Farrell.
Times photos by Tom Hemman
ICC volunteer Dan Conley gave these students some instructions before
they began a game of bocce.
Joe Dentice, filling the role of an Ellis Island doctor, pretended he was
putting drops in the eyes of a recently arrived Italian immigrant.
Volunteer Valorie (Sanfilippo) Schleicher taught a class on early Italian
immigrants to Milwaukee. Here, she is showing and explaining some of
the vintage photos of Milwaukee’s early Italians to Lake Bluff students.
Enrica Tarantino-Woytal, who has been the instructor of Italian language
classes at the ICC for nearly 30 years, taught Lake Bluff students some
very basic Italian words and phrases during their visit. Among the students in this group was Salvatore Vella, who is sitting next to his mother,
Rhiana (far right), who was one of the parent volunteers. Salvatore’s
father and Rhiana’s husband is ICC Vice President Giuseppe Vella.
PAGE 16 – DECEMBER 2013
THE ITALIAN TIMES
While one student kneaded fresh dough, another rolled the dough for
making pasta. Rosalia Ferrante instructed this activity.
A student turned the handle on a pasta shaping and cutting machine
under the guidance of Anna Pitzo.
Mary Castrovinci, playing an Ellis Island doctor, gave a basic examination
to the Lake Bluff students who filled the roles of early 1900s Italian immigrants.
Nancy Oberleitner checked over the paperwork of each immigrant to
make sure everything was in order and that they hadn’t come to the
United States illegally.
Lake Bluff students thank
ICC volunteers for Italian
cultural experience
Student Culture Day ended with a
pasta-and-meatballs lunch in the
Pompeii Grand Ballroom. The
lunch, prepared and served by the
Italian Conference Center staff, is
always one of the highlights of the
day.
Nurse Fran (Sorrenti) Tollefson
checked an immigrant for head
lice during the Ellis Island experience in the Festa Ballroom.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
After attending the Culture Day
program put on at the Italian
Community Center on Oct. 21, the
third and fourth grade students
from Lake Bluff Elementary School
wrote letters about their experience
and thanked the volunteers who
presented the program. These letters were sent to Anna Pitzo, who
organized the activity on behalf of
the ICC Culture Committee.
Several of their letters appear
here (as written by the students).
This activity normally occurs when immigrants
become naturalized American citizens. Volunteer
In some instances, however, we
edited the letter for brevity.
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you for inviting our class
to join you for a fun day full of
Italian history.
I really enjoyed making pasta. I
enjoyed rolling out the dough the
most.
Bocce ball was fun, too. I don’t
usually play bocce ball, but it was
Please turn to page 27
Santa Mazza led these immigrants in pledging their
allegiance to the United States.
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 17
Oldies But Goodies Spectacular with special
guests to perform at ICC on Saturday, Feb. 1
Advance tickets available now for this show
reuniting Milwaukee’s early rock performers
The Oldies But Goodies
Spectacular, joined by special guest
performers, will bring back
Milwaukee’s ‘50s and ‘60s rock-androll scene in a concert at the Italian
Community Center, 631 E. Chicago
St., Milwaukee, on Saturday, Feb.
1.
Doors of the Festa Ballroom
open at 6:30 p.m. The show begins
at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are now
available at the ICC for $20. Stop
in or call 414/223-2180 to purchase
your tickets. Tickets are also available from members of the Oldies
But Goodies Spectacular. Should
tickets still be available the night
of the show, admission will be $25.
Cafe La Scala, the ICC’s public
restaurant, will be open at 5 p.m.
that Saturday night. The staff will
be on hand to take food and drink
orders in both the restaurant and
Festa Ballroom throughout the
evening.
Kim Marie, the founder and one
of the three lead vocalists of the
Oldies But Goodies Spectacular,
said, “Several very special guest
performers will be joining us for
The Oldies But Goodies Spectacular is seen here in a previous performance at the ICC. (Times photo)
Harder
Funeral Home
JAMES T. GUARDALABENE
ASSOCIATE
18700 W. Capitol Drive
“Three generations of my
family serving yours.”
www.Guardalabene.com
Phone: (262) 781-8350
Cell: (414) 588-0836
“As dictated by the laws of the State of
Wisconsin, all pre-paid funeral trusts are
allowed to be transferred to another funeral
home at any time. I would greatly appreciate the
opportunity to discuss transferring your trust to
me from Schmidt & Bartelt or any other funeral
home. I would, of course, honor all the terms and
wishes as originally agreed upon. It is a very
simple process that only requires your signature
on a transfer form which I would provide. In
addition, there likely could be a savings to you
because of Harder’s more reasonable charges.”
PAGE 18 – DECEMBER 2013
• NO LONGER ASSOCIATED WITH
SCHMIDT & BARTELT/
GUARDALABENE & AMATO.
• Personally providing the services
you have come to expect at your
church, chapel or at the
Harder Funeral Home.
• Funeral planning & pre-planning
at your residence or at the funeral
home.
• Pre-planning and Title 19
expertise.
• Longtime member of the
Italian Community Center.
• Proud sponsor of the Festa
Italiana Mass since 2002.
this show, which is a reunion of
Milwaukee’s best rock-and-roll
artists from the late ‘50s and early
‘60s.”
The special artists and the
groups they played with back in the
day include: Bob Barian of The
Comic Books, Warren Wiegratz of
The Freeloaders, Larry Lynne of
The Skunks, Jim Rosetti of The
Midnighters (appearing with
Antonio Wigley), Bob Hirschi of
The Van Tels, Big Louie of The
Renagades and Johnny B., formerly
of The Oldies But Goodies
Spectacular. Kim Marie added that
baritone sax player Yogi, formerly
of The Soul Entertainers and The
Oldies But Goodies Spectacular, is
returning to play with the band for
this show.
People who have followed the
Oldies But Goodies Spectacular
through the years know that the
band is comprised of several artists
who also performed in popular
Milwaukee bands from the late ‘50s
into the ‘70s. Kim Marie was a
member of Denny and The
Darnells. Vocalist/guitarist Chuck
Travis was the leader of The Do Wa
Wa’s. Drummer Bruce Cole played
with The Vantels. Trumpeter Mike
Betts was with The Free Loaders.
Lead guitar Tom Sorce still plays
with the Tom Anthony Group and
his own group, the Tom Sorce
Band. Bass guitarist Jeff Burhardt
was with The Do Wa Wa’s.
Keyboardist Bob Sanderson played
with The Citations. Saxophonist
Mike Miller was with Junior and
The Classics. The group’s third
vocalist, Tony Clementi, is the only
exception. He did not perform with
any of Milwaukee’s early rock
bands.
For your
Wedding
Reception
and
Rehearsal
Dinner
The Italian
Conference Center
located at the
Italian Community Center
631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee
You'll welcome our attention to
detail and the way our staff goes
out of its way to meet your every
need. Your guests will love the setting, the food, and easy access and
parking.
Our wedding specialists will work
closely with you to make certain
that your day is everything you
dreamed it would be. They'll even
assist with floral arrangements,
music, photography, ordering the
wedding cake and other extras.
Call David or Michelle now for
available dates and a tour.
(414) 223-2800
www.italianconference.com
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Letters from
members and
friends
BUON NATALE A TUTTI!
Dear Festa Mass Committee c/o
Dr. Marisa Gatti-Taylor:
What a perfect way to start out
Festa Italiana on Sunday (July 22)
by attending the beautiful Mass in
the Marcus Amphitheater, followed
by the colorful, traditional
Procession. The Celebrant, Bishop
Donald Hying, made us all feel at
home and proud of being Italian.
The choir sounded like a host of
heavenly angels under Maestro
Michael Kamenski, singing traditional, melodious hymns that go
back to the old Third Ward era
when Sister Irene directed the
Pompeii Church adult choir, where
several of my mother’s family were
chorus members. Sister Irene, one
of the first Sisters of St. Joan
Antida to arrive in Milwaukee, was
a native of Rome, Italy, and
brought with her a repertoire of
pontifical music from the Vatican.
Soprano Rebecca Carvalho’s rendition of “Ave Maria” was very touching; she has such a rich smooth
voice and lovely presence, a true
talent from our own Milwaukee’s
Italian community.
The whole Mass operation was
very well organized, including the
ushers, distribution of Holy
Communion and the children’s participation. I truly look forward to
the Festa Mass in 2014.
Mary Gilardi
ICC Member
To President Gina Spang and
the ICC Board,
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, our members were offered the opportunity
to attend a multi-cultural dance
program featuring dancers visiting
our city from Chiba, Japan. Those
of us who attended were treated to
a wonderful evening of food, fellowship and entertainment. Our
Tradizione Vivente and the
Japanese dancers were joined by
Flamenco dancers, the Nefertari
African
Dance
Company,
Pomeranian dancers, Turkish
dancers, Gospel singers and an
American Indian flute player.
Many thanks to everyone who
made this evening so special!
Fran Sorrenti Tollefson
ICC member
Dear David Stachowiak,
Catering Director, and Jack
McNeir, Executive Chef, Italian
Conference Center:
On behalf of the Milwaukee
Ladies of UNICO, I want to thank
and
acknowledge
David
Stachowiak and Jack McNeir and
his staff for their tremendous
efforts in helping to make our organization’s 50th anniversary fashion
show and luncheon a great success.
David, you went out of your way
in handling all the arrangements
for our event. Jack, you and your
staff prepared an outstanding
meal, which our guests are still
raving about.
Everyone who attended our
event had a great time, due in
large part to your efforts.
Ann Romano
Chairperson of 50th anniversary Fashion Show &
Luncheon
Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO
THE ITALIAN TIMES
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DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 19
Items from Columbus Museum displayed at ICC
A select set of items that commemorate the life and accomplishments of the
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus were on display at the Italian
Community Center, Oct. 14-21. The items were provided by Dan Amato, the
owner of the Columbus Antique Mall & Museum, 239 Whitney St.,
Columbus, Wis. The exhibit included scale models of Columbus’s three
ships built by Duane B. Anderson, a replica of the sword used to knight
Columbus by the Spanish Queen Isabella, maps, books, porcelain and other
memorabilia. Sophia Michalovitz (far left) and ICC Culture Committee
Chair Christina Ziino set up the exhibit in the Board Room. The replica of
the sword used at the knighting ceremony is seen in the photo below this
caption. The inscription on the sword reads “Remember me, Mother of
God.” Amato, who is a member of the ICC, invites fellow members and the
public to visit the Columbus Antique Mall & Museum, which is open daily
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Michalovitz, a member of the Culture Committee,
made the arrangements with Amato to bring the exhibit to the ICC. (Times
photos by Tom Hemman)
Palermo’s Pizza was the official
sponsor of the Sicilian drum
troupe that came to Festa
In a caption on the front page of
the September/October issue with
the photo of the drum troupe from
Aspra (Sicily), Italy, we incorrectly
identified the sponsor for the drummers.
Please note that Palermo’s
Pizza was the official sponsor of
the drummers. Said President Gina
Spang, “We are very grateful for
Palermo’s sponsorship. While the
idea of bringing authentic entertainment from Italy was enthusiastically embraced by the Festa
Planning Committee, the budget
had been established and there was
no additional funding for this. We
reached out to Palermo’s and they
did not hesitate to support our
effort through a direct sponsorship.
Because of their quick response to
our request, we were able to bring
these authentic performers to
Festa 2013.
“Our sincere thanks to
Palermo’s for their sponsorship and
our deepest apologies for this error
in The Italian Times.”
Having up to 300 dinner guests?
Maddy Sherman displays works
at ICC during Gallery weekend
Entertain them at the Italian
Conference Center’s
FESTA BALLROOM.
Maddy Sherman, an award-winning local acrylic artist, displayed and sold
her works at the Italian Community Center the weekend of Oct. 19-20 as
the organization participated in the quarterly Gallery Night & Day program. The program is coordinated by the Historic Third Ward Association
and the East Towne Association. The lCC has long been a program participant. Sherman’s specialty is landscapes of Italy. Critics have said her realistic style and attention to detail pull viewers in and make them feel like
they are part of the scene. (Photo provided by Liz Ceraso)
PAGE 20 – DECEMBER 2013
A gorgeous setting in which to enjoy great food!
The Italian Conference Center
in the Italian Community Center
631 E. Chicago St. (a block west of Summerfest)
Call David or Michelle at 414/ 223-2800 to
reserve your party or meeting space at the ICC.
Visit: www.ItalianConference.com
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Report from Victory School’s
Italian Immersion Program
In four-year old kindergarten,
we are working on learning the
Italian alphabet. The students have
journals called, “Il Mio Libro
Alfabetico,” in which they practice
writing their Italian alphabet. Each
day we also do “calendario” and
spend time learning the days of the
week and Italian numbers. The students have been working on the
songs “ABC” and “La Settimana”.
Maestro Bruno’s K-5 students
are enjoying learning the body
parts in Italian by playing
tombola. Greetings are practiced
everyday in both the FLES and regular classrooms and on the play-
ground during recess. At the end of
each day, Maestro bids his students
farewell with “A domani!” as they
get on their bus. Last Friday he
said to one student: “Ciao! See you
on Monday.” To which she replied
(without skipping a beat): “You
mean tomorrow is Sabato?”
Maestra Robertson’s second
graders are writing research papers
on animals and their homes and
habitats. They are learning to identify the main idea and details in
informational text and then writing
their own paper on the material
that they learned and their conclusions. There are 16 bright eyed and
bushy tailed second graders racing
to find the next acorn in terms of
learning.
The third grade students
researched “Il Sistema Solare” during their science lessons this fall.
They learned about the connection
between the names of the planets
and the days of the week in Italian.
For example, the word for
Thursday (Giovedi) comes from the
name Jupiter (Giove) and the word
for Tuesday (Martedi) comes from
the name Mars (Marte). By tracing
their shadows on the concrete at
different times of the day, the third
graders observed the earth’s rotation and how the sun appears to be
moving throughout the day.
Maestra Laurenzi’s fourth
graders and Maestra Wilcox’s fifth
graders took a field trip to the zoo.
While they were at the zoo, they
saw some giraffes, tigers, monkeys,
lions, cheetahs and rhinos. When
they visited the animals, they
observed some of their adaptations
To learn more about their habits.
They explored the autumn (l’autunno) change in animal habitats.
They enjoyed the animals and the
fall leaves while learning about
animals, habitats and seasons.
– Submitted by
Annette Robertson
Cafe La Scala
makes it easy for you to enjoy great
Italian food like pasta, pizza and daily
specials at affordable prices.
• Dine-In: Lunch, 11 am - 2 pm & Dinner from 5 pm,
Monday - Thursday: from 4:30 pm Friday. Have our
bartender mix your favorite cocktail.
• Carry-Out: Call 414/223-2185 to place your order
and pick it up at the time you requested.
Cafe La Scala, 631 E. Chicago St., Milw.
A block west of Summerfest
414/223-2185 • www.LaScalaMilwaukee.com
Have you tried our all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry?
THE ITALIAN TIMES
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262-478-0033 • www.northshore-chiro.com
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 21
Italian Society and Club News
Milwaukee Sons of Italy
Pompeii Women present
lodge establishes website three $1,000 scholarships
The Filippo Mazzei Greater
Milwaukee Lodge #2763 of the
Order Sons of Italy in America has
established
a
website
–
www.sonsofitalymilwaukee.org – that
went live in early October.
According to Mazzei Lodge
President Joe Emanuele, yhe website, which is still somewhat under
construction, features pages such
as membership, “Italian Businesses
in Milwaukee” and “Italian
Recipes.” It will also have a “Photo
Gallery,” a “Contact Us” page and
more.
“The site will be linked to the
Italian Community Center’s website– www.iccmilwaukee.com – in
support of the Center’s activities
and to promote future growth for
its organization,” Emanuele said.
“As a means of reaching our
youth, the website will also be
linked to social media sites such as
Facebook and Twitter,” he said.
“My intentions are to not only build
our membership, but bring more
youth and more activities to the
Italian Community Center as well.
All societies should begin to focus
on promoting the ICC in the best
interest of our children, as it has
been the home to everyone from the
start.”
OSIA has also established its
own email address and a Visa and
MasterCard account for renewing
and recruiting new members.
“These are a few of the new ideas
that have been implemented since I
started the presidency in February
of 2013. OSIA is bringing new energy to the Filippo Mazzei Lodge and
is very excited about its future,”
Emanuele said.
UNICO Ladies elect
new officers
Catherine Kelly succeeds
Sophia Michalovitz as president
The Milwaukee Ladies of
UNICO recently elected new officers for the next two years.
Longtime active member Catherine
Kelly succeeds Sophia Michalovitz
as president. Kelly served in the
last term as vice president
Michalovitz has led the civic
organization the last four years.
She continues to serve as immediate past president.
Others elected included: Carla
Pellin as vice president, Katherine
Clancy as recording secretary,
Prudence Camuy as corresponding
secretary, Maria LoRicco as treasurer, Rosalia Ferrante as
finance/membership officer, Edith
Brown and Rosalinda Schaapveld
as co-historians, Nancy Oberleitner
as sergeant-at-arms, and Anna
Pitzo as parliamentarian.
Camuy, LoRicco, Ferrante,
Brown and Schaapveld are returning to the same offices they held in
the last term.
The newly-elected officers will
be installed at the organization’s
annual Christmas dinner meeting
on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m.
During its meeting on Sept. 25
at the Italian Community Center,
the Pompeii Women’s Club awarded three $1,000 scholarships to
benefit
students
attending
Dominican High School, St.
Anthony High School and Pius XI
High School.
The scholarships were presented
to each school’s administrators,
who were allowed to decide how to
distribute the awards.
Emily Curley, Dominican
Director of Advancement, presented the $1,000 scholarship to sophomore Michael Jackels. The award
was given to Michael’s parents as
he was unable to attend.
Pius High School President, Dr.
Melinda Skrade, presented two
$500 scholarships – one to freshman Markia Silverman-Rodriguez
and to sophomore Gabrielle
Stockwell.
St. Anthony Principal Julia
D’Amato also split the scholarship,
awarding $500 each to senior Erika
Baca and senior Sinai MendozaZarate.
The Pompeii Women’s Club
plans to continue awarding three
$1,000 scholarships annually.
Guests in attendance the
evening of the scholarship presentations included Antoinette and
Rosalie Sanfilippo and Joe and
Jane Palmisano. Jane joined the
club that night. Welcome, Jane.
Member Jeannie Doern and her
husband, Dave, were also present.
The hostesses for the scholarship dinner meeting were club
members Patti Bennetts and Lucy
Sorce with assistance from Janet
Corona.
The club held another membership meeting on Wednesday, Oct.
30. It was hosted by members
Marie Schwindt and Sharon Best.
Father Mike Hammer was the
guest of honor and showered blessings on the club and its members
on its 35th anniversary.
The club’s next membership
meeting will be its Christmas party
on Wednesday, Nov. 20, also at the
ICC.
– Prepared by Mary Winard
Publicity Chair
UNICO Ladies join
Marian Romberger for
her 100th birthday
Pompeii Men’s Club invites
all to its Christmas party
The Pompeii Men’s Club welcomes the public to join them in a
Christmas celebration on Tuesday,
Dec. 10 at Papa Luigi’s II, 1919
12th Ave., South Milwaukee.
There will be a social hour starting at 5 p.m. with a buffet-style
dinner served at 6 p.m. The buffet
will include: meat mostaccioli,
baked chicken, Italian sausage,
green beans, parsley buttered potatoes, relish tray, shrimp salad,
tossed garden salad, and rolls and
butter.
The cost has been set at $20 per
person. Reservations are required
by Tuesday, Nov. 26 and can be
made by calling President Chuck
Lazzaro at 414/421-7359 or by
sending a check (payable to
Pompeii Men’s Club) to Lazzaro at
6213 Mansfield Dr., Greendale, WI
53129. Please include a list of the
names of attendees.
Abruzzese Society
welcomes all to annual
holiday dinner and dance
The Abruzzese Society is hosting
its annual Christmas holiday dinner and dance at the Italian
Community Center on Saturday,
Dec. 7. “We invite you to join us for
this special holiday event featuring
music and dancing, a buffet dinner
and door prizes,” said Vince Vitale,
Abruzzese Society President.
The dinner buffet will be available at 7 p.m.
Admission is $30 per person.
Make checks payable to Abruzzese
PAGE 22 – DECEMBER 2013
Society and mail to: Vince Vitale,
5758 W. Kinnickinnic Pkwy, West
Allis, WI 53219. Reservations must
be made by Monday, Nov. 25.
For more information, please
contact Vitale at 414/545-5659.
Find out how inexpensive and
effective newspaper advertising can
be. Contact The Italian Times for
details. Phone: (414) 223-2180
Email: themman@italiancc.org
Several members of the Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO helped one of their
own, Marian Romberger, celebrate her 100th birthday. The celebration
took place on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the River Club of Mequon. The blessing
was given by The Very Rev. Timothy Kitzke of Three Holy Women Parish
and Old St. Mary’s Church. “We have been fortunate to celebrate Marian’s
90th, then 95th and, most importantly, 100th birthday,” said Sophia
Michalovitz, Ladies of UNICO President. “As a member of the Milwaukee
Ladies of UNICO, Marian has held many positions on the Executive Board
and, at age 90, was still preparing the audit for the organization and helping in creating the budgets. Marian is still practicing our motto ‘Service
Above Self’, which was evident at her birthday celebration. In lieu of gifts,
she requested contributions to the Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO
Scholarship program. We look forward to Marian presenting the Marian
Romberger Scholarship in May of 2014. She has been an inspiration and
beloved member of the Milwaukee Ladies of UNICO for over 68 years.”
Romberger officially turned 100 on Sept. 13. Front row (l-r): Frances Firle,
Ann Romano, Marian Romberger, Carmen Schlotthauer, Mary Ann Ganny
and Mary Castrovinci. Back row: Nancy Oberleitner, Rosalia Ferrante,
Mary Ann Maglio, Anna Pitzo, Marie LoRicco, Rosalinda Schaapveld and
UNICO Ladies’ President Sophia Michalovitz. (Photo provided by Anna
Pitzo)
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Milwaukee UNICO holds bocce party to benefit scholarship program
The Milwaukee Chapter UNICO
National hosted a bocce party to
benefit its 2014 scholarship program on Friday, Oct. 25 at the
Italian Community Center. The
fund-raiser was the second of this
type in 2013.
This past May, the Milwaukee
Chapter, joined by the Milwaukee
Ladies of UNICO, presented
$18,000 in scholarships to 16 area
students of Italian descent.
A team comprised of Ed Sciano,
Bill Dickinson, Stefanie Guttuso
and her daughter Danielle, won the
Oct. 25 bocce tournament.
Here are some photos from the
event, provided to The Italian
Times by Liz Ceraso.
Ed Sciano, a member of the team that won the bocce tournament, is seen
here in action.
UNICO District Governor Bea
Ceraso (left) and Karen Dickinson
enjoyed the bocce party.
Italian Community Center Membership
Join us today! What’s not to love?
• ALL ARE WELCOME. Membership is open to any person of Italian heritage or other public-spirited
individuals supporting the purposes and objectives of the Italian Community Center.
• A MEMBERSHIP IN THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER IS A PERFECT GIFT for friends
and relatives, holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.
BENEFITS OF INDIVIDUAL OR SENIOR MEMBERSHIP
• Home delivery of The Italian Times* • Complimentary ticket to Festa Italiana • Voting privileges** • Free international
television in Members Room for sports and cultural programs • Special events discounts • Social, recreational, cultural and
educational opportunities • Discount on advertising in The Italian Times. *Online edition of The Italian Times available for
everyone. Visit www.ICCMilwaukee.com. **Persons, 18-25, who purchase individual membership, will have voting privileges.
TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP
Here’s Milwaukee Chapter UNICO
National President Rose Anne
Ceraso-Fritchie (left) and Mary
Winard.
K Individual Membership (64 or younger) @ $35.00/year. K Senior Membership (65 or older) @ $30.00/year.
FREE Junior Membership, available for children, teens and adults under the age of 25 with a paid individual membership.
Please complete the following information and mail this application form with your payment to: Italian Community
Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916. If you have any questions or want further information, please call
(414) 223-2180. If there are more than two persons in each category, please list the additional persons on a separate sheet
of paper. All memberships are valid for one full year.
Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing an individual membership:
First individual
New Membership K
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership K
Second individual
New Membership K
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership K
Address: _____________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________________________
Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________
Number of persons applying for or renewing an individual membership ____ @ $35/person = $_______________________
Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing a senior membership:
First individual
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________
Second individual
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________
New Membership K
Renewing Membership K
New Membership K
Renewing Membership K
Address: _____________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________________________
Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________
Number of persons applying for or renewing a senior membership ____ @ $30/person = $____________________________
Names and birthdates of persons applying for or renewing a free junior membership:
First individual
New Membership K
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership K
Second individual
New Membership K
Mr./Mrs./Ms.: ___________________________________ Birthdate: _______________ Renewing Membership K
Address: _____________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________________________
Phone: __________________ Cell: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________
Dan Conley, who is the manager of
bocce operations at Festa Italiana
and coordinator of the ICC’s
Monday night league, served as
the referee.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Number of persons applying for or renewing a junior membership ___________ at no cost.
Date of application
TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $
_
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 23
Rolandi family acquires
dual Italian-U.S. citizenship
Italian Community Center
member Alan Rolandi reports that
each member of his family has
acquired Italian citizenship to go
along with their United States citizenship. The nationality law of
Italy bestows citizenship jure sanguinis (by right of blood).
Rolandi told The Italian Times
that he requested recognition from
Italy of the citizenship that already
existed per the Italian law. Joining
him in acquiring dual citizenship
are his wife, Karen, and their two
daughters, Allie and Maggie.
“When my daughters marry, their
husbands are eligible,” he said. “If
they have children, their children
will be 100% Italian at birth.”
Rolandi cited these reasons for
wanting dual citizenship: “We are
Italian and wanted to be officially
Italian citizens. I’m so proud, but
more so for my children. No visa is
required when traveling in Europe,
which is an advantage for employ-
ers, too. Italian citizens are also
European citizens so we are actually citizens of all European Union
countries (28 in all). My grandchildren will be 100% Italian.”
Rolandi was one of the founders
of WisItalia and he served as its
executive administrator for eight
years and remained on its executive committee. He currently serves
as the President of WisItalia.
WisItalia is a non-profit, 501 (c)
3 voluntary organization created in
December 2000 to promote the
teaching of the Italian language in
Wisconsin schools. It was founded
by Italian-American clubs in
Wisconsin, as well as UW-Madison,
and UW-Milwaukee. To date,
WisItalia has been successful in
creating new Italian programs and
promoting existing Italian schools
and programs. This continues to
grow and provides a valuable service to the community.
Tony and Bernice
Sparacino celebrate
65th anniversary
Longtime Italian Community
Center members Tony and Bernice
(Holtz) Sparacino celebrated their
65th wedding anniversary on May
1.
Tony told The Italian Times that
he met Bernice when they were
teenagers working at the old
Paradise Theater in West Allis.
“She was 16 and was the popcorn
girl. I was 17 and was the usher,”
he said. “I knew right away, she
was one for me.”
The couple was married at
Whitnall Park Lutheran Church in
Hales Corners on May 1, 1948.
The Sparacinos’ sons, Terry,
Michael and Mark and their families hosted a surprise anniversary
party for them at Bravo! Cucina
Italiana in Brookfield. Tony and
Bernice have 10 grandchildren.
Tony has been a volunteer for 35
of the 36 Festa Italiana celebrations, organized by the ICC. For
many years, he was a member of
Festa’s famed “911 crew,” a group
of elderly male volunteers who
worked diligently on set-up and
take-down of the festival decorations, signs, lighting and much
more. When Tony was 70, he said
he was the youngest member of the
crew.
Tony is a longstanding volunteer for the Festa Patrol and has
been involved in assigning and
keeping charge of the radios used
by members of the patrol and other
Festa officials.
Tony has also volunteered at the
ICC. In the early years of the present ICC facility, he was among the
crew, headed by Carmen Zingara,
that painted rooms and did tiling
work. He also contributed financially to the organization’s building
fund and has a plaque on the ICC’s
Wall of Honor. His plaque is in
honor of his wife Bernice and his
mother, the late Lucretia
Sparacino.
Bernice (Holtz) and Tony Sparacino
Al Rolandi and his daughter Maggie are seen here. The entire Rolandi
family has dual citizenship and Al and Maggie have passports.
Welcome new Italian
Community
Center members!
The following people became members of the Italian Community
Center between August 15 and November 5, 2013. Benvenuti!
(Welcome!)
Jeffrey Sardina, Germantown
Deborah Mikush, Waukesha
Jamie Mikush, Waukesha
Mary Spinella, Whitefish Bay
Kathy Holat, Wauwatosa
Michael and Kate Sorge, Milwaukee
William Gainey, South San Francisco, CA
Brian Neal, Greenfield
Jane K. Gertler, Milwaukee
Claire Jarosz, Milwaukee
Mary Caravello and child Nicolo Caravello, Milwaukee
Linda Joy, Brookfield
PAGE 24 – DECEMBER 2013
Request from ICC for cell phone
numbers and e-mail addresses
By Susie Christiansen
Social networking websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as
e-mail and cell phone texting, are currently the most common methods
of communicating for people. Using those avenues, we want to develop a
way to reach out to our membership to inform you about upcoming
events organized by the Italian Community Center, such as Il Grande
Carnevale, A Taste of Italy and Festa Italiana.
We can even email you a copy of The Italian Times.
When the ICC hosts wine tastings, musical events and cooking classes, it would be helpful to everyone involved to be able to send an e-mail
blast or a cell phone text blast to ICC members and as many non-members as possible. Right now, committee chairs and event planners here
don’t always know what advertising options are available to them and
how to reach out to you. Without spending a ton of money, we just aren’t
sure how to let the people out there know about upcoming events at the
ICC.
ICC members can be placed on an e-mail list and a cell phone list
when they sign up for or renew their membership. Our application
includes a place for your e-mail address and cell phone number.
Our membership contact list is extremely private, and we will continue to keep it that way. We do not distribute our address, phone or email lists to anyone. Rest assured your contact information will be
retained by the ICC and only the ICC, and you will only be sent messages on a limited basis.
We simply want to inform you. We want to tell you about the fantastic events, activities and ethnic experiences that the Italian Community
Center has to offer.
These are the other options available for submitting your cell phone
number and e-mail address:
1. Our website: www.iccmilwaukee.com – use the Contact Us Form
(the last tab on the site).
2. By e-mail: susie@iccmilwaukee.com.
3. Call Constance Palmer at the ICC – 414-223-2808.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Cousins meet for the first time
in 85 years at the ICC
John Camp has been a member
of the Italian Community Center
since it was located on Hackett
Avenue on Milwaukee’s East Side.
He and his wife volunteered in the
pizza booth at Festa Italiana faithfully year after year from when
Palermo’s commenced as vendor
until the operation was taken over
by Cafe La Scala. Although John
and his family have resided in
south Florida for 25 years, they
faithfully return to Milwaukee
every summer to take in the festival season and have not missed a
single Festa since it started.
This year, while perusing the
grounds John stopped at the cultural village. He was particularly
intrigued by the exhibit in the
genealogy pavilion. It was featuring the region of Puglia, an area of
ICC members visit Italy,
attend Sicilian festival
Italy on the Adriatic coast opposite
from Naples on the opposite coast.
His interest was piqued because
the roots of his mother’s family
were there. His mother, her sister
and their widowed mother immigrated from there to America following World War I.
While viewing the exhibits,
imagine his startled surprise to see
his mother’s family tree posted on
the wall. Even more surprising
was a photograph of his grandfather resplendent in a carabinieri
uniform. He had never seen a picture of his grandfather nor did he
know one existed. The exhibit
became more intriguing when he
saw pictures of a cousin he did not
know even existed. It was a pair of
photographs of a young man in boxing attire in a publicity pose as a
golden gloves boxer taken right
after World War II. The young
man was the son of the sister of
John’s mother. Upon speaking
with staff members in the pavilion
to learn the source of this display,
he was told that the young boxer
was Rocco Defilippis, who was in
the pavilion the day before and was
equally startled by the display and
to see himself shown as he was over
60 years ago.
One inquiry led to another and
John was put in contact with
George Koleas, the coordinator of
genealogy search at the Italian
Community Center, to learn the
source of this information.
Through Koleas’s intercession,
John was able to get in touch with
Rocco who now resides in Port
Washington.
The two cousins hit it off well
and agreed to meet for lunch at the
ICC. There, almost four score and
seven years later, the two men met
for the first time. John is 87.
Rocco is two years younger. So now
with almost nine decades of life’s
experiences to recall these two have
a lot to talk about. Their wives
joined in this reunion and the four
lingered long at the ICC, a perfect
place for this all to occur.
Joe Campagna, Jr. and Mike Palmisano, past presidents of the Italian
Community Center, Joe’s wife, Kathy, and Peter and Jennie Corrao, all
ICC members, recently spent four days in Rome, Italy and six days in
Sicily, including attending the Feast of the Madonna del Lume in
Porticello, Sicily. While in Rome, the group caught up with ICC Chaplain,
the Very Rev. Timothy Kitzke for dinner. The top photo shows Mike
Palmisano (left), Fr. Tim and Kathy Campagna. The photo below shows
Kathy and Joe Campagna standing near the vada of the Madonna del
Lume. (Photos provided by Joe Campagna)
John Camp and Rocco Defilippis are seen here in a photo taken inside
Cafe La Scala.
Jeff Friday, nephew of Joe
Campagna, amid 16th season
as NFL strength coach
Joe Campagna, Jr., a past president of the Italian Community
Center, is proud of the accomplishments of his nephew/godson Jeff
Friday. Friday is amid his 16th
season as a strength coach in the
National Football League. This season and the three previous, he has
served as assistant strength and
conditioning coach with the
Cincinnati Bengals.
In that capacity, Friday is a key
off-the-field member of the Bengals
organization, helping lead a
strength training routine that also
serves as a form of recovery for
players who put their bodies
through enormous physical stress
every week. He not only helps the
players in their physical development, but lends his expertise in
their mental, social and even spiritual foundations.
Over the course of his 16 seasons in the NFL, Friday has also
served as a strength coach with the
Minnesota Vikings and the
Baltimore Ravens. He was head
strength and conditioning coach for
the Ravens when they won the
Super Bowl in the 2000 season,
when
Friday
was
named
Professional
Strength
and
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Conditioning Coach of the Year by
his peers. He has coached seven
Hall of Fame players and more
than 30 Pro Bowlers.
Friday is the son of Angela and
Jerry Friday. Jerry taught at
Marquette University High School
for 45 years.
Jeff Friday
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 25
Spotlight on Cultural Arts
Charles Purpero writes suspect novel
titled 29 Hours
Author to conduct book signing at ICC on Friday, Dec. 13
Charles A. Purpero, who was
born and raised in Milwaukee, has
written a suspect thriller entitled
29 Hours, which is now available in
hardcover, paperback and in Kindle
format on Amazon.com.
Here’s a brief story description:
“Charles Weston is a simple man. A
few beers, an occasional day at the
track, and time with his family are
all it takes to keep him happy. But
when Charlie goes to pay his
income tax bill at the Milwaukee
Federal Building and comes face to
face with terrorists trying to annihilate his Midwestern lakefront
city, his only concern is how to keep
them from executing their diabolical plan. As he is thrown into combat with the men who have infiltrated the government building, he
learns that the attack is only a
small part of a nationwide terrorist
plot.
“Soon Charles is entangled in a
web of conspiracy that takes him
from obscurity to the forefront of a
battle to save the future of his
country, his town and his own life.
Despite overwhelming odds, he
spearheads a mission with the FBI
and the President that takes him
from the Midwest to the coast of
Oregon where he is compelled to
penetrate the terrorists’ inner sanc-
tum, free hostages they have taken,
and destroy their stranglehold on
America itself, but the clock is ticking.”
29 Hours is dedicated to his parents, Anthony and Shirley, his wife,
Lynn, and their daughters,
Stephanie and Christy.
The book is available in hardcover for $24.95 (plus shipping and
handling) and paperback for $14.95
(plus shipping and handling). To
order,
visit
www.HenschelHAUSbooks.com. It is
also available in Kindle format at
Amazon.com.
Purpero told The Italian Times
that people can also contact him
directly at 414-350-0234 for an
autographed copy and he will work
out arrangements for delivery of
the book.
You can also get an autographed
copy of 29 Hours when Purpero
conducts a book signing at the
Italian Community Center on
Friday, Dec. 13 from 5:30 to 8:30
p.m.
Purpero said he will donate $2
Biography of Italian fascist Gabriele
D’Annunzio earns British prize
A biography of Italian fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio
has won Britain’s leading nonfiction book prize. “The
Pike,” by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, was awarded the
$32,000 Samuel Johnson Prize.
The book describes how D’Annunzio (1863-1938),
became a national hero. He was a writer, poet, playwright, journalist and soldier during World War I.
D’Annunzio occupied a prominent place in Italian liter-
ature from 1889 to 1910 and was a fascist politician
from 1914 to 1924.
Hughes-Hallett bested three other finalists for the
prize which recognizes English language books from
any country in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sports, travel, biography, autobiography
and the arts. Hughes-Hallett is a cultural cultural historian and authored several award-winning books.
The Reluctant Patriot by Edward
Bernardi presents personal
accounts of Italians who lived
through Mussolini’s Fascist regime
For 30 years, Edward Bernardi
interviewed family members and
old neighbors from Italy in hopes
of unveiling the history of his relatives from the rise of Mussolini in
1922 to the end of World War II.
He planned to share these notes
with his children. He never imagined it would lead to the publishing of a novel.
Bernardi’s The Reluctant
Patriot is based of the true stories
of his relatives and their friends.
It has been described as “a significant, historical novel about a
small community of poor, hardworking mountain people who
became involved in the turmoil
brought about during the rise and
fall of Mussolini’s regime” and “a
heartwarming tale of illicit love
under the eyes of the enemy, collaboration, revenge and the excruciating pain of a family, and community torn apart by the actions
of politicians and the war they created.”
Bernardi‚ a Northwestern
University graduate and an Evans
Scholar recipient, is a retired
PAGE 26 – DECEMBER 2013
investment banker. This is his
first novel.
Pauline Spicuzza Mohr, in a
review of Bernardi’s book, wrote:
“I had the pleasure of reading The
Reluctant Patriot when it was first
written. The story was totally
absorbing, and I couldn’t put it
down until I reached the conclusion. I found the historical aspects
particularly interesting. Almost all
of the incidents actually took place
as told by those who experienced
them. Any one whose ancestors
emigrated from Italy will be
caught up in the story, perhaps
hearing echoes of the stories their
grandparents or great-grandparents told of time of in the ‘old
country.’ The story is beautifully
written and authentically rendered – a good read for anyone.”
Spicuzza Mohr is the niece of the
late Francesco Spicuzza, the
acclaimed Italian immigrant who
settled in Milwaukee and who’s
artistic talents made him one of
the most acclaimed in Wisconsin’s
history.
The Reluctant Patriot is available in hardcover edition for $28
($25 plus $3 shipping). For more
information or to order the book,
visit the author’s website:
bernardipatriot.com or email book
order
to:
reluctantpatriot@gmail.com.
Charles A. Purpero (Photo by
Sarah Stevens, I Do Photography)
to the ICC for every hardcover copy
of the book that is sold that evening
and $1 from every paperback version.
About the author
Purpero started out in the family construction business, but even
from a young age, knew that he
wasn’t someone who wanted to
work for someone else. He wanted
to make his own way. After a couple of moderately successful business ventures, Purpero got involved
with a cable television collections
company. Running his own business has allowed him to pursue
some of his passions, and storytelling has always been one of
them. 29 Hours is his first story to
be put into writing, and he plans to
develop other stories and characters he has been building for the
better part of a decade.
In an interview with The Italian
Times, Purpero said he has “always
had an interest in writing and has
been a good storyteller.” He added
that he started to develop the story
for 29 Hours after a terrorist attack
in 1995 at the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma
City.
Before self-publishing the book,
he had several people read the
story and earned high marks from
the reviewers.
Purpero added that he has “several other books in the works,
including a sequel to 29 Hours.”
People familiar with the ICC
know the Purpero name quite well.
Phillip and Sam Purpero, past
presidents of the ICC, are Charles’
uncles. Rose Purpero Spang, a
charter member, is his aunt. Gina
Spang, the current president of the
ICC, is his cousin.
Saint Stephen’s Day is a
national holiday in Italy
December 26th is the day to honor
San Stefano (Saint Stephen) in Italy
and many other countries. The Feast of
San Stefano is a national holiday in
Italy.
San Stefano was one of the early
disciples who joined the Church of
Jerusalem when it was in its infancy
following the Ascension of Jesus into
Heaven. He is said to be the first
Christian martyr.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
L’Angolo del Poeta
Prepared by Barbara Collignon and Roberto Ciampi
Roberta Lipparini, our featured
Italian poet for December, is a
member of a group of poets who
meet at number 77 via S. Stefano, a
place that hosted Portici Poetici,
the exhibition in Bologna created
by Alessandro Dall’Olio (poet,
writer and journalist), an event
that offered those who love poetry
the opportunity to share and
inspire each other (Lipparini used
the word contaminarsi!) through
literary form in verse. It was at
Portici Poetici that she read her
poems aloud to others for the first
time.
Lipparini writes, “Scrivo da
sempre: poesie per adulti e filastrocche per bambini. All’inizio più raramente (a parte la fecondissima parentesi adolescenziale); da qualche
anno in un fluire ininterrotto.” (I’ve
always written: poetry for adults
and nursery rhymes for children. In
the beginning rarely (apart from
the fertile adolescent parenthesis);
for some years in continuous flow.”
A diciotto anni ho lasciato gli studi
e ho iniziato a lavorare. Il curriculum inviato era scritto in rima. (At
18, I left school and began to work.
The resume I sent was written in
rhyme.) For two years, she worked
behind the
scenes in the lyric
opera of il Teatro Comunale di
Bologna.
She writes, “Ho pubblicato un
unico libro…”C’è un posto accanto a
me. Poesie per una scuola senza
barriere”, nel 2013, con la casa
editrice Mondadori. E’ un libro per
bambini dai 7 anni, sulla sensibilità, la leggerezza, la profondità e il
disagio dell’infanzia. Un libro di
poesie in rima. Un altro libro
uscirà, sempre con la Mondadori
nel gennaio 2014, un libro sulla
spiritualità nei bambini” (I’ve published a single book. …It’s a book
for children aged 7 and up about
the sensitivity, lightness, depth and
discomfort of childhood. A book of
poetry that rhymes. Another book
will come out, again with
Mondadori, in January of 2014, a
book about the spirituality of children).
Lipparini has gifted us with an
exquisite poem about Christmas
gifts for our December column.
Incarterò i tuoi doni
questa notte
mio amore
poi verrò da te
e te li poserò nel cuore
By Roberta Lipparini
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
On this cold night
in a cold that hurts,
I’m wrapping for you
my Christmas presents.
The silent rhythm
of an endless tide,
a thin and light
pencil line.
Forgiveness
for your every mistake,
comfort from darkness,
shelter from sorrow.
Certainty
that I will go and search for you
though you may elude me
though you may get lost at sea
Trust
that in your flight
the fear of being alone
won’t stop you
I will wrap your presents
tonight
my love
then I will come to you
and I will lay them on your heart
– Translation by Roberto Ciampi
DONI DI NATALE
In questa notte fredda
d’un freddo che fa male
sto incartando per te
i miei doni di Natale
Il ritmo quieto
di una marea infinita
un tratto leggero
lieve, a matita
Il perdono
per ogni tuo errore
conforto dal buio
riparo dal dolore
La certezza
che ti verrò a cercare
anche se mi sfuggi
se ti perderai nel mare
La fiducia
che nel tuo volo
non ti fermerà
la paura di esser solo
Lake Bluff students thank ICC volunteers for
Italian cultural experience and best-ever lunch!
from page 17
new to me and it was super fun.
One of my favorite stations was
the immigration. I really liked acting out someone else and it was
very interesting going through the
same process people back then
went through.
When we learned about the
Milwaukee Italian community it
really made me think about my
heritage. It was even more interesting looking at the photos.
It was very interesting learning
the Italian language. It was fun
and cool relating it to Spanish.
I really enjoyed the trip and
lunch was amazing. Thank you
again!
Becca C.
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you for volunteering your
time to set up this huge thing without us paying you. We really appreciate it. We learned so much.
I really liked when you gave us
names and checked us for lice and
eye problems. It made me feel so
lucky that we didn’t have to go
through the same process. It was
really awesome learning the language because it was a lot like
Spanish and I know a lot of
Spanish.
I loved bocce ball because it was
a new experience. I would also like
to thank you for lunch.
I know you put a lot of time and
effort into this trip and I really
appreciated it.
Oskar
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you so much for all the
amazing activities. I loved pasta
making and hearing the story
about the boy who made the instru-
THE ITALIAN TIMES
ment and his mom used it for cutting pasta. I also loved immigration, getting the name tags and
going through the lice check, eye
check and asking all the questions
and last of all, the oath.
I also loved Italian language,
watching people having a conversation in Italian and hearing how to
count, Milwaukee’s Italian community and learning about the people
and the ship and how everybody
stayed at the top to stay away from
the smell and from the dark and
looking at all the pictures of people
who were boarding the ship.
I also loved bocce ball. Dan is
really good. I liked watching the
ball because you don’t know where
the ball was going to end up.
And last but not least, lunch
was delicious. I loved the pasta and
brownies.
Thank you so much for sharing
your time!
Ruby
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you so much for everything. Thanks for giving us your
time and letting our class come. It
was amazing. I had so much fun
that I can’t even pick a favorite
thing.
I loved bocce ball and learning
how to speak Italian and everything else. I can’t wait to tell my
parents about it. I think that they
will be jealous.
Thank you to everyone. I can’t
wait to go back.
Ava
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you for your time with
my class. I loved the Italian language. I thought it was a little challenging because the words were
hard to say, but it is good to learn
another language.
My favorite activity was seeing
how pasta was made. My favorite
part was when we got to roll it up
and mix it.
The history thing I loved that
the most of all because I was 17,
married to Rosario and I was pregnant. I thought that was very
funny. I also thought that was very
interesting to know what happened
when you were on the boat to
America.
As for the lunch, WOW, that
was probably the best I ever had.
The meatballs were very good
(yummy in my tummy). The brownies were my favorite of all.
Thank you for the free lunch
and thank you for your time with
our class.
Eleanor
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you so much for inviting
us to your center. I had so much
fun.
In bocce ball, I had a lot of learning how to play the game, even if I
lost.
It was fun getting the Italian
names and doing the fake trip to
Ellis Island.
It was cool learning how to
speak Italian. I liked thinking
about where our family came from.
I also liked making the pasta.
The lunch was very delicious. The
spaghetti was the best. I loved the
bread. The brownie was delicious.
Jonah
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you for inviting us to
your community center. I really
liked it when we did the acting. It
was really fun. My name was Rita
Alberti. I had two kids and a husband.
The other thing that was very
fun was pasta making. I want you
to know that my pasta is ravioli.
I also liked bocce ball. I was on
the green team and the other team
was red. I won the first round.
Then the red team won the other
one. But my team still won the
whole thing.
Thank you again and ciao.
Kamryn
* * *
Dear ICC,
Thank you for teaching us so
much about how it was for immigrants to come to Milwaukee. I
liked that we learned how to make
pasta and that I got a turn using
the pasta machine. Thank you for
taking time to show me all the pictures of people that immigrated
here to Milwaukee.
Theo
* * *
Dear Ms. Pitzo,
Many thanks to you and to all of
the wonderful volunteers at the
Italian Community Center. We
enjoyed our visit to the Center
immensely. Our students have
been talking about it all week!
They had a great time while
learning so much about Italian culture. The pasta making, the bocce
ball, and the immigrant experience
simulation
were
particular
favorites.
We appreciate all of your time,
your effort, and your enthusiasm in
providing such a wonderfully
enriching day for our students. We
hope to visit the Italian Community
Center again soon.
Marita Gruber
Teacher
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 27
Opera Topics by Angelo Castronovo
Opera’s favorite characters are
usually played by tenors, but not
always. Sopranos run a close second, and with some opera lovers,
they can be first in the affections of
audiences.
Tenors such as Franco Corelli,
Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras
and others who have passed on
including Richard Tucker, Luciano
Pavarotti and Giuseppe Di Stefano
had their foibles to be sure.
Let’s take Corelli as a prime
example. He and other tenors are
reviewed in an interesting volume
edited by concert manager and
author Herbert Breslin in which
five prominent writers view and
assess the merits and careers of the
likes of Pavarotti, Tucker, Corelli,
Domingo and Jon Vickers.
All of them had specific views on
their art and performance capabilities, but I cite Corelli, in particular,
because he was in some ways
obsessed and extremely nervous
about going onstage and often even
while onstage. He thrilled audiences regardless of these foibles.
Corelli, among all the tenors I’ve
listed, had the least formal training. being largely self-taught
through listening to the recordings
of great singers of the past and by
recording and listening to his own
performances.
He was quoted as saying “. . .I
am a man who likes to do dangerous things; I like adventure. I like
to do things with the voice that
may be too difficult for it.”
Tucker, on the other hand, had
the view that just singing, even
singing a lot won’t hurt the voice,
it’s the rest of it, he said.
Vickers was a singer who
believed in being less centered in
his art and said, “. . .A person’s tal-
ent must serve art; art must not be
made to serve the person . . .”
Pavarotti believed there was no
better job than being a singer. “. . .
It’s a profession because it gives
you money and it’s art because it
gives you satisfaction. . .”
In 1974, when the book was
released, Domingo believed New
York was a soprano town and said
it means that people aren’t listening to the whole opera.
And then there was “America’s
Favorite Tenor,” James Melton, so
called by millions from the 1920s
through the 1950s. He had a multimedia career that included concerts, recordings, movies and the
Metropolitan Opera radio and television. He was also a noted antique
car collector.
Quotable quote: “Dignity consists
not in possessing honors, but in the
consciousness that we deserve
them.” – Aristotle
Serafina Purpero Krupp writes about
tapping into higher self in her book
Create Space with Your Higher Self
Serafina Purpero Krupp, the
daughter of Carl Purpero of the
Milwaukee Purperos, has authored
her #1 selling book, Create Space
with Your Higher Self, published
by Balboa Press. Now available at
Boswell Bookstore in Milwaukee
and online at Barnes and Noble
and Balboa Press, her book is about
tapping into your higher self and
co-creating with it.
In her book, she shares the practice of Interior Design and Angelic
Feng Shui. She lays down the foundation and explains Angelic Feng
Shui and goes over the Bagua (the
Feng Shui map). Each chapter
takes the reader through nine different areas of one’s life and offers
methods to make desired changes
in a person’s life. Each chapter contains a guided meditation connecting the reader with angelic help
and inner guidance.
The message thread of the book
is to empower and give the reader
the tools to create the spaces to live
within and work for an abundant
life. The deeper message of the
book is to let the reader know that
they are the main character in
their life, and that their world
revolves around them. They will be
shown how to call upon the angelic
realm for help and it explains how
the angels will guide them towards
making choices that bring in joy. If
one resists and is unable to surrender to the ability to manifest what
they want through Angelic Feng
Shui the book offers guidance on
how to re-script their lives in their
inner and outer worlds. Angelic
Feng Shui is about being one to
that place of inner peace.
The book brings together
Interior Design and the practice of
Angelic Feng Shui at an understandable and user-friendly level
with the teachings, passion and
sacredness of the cultures of the
past and the sophistication, maturity, and needs of people in today's
modern world.
Avanti Committee hosts
‘ghost tour’
Serafina Purpero Krupp
spaces they want to live and work
in and to create enlightened
changes in their lives. Through the
practice and teachings of Angelic
Feng Shui, Serafina brings balance
to the mind, body and spirit within
the interior spaces of the world
around us. She also shows us how
to use and call upon angelic help.
Today, Serafina lives in Southern
California, regularly teaching classes, giving retreats for women, private consultations, angel readings
and healings, Reyad Sekh Em
Egyptian healings, Feng Shui
house parties, and de cluttering.
For more info on Serafina go to
www.serafinaonline.com.
“My wish is for the readers to
open their hearts and bring in more
love, light, joy and abundance into
their world,” Serafina offered at the
recent membership meeting of the
Italian Community Center.
Serafina is a renowned Master
Teacher, Interior Designer, and
practitioner in Angelic Feng Shui
and has been exploring the art and
science of Feng Shui since she discovered it while she was studying
for a master’s degree in Interior
Design. Her mission is to empower
men and women to create the
Apply conventional wisdom when planning your next
business convention. Hold it at the
Italian Conference Center
The Italian Conference Center offers . . .
The Italian Community Center’s Avanti Committee hosted a “ghost tour”
of Shaker’s Cigar Bar on Oct. 12. Shaker’s, at 422 S. 2nd St., Milwaukee, is
in a classic Victorian bar and restaurant that is believed to be haunted.
The people who joined the Avanti Committee for the event toured all four
levels of the building hoping to see or feel the presence of a ghost.
Unfortunately, it was not to be this time, reports Liz Ceraso, Avanti
Committee Chair. “But everyone who attended had a great time.” (Photo
provided by Liz Ceraso)
PAGE 28 – DECEMBER 2013
• More than 22,000 sq. ft.
of convention space.
• Professional planning &
catering services
• Handicap access.
• Ample, free parking.
• 7 day a week
availability.
• Easy access to freeway
and downtown.
To coordinate your convention plans,
call David or Michelle
at (414) 223-2800
or visit www.ItalianConference.com
Italian Conference Center
at the Italian Community Center
631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee
A block west of Summerfest
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Italians married in Milwaukee: 1897-1925
Addendum – Part 1
Compiled by Mario A. Carini, Italian Community Center Historian
Introductory Notes
The Milwaukee Marriage Index: 1897-1925 includes the name of the individual married and the month and year the marriage took place. Information contained in the Milwaukee Marriage Index:1926-1940 was compiled by this researcher in January
of 1993 and is being featured in The Italian Times. The Milwaukee Marriage Index: 1941-1955 was previously published in The
Italian Times.
Reporting of the volume Milwaukee Marriage Index was obtained from the Milwaukee County Historical Society and copies
at the City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau. These works are all copyrighted and an original copy is at the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. for all time.
Please keep in mind that these marriages were actualized only in the City of Milwaukee. Accordingly, if you were married
outside the city limits (e.g., Shorewood, West Allis, Cudahy), your name won’t appear in this listing. Names appearing here are
listed and spelled exactly as found in the marriage volumes. If you know of a relative who was married in Milwaukee during the
time period 1897-1925 and that relative’s name does not appear in these listings, please contact the Milwaukee County Historical
Society.
Surname of bridegrooms appears in parenthesis after bride’s name.
This addendum relates to Italians listed in the Milwaukee Marriage Index: 1897 – 1925, but were not included
in the main corpus of this particular research project.
NOTE: Surname of bridegroom appears in parenthesis after bride’s name.
Name
Married
Alessi, Antonino
Jun-1920
Alessi, Goseppe
Oct-1909
Alessi, Peter
Aug-1910
Alessi, Nick
Oct-1919
Alexandro, George
Apr-1917
Alfredi, Frank
Mar-1923
Altamore, Santina
May-1917
Amadio, Guido
Feb-1924
Ambrogio, Frank
Jun-1925
Ambrojio, Emma (Tomasso)
Dec-1920
Andrenccetti, Joseph
Dec-1906
Andreotti, Tessie (Fuggiti)
May-1924
Andreuccetti, Anita (Del Bianco) Apr-1910
Andreuccetti, Fabby (Sbragia) Dec-1907
Anichini, Arthur
Nov-1907
Anselmino, Margaret (Jianetto) Mar-1918
Aregi, Frank R.
Apr-1919
Armenia, Marianna (Bruno) Apr-1915
Armenio, Mary (Ballato)
Sep-1912
Armigo Leonardo
Sep-1899
Asti, Josephine (Marchi)
Jun-1922
Avanzato, Charles
Apr-1910
Aveni, Domenico
Jul-1915
Babbini, Louise Raggio (Testa) Sep-1918
Baccini, John
Apr-1911
Bacigalupe, Stephen
Aug-1916
Bacigalupe, Anthony
Sep-1911
Bacigalupe, Julia (Law)
Oct-1916
Badini, Caroline (Chiaverotti) Jan-1925
Baglio, Laura (Plumery)
Oct-1909
Balbi, Frank
Jun-1923
Balasteria, Frances (Balasteria) Sep-1909
Balasteria, Gaetano
Sep-1909
Balasterie, Lawrence
Dec-1909
Balastreri, Francisco
Jun-1902
Ballo, Frank
Dec-1920
Baratto, Nicholas
Feb-1908
Barbieri, Francis
Apr-1901
Baroni, Christina (Cappo)
Aug-1916
Basquinelli, George
May-1912
Bellucci, Emma (Brocca)
Jul-1913
Bellucci, Rosa (Feduzzi)
Nov-1912
Berardinuci, Carolina (Fraternali) Oct-1909
Bernardi, Maurice
Jun-1922
Bernasconi, Pasquale
Sep-1919
Bernero, Louisa (Arado)
Oct-1906
Berni, Semira (Celoni)
Jun-1902
Bertani, Henry
Jun-1911
Bianco, Mary A (Simeone)
Sep-1912
Bieri, John
Dec-1924
Bollongino, Mary (Barth)
Jul-1920
Bonavita, Elifania (Piscitello) Oct-1906
Bonci,Gemimano
Oct-1916
Bondi, Phillippi (Truplano)
Dec-1919
Bonni, Bruna (Puccinelli)
Jun-1914
Boscia, Bartolomew
Feb-1916
Brignadello, T. J.
Jun-1897
Buffa, Salvatore
Feb-1919
Bulgarino, Emanuel
Jan-1911
Burgarino, Emanuel
Apr-1906
Burgarino, Felicia (Torretta) Jan-1900
Burgarino, Jennie (Migliaccia) Sep-1917
Buslaccki (Busalacchi), George May-1923
Buslaccki (Busalacchi), Rosa
(Buslaccki)
May-1923
Buzzanco, Mary (Costarella) Feb-1917
Buzzanco, Teodore
Dec-1910
Canconera, Francesca (Gaetano) Jan-1908
Canino, Joseph
Jan-1910
Cannizzaro, Mary (Damato) Dec-1922
Cannizzo, Mario
Apr-1919
Callova, Joe
Nov-1917
Cannata, Florence (Doria)
Sep-1920
Cappo, Joseph
Jul-1897
Carmella, Josie (Sciano)
Oct-1920
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Name
Married
Carmelo, Caputa
Aug-1906
Cauzani, Robert
Dec-1907
Cavaiani, Jennie (Wilke)
Jun-1919
Cavalieri, Benedetto
Aug-1910
Cavolla, Mary (Diciaula)
Aug-1923
Centretto, Vittorio (Nunzio)
Jan-1910
Cicerelli, Sarah (Collura)
Jun-1923
Cicero, Andrew
Oct-1912
Cicero, Concettina (Greco)
Nov-1914
Cirrincione, Carmelo (Lasura) Apr-1913
Chimino, Salvatore
Apr-1905
Chiaraluci, Adele (Brutti)
Oct-1922
Chiaramonte, Nicolo (Amore) Nov-1902
Colangeli, Anthony
Dec-1920
Colavita, Mathew
Dec-1910
Conoscente, Jacob
Jan-1907
Conzaro, Gaetano
Oct-1906
Conzaro, Gaetano
Sep-1907
Copezza, Salvatore
Sep-1914
Coraggio, Diomira (Dalessandris) May-1921
Coraio, Mary (Balesterei)
Aug-1917
Corine, Guiseppe
Nov-1907
Corrieri, Rocco
Sep-1915
Corrago, Calogero
Jul-1899
Corrago, Salvatore
Dec-1899
Cosmano Rose (Clement)
Aug-1913
Costa, Josephine (Kauck)
Apr-1913
Costa, Philip
Apr-1914
Costa, Rosey (Buscaglia)
Apr-1905
Crescimagna, Paula (Callio) Mar-1919
Cucinalla, Pietro
Jun-1919
Dall’Ozzo, John
Aug-1920
DeBella, Joseph
Jan-1921
De Bella, Mary (Colluro)
Dec-1913
DeBona, Andrew
Sep-1919
DeBona, Angela (Norrie)
Jun-1904
DeBona, Edward
Feb-1920
DeBona, Stella (Gestner)
Oct-1905
DeGeorgi, Frank
Jan-1914
Del Bianco, Carlo
Apr-1910
Del Chicca, Alegra (Delgenovese) Jun-1910
Del Conte, Louis
Sep-1906
Delgenovese, Torello
Jun-1910
Dequisto, Steve
Feb-1913
Dequodone, Libera (Capello) Jul-1900
DeSalvo, Cesimo
May-1925
DeSalvo, Frances (Salerno)
Mar-1924
DeSalvo, Frank
Sep-1919
Desandre, Frank
Jun-1919
DeSantis, Louis
Dec-1914
Domato, Joseph
Jun-1915
Domato, Rosoria (Coronia)
Oct-1909
Doncelli, Harriet (Righi)
Jul-1921
Donzelli, Thomas
Dec-1920
Doria, Charles Jr.
Nov-1923
Doria, Sam
Sep-1920
Dovi, Salvatore
May-1925
Dovi, Santo
Nov-1909
Emanuele, Rose (Purpero)
Oct-1920
Enea, Vicenzina (Sciurba)
Feb-1912
Ercole, Luigi
Jun-1921
Faletti, Grace (Lasleck)
Aug-1921
Fellini, Mary (Zanotelli)
Dec-1924
Filippi, Mary (Hauer)
Dec-1908
Filippi, Rose (Walder)
Sep-1922
Fillo, Theresa (Holba)
Feb-1924
Flingelli, Bena (Stelzer)
Feb-1909
Foro, Peter
May-1912
Fortino, Liboria (Giordina)
Oct-1925
Franceschette, Louis
Aug-1923
Franceschi, Carolina (Piacentino) Jul-1912
Franceschina, Caterina (Leonarduzzi) Jul-1923
Francesco, Pileggi
Sep-1913
Franceschi, John
Apr-1921
Franchino, Samuel
Jan-1922
Name
Married
Franchino, Theresa (Catrini) Sep-1925
Franco, Guiseppe
Oct-1916
Franco, Joseph
Oct-1914
Francolina, Nicolina (Leone) Dec-1910
Francolino, Nicolina (Togneri) Oct-1914
Francaidia, Felici
Dec-1898
Francinlia, Stefano
Jul-1917
Fricano, Isado
Jul-1920
Fricano, Isadoro
Nov-1912
Fricano, Nunzio
Apr-1919
Frititto, Nancy (Sorce)
Nov-1925
Frinzi, Joseph
Oct-1920
Fucili, Enrico
Apr-1918
Fucili, Ericol
Sep-1913
Fucili, Nazzareno
Aug-1910
Fugarino, Joseph
Sep-1920
Fuggiti, Ray
May-1924
Fumai (Funai), Angela (Paccagnella) Jun-1921
Fumai, Francesca (Pellegrino) Jun-1921
Fumaio, Rachael (Loquercio) May-1924
Funai, Amelia (Lucchini)
Feb-1906
Funai, Rociel (Doepke)
May-1923
Fusso, John
Jun-1921
Fusso, Joseph
Jan-1922
Fusso, Steve
Nov-1919
Galineti, Constanso
Aug-1920
Gallino, Anglia (Shono)
Jun-1906
Galluzzo, Antonio
Oct-1910
Gayliano, William
Nov-1914
Gebbia, Rosario
May-1920
Gentile, August
Mar-1913
Gentile, Engi (Dimmaggio)
Jan-1916
Gentile, Giuseppe
Oct-1900
Gentile, Maria (Gaglione)
Nov-1901
Gentile, Matteo
Oct-1905
Gentile, Nunziata (Machi)
May-1903
Gentilli, Joseph
May-1917
Gentilli, Mary (D’Amico)
Oct-1923
Gervasi, Giacomo
Nov-1917
Gigante, Antonia (Geraci)
Feb-1913
Gigante, Joseph
Aug-1910
Gigante, Serafina (Alioto)
Aug-1920
Gigante, Serafina (Ciauri)
Mar-1923
Gifre, Fancesco
Dec-1901
Gindusa, Rosalia (Capra)
Feb-1904
Glaettli, Anna (Pastillo)
Dec-1911
Gramona, Catterina (Tomassini) Oct-1915
Grasso, Nunzia (Padovano)
Jul-1917
Grippa, Guiseppe
Sep-1907
Grippo, Salvatore
Nov-1912
Guaci, Nunctia (Natoli)
Dec-1910
Guardalabene G. B.
Sep-1907
Guardalabene, Josephine (Bellant) Aug-1906
Guerino, Francesco
Apr-1906
Guglielmino, Joe
May-1917
Guidotti, Rhea (Olsen)
Jul-1912
Guiliani, Rose (Graff)
May-1925
Guilioni, Christina (Pedrotti Jr.) Dec-1924
Guzzetta, Josephine (Kretlow Jr.) Jul-1924
Gazzano, Carmello
Nov-1920
Iadermaro, Victoria (Mastropito) Apr-1912
Iannelli, Michael
Aug-1923
Ignazzitto, Rocco
Jun-1922
Ignina, Edward
May-1918
Ingelli, Ernest
Mar-1916
Ingrilli, Rosaria (Giuffre)
May-1925
Iraci, Peter
May-1924
Iraci, Viola (Romano)
Mar-1924
Italiano, Josephine (Crise)
Aug-1923
Iversetti, Fred
Mar-1913
Jacapetti, Frederico
Oct-1914
Jaccobucci, Mary (Roux)
Mar-1898
Jacomini, Sabatino
Jan-1905
Jamio, Rose (Valenti)
Jul-1913
To be continued in our next issue.
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 29
LA PAGINA ITALIANA
Nazionale di calcio dell’Italia
a cura di Enrica Tarantino-Woytal
In virtù di un 2-1 conquistare
Repubblica Ceca a settembre 10,
l’Italia ha qualificato per la Coppa
del Mondo nel 2014. La squadra
nazionale Italiana, soprannominato
Azzurri per un’inconfondibile
uniforme blu, sarà a capo per il
Brasiliano la prossima estate alle
ricerca della loro quinta titoli
mondiali contro altri 31 paesi.
Oltre che in Italia, le squadre
che rappresentano gli altri nove
paesi già qualificato per la Coppa
del Mondo. Queste squadre
rappresentano
l’Argentina,
Australia, Brasile, Costa Rica, Iran,
Giappone, Paesi Bassi, Corea del
Sud e Stati Uniti.
Il team Italiano è attualmente
classificato quarto nella classifica
FIFA dietro Spagna, Argentina e
Germania.
La Nazionale di calcio dell’Italia
è la selezione maggiore maschile di
calcio della Federazione Italiana
Giuoco Calcio, il cui nome ufficiale
è Nazionale A, che rappresenta
l’Italia nelle varie competizioni
Francobollo per riapertura La Fenice
Raffigura l’interno del teatro
andato in fumo nel 2003
Il Ministero dello Sviluppo
Economico
ha
autorizzato
l’emissione, per 9 novembre di un
francobollo ordinario appartenente
alla serie tematica “il Patrimonio
artistico e culturale italiano”
dedicato al Teatro “La Fenice” di
Venezia, nel decimo anniversario
della riapertura, nel valore di 0,70
euro. La vignetta raffigura l’interno
del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia,
distrutto completamente da un
incendio
nel
1996
e
successivamente riedificato e
riaperto il 14 dicembre 2003.
Morandi, arriva il nuovo singolo
Scritto da Pacifico “Bisogna vivere”,
stesso titolo ultimo album
Da domani sarà in rotazione
radiofonica il nuovo singolo di
Gianni Morandi “Bisogna vivere”,
stesso titolo dell’ultimo album di
inediti del cantante (Sony Music)
che fin dalla sua uscita, l’1 ottobre,
è entrato ai primi posti della
classifica Fimi. Scritto da Pacifico,
che in questa occasione ha affidato
a Morandi un pezzo diverso dal
precedente “Stringimi le mani”, il
brano è, nelle parole e nella
melodia ritmica, un invito a
fronteggiare le difficoltà della vita.
D’Alessio, nuovo singolo in radio
“Notti di Lune storte” precede
uscita dell’album “Ora”
“Notti di Lune storte”, nuovo
singolo di Gigi D’Alessio che
precede l’uscita dell’album “Ora”,
atteso il 19 novembre, da domani
sarà in rotazione radiofonica e
disponibile su tutte le piattaforme
digitali. Notti di Lune storte (Sony
Music) racconta le difficoltà e le
cadute del percorso di vita di un
uomo. Tante porte chiuse in faccia
e tante notti di lune storte, ma per
ogni battuta d’arresto occorre
trovare il coraggio di rialzarsi e
proseguire il proprio cammino di
vita.
Nessun problema per aeroporto,
settori aerei aperti
era stata registrata anche ieri
dall’Istituto nazionale di geofisica e
vulcanologia di Catania, che
monitora il vulcano. Nessun
problema per l’aeroporto, i cui
settori aerei sono rimasti aperti.
In Sicilia 10 ristoranti ‘stellati’
L’elenco dei locali premiati
dalla Guida Michelin
Sono dieci i ristoranti siciliani
che sono stati premiati con le
prestigiose ‘’stelle’’ assegnate dalla
guida Michelin 2014. Quattro
ristoranti hanno ottenuto le due
stelle: la Locanda di Don Serafino,
a Ragusa Ibla, La Madia di Licata
(Agrigento), Principe Cerami a
PAGINA 30 – DICEMBRE 2013
Nella graduatoria FIFA in
vigore da agosto 1993 ha occupato
più volte il 1º posto, la prima volta
a novembre dello stesso anno,
mentre il peggior posizionamento è
stato il 16º posto raggiunto a
ottobre 2010. Al momento occupa il
4º posto della graduatoria.
ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
MILWAUKEE’S ITALIANS:
THE EARLY YEARS
by Mario A. Carini, Italian Community Center Historian
Cover Price: $12.95
ON SALE NOW FOR $9.95
ALL PROCEEDS FROM BOOK SALES
GO TO THE ICC BUILDING FUND.
ICC Historian Mario A. Carini’s labor of love traces the history of Milwaukee’s
Italian community from the mid 1800s to 1925. Resulting from a lifetime of
research by Carini, Milwaukee’s Italians: The Early Years is a 143-page illustrated
paperbook book. The Italian Community Center is the publisher.
MILWAUKEE’S ITALIANS: THE EARLY YEARS ORDER FORM
Your Name: ________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _____________________________________________________
Etna: ancora esplosioni e cenere
Una nuova serie di esplosioni
accompagnata da una “discontinua
e impulsiva” emissione di cenere,
dispersa subito dal vento, ha
interessato il nuovo cratere di SudEst dell’Etna. Una analoga attività
ufficiali o amichevoli riservate a
squadre nazionali.
È una delle Nazionali di calcio
più titolate del mondo: annovera
nel suo palmarès quattro
campionati mondiali (1934, 1938,
1982 e 2006, record europeo e
seconda al mondo dopo il Brasile)
ed un campionato europeo (1968). È
inoltre una delle cinque nazionali
maggiori (assieme a quelle di
Belgio, Svezia, Uruguay e Regno
Unito) a potersi fregiare del titolo
di
“olimpionica”,
essendosi
aggiudicata il torneo a cinque
cerchi del 1936 (uno dei sette
riservati alle nazionali maggiori e
disputati dal 1908 al 1948), mentre
nella Confederations Cup, ultimo
trofeo internazionale riconosciuto
dalla FIFA, vanta un terzo posto
come miglior risultato, nel 2013.
In bacheca, infine, annovera
anche due Coppe Internazionali,
competizione
continentale
antesignana
dell’attuale
campionato d’Europa. Al mondiale
è arrivata tra le prime quattro
classificate in otto edizioni (sei le
finali) e cinque volte all’europeo
(tre le finali); dopo la Germania, è
la Nazionale europea con il maggior
numero di piazzamenti nei primi
quattro
posti
nelle
due
competizioni.
Taormina e il Duomo di Ragusa
Ibla. Sei i locali premiati con una
stella: Coria a Caltagirone
(Catania), Bellevue e La Capinera
a Taormina (Messina), il Bye Bye
Blues a Palermo, La Gazza Ladra a
Modica e La Fenice a Ragusa.
Phone: __________________ Email: ____________________________________
Number of copies of book ordered: ___________________________________
x $
Subtotal A:
$9.95 per book
$
Shipping & Handling*
($3.00 for one book, $2.00 each additional book): $
*You can save the shipping and handling cost by
picking up your order at the Italian Community Center.
Subtotal B:
$
Sales tax (Wisconsin residents only, 5.6%): x $
Subtotal C (enter sales tax figure):
0.056
$
Enter Subtotal B figure & add with sales tax figure: + $
Grand total:
$
If you’re paying by check: Make your check payable to the Italian Community
Center.
If this purchase is being made with a charge card, please complete the following:
Type of Charge Card: _______________________________________________
Charge Card No.: ___________________________________________________
Expiration Date: ___________________________________________________
Send this form to: Italian Community Center, c/o Milwaukee’s Italians book, 631
E. Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.
THE ITALIAN TIMES
What you can learn about your family
By George Koleas
I attended the Sicilian Family
Reunion on Sept. 27 at the Italian
Community Center, organized by
one of our members, Michael
Aliota, with the help of Antonina
“Nina” Crivello Gusho and Virginia
Alioto Bonini. It was wonderful to
meet people whose families came
from Sicily. The event was special
because many of the people in
attendance are also part of my
extended Alioto family.
People came for various reasons.
I came to honor the memories of my
Alioto and Costa families from my
mother’s side of my family. My
Alioto family was from Santa
Flavia and Sant’ Elia, Palermo
Province. My Costa family was
from Palazzo Adriano, Palermo
Province and Lucca Sicula,
Agrigento Province.
Why research your family history? There is an American Indian
Tuscarora Tribe saying, which
states “They are not dead who live
in the hearts they leave behind.”
What can you learn after so many
years have passed and your relatives are no longer with you? This
is what I was able to learn studying
history, verifying family stories,
and finding records.
My Nonna, Concetta Alioto, was
the daughter of Francesco Alioto
and Maria Aiello. With her parents,
her brother Anthony and her two
sisters Nunziatta and Antonina,
she lived at Via Montalbo 14A in
Palermo, Palermo Province, Sicily.
Francesco Alioto was born in
Santa Flavia. His father, Giuseppe,
was born in Sant’ Elia. Francesco
had been a seaman in the Italian
Merchant Marine. During one of
his travels, he visited Milwaukee.
He liked Milwaukee and decided to
make it his home. He entered the
country on Sept. 20, 1900, in the
Port of New York. Francesco sent
the correct fare to bring his wife
and all of the children at one time.
An eye infection prevented my
Nonna, Concetta, from making the
trip. The family knew that an
immigrant with an eye infection
would not pass the Ellis Island eye
and medical examination. Her
mother, Maria Aiello Alioto, and
her brother, Anthony, made the
voyage to New York. Concetta and
Nunziatta were left behind in the
care of their older sister, Antonina.
Concetta was issued an Italian
passport on August 19, 1911.
Concetta and Nunziatta left
Palermo on Aug. 25, 1911 aboard
the Italian steamer S.S. Mendoza
with an adult Italian, Caterina
Puleo.
S.S. Mendoza passed the Statue of
Liberty on its way to an anchoring
point on Sept. 9, 1911. A barge
would have taken Concetta and
Nunziatta from their anchored ship
to Ellis Island however the children
became separated from Caterina
Puleo.
A paper with information from
the ship’s registry was pinned on
Concetta’s and Nunziatta’s clothing. They stood in long lines of
adults for the eye and medical
examination. After their eye and
medical examinations, Concetta
and Nunziatta would have been
questioned in the legal admission
process. Because they were separated from Caterina Puleo, they
were considered traveling alone,
therefore Concetta and Nunziatta
were held for Special Inquiry in a
small detention cell.
A Board of Special Inquiry was
held the same day to determine the
children’s risk of becoming a
“Public Charge.” A vote was taken
and the children were admitted and
released at 10:10 a.m.. An Ellis
Island staff member purchased
tickets for them to travel by train
to Milwaukee. Concetta and
Nunziatta would have been taken
to the barge to New Jersey to the
railroad station and put in the care
of a conductor. The conductor
would have put Concetta and
Nunziatta on the train and pinned
a note on their clothing with their
final destination. Alone on the
train, the children would have their
hopes raised at each stop, straining
to see their father or mother, only
to be disappointed.
As the train finally arrived in
Milwaukee, the children pressed
their faces to the window.
Suddenly, they saw their father,
Francesco, standing on the platform, smiling and waving. They
were waving, jumping up and down
with excitement in their seats,
pounding on the windows and calling out, half-laughing , half-crying
“Papa!, Papa!”. They were reunited
with their father and he took them
to their new home at 149 Detroit
Street.
My Nonna is not gone. She lives
in my heart and in the family history that I will pass on to my children
and grandchildren, through which
she will continue to be remembered.
You can learn how to do what I
have done and how to preserve the
memories of your family. Our members are people just like you who
are working on their own family
histories. Some have just started,
while others are very experienced.
We learn from one another and we
will share our experience with you.
You are welcome to attend the next
meeting of Pursuing Our Italian
ICC Historian Carini wants
your high school yearbooks
and other memorabilia
Don’t throw away your old
high school yearbooks or other
memorabilia. If you attended a
high school in Milwaukee County
or surrounding counties, Italian
Community Center Historian
Mario A. Carini is interested in
using the yearbooks and other
high school memorabilia for furthering his research on local
Italian Americans.
Carini will deposit the yearbooks and memorabilia at the
THE ITALIAN TIMES
Milwaukee County Historical
Society after he completes his
research.
“These can be yearbooks and
memorabilia from public, Catholic
or private high schools,” he said.
Yearbooks and memorabilia
can be dropped off at the reception desk in the main office of the
ICC. Please include a note with
your name and phone number so
Carini knows who made the donation.
Names Together, Chapter 22, the
Italian Family History Club, on
Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Italian
Community Center, 631 E. Chicago
St., Milwaukee, starting at 10:30
a.m. and concluding at noon. You
are welcome to attend any of our
other meetings in 2014 on Apr. 26,
Sept. 20 and Nov. 8.
Please feel free to bring guests.
We welcome anyone with an interest in Italian family history
If you have any questions or
need additional information, please
feel free to contact me, George
Koleas
by
e-mail
at
GeorgeJK676@wi.rr.com or by calling 262/251-7216 after 7 p.m.
Immigrant and
refugee stories sought
for oral history study
Immigrant and refugee stories
are important parts of Milwaukee
history. Marquette University
and the International Institute of
Wisconsin are looking for immigrants and refugees to participate
in oral history interviews with
undergraduate students during
late November.
Cultures around the world
have long used oral histories to
pass on knowledge from one generation to the next. Oral histories
provide insight and deeper understanding of everyday life.
These interviews can take
place at a time and location decided upon by the participant and
students.
Interviews can take place during the Holiday Folk Fair
International, Friday, Nov. 22
through Sunday, Nov. 24 at the
Wisconsin Exposition Center at
State Fair Park in West Allis. A
free fair admission ticket is
offered to each participant.
Interviews will be recorded
confidentially via an audio
recorder. Names will not be used.
The questions that are asked
will be related to: pre-migration
(questions about homeland),
immigration journey, family, language, culture, life in the United
States, school, religion, gender,
work and health. Here’s a sample
of questions that might be asked:
In what country were you born?
What do you remember most
about this place? Why did you
come to the U.S.? What did you
hear about life in America prior to
arriving here? Can you tell me
what you remember about leaving
your home and coming to the
U.S.? What are the main differences between here and from
where you came? What are some
of the biggest changes you’ve had
to make? What from your culture
do you wish to pass on to your
children?
Persons interested in participating in this oral history study
are asked to contact Claire
Reuning by calling 414/225-6220
or
emailing
creuning@iiwisconsin.org.
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE
ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTERʼS
COOKBOOK, “LIBRO DELLE RICETTE,”
VOLUME 2.
Looking for some delicious, home-tested recipes? Youʼll find
them in this cookbook. Use this form to order the book. The
cost is $12. Volume 1 is now out of print.
ITALIAN COMMUNITY CENTER COOKBOOK
ORDER FORM
Your Name _________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip _______________________________________________
Phone ____________________ E-mail ___________________________
Number of copies of Volume 2 ____ @ $12 each
(Note: Price includes sales tax)
= $___________
Shipping & Handling* ($3.00 for one book;
$2.00 each additional book)
$ ___________
Grand Total
$___________
*You can save the shipping and handling cost by picking up your
order at the Italian Community Center, Monday through Friday from
8 a.m to 5 p.m.
If youʼre paying by check: Make your check payable to the Italian
Community Center. If you are paying with a charge card, please complete
the following.
Type of Charge Card: _________________________________________
Charge Card No.: ____________________________________________
Expiration Date: ______________________________________________
Send this form to: Italian Community Center, c/o Cookbook, 631 E.
Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202-5916.
DECEMBER 2013 – PAGE 31
Amici’s rolls to ICC’s fall bocce
championship in grand fashion
After dispensing with two earlier opponents, Amici’s, the first
place finisher from the Monday
night league, steamrolled past the
Happy Rollers, 12-0, to win the
Italian Community Center’s fall
bocce championship on Nov. 11.
squad opened with a 12-9 win over
Trizzano, the second place wildcard
from the Wednesday night league,
then defeated It’s All Good, the second place wildcard from the
Monday night league by a 12-7
score.
This marked the first time in 32year history of ICC’s championship
playoffs that a team won the title
match without allowing the opponent to score a single point.
The Happy Rollers, the first
place team from the Tuesday afternoon seniors’ league, advanced to
the title match against Amici’s by
notching earlier victories over
Paesani, the second place wildcard
from the Thursday afternoon
seniors’ league (12-9 score) and
Como Si Chiama, Thursday afternoon’s first place finisher (12-6).
It’s All Good won its opening
round match, 12-6, over Club
Garibaldi, the first place finisher in
the Wednesday night league.
Como Si Chiama defeated Felice
Amici, 12-8, in its opening match.
Felice Amici was the second place
wildcard from the Tuesday afternoon seniors’ league.
The players on Amici’s are:
Frank Cannestra, Rich Cannestra,
Rich Beri and Mike Lange. Each
player received a $15 Cafe La Scala
gift certificate. Cafe La Scala is the
ICC’s public restaurant.
The players on the Happy
Rollers team were given $5 restaurant certificates.
Amici’s seemed to gain more
momentum with each game it
played in the tournament. The
Winter bocce
season to
start week of
Jan. 6
Since it’s too cold, wet, and
snowy to play bocce outdoors in
Wisconsin in the winter time,
why not play the Italian lawn
bowling indoors at the Italian
Community Center? Winter
leagues are now forming.
The winter bocce season gets
under way the week of Jan. 6.
Teams in the senior citizen
leagues play on Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons. Teams in
the mixed couples’ leagues compete on Monday, Wednesday and
Thursday nights. Teams in each
league play once a week.
The regular season lasts
eight weeks.
If you’re interested in registering a team to play in a winter
league, here are a few things
you need to know. There are two
sets of registration fees – one for
those who are not members of
the ICC and one for those who
are ICC members. The nonmember registration fee is $40
per person per league season. A
discounted registration fee of
$30 per person per league season is offered to an ICC member.
Each team must consist of at
least four players, with one player designated as the team captain. Each league is interested
in having eight teams.
Team registration forms are
available from the league coordinators: Dan Conley (Monday
night), Anthony Gazzana
(Tuesday afternoon), Tony
Tarantino (Wednesday night),
Anna Pitzo (Thursday afternoon) and David Alioto
(Thursday night). The forms
also can be obtained by calling
Constance Jones at 414/2232808.
The championship playoffs,
featuring each league winner
and four teams with the next
best record, will be played the
night of Monday, Mar. 10. Prizes
will be awarded to the championship team and the runner-up
in the tournament.
PAGE 32 – DECEMBER 2013
Here are the fall 2013 bocce tournament champions: Frank Cannestra,
Rich Cannestra, Rich Beri and Mike Lange from Amici’s, the first place
team from the Monday night league. (Times photo by Jim Schultz)
Your
Special
Occasion
Deserves
Our
Special
Attention.
Whether you're planning significant family functions -- reunions, christenings,
quinceañera, bridal or baby showers, or you're faced with organizing a last-minute event,
such as a funeral luncheon . . .
Or you want the perfect setting for a wedding reception or engagement or wedding
rehearsal dinner, or your company is looking for an ideal location for a business or social
gathering . . .
the Italian Conference Center is your answer.
Our Catering Director will work closely with you to make sure that every detail that goes
into a successful event is planned. And the food at the ICC! Ah, the food. Your guests will
shower you with compliments after they've eaten the delicious meals prepared by our outstanding chefs and served by our friendly and efficient wait staff.
Everything you need for a successful event is ready and waiting at the Italian Conference
Center. For assistance in scheduling and planning your event, call David or Michelle at . . .
414-223-2800 or visit: www.ItalianConference.com
In the Italian Community Center
631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee
Free parking • Handicapped accessible
Minutes from downtown and freeway access
in the Historic Third Ward
THE ITALIAN TIMES