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State Trustees

Grand Lodge Office!ileen Sta*is, Office Manager

Carol DiTrapani, !8ecuti*e Assistant2101-03 BellAore A*enue, BellAore, NCYC 11710-5G05

TelC 51G-7H5-IG23 1-H00-322-OSIA Fa8 51G-221-OSIA LG7I2MwwwCnysosiaCorg P nysosiaQaolCcoA

State Past Presidents

State AppointeesRev. R. Adam Forno ...................................................... NYS ChaplainEleanor Jobbagy............................................... New York State DeputyLouis Gallo ........................................... New York State CSJ ChairAanJoseph Sciame and Luigi Squillante ......... NY State UMM Co-Chairs

Joseph F. Rondinelli............................................... State President225 Massachusetts A*enue, MassapeXua, NY 1175HHoAe TelZ 51G 7[[-00II Cell TelZ 51G G5[-II0I Fa8 NoC 51G 221-G7I2 !AailZ osia\frQaolCcoA

Carolyn Reres........................................... State 1st ]ice PresidentRobert Ferrito.......................................... State 2nd ]ice PresidentThom Lupo................................... State IAAediate Past PresidentAnthony Naccarato............................................... State OratorMichele Ment........................................ State Recording SecretaryBiagio Isgro, Jr........................................ State Financial SecretaryJames Spatafore............................ State Corresponding Secretary

2712 SAith Dri*e, !ndwell, NY 137G0John A. Fratta........................................................ State TreasurerAngela DeCosimo....................................... State Principal Trustee

The Golden Lion is the official publicationof the New York State Order Sons of Italy inAAerica LNYS OSIAM Urand `odge, thelargest and longest established organiaationrepresenting New Yorkbs woAen and Aen ofItalian heritageC The Golden Lion stri*es topro*ide tiAely inforAation about NYS OSIA,while reporting indi*iduals, institutions,issues and e*ents of current or historical sig-nificance in the New York Italian-AAericancoAAunityC

The Golden Lion is published 5 tiAes year-lyZ LJan-Feb-Mar, Apr-May-June, Jul-Aug,Sep-Oct, and No*-DecM by NYS OSIA, 2101Bellmore Avenue. Bellmore, NY 11710,51P-785-4P23. Mailed at periodicals postagerates at BellAore and at additional Aailingoffices under cSPS perAit d017-2IHC e 1[[7NYS OSIAC All rights reser*edC Reproduction by any Aethod without perAis-sion of the editor is prohibitedC StateAents offact and opinion are the responsibility of theauthors and do not necessarily iAply an opin-ion on the part of the officers, eAployees andAeAbers of NYS OSIAC The Golden Lionaccepts Xueries, unsolicited Aanuscripts,news releases, re*iews, and coAAents, butdoes not assuAe any responsibility for unso-licited AaterialsC `etters to the editor Austinclude the naAe, address, and daytiAe tele-phone nuAber of the author to be consideredfor publicationCAnnual subscriptions are included in the duesfor NYS OSIAC

POSTMASTERU Send address changes toThe Golden Lion, 2101 Bellmore Avenue.Bellmore, NY 11710. NYS OSIA AeAber-ship inforAation is a*ailable at 800-322-OSIA. Archi*es are Aaintained at theIAAigration History Research Center,cni*ersity of MinnesotaC Printing by RichnerCoAAunications, IncC, Uarden City, NYC

Anthony JC UulottafCrescenao Pitocchif

Stefano MielefCorrado StornellofSal*atore CotillofJohn JC FreschifStefano Mielef

Frank CatinellafAndrew JC MalatestafFrancis gC Uiacconef

cbaldo NC MarinofAAedeo HC ]olpef

CarAine AC ]entierafPeter AC Bre*ettf

Sal*atore HC MigliacciofUeorge MontopolifPC ]incent `andifJoseph Bolognaf

Joseph !C Fay

Peter RC huaoloJoseph AC MonteAaranof

Nicholas UC ]igliettaJoseph Parillo, JrCf

Joseph SciaAeJoseph CangeAi

Joseph JC DiTrapaniCarlo Matteucci

Nancy DiFiore iuinnSal*atore `anailotta

New York State Grand Council

New York State Member Bene Emeritus

Susan Alicea Anthony Corsello

Anthony DiCostanaa Uina Ferrara

`ouis Uallo]alerie UobboPatrick Iandoli

Cesare Maniccia`ouis Maaaacone

John MC RubboToni Spinelli

Joseph ]allonejeith kilson

2 X The Golden Lion X September-October 2013

The %olden *ionOfficial Publication

of N.Y. Grand LodgeOrder Sons of Italy

in AmericaPublished Bi-Monthly

EditorSal Moschella

Co-EditorMar\orie Moschella

Nancy DiFiore iuinn

Advertising ManagerAnita Rosato

Contributing WritersMike Cutillo

DrC Ciro TC De RosaProfC Philip JC DiNo*o

Florence UattoDrC Joseph AC Tursi

Past EditorsFrank Rossi

Uuido ]itiello L!AeritusMJoseph Maglioto

Frank RossiFrank MalerbaPeter RC huaolo

August AC Di Renao

State PhotographerNatale Mannino

Are You Changing Your AddressZPlease Notify The %olden *ion

This will assure that you will recei*e your copy of the G"#$%&'(i"&on tiAe at your new address, and the NY Urand `odge will sa*e the75 cents charged by the cnited States Postal Ser*ice for eachreturned newspaperC

Please notify us of a change of address as soon as possibleC

Print all reXuested inforAation, otherwise changes cannot beprocessedC

NaAe [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[`ast First MI

`odge d [[[[[[[[

Old Address lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

City lllllllllllllllllllllllll State lllll hIP llllllllll

New Address lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

City lllllllllllllllllllllllll State lllll hIP llllllllll

MAI` TOZ New York State OSIA Urand `odgeAttentionZ Uolden `ion

2101 BellAore A*enue, BellAore, NY 11710-5G05

CarAine Cocchiola fUiuseppe AC Nigro fConstantine Fascia fUregorio Morabito f

`illian Black fPhilip IannuccilliFrank Picaraaai

Maria Dell’cnto fUiacoAo DiNola f

Andrew Torregrossa, SrCfRe*C Julius ]alentinellif

Joseph UC Bologna f!C Howard Molisani fThoAas FC RosoliofPC ]incent `andi f

Anne FiorefHonC Angelo DC Roncallof

AAelia BC Magnotta fFC Joseph `eone fArthur `C Pardi fJohn Musicaro f!dward Innella

HonC Josephine UaAbinofHonC DoAinic RC Massaro

Peter RC huaolo`ouis `C UiaAbrafJoseph Parillo, JrC f

Nicholas UC ]igliettaSal*atore Marasaf!Aanuel JC Aragosa

Frank D’AndreafJoseph !C FayJoseph SciaAe

Re*C Donald BC `icataf`ucy FC Codella`ouis AAbrosioJohn DabbenefDan Colantone

Joseph CangeAiJoseph JC DiTrapani

Carlo MatteucciNancy DiFiore iuinnSal*atore `anailottaAntonette Innellaf

Syl*ia SuAAaJoseph MonteAaranof

National Officers\AppointeesNancy DiFiore Quinn........................................National Fifth ]ice PresidentJoseph J. DiTrapani.................................National IAAediate Past PresidentThom A. Lupo....................................................National Financial SecretaryCarlo Matteucci.....................................................................National TrusteeNicholas Mauro.....................................................................National TrusteePeter R. ^uzolo..........................................,................National Past PresidentJoseph Sciame.............................................................National Past PresidentJoseph J. DiTrapani..................National Sons of Italy Foundation PresidentSalvatore Lanzilotta...........................................National Foundation TrusteeBruce Lankewish................................................National Foundation TrusteeMarianne Principe O’Neil.................................National Foundation TrusteeCarmine Federico..........................National Arbitration CoAAissioner ChairSalvatore Lanzilotta................................National Arbitration CoAAissionerJoseph F. Rondinelli..................................SupreAe Cabinet Co-ChairpersonRev. R. Adam Forno...........................................................National ChaplainJoan Rondinelli................................................Cooley’s AneAia ChairpersonDominic Massaro.........................................National CSJ President !Aeritus

Ci+,u#at%$'0'ti1%s'3%+'4%a+'a1"&5t6%' 78' 9SI<' =%1>%+s6i3' ?it6' a@a1i#4' +%a$%+s6i3' "@' "A%+' BCDCCCt6+"u56"ut't6%'7%?'8"+E'Stat%'<+%aF

New York State Hall of FameDrC ]incenao SellarofFrancis Meaaatesta, !sXCf

DrC ]incent BuffafStefano Miele, f

Peter RC huaoloJoseph SciaAe

fDeceased

D e a d l i n efor the

Next Golden Lion Issue isNovember 7, 2013

All articles for publication must be typed and double spaced.All photograph captions must be typed and all persons identified.

If possible submit all photographs in black c white for better reproduction.Digital photos should taken in the highest quality setting possible of camera,

a minimum of 300 pixels per square inch (psi) is desirable.All articles and captions must be received before the deadline date.

Please Note - Photographs are NOT returned, unless a self-addressedenvelope is provided. (Sufficiently large for photo size submitted).

The Editor reserves the right to edit articles, letters, advertisements, andother material submitted for publication, for its length, clarity, accuracy,

and for conformity to the ideals of the Order.

!

Pardon Our Appearance4e are presently in the process of bringing the%olden *ion to a ;ore up-to-date publication=

In the co;ing ;onths will be changing thefor;at to reflect our goal=

Thank you for your support and understandingA

My Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Without any real warning, fall hasofficially arrived and the summerof 2013 is behind us. Looking

back over June, July and August, thedays of this particular summer wereanything but Guiet. As you will remem-ber, soon after our Annual StateConvention in June, we celebrated our10Jth Anniversary at the founding sitein Little Italy in New York City. Howproud I was to represent you as StatePresident on this very special day.When I last wrote, we were still enjoy-ing the aftermath of our 10Qth StateConvention. Since that time – we havebeen extremely busy and have kept theOrder on the move. Additional commit-tee meetings in July and August keptmany of our State Officers and chairper-sons extremely busy and productive.Many of us joined together at summerconcerts, feasts, festivals and so muchmore. We were overwhelmed by thefraternalism shown to us as we visitedso many brothers and sisters around ourgreat state.

The July 20th Plenary Session hostedby the Per Sempre Lodge V2344 and PerSempre Ladies Lodge V2344A ofLynbrook, was a wonderful day filledwith a full agenda of items setting thepace for this administration. The ses-sion was a huge success thanks to thewarm and generous hospitality extendedby Presidents Bobby Chiarovano andElaine D’Arrigo Mendez and the broth-ers and sisters of my home lodge. Thenext Plenary will be held on October2[th hosted by the GabrieleD’Annunzio Lodge V321 inSchenectady. I invite you to take partwith the Grand Council and variousState Commissioners and Chairs for aninformative insight as to the workings ofthe Order.

I am pleased to report the Delegatesyou elected to represent our GrandLodge at the ]3rd OSIA NationalBiennial Convention in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, served with great distinc-tion – and we were delighted to return

with the following newly electedNational Officers: National ]th VicePresident Nancy DiFiore `uinnaNational Financial Secretary ThomLupoa National Trustee CarloMatteuccia National Trustee NicholasMauroa National Foundation TrusteeSalvatore Lanzilottaa NationalFoundation Trustee Marianne PrincipeO’Neila National Foundation TrusteeBruce Lankewisha National ArbitrationCommissioner Carmine Federico belect-ed chairman of the committeec andNational Arbitration CommissionerSalvatore Lanzilotta. Immediate PastNational President Joseph DiTrapaniwas also elected as the new President ofthe Sons of Italy Foundation bSIFc.Newly elected National PresidentAnthony Baratta also re-appointed Fr.Adam Forno to serve as NationalChaplain of the Supreme Lodge OSIA.In addition, it was an honor for me to beappointed by National President Barattato Co-Chair the Supreme LodgePresident’s Cabinet. I am looking for-ward to working with and exchangingideas with the state presidents across thecountry. I am also delighted to reportthat State First Lady Joan Rondinelli hasbeen appointed as the National OSIACooley's Anemia Chairperson. Withconfidence and a willingness to servethis important charitable endeavor, FirstLady Joan is thrilled to accept this newchallenge.

Through the tireless work and incred-ible generosity of the membership in thelocal lodges throughout New YorkOSIA the following donations were pre-sented: $Q0,000 to Cooley’s Anemia,$30,000 to the Alzheimer’s Foundation,and $40,000 to the Doug Flutie Jr.Foundation for Autism. A heartwarmingstanding ovation from the national dele-gation for New York’s display of enor-mous charitable giving was given andmost appreciated.

On July 30th, the New York OSIAGift of Sight Committee held anotherdelightful Helen geller Day CampOuting. Special thanks to Gift of SightChairperson Marianne Principe O’Neiland the entire committee for giving somuch of their personal time to this awe-some event. This was another specialday for the New York Grand Lodge.

On August 22-2]th, I traveled withState Immediate Past President ThomLupo and State Orator Tony Naccaratoto visit with our brothers and sisters atthe: Duca Degli Abruzzi LodgeaDaughters of Columbus LodgeaBinghamton Lodgea Stella D'ArgentoLodgea Progresso Lodgea and theGeneva Men and Ladies Lodge. We soenjoyed spending time visiting withseven lodges in three days in the upstateregion. It was a wonderful weekendfilled with great brotherhood and sister-hood. The reception we received wasshort of amazing and please be assured -we will return!

Saturday evening, September 21st wejoined with the Autism Committee at the

2nd “Casino Royale” to benefit theDoug Flutie Jr. Autism Foundation. Aspecial thank you to Rae Lanzilotta,Barbara Lupo and the committee forcoordinating such an outstanding andenjoyable evening. We applaud yourdedication to this most noteworthy char-ity!

As we move into the fall season, ouractivities and a long list of events beginsto broaden. The month of October, asyou know, is designated as ItalianHeritage and Culture Month. Manyevents are being planned and I urge allmy brothers and sisters to participatetogether as we promote our rich cultureand ethnic pride. As the year’s activitiesunfold you will hear and learn moreabout our upcoming projects and events.Despite all that there is to do, our com-mittee chairpersons are doing more andmore. To do it all, we, and I especially,need each of you. Please feel the enthu-siasm that many of our brothers and sis-ters have and ask about a committee,support an event, purchase a new “2014New York OSIA Calendar,” bring in anew member, and get on board to makeNYSOSIA the best that we can be.

Enjoy Columbus Day 2013 and beever so proud that we are Italian, ItalianAmericans – the beneficiaries of a mostremarkable heritage. Perhaps you willmarch in one of the scheduledColumbus Day Parades either in:Huntington, Long Island bOctober13thca Rockland Countya bOctober13thca or the legendary NYC Columbus

Day Parade bOctober 14thc.

Come and jon us at the Grand LodgeGolf Outing for a great day of fraternityand fun on October 21st. Cclebrate theGift of Sight Annual Luncheon onNovember ktha as well as the 2]thAnnual Fundraiser sponsored by theGaribaldi Meucci Museum on Saturday,November 1[th. I look forward to beingwith you at many of the events.

And so my brothers and Sisters, aspromised in my acceptance speech, Iwill continue to lead our Grand Lodge tothe best of my ability always mindful ofthe principles of our beloved Order.Both Joanie and I will continue to attendas many lodge and state functions aspossible. We are truly grateful for thewarm reception we are greeted with aswe travel the State of New York doingthe work of the Order Sons of Italy inAmerica. Attending the many eventskeeps us in touch with so many of you.For us, this is the highlight of being theState President and First Lady.

In the months ahead I wish each andeveryone great accomplishments, strongmembership gains, and most of all,peace and fraternity from within yourlodges. Let us always be reminded thatwe all work for the good of the Orderand the Italian American community.

!"#$%&'()'*"+,-+$..-State PresidentGrand Lodge of New York

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NY Grand Lodge President 1ose23 45 6ondine77i and Per Se92re LadiesLodge :PP ;i7dred ;an<=si were 3onored ?@ t3e Per Sempre Lodge ,-.//and the Per Sempre Ladies Lodge ,-.//A of Rock;ille Centre> at t3eirAoint Besti9onia7 Cinner Can<e on Se2te9?er DE FGHIE 3e7d at t3e Jood?=r@Ko=ntr@ K7=?5 :n 23oto t3e 3onorees are f7anked ?@ t3eir s2o=ses N NY GrandLodge 4irst Lad@ 1oan 6ondine77i and Leonard ;an<=si5

Remember The Date!

108th State Convention

May 29 to June 1, 2014

At Villa Roma Resort and Convention Center

4 • The Golden Lion • September-October 2013

From Your ChaplainDear Brothers and Sisters:

Please join me in congratulatingAssociate NYOSIA ChaplainFather Gregory Rannazzisi who

was appointed as the Vice Rector of theSeminary of the ImmaculateConception in Huntington, N.Y. FatherGregory, a priest of the RockvilleCenter Diocese, greatly values thework of our Order and places himself atits service whenever possible.Congratulations Father Greg!

Assistant State Chaplain Fr. AnthonyStangelli, the new pastor of the Churchof St. Brigid in Westbury, replaces Fr.Greg as the District 2 Chaplain. I amdelighted Fr. Stangnelli is able to con-tinue to assist as one of our chaplains.The chaplaincy of District 1 remainsopen at this writing.

On the last day of our 53rd OSIABiennial National Convention inPhiladelphia (August 11-17th), follow-ing the installation of our new NationalPresident Anthony Baratta (Illinois), Iwas reappointed for a third term asNational Chaplain. I am indebted toPresident Baratta for his confidence inmy ability to continue to serve in thiscapacity. It is a ministry of listeningand presence together with the prayersand Masses (and jokes!) that I offer atour assemblies. Thank you, Tony!

I wish to also thank NationalImmediate Past President Joe DiTrapaninot only for my initial appointment asNational Chaplain but more importantlyfor the four years of sterling service heoffered our beloved Order. While eachpresidency is marked by the uniquegifts s/he brings to it, Joe demonstratednot only an astute business acumen, thatbrought our organization to financialstability, but a leadership style that wascollegial, collaborative and transparent.Now as president of the Sons of ItalyFoundation (SIF), Joe’s contributionwill continue to enhance our mission.Congratulations also are extended to allmembers of NYOSIA who were elect-ed/appointed to national positions.

Today is Labor Day, the unofficial

end of summer and the beginning of aseries of OSIA events across the stateand nation. Renewed by summer daysof rest and recreation we begin our fundraising events that support our charities.Our local and grand lodge sponsoredevents have contributed a total of $125million in charitable giving (scholar-ships, medical research, disaster relief,GMM, and more). In addition, with ourcultural, educational, linguistic, histori-cal and social justice initiatives weremain the premiere organization ofAmericans of Italian descent.

Mindful of this great legacy may weenter autumn with much pride and cele-brate Italian Heritage Month with grati-tude for the Order Sons of Italy inAmerica. In that spirit I extend to youthis blessing:

May God our Creator help you to dis-cover hidden wisdom--- inspiring you tobe open, willing, and ready to shareyour gifts with others. Amen

May our God who redeems, nourishesand restores our lives bring you dailysatisfaction, renewed hope and energyfor your service. Amen

May God who sanctifies and sustains usincrease your service as you continue toadvance the family of humanity and thekingdom God. Amen

Rev. R. Adam FornoNational/NYS OSIA Chaplain

Reverend R. Adam FornoState and National

Chaplain, OSIA

L e t t e r s

New world discovery by Christopher Columbus. Created by Colin, published on MagasinPittoresque, Paris, 1844

Happy Co lumbus Day

District Lodge Member DODJohn Ambrosino 8/31/2013Uncle of NY State President Joseph F. Rondinelli

1 2417 Lucy Delio 8/2/2013Lodge Past President

2 2143 Armand Vella 9/21/2013Lodge Past President

2 2143 Anthony Siclari 8/25/20132 2143 Renato Saviano 8/26/2013

May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

In Memoriam

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 5

THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11

by Robert Necci - IPP of Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 - Islip.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first bombing of the World TradeCenter on February 26, 1993. Our story begins in 1987 when Cyril Richard‘Rick’ Rescorla, an Englishman of Italian ancestry, was hired as the director

of security at Dean Witter (DW), later to merge with Morgan Stanley. Early onRescorla began to look at the unusual security risks of the 40 floors occupied byDW. Rescorla was convinced that the Towers were to be targets. He implement-ed evacuation drills, improved emergency procedures, and for six years warnedhis colleagues and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of the vul-nerabilities of one of New York’s most iconic landmarks. No one listened.

Following the North Tower attack (the first terrorist attack on American soil)on February 26, Rescorla’s credibility was recognized and he received the nec-essary authority to protect his co-workers, other tenants, and the building.Rescorla and an Army buddy, Dan Hill, his security consultant, assessed the dam-age done to the support columns in the basement by a bomb-laden truck. Theyset out to secure the entrance to the building delivery docks. While the damagefrom the explosion was substantial, the support structure was left intact, but, thestairwells filled with smoke and severely hampered the evacuation route.Rescorla set up fire marshals for each floor and remedied the smoke conditionthat occurred. Rescorla and his security team worked tirelessly to improve secu-rity and evacuation procedures for the building.

However, Rescorla was convinced that there existed an additional liability thatneeded to be addressed. He believed that there would be an attack from the air.Again, he pleaded his conviction with the building management, the MTA andcity officials. Once again his words and concerns fell on unresponsive ears. Thiswas America, such a thing couldn’t happen here. American life continued unabat-ed, but for those 7 years, until the second attack on September 11, 2001, Rescorlawas absorbed in protecting those under his charge.

On that fateful day at 8:45 AM, an American Airlines Boeing 747 loaded with20,000 gallons of aviation fuel hit the North Tower. Rescorla immediatelyordered the evacuation of the building. By 9:45 AM, both buildings were nowengulfed in flames. ‘Rick’ Rescorla instinctively began his follow-up of eachfloor seeking to rescue those paralyzed with fear. He escorted many down theevacuation routes that he had set-up. ‘Rick’ returned to the upper floors seekingthe first responders, but by 9:58 AM the North Tower collapsed taking the life ofmany, including ‘Rick’ Rescorla. The procedures established by ‘Rick’ Rescorlasaved all but two of the 2700 Morgan Stanley employees.

This man who loved America so much that he left England, came to Americaand enlisted in the U.S. Army, served honorably in Viet Nam, and 30 years latermade the ultimate sacrifice for the people and country he loved. Greater lovethan this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.

Vigiano Brothers Lodge #3436 - Mount Sinai. ReMeMBeRinG 9/11. OnSeptember 11, members of the lodge, held their Annual Remembrance Serviceat the 9/11 Memorial at Harborside Park in Port Jefferson. In photo, LodgePresident Michele Sescila is on the extreme left. Also in attendance were StateTrustees Louis Gallo and Joseph Vallone. The lodge is named after NYC PDDetective Joseph V. Vigiano and FDNY Firefighter John T. Vigiano, who as firstresponders, gave their lives on that horrific day.

John T. Vigiano

Joseph V. Vigiano

Kathy Mazza Delosh

Peter A. Gay

Thomas Strada

Debbie Mannetta

Joseph Riverso

Frank Mancini

Joseph M. Romagnolo

Rudolph Mastrocinque

6 • The Golden Lion • September-October 2013

Best Wishes

ItalianHeritage Month

Supervisor Kate MurrayTown of Hempstead

516-489-6000

We are proud to Support the

Grand Lodge of New York

Order Sons of Italy in America

Rich Schaffer, Babylon Town Supervisor

Tony Martinez - Deputy Supervisor Councilman

Jackie Gordon - Councilwoman

Tom Donelly and Lindsay Henry - Councilmen

Carol Quirk - Babylon Town Clerk

Connie DiSomma - Receiver of Taxes

Steve Bellone. Suffolk County Executive

Tom Dolan for Suffolk County Legislator 14th LD

Paid by the Babylon Democratic Committee

Robert Stricoff - Chairman 631-991-3081

C e l e b r a t i n g I t a l i a n C u l t u r e a n d H e r i t a g e M o n t h

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 7

O c t o b e r - C e l e b r a t i n g I t a l i a n C u l t u r e a n d H e r i t a g e M o n t h

Celebrate Your Italian Culture

and Be Proud of Your Heritage!

8 • The Golden Lion • September-October 2013

The John D. Calandra Lodge #2600 of Yonkers, presented the MichaelJ. Amato Scholarship award to Ciara Coyle, for an essay on Italian Heritage.Photo from left to right First Row - recipient Ciara Coyle, Mrs. Coyle, NickLongo - committee chair. Second Row - Lodge President Mike Ruggiero,Sister Mary Alice Roemer - School Principal, Larry Cellamere - Lodge PastPresident, Mike Meyer and Steve Troccolli - lodge members.

The Etruscan Lodge #2238 in New Paltz, recently awarded scholarshipto two New Paltz High School students who graduated with high achieve-ments and community service. A celebration was held honoring AnneliseApuzzo and Andrew Belicacicco. Pictured L-R: Marie Violante, EtruscanLodge IPP; George Perisco, Lodge Deputy to Etruscan; Annelise Apuzzo;Andrew Bellacicco; and Brother Salvatore Patricola of St. Joseph's Church.

New York OSIA Sponsors and Celebrates Italian Heritage Night at Long Island Ducks Game. On Sunday, August 4, 2013, a large contingent attended a pre-game BBQ and the LI Ducks vs. York Revolution. An added attraction was watching our State President Rondinelli throw the first ball, a strike at that! Shown withhim, standing 2nd row center, are his family and some of the Sons of Italy members that attended.

Vincent Lombardi Lodge #2270 - Rochester. The 3 Lodge Scholarshiprecipients: front row, from left - Michael Lauria, Courtney Whitney, andMicayla Greco are joined by the Lodge’s Committee. back row: from left -Marisa Rubé, Joe Yonda, Ed Groszewski, Chairperson Sandra Meleca, andHon. Philip Datillo.

America Lodge #2245 - Franklin Square. State President JosephRondinelli attended the lodge’s Scholarship Presentation Ceremony. He isshown with, from left: Angela Pugliese, accepting for her grand-nephew,Daniel Massimino; Victoria Charbonneau, Rosalie Caracciolo, StatePresident, Sara Stiklickas, and Pio Bonfitto. An additional recipient, KieraGrasso, couldn’t attend..

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Our Little Italys: A Little Bit Of Italy In The United States

by Prof./ Cav. Philip DiNovo

The majority of Italian immigrants came to the United States from 1880 to1920. The immigrants at that time left one thing behind, and that was poverty.In Italy there was unemployment and underemployment, little or no schooling,

high mortality, almost no medical care, poor housing, rigid class structure, and ex-ploitation. Most of the Italian immigrants during this period were single males be-tween the ages of 24 and 45. Many of them expected to stay in the United Statesonly as long as it took to make enough money to improve their family situation.There were also those who intended to send for their families as soon as they hadsaved the needed funds.

Imagine how difficult it was for these immigrants to leave their parents and ex-tended family and travel to a strange new land. Upon their arrival they felt isola-tion, alienated because of an unfamiliarity with the language and customs. Thinkof the emotional drain on them! No wonder they became centralized in neighbor-hoods, many in urban areas. All types of businesses opened to serve the commu-nity. The Italian parish church was often the anchor and provided the spiritual andsocial needs of the community. Immigrants established a number of mutual aid so-cieties [such as the Sons of Italy], based on kinship and place of birth; they hadbuildings that served the needs of the membership in the neighborhood. For manyItalian immigrants, migration to the United States should not be interpreted as a re-jection of Italy. Little Italys are a defense of the Italian way of life and helped topreserve the traditional order.

As time went on, some immigrants moved out of the Italian neighborhood butreturned often to patronize the businesses, attend religious services, as well as so-ciety meetings and events. The strongest Little Italys have Italian Americans livingwithin those neighborhoods. Even today, you will find a large Italian Americanpopulation living in Boston's "North End," Providence's "Atwell Ave," SanDiego's "Little Italy," San Francisco's "North End," the Bronx' "Arthur Avenue,"NYC’s “Mulberry Street,”. and there are so many more similar places in theUnited States. Most metropolitan areas where you find a large concentration ofItalian Americans you will find a Little Italy! Some are tourist attractions, othersonly a shell of their former identity, while still others have been revitalized. Thepopularity of Italian foods and all things Italian have helped to keep alive many ofAmerica's Little Italys. Many Italian Americans who live in the suburbs return totheir Little Italy to find the real thing, to attend a Festa, or have a great Italianmeal.

You will also find Little Italys in some of our southern states, especially in NewOrleans, Louisiana and a very large one in Tampa, Florida. The majority of ItalianAmericans in the nation actually live in New York State. You will find one or moreItalian neighborhoods in almost all major cities. There are at least five in NewYork City with perhaps the best known Little Italy in Manhattan. In the NY Capi-tal District you will find a Little Italy in Schenectady, Troy, and Albany. Troy hasan organization that works hard to keep its Little Italy vibrant. Schenectady holdsan annual street festival. Albany's "Little Italy" is very small, but you will find anumber of Italian stores and restaurants within the neighborhoods. Whenever youtravel be sure you find out if the city has more than one Italian neighborhood.

I find it very interesting to visit an area designated as "Little Italy" where a littlebit of Italy is often found. Many Italian traditions are kept alive in those areasthrough festivals, institutions, services, and more ~ all indications that we are stillvery much alive! n

Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 9

The “Mother” Of All Italian American Festivals

The Feast of San Gennaro is held annually on Mulberry Street in NYC’s “LittleItaly.” This feast of feasts, originally a one-day religious commemoration,began in September 1926 when newly arrived immigrants from Naples con-

gregated along Mulberry Street, to continue the tradition they had followed in Italyto celebrate San Gennaro, the Patron Saint of Naples. His feast day is September19 in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

The immigrant families on Mulberry Street who started it all, a group of cafeowners, erected a small chapel in the street to house the image of their patronSaint. They invited all to partake of their wares, asking the devoted to pin an offer-ing to the ribbon streamers that are hung from the statue's apron. This money wasthen distributed to the needy poor of the neighborhood.

Over time, the festival expanded into an 11-day street fair that brings over 3 mil-lion people from the four corners of the globe to “Little Italy.” The deliciousfood, the free musical entertainment, Italian artifacts, parades, and proccession re-flect a positive Italian American culture and heritage for all to share and possiblybring back home with them.

The religious aspect of the festival takes place on September 19th, the Feast ofSan Gennaro. The Grand Procession begins immediately after a celebratory Massat the Church of the Most Precious Blood on Mulberry Street, the Saints perma-nent home. This a Roman Catholic candlelit procession in which the statue of SanGennaro is carried through the streets of Little Italy to the accompaniment ofbands and a great following of his devotees. It is both a festive and solemn occa-sion.

For 2013, the New York Sons of Italy in America, was proud to participate asone of the co-sponsors of the festival, which include Fiat, Peroni, Medaglia D’Oro,and Averna among others.

Prepared by Sal Moschella - Editor.

In above photos, taken at the Grand Parade shows President Rondinelli with Pet-rosino Lodge Queen Joelle Maglioto (left photo). with Parade Honorary Marshal,Wrestler Bruno San Martino (in center Photo). In photo at right, a Figli Di San Gen-naro (Sons of San Gennaro) member carries the Society Banner with the image ofthe Saint.

San Gennaro’s Feast - NYC’s “Little Italy.” On September 14th, NY State Pres-ident Rondinelli and Lt. Petrosino Lodge President Emelise Aleandri led the open-ing day San Gennaro Grand Parade as sponsors of the 11-day festival. They areimmediately followed by the members of the Petrosino Lodge along with Figli diSan Gennaro society members.

One of the many traditional Italian bands that enhance the Italian Feast experience.

10 • The Golden Lion • September-October 2013

By Nancy DiFiore Quinn

This year, the 53rd Biennial National Conventiontook the New York OSIA National Delegates tothe City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The dele-

gates were anxious to get the convention underwaybecause this would be the last convention chaired byour own National President Joseph DiTrapani.

In the traditional New York OSIA manner, many ofthe New York Delegates - with a few invited guests -gathered on Monday evening to kick the week offwith a group dinner at Maggiano’s Italian Restaurantin Philadelphia. The food was plentiful and allenjoyed some relaxing conversation with their fellowdelegates.

The Supreme Council met in Plenary Session onMonday afternoon and all of the New York delegateswere in attendance to view the national officers atwork. State President Joseph Rondinelli representedNew York OSIA proudly and proved himself a trueasset to our state

Tuesday morning arrived quickly and we wereready to roll up our sleeves and begin working. Thesession opened promptly at 9:00 am by NationalPresident DiTrapani and various Executive Councilreports were reviewed and approved. After thePresidents/Spouses Luncheon, the breakout sessionstook place and all our NY delegates served on differ-ent committees such as, Future Good & Welfare ofthe Order, Resolutions & Messages, By-LawCommittee, Membership, Fundraising and Education& Culture. The Presidents Cabinet also met to dis-cuss various issues facing the grand lodges around thecountry - concentrating on Fundraising and the IRSfiling of Form 990 (expertly delivered by BrotherBiagio Isgro). Wednesday the convention convenedwith the Budget Report, By-Law Committee report,National Executive Director’s report and reports fromthe breakout meetings. After the Dr. Vincenzo SellaroAward Luncheon, the meeting continued and weviewed a wonderful new DVD from the 2013 NELAdinner. All State Presidents will be given a copy ofthis DVD to make available to their local lodges.

At Wednesday’s luncheon we honored the 2013National Sellaro Award Recipient, Brother Angelo R.Bianchi. He was both proud and emotionally movedduring his acceptance of this award. Brother Bianchiis a long time member of the Grand Lodge of NewJersey and has always been a staunch supporter of hisGrand Lodge and of National OSIA. This was cer-tainly a well deserved award!

State Past President and National Past PresidentJoseph Sciame addressed the delegates with regard tothe Garibaldi Meucci Museum. He explained thatOSIA has taken care of the museum for over 100years and since 1985, there has been a professionalstaff there. State grants have dried up and the newestfundraiser for the GMM is the Brick WalkwayProgram. Delegates were encouraged to purchase abrick in tribute to their family name.

National Scholarship Chairperson Michele Mentdelivered a detailed report regarding the 2013Scholarships that were presented at the NELA dinnerthis year.

A new National CSJ Chairperson was appointed -Brother Carlo Carlozzi of the Grand Lodge ofConnecticut. Our own Sister Santina Haemmerle wasgiven much deserved kudos on her past service asNational CSJ Chairperson.

Thursday was a much-needed day off from busi-ness. Many of us toured the city of Philadelphia on anopen-air tour bus. The New York Delegates had agreat time viewing the Betsy Ross House, the LibertyBell, Independence Hall - and of course, the famous“Rocky” statue and “Rocky” steps!

On Friday, business continued and nominationswere made for the positions of National Officers onthe Grand Council. Elected from the New YorkGrand Lodge were: Nancy DiFiore Quinn, National5th Vice President; Thom Lupo, National FinancialSecretary; National Trustees Carlo Matteucci andNicholas Mauro; National Foundation Trustees,Marianne Principe O’Neil, Bruce Lankewish andSalvatore Lanzilotta; National ArbitrationCommissioners Carmine Federico (elected chairmanof the committee) and Salvatore Lanzilotta. Newlyelected National President Anthony Baratta also re-appointed Rev. Adam Forno to serve as the NationalChaplain of the Supreme Lodge OSIA. Fr. Forno willalso continue to serve as the State Chaplain for theGrand Lodge of New York OSIA. Immediate PastNational President Joseph DiTrapani was also electedas the new President of the Sons of Italy Foundation(SIF).

Regarding the charitable giving - On behalf of allthe members of the New York Grand Lodge OSIA -our State President Joseph Rondinelli proudlyannounced the following donations: $70,000 toCooley’s Anemia, $30,000 to the Alzheimer’sFoundation and $40,000 to the Doug Flutie Jr.Foundation for Autism. New York OSIA was by farthe largest donor during charitable giving. It isbecause of YOUR generosity that we were able tomake these very substantial donations on behalf ofNew York OSIA. More than $300,000 was donatedto charities on behalf of all the OSIA Grand lodges.

The Friday Sports Award Luncheon was a hugesuccess and a very enjoyable event. National OSIAhonored Jennifer Rizzotti, head coach for 14 years forthe University of Hartford Women’s Basketball team.She is a three time America East Coach of the YearAward winner and led the Hawks to four regular sea-son championships, five tournament championshipsand six trips to the NCAA Tournament. Ms. Rizzottiwas inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall ofFame as part of the class of 2013.

Saturday was a day of culmination for this conven-tion. All of the National Officers were installed - andeveryone listened attentively while National PresidentAnthony Baratta addressed the delegates with hisplans for the next two years of his administration. Allof the New York delegates were so proud of our hum-ble outgoing National President Joseph DiTrapani anddelighted to have him “back home in New Yorkwhere he belongs.”

On Saturday evening, a prestigious GuglielmoMarconi Award gala was held honoring United StatesCongressman Tom Marino. A member of OSIA fornearly ten years, Congressman Marino works diligent-ly to promote the Italian culture and tradition, work-ing with the Italian American community throughoutPennsylvania and exemplifying the philanthropic andhumanitarian mission of OSIA.

It was a week packed full of meetings and break-out sessions where many OSIA concerns wereaddressed. State President Joseph and First Lady Joanhosted the New York delegates and many brothers andsisters from across the country with warmth and gra-cious hospitality. Sincere kudos to New YorkHospitality Chairpersons John Quinn and John O’Neilfor their care and concern of all the delegates that

passed through the State President’s Hospitality Suite.As a matter of fact - we must thank all the New Yorkdelegates and their spouses for helping out wheneverneeded. You were the best!

The 54th National Convention in August 2015 willbe held at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort &Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Just a few notable issues that all our New York OSIAmembers should be aware of:• A by-law was passed that all Social Members of ourfilial lodges have now been given the right to vote. • National member initiation fee has been raised from$3.00 to $8.00.• All National officers are now responsible for theirown travel expense.• The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has voted by anoverwhelming majority to resign from OSIA effectiveJune 30, 2013. By passing the abovementionedchanges, the National OSIA budget was passed with-out an increase in per-capita tax to the grand lodges.

Lastly I would like to introduce a program to all ourmembers that would help to assist our National Sonsof Italy Foundation (SIF) meet its charitable goal forcharitable giving. The program is called “OSIA’sSustaining Patrons Circle.” Your donation everymonth from your credit card will help our NationalCharities, General Charity Fund, Scholarship, DisasterRelief and the Garibaldi Meucci Museum. Here ishow monthly giving is made easy for everyone to par-ticipate:

• Sign up for monthly giving online or mail a print-able form. (log on to sif@osia.org. - A minimummonthly donation of $10.00 for at least 3 consecutivemonths is required to be a member of the SustainingPatrons Circle.

• Note the amount you would like to donate everymonth. - You may change the amount of your gift atany time by contacting the SIF National Office.

• Designate the program(s) to which you would likeyour gift applied. = You may change the gift designa-tion at any time by contacting the SIF NationalOffice.

• On the same day of every month, the amount youdesignate will be automatically charged to the creditcard that you designate. - You may suspend yourmonthly donations at any time by contacting the SIFNational Office.

• When you complete 3 consecutive monthly dona-tions of $10 or more to the SIF, you will be installedas a member of the Sustaining Patrons Circle and rec-ognized on the Honor Roll.

• Each January, as long as you have participated inmonthly giving for any part of the previous calendaryear, you will receive a tax letter noting your fulldonation amount for the previous calendar year.

This is really a simple way to exhibit pride in yourItalian Heritage without breaking your personal bud-get. You can donate as little as $10 a month - up towhatever you can afford. Take pride in knowing thatyou are helping to uphold the important work of theSIF! For additional information, contact the NationalOffice at 202.547.2900 or log on to sif@osia.org.

Let me take this opportunity to thank all of myBrothers and Sisters for supporting my goals on aNational OSIA level. As National 5th Vice President,I look forward to representing New York with dignityand pride. n

53rd Biennial National Convention

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 11

The Per Sempre Lodge #2344 and the Per Sempre Ladies Lodge #2344A ofRockville Centre, held their joint Testimonial Dinner Dance on September 8,.2013, at the Woodbury Country Club. The two honorees were - NY State PresidentJoseph F. Rondinelli and Per Sempre Ladies Lodge IPP Mildred Mancusi (2nd and3rd from left). Joining them are - from left: Per Sempre Lodge President BobbyChiarovano, Per Sempre Ladies President Lodge Elaine D”Arrigo Mendez, andOSIA National Immediate Past President Joseph QiTrapani.

Honoring Our Own

Fr. John Papallo Lodge #2684 - Kings Park. State President Joseph F.Rondinelli attended the lodge’s Testimonial Brunch on September 15, 2013, honor-ing Lodge IPP Richard Macellaro (right). He is shown accepting a Certificate ofAppreciation from the State President for his contribution and devotion to the Order.

At the 45th Biennial National Convention, held in 1997, at the BreakersHotel in Palm Beach. FL, the NY OSIA’s own “Precision Water Ballet Team,”during a lull in their rehearsal routine. From left:Carol DiTrapani, Edith Zuzolo,Alice Ruttura, Marilyn Arragosa, Janet Rogers, Micki Cangemi, MarcyDabbene, Annette Lankewish, and Rose Lorito. Attempting to break the teamgender barrier is Antonio Baffo (right rear).

Down Memory Lane

Greetings My Brothers and Sisters

CSJ is on a roll! We continue to transition from the previous administration, insti-tute some changes, and yet ncver forget our missions of fighting bias and big-otry and promoting positive imagery of our history and culture. Consequently,

our work becomes very challenging constantly as we balance our attention from onedimension to the next.

In this regard our financial team Andy Filangeri, Joe Vallone, and I finallycompleted our financial transition. Thanks to the audit team led by PrincipalTrustee Angela DeCosimo our two-year audit culminated in a document that pro-vided us with recommendations to improve our bookkeeping. Andy organized acash flow management system from April 2013 till now to track our monthly rev-enue and expenditures, and with the aid of senior Board Member Josephine Cohenthe team created a proposed budget from now till the end of the fiscal year, whichwill be presented to the Board for review. Once the Board approves the budget, wewill finally be on our way financially.

As we completed the above tasks, I turned my attention to district organization.I always feel that if we have a strong base with active district chairpersons andliaisons, CSJ will make an impact in our local communities. Thanks to my pursuitI have appointed Charlie Lucie, Immediate Past President of the Perry ComoLodge, District 1 Chairman. Charlie has already begun his work with gusto as hetries to appoint officers and request more liaisons from the presidents in each ofthe lodges to fill vacancies. In a meeting held in District 4 members have selectedMario Cermele from the Antonio Meucci Lodge to be Chairman. Knowing Charlieand Mario I know that these districts will do admirable work at the grass-roots forour Order. In fact, to accomplish such admirable work all over I have communicat-ed to all District Chairpersons through e-mails giving them advice and instructionsregarding communication with the Board, meetings, and finances. The expectationis to develop a strong bond between the Board and the districts and to create apowerful CSJ that will allow us to advance our missions successfully. We will fur-ther this effort by filling all liaison vacancies and follow with a strong liaison ori-entation program as I travel to all the districts in the state.

Of course, as we did all these things, we kept an eye on our missions. At ourJuly Board meeting we entertained a video streaming project initiated by Counseland Board member Mike Santo. Basically it involves using social media financedby corporate sponsorships to gather information on every endeavor of Italian cul-ture and linking this information to everyone on said media. Board member LizRizzo of the Basilone Lodge has kept us abreast on the issue of the demolition ofOur Lady of Loreto Church in Brooklyn, a church that was truly a historic andunique testament to Italian physical labor for over a century. Even though theBrooklyn diocese wants to demolish the church due to lack of attendance anddevelop the property for low income housing for the East New York community,there are those in the Order and in the community that want to preserve the churchand develop a neighborhood community and arts center that would have youthacculturation and education programs, art seminars, and worship services to namea few. The Board is entertaining possible direct involvement.

However, as usual we have to be ever so vigilant about defamation and stereo-typing. In mid-July our upstate brothers and sisters alerted us to a rambling foodtruck in the Schenectady area called the “Wandering Dago” owned by two ItalianAmericans that promotes a “dago” and “polack” menu. As we ignited the Boardand lodge base, our Counsel Mike Santo elected to speak directly to the ownersand made them aware of our concerns. The owners decided to organize a publicpoll about the truck’s name, and when the results were in, the owners decided tokeep the name. Since we were so baffled and disappointed, I wrote a letter to allSchenectady County legislators, the County Attorney, and the County Managerexpressing our dissatisfaction and demanded they take action! (See letter inset).This letter was followed up by a phone call to the Presiding Chair, JudithD’Agostino, to discover what action was taken, if any. I still await that phonereply. Having been banned from the Empire State Plaza and Saratoga Racewaybecause of the truck’s name, the owners have now initiated a lawsuit in federal dis-trict court in Albany claiming an abridgment of their free speech rights under theU.S. and New York Constitutions, breach of contract with New York State since

they should have had 30-days notice, and monetary and punitive damages for busi-ness and profit loss. Upon hearing of this lawsuit the members of the GabrielleD’Annunzio Lodge of Schenectady began to entertain the filing of an amicus brief(“friend of the court”) on the side of the state. The lodge has been in consultationwith our Counsel on this matter. In fact, our thanks should be extended to thelodge for its vigilance. The members have filed letters to the editor in localpapers, kept me abreast of any local coverage on the issue, and wrote a letter to theNew York Racing Association thanking it for banning the truck from the raceway.The lodge continues to monitor the situation and we await the county’s and state’sreaction. We will keep you informed.

Once into August we turned our attention to our annual Italian Night at theLong Island Duck’s game and our annual Belmont Park fundraiser. President Joethrew out the first ball, and both the Order’s and the CSJ’s logo were prominentlydisplayed on the field screen almost every inning since both the Order and CSJsponsored the event. We followed up with an exhibit of positive image materialand posters at the main entrance for the fans to take. Thanks should be extended toBoard members Angela DeCosimo and Eleanor Jobbagy for setting up the exhibitand talking to the fans about the Order and CSJ. We’ve been encouraging all ourmembers in districts 1, 2, and 3 to attend the Belmont Park event. Monies fromthis event are earmarked for the local districts to promote their own local projects.We’re hoping for a great turnout to give a boost to our local districts.

As President Theodore Roosevelt used to say, “keep your feet solidly on theground [the present] but always look up to the stars [the future].” At CSJ we fol-low that maxim. As one can see from the aforementioned we are on solid ground.As for the immediate future we will be entertaining the possibility of a new storagefacility for our archives (Jean Gagliardo), a strategy for the Brumidi postage stampcampaign (Rocco Lanzilotta), a possible Columbus Day Parade float (JohnLaruccia), our website update (Terry Tanzer), and our video library evaluation(me). We have lots to do, but we have a dynamic team that gets it all done. Staytuned.

Fraternally,

Lou

“Fighting Bias,

Building Pride”

C S J C h a i r m a n ’ s M e s s a g e

12 • Golden Lion • September-October 2013

August 15, 2013

Schenectady County AttorneySchenectady County Office Building

Dear Sir/Madam:

I would like to bring to your attention a matter of particular concern to the mem-bers of our organization. Firstly, the Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) is theanti-defamation arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America. It is our function tofight defamation and bigotry against Italians and Italian-Americans wherever itrears its ugly head in New York State and to create and develop positive images ofsaid people. In this regard consider the following recent development.

About a month or so ago a rambling food truck in Schenectady called the“Wandering Dago” with a “ “dago” and “polack” menu was literally kicked out ofthe Saratoga Raceway and banned from the Empire State Plaza for the use of sucha name on the truck. The terms “dago” and “polack” have historically always beenpejorative and defamatory expressions against Italian and Polish immigrantsrespectively, used in a derisive and not an endearing manner. They are no differ-ent than some of the other disparaging terms used for other ethnic and racialgroups. It is obvious to the members of our organization and our supporters thenwhy such an action was taken by the Raceway and Plaza officials.

We therefore took the time to contact the owners of the food truck to educatethem about the aforementioned expressions above. Our counsel, Michael Santo,spoke directly to one of the owners, Andrea Logiudice, about the seriousness ofour concern and the need to make changes regarding the food truck’s name. Ourconcerns have been met with utter disregard because recently in a post on the own-ers’ facebook page they categorically said they would not change the name of thetruck. Such a public statement has baffled and disappointed us to the extent thatwe conjure now your involvement.

We therefore demand that the Schenectady County Legislature pass an ordi-nance prohibiting the use of any offensive terms and language contained in busi-ness or any other applications to the County that would offend any individual, eth-nic, or racial group. If the County does have such an ordinance, then we woulddemand that law enforcement take any action necessary to remove the name on thetruck. We also demand that your body or the County Executive formally direct theCommissioner of the Schenectady County Public Health Administration to unilat-erally rescind the food permit issued to this business. Nothing short of the aboveis acceptable.

I am sure you will agree that even in today’s modern times with its clamor fortolerance to all that we do not extend such tolerance in accepting even pejorativeexpressions that taint innocent people of any ethnic group, especially a food truckthat rambles around town publicly reinforcing the acceptance of an ethnic slur. Weurge that the Schenectady County Legislature do something.

Thank you for your time. Feel free to contact me if need be.

Sincerely yours,

Louis J. Gallo, Jr., Chairman

Louis J. Gallo Jr.

Commission For Social Justice

Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 13

For More Info - Contact: Keith Wilson @ 516-633-1435

Gift of Sight. On July 30, the Gift of Sight Committee held its Annual HelenKeller Day Camp Outing at Eisenhower Park on Long Island, providing a day offun and games geared for the visually impaired children. In photo, State PresidentJoseph F. Rondinelli, First Lady Joann Rondinelli, and Gift of Sight ChairpersonMarianne Principe O’Neil (in the center of kneeling group) with committee mem-bers and children Great Work!

Summer Plenary Session. Held on July 20th and hosted by the Per SempreLodge #2344 and the Per Sempre Ladies Lodge #2344A, it was the first Plenarypresided by Grand Lodge President Joseph F. Rondinelli (center). He is shownwith Per Sempre Lodges Presidents Joseph (Bobby) Chiarovano and Elaine D’Ar-rigo Mendez, holding Appreciation Plaques presented to them by the State Pres-ident. The newly elected and sworn-in State Trustees: Pat Iandolo and KeithWilson are on the right.

OSIA was well represented at the Annual Italian Experience Festival at HofstraUniversity, Uniondale. Many attendees stopped by the Grand Lodge Membershipand the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum tables to pick up materials and learn aboutmembership in the Order. In photo, from left: Gil DeCosimo, Luigi Squillante, An-gela DeCosimo, NYS First VP and State Membership Chair Carolyn Reres, NatMannino, Gina Ferrara, and Eleanor Jobbagy.

14 • The Golden Lion • September-October 2013

He has called a convertible a"portable." He has referred to thefirst president of the United States

as "George Washing Machine." He isnotorious for chopping off the endingsof words so that "corner" becomes"corn," "pocket" turns into "pock" and"mountain" morphs into "mount,"which leads to sentences like: "I went

arounda da corn ansaw a picture of damount onna daground so I pick itup and put it in mypock."

We've had somegood-natured fun inthe family over theyears, teasing ourDad about the wayhe speaks English.

Now please, don't get me wrong, wewouldn't do it if he didn't take it as wellas he does. He laughs at himself proba-bly even more than we do. Plus, heknows how really proud we all are ofhim, how he came to America in 1958as a 27-year-old, knowing only a hand-ful of words in English, and now, 55years, later, he can tell a tale as well asany native speaker. If not better.

It's just that, to this day, he still man-ages to butcher the language, and heknows it. My sister tells this story best.

A couple of years ago, she popped in onDad for a quick visit, and Dadannounced, in his heavy, thick accent,"Hey, I saw your friend Sherry at thechoir practice today."

"Choir practice?" Teresa replied. "Wow,I've known Sherry for a lot of years, butI didn't even know she could sing,much less join a choir. I really wouldn'texpect that you'd bump into her at choirpractice. Are you sure, Dad, that it wasSherry you saw and not someone else?"

"Yes, I said hello to her, and she saidhello right back to me," Dad replied.

"And are you sure it was at choir prac-tice?" Teresa asked.

A little indignant, Dad replied: "Hey,come on, now. I might not talk all dat

good, but I know where I went today. Itwas the choir practice. And dat's whereI saw you friend Sherry."

Teresa kicks herself to this day becauseshe did not ask Dad what I thoughtwould have been a pertinent and logicalquestion: What in the world were youdoing at choir practice? That mighthave cleared things up rather quicklybecause Dad has never had any inklingof joining any choir, at least as far as allof us know. But Teresa didn't ask.Instead she was just thinking that thenext time she saw her friend Sherry shehad to ask her when she had joined thechoir, of all things.

Anyway, within a few short weeksTeresa did get together with her friend,and it went something like this:

Teresa: "Hey, Sherry, how long has itbeen since you've been singing in thechoir?"

Sherry: "The choir? What are you talk-ing about?"

Teresa: "Yes, come on, the choir. Thelast time I saw my Dad he said tha hesaw you the other day at choir prac-tice."

Sherry: "Your Dad? Geez, I haven'tseen your Dad in months ."

Teresa: "Wow. Are you sure? That'sstrange because he swore it was you.

He said you even said hello to him."

Sherry: "Oh, wait . yes, yes . I DID seeyour dad . it was three or four weeksago. That's right, I forgot. I bumped intohim at the chiropractor's office!"

Teresa: "The chiropractor?"

Sherry: "Yes, yes, the chiropractor. Iwas leaving after my appointment and Ithink your Dad was just coming in forhis. Now, what was that about mesinging in the choir?"

Mike Cutillo is past president ofGeneva Lodge 2397 in Upstate NewYork. He is the Executive Editor at theFinger Lakes Times newspaper and canbe reached atmcutillo1@rochester.rr.com.

On the same block

It was so much easier when we all livedon the same block years ago.

“We” being sisters, cousins, grandpar-ents, in –laws and paesani.

“Easier,” because we knew everyonearound and we were there for each otherin sickness and in health and rain or

shine.

We createddependable supportsystems for eachother. Children werealways guardedand later the roleswere reversed whenthe kids kept an eyeon the elderly.

Granted the seniorsmay have been intrusive at times, but ifthey were not busy knitting or mending,they were peeking behind the blinds…observing. They knew every movementin the area. They were the originalneighborhood watch team!

How many of us can remember ourmother’s command,

“Go bring this to Grandma!”We only had to ask “Which one?”

They probably both lived on the sameblock. “This” could be anything fromthe newspaper to an onion. The kidsnever complained because we mightalso get a treat. My favorite was somelemon or coffee granita in summer. Inwinter, pizzette or cookies were theprize. As a bonus, Nonna told a storyabout Italy. I wish I could rememberthose stories now.

Being in the same neighborhood hadmany advantages. We not only sharedthe figs and tomatoes, but kids couldchoose to eat at Nonna’s if they pre-ferred her menu that day.

We walked to stores, church, and schoolwith our cousins and if lucky, we couldbe singing, “How I Adore the Boy NextDoor.” You could end up marrying him.This was a good thing because youknew the family and what hereditarytraits potential children could get- fromallergies to insanity!

Newlyweds found apartments nearbyand when a house was for sale someonein the family would buy it to anchor youon the block. Sometimes neighborsworked on the same block. Our familydoctor and dentist had offices in theirhomes.

My young family reluctantly broke tra-dition. We moved off the block, to ourown home, out of the city. To makepeace we invited the family forThanksgiving dinner in the suburbs!Well, we did not take into account thatall America celebrates Thanksgivingand it is the worst traffic day of the year.

We scheduled dinner for 2:30 PM. Mymother in law suggested she make theturkey because my oven was small.Other guests arrived with pies, pastries,and wine. The cooked turkey was trav-eling on the parkway. We waited. ThreePM, and 4PM passed. Everyone wasstarving so we started on the sweet pota-toes, artichokes, cranberries, and thewine. At 6 PM the stuffed bird arrivedwith fatigued relatives. It just in time toeat it as dessert!

This would never have happened if weall lived on the same block. The birdwould have been carried over by astrong uncle, placed on the table, andcarved on time!

I remember when we did not have todeal with traffic, tolls, or parking issuesto visit. We just rang the bell, walked in,said “Ciao”, and provided moral sup-port, a daily dose of gossip, or a con-tainer of soup. Now we are scattered. Ihave to make Delta reservations to seemy family or I can speak to my grand-children on Skype! I don’t like it. I’drather have a real hug and kiss.

Oh how I wish everyone were on thesame block again, like the good olddays. n

Florence is a Past President of theGiovanni Caboto Lodge #2372, and amember of the OSIA ScholarshipCommittee. Flo is the author of “The Scentof Jasmine - Vignettes from a SicilianHeritage.” She has studied in Italy underFullbright and NYS Teacher Grants.

by Florence Gatto - Contributing Writer

T h e n a n d N o w S i n g i n g w i t h t h e c h o i rby Mike Cutillo - Contributing Writer

Precious Cargo - Drive Carefully

The November-December issue of the

Golden Lion will be the Christmas edition

and will include the Annual Christmas

wishes and messages. Lodges, individual

members, and anyone else interested are

urged to participate in this display of

holiday fraternalism.

For additional information please contact

Anita Rosato at 631-271-1272 or

the Grand Lodge Office at 516-785-4623

Scheduled Heritage and Cultural Events For October 2013

Oct. 1-31st - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 - Italian Artifacts on display at the IslipLibrary, Islip. Contact: Islip Library @ 631-581-5933.

Oct. 1 - Le Amiche Lodge #2550 - Italian Heritage Pot Luck Dinner at 885 MidlandAvenue, Yonkers, 7:00pm. Contact: Paula Baratta @ 94-376-2488.

Oct. 4 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Italian American Comedy; presented byProf. Salvatore Primeggio, Pt. Washington Library, 12:15pm. Contact: Tom Amato @516-423-9113.

Oct. 4 - District I Lodges - “Class of Life” - Growing Up Italian at Polish American Hall,Port Jefferson Station, 7:30pm, $20pp. Contact: Lou Gallo @ 631-821-2290.

Oct. 4 - Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 - “Cinema Paradiso” awarding winning filmwith film historian Irene Eckert at Sayville Library, 6:30pm. Contact: Joan Tasoglu @631-682-8037.

Oct. 5 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Italian Night/45th Anniversary at Clinton Martin Park.Contact: Joanne Grossman @ 718-428-8725 or MaryLou Rando @ 718-359-2508.

Oct. 6 - Vincent Linguanti Lodge #2212 - Opera Presentation by Dr. Louis Orazio atSuffern Free Library, Rt. 59 Suffern, 1:30pm. Contact: George Persico @ 845-429-8671.

Oct. 8 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Pride & Passion: The Italians in America;film and discussion presented by filmmaker Marino Amoruso, Pt. Washington Library,7:30pm. Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 10 - Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 - “A Tour of Italy from North to South” atSayville Library, 7:00pm. Contact: Joan Tasoglu @ 631-682-8037.

October 11-13th - Christopher Columbus Lodge #692 - Italian Festival at Veteran’sPark, 86 Narragansett Avenue, Ossining. Contact: Lucia Piscopiello @ 914-588-2907.

Oct. 11 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - The Little Fugitive; film and discussionpresented by Mary Engel, Pt. Washington Library, 12:15pm. Contact: Tom Amato @516-423-9113.

Oct. 11 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Great American Holidays: ColumbusDay; illustrated lecture presented by Dr. Ronald J. Brown, Pt. Washington Library,3:00pm. Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 11 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - PopOp: From Bolton to Bocelli; per-formance by Peter La Rosa, Pt. Washington, 7:30pm. Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 11 - Fiorello LaGuardia Lodge #2867 - 2nd Annual Event featuring the musicalperformance of Angelo Ruggiero and The Flamingos. PS 232 Auditorium 153-23 83st,Howard Beach. 7-11 pm, $5 pp. Contact:Jeff D. @347-604-4216.

Oct. 12 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - Annual Columbus Day Scholarship D/D at RamadaInn, No. Syracuese, 6:30pm, $45pp. Contact: Carmine Federico @ 315-457-501.

Oct. 12 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Favorite Children’s Stories: La Befana& Strega Nona; animated story presented by Lucy Salerno, Pt. Washington Library,11:45am. Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 13 - District I & II - Long Island Sons of Italy Columbus Day Parade, Main Street,Huntington. Grand Marshals are: State First Lady Joan Rondinelli, Disc Jockey DonK. Reed, Disc Jockey WHLI Paul Richards and Disc Jockey WHLI Joe Satta. Contact:Keith Wilson @ 516-633-1435.

Oct. 14 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Virtual Visits: Italian Paintings at theMetropolitan; presented by Ines Powell, Pt. Washington Library, 11:00am. Contact:Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 14 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - Columbus Day Ceremony at ColumbusMonument, Syracuse. Contact: Carmine Federico @ 315-457-5010.

Oct. 14 - Edward J. Speno Lodge #2568 - Italian Heritage and Culture MonthMembership Drive Pasta Night at American Legion Hall, Post 1082, 294 BellmoreRoad, E. Meadow, 7:30pm. Contact: Carmine Biscardi @ 516-308-3490.

Oct. 16 - Perry Como Lodge #2846 - Italian Culture Night at Lodge Meeting Hall.Contact: Maryann Sacher @ 631-757-5946.

Oct. 17 - District I Lodges - A Tribute to Italian-American War Veterans at SachemPublic Library, 6:00pm. Contact: Lou Gallo @ 631-821-2290.

Oct. 17 - Vigiano Brothers Lodge #3436 - Italian Heritage and Culture Night at Lodge.Contact: Michele Sescila @ 631-676-6145.

Oct. 17 - Vigiano Brothers Lodge #3436 - Author Frank Tassielli presents “An ItalianBoy’s Life” at Rose Caracappa Senior Center, Mt. Sinai, 7:00pm. Contact: MicheleSescila @ 631-676-6145.

Oct. 18 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Capitol Heights Lyric Opera Company:Italian Passion in Opera and Song; live performance, Pt. Washington Library, 7:30pm.Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 19 - Vincent Lombardi Lodge #2270 - Columbus Day D/D at Midvale CountryClub, Rochester, 6:00pm, $60pp. Contact: Linda Agnello @ 585-288-4234.

Oct. 19 - Vincent Lombardi Lodge # 2270 - Italian Heritage Awards D/D at MidvaleCountry Club, Penfield, $60pp. Contact: Jennifer Rube @ 585-381-5540.

Oct. 20 - Romanesque Lodge #2198 - Italian Crafts for Children, and other activitiesfor children and families. Haverstraw King’s Daughters Library. 1-3pm. Free

Oct. 21 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 - Afternoon at the Opera: SimonBoccanegra by Giuseppe Verdi; audio-visual lecture presented by Prof. James Kolb,Pt. Washington Library, 3:00pm. Contact: Tom Amato @ 516-423-9113.

Oct. 23 - Guglielmo Marconi Lodge #2232 - Presentation by Dr. Frederick Zito on Life& Experiments of Dr. Marconi at the Islip Library, Islip, 7:00pm. Contact: Islip Library@ 631-581-5933.

Oct 25 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 - Columbus D/D honoring IPP LouisFazzone at Mallozzi’s Banquet House, Rotterdam, $45pp. Contact: Peter Sparano @518-355-9612.

Oct. 27 - Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 - Annual Christopher Columbus Day D/D.Contact: Flavia DiNota @ 914-761-9073.

Oct. 27 - Andrea Doria Lodge #2201 - “Sunday Performances” Songs of Italy withGianni Monti and Anna Fontana at Selden Cultural Center of Middle Country Library,Selden, 2:00pm. Contact: Virginia Abruzzo McConville @ 631-736-4951.

Oct. 28 - Marco Polo Lodge #2214 - Italian Heritage Night event with Guest SpeakerDr. Joseph Tursi at Marco Polo Lodge Hall, Levittown, 8:00pm. Contact: Mary DeRosa@ 516-579-1716. n

2013: Year of Italian Culture in the United StatesYear of Italian Culture: 2013 - A year long journey ... highlighting Italy’s con-temporary contributions and its legacy of culture, research, discovery and inno-vation...and Italy’s commemorative historic anniversaries. Italian culture isubiquitous, enduring and ever evolving. So this journey could be any year, any-where:

Art/Architecture. The Year of Italian Culture was inaugurated with Washington’sNational Gallery of Art’s exhibit of Michelangelo’s David-Apollo from the unrivaledItalian Renaissance. More recent movements include Futurismo and MetaphysicalArt.From classical to contemporary design, Italian architecture has been mirroredworldwide for private homes and public buildings.

Music/Theatre. 2013 marks the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth; as the patriotic com-poser of Il Risorgimento, is Nabucco’s Va Pensiero aria was hoped to be Italy’snational anthem. Presently, international festivals promote Italian classic, pop andjazz music. Commedia dell’Arte, improvised theatre, lives on in every performanceof Pulcinella; Goldoni brought written dialogue to Commedia. Sicilian marionettestell epic tales; Pinocchio still teaches universal truths.

Science/Technology. Following the geniuses of Galileo, Meucci, Marconi, andFermi, the Italian born physicist Faggin designed the first commercial microproces-sor. Other Italians are pioneers in digital communications and machinery design.Italy with the United States was the first to send a satellite into orbit in 1964 anddesigned over 50% of the International Space Lab. Italian medical inventions anddiscoveries include the first artificial heart implanted in a human; coronary stents,“Knockout Mice,”engineered for genetic research; and AIDS treatments.

Cinema/Photography. Cinecitta` has produced great classic films, internationalproductions, Neorealism, and contemporary cinema. Italian photography has developed into a true visual art, providing images and ideasthat inspire fashion, travel and personal memory and thought.

Italian Language/Literature. Dante, the medieval poet, wrote La DivinaCommedia in Tuscan dialect, not Latin, establishing Italian as the literary languageof Italy, which eventually became the official languageof a unified Italy.Machiavelli is the Italian historian, politician and author of Il Principe whose quin-centennial is celebrated in 2013. Il Principe presented a new political philosophy:“The end justifies the means.”Boccaccio, Renaissance poet and humanist, penned Il Decamerone, the one-hundrednarrated tales set in 1348. 2013 commemorates the seven-hundredth year of its writ-ing. Chaucer and Shakespeare were influenced by Boccaccio’s work.

Italian Brand/Design. “Made in Italy” guarantees style and quality worldwide. Itincludes fashion, furniture, household objects, other personal and industrial productsand the graphic design, which presents and advertises the products, combining formand function and seeming veritable works of art in and of themselves.Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, well known for sleek luxury automobile design,performance and speed, also were destined to produce teams or engines to propelFormula Uno cars with phenomenal speeds around the race track. Happy FiftiethAnniversary, Lamborghini!

Tastes/Flavors of Italy. Who does not enjoy the delights of discovery in movingthrough a mixed antipasto with mozzarella di bufala, exactly paper thin prosciutto;the sensation of perfectly cooked al dente pasta with a sugo that perfectly matchesthe pasta’s shape to which it clings; or a perfect espresso with schiuma. This tradi-tion continues in every trattoria and ristorante that bears an Italian name or menu.

Italian Territories. Who has not dreamed of an Italian vacation…to witness the lay-ers of civilization in Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples; southern crossroads of Greek,Spanish, Arabic, and Norman cultures; ancient dialects and rustic cuisines; andItaly’s mountains, hill towns, canals, lakes, islands and beaches.

Next Generation. Italy’s next generation with its humanist, scientific and techno-logical approach will continue to inspire research, creativity, discovery and innova-tion, further contributing to Italy’s legacy of enriching world civilization.

Prepared by the Italian Heritage & Culture Committeeof New York, Inc.

www.italyculturemonth.org

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 15

16 • Golden Lion • September-October 2013

DISTRICT I2232Andrew LaRocca

2319Justin BandiseAdele MegnaJames MegnaPatricia O’Donnell

2451Diane Carpenter

2442Vincenzo CaturanoRoslyn Sesso

2846Ann BonosoroFrank BonosoroChiarina EicholzMatthew EicholzRita T. GalloShaina GrzeckaCharlie Raymond

DISTRICT II1389Marian Pia HadelbachGeorge W. MartinDoreen SeverinMichael Severin

2143Anthony CanavaciolRobert FazioChris RussoJoseph SorceJoseph Milazzo

2163AMary DannebaumNora Ann De CarolisElizabeth GimberMaritza MazzaGregory MazzeoMary Grace ParransJane R. Trapani

DISTRICT II (cont’d)2180Florence C. Iovino

2206Frank CappaIsabella CappaJames ColaJack MartinsAnthony PasqualaJoAnn Bono Strong

2253Franco CavarraAnna BoccioDominick LongobordiLouise LongobordiRalph Mirabelli

DISTRICT III285Joseph ScalzoNikki Tartanela

2344Christiopher L. BalestrieriRobert LettieriMario VaglicaFrank A. Ruggiero

2344APatricia A. Pampino

2859Josephine OlsonAndrew OlsonJohn RossRose Marie Visone

2867Joan CardinoLinda GuarneriDeborah McAliney

DISTRICT IV2248Ester A. FallonRon Kiedaisch

2435Michelle Disque

DISTRICT IV (cont’d)2550Rosemary CircostaCarol CredendinoMarge EspositoLina FerritoMary MilanoJoan PangiaMary PaldinoHelken RubboLaura SinatraJoanie SimonettiLaura TolliNancy Tolli

2600Vincent C. GrolliJim LanFranchiDaniel P. Romano DISTRICT VI321Anthony D’AnatetiJoe ChrysAnthony DiCoccoEmma DiGiorgioAurelio LevitoJohn NapoliAngelo RossiAntonio SantabarbaraJoseph SorrentinoBenjamin P. SignoreDianet SignoreLaura TaglientiBarry Van SteeleThomas VerrignVincenzo Viscusi

DISTRICT VIII2270Martha BenfanteGino RamanoThomas A. Ferraro Jr.Vicki PawlyshynMichael R. TomaselliAnthony Joseph Yonda

Membership 2013

New members initiated as of September 15, 2013

Cellini Lodge #2206 of New Hyde Park Initiates New Members. State FirstVP Carolyn Reres,attended the lodge’s ceremony on August 5, 2013, when 6 newmembers were sworn into the Order, including NY State Senator Jack Martins.In photo - from left: Lodge President Vincent R. Illuzzi; new members: SenatorJack Martins, Isabella and Frank Cappa, Anthony Pasquarella, JoAnn BonoStrong, and James Cola; and State 1st VP Carolyn Reres.

Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Smithtown. Benvenuti a tutti. The lodgerecently inducted 5 new members into the Order. in photo on left, 4 new membersare pictured with Lodge President Geraldine Iannello Graham. From left: AdeleMegna, James Megna, Patricia O’Connell, and Justin Bandise. In photo on right:the 5th member - Samantha Thomas, who is a former Lodge Queen and schol-arship recipient is shown with the President.

Columbus Lodge #2143 - S. Farmingdale. On September 10, 2013, five newmembers were welcomed into the lodge. They are shown taking the Oath of theOrder being administered by Lodge Deputy Anthony Ceriello (not in photo). Thenew members in alpha oreder are:. Anthony Canavaciol, Robert Fazio, ChrisRusso, Joseph Sorce, and Joseph Milazzo.

W e l c o m e N e w M e m b e r s

Get More Out Of Your Membership

Join a Committee In Your Lodge

Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge 321 – Schenectady. Hostess Linda Russo servessome of the 140 members and guests who sampled 34 entries in the Lodge’s an-nual Wine Tasting Contest. A delicious dinner followed. The judging made every-one who attended a winner.

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 17

2013

Sept. 21 - nYosIa grand lodge Foundationautism Fundraiser Casino royale to be heldat Constantino brumidi lodge hall, deerPark, 7:00pm, $55pp. Contact: anita rosato@ 631-271-1272.

Oct. 21 - nYosIa annual golf outing at thetown of oyster bay golf Course, 1 southWoods road, Woodbury, $175 per golfer.dinner at Woodbury Country Club, 884Jericho turnpike, Woodbury, $75pp. Contact:robert Ferrito @ 917-440-5435.

Oct. 26 - nYosIa Fall Plenary session to behosted by gabriele d’annunzio lodge #321at gabriele d’annunzio lodge hall,schenectady, 9:30am. Contact: Eileen stavis@ 516-785-4623.

Nov. 9 - nYosIa gift of sight annualawards luncheon to be held at theImmaculate Conception Center, douglastonParkway, douglaston, 12:00pm, $60pp.Contact: Marianne Principe o’neil @ 516-883-5762.

Nov. 16 - nYosIa gMM 25th annualFundraiser brunch honoring salvatore andMarjorie Moschella, Cammie brandofino,President, staten Island Cooley’s anemiaFoundation with a special posthumous tributeto Janet grillo to be held at the staaten,staten Island, 10:00am. Contact: rose Frisari@ 718-981-8543.

2014

Jan. 31 - nYosIa grand lodge Foundation21st anniversary Winter Charity ball atChateau briand, Carle Place, 7:30pm.Contact: Joan rondinelli @ 516-799-0044 orannette lankewish @ 516-933-7393 orMadeline Matteucci @ 631-654-2578.

Feb. 1 - nYsosIa Winter Plenary session.location and host lodge to be announced.Contact: Eileen stavis @ 516-785-4623.

Apr. 1 - nYosIa grand lodge Foundationannual Cooley’s anemia dine-a-round atverdi’s of Westbury, 7:00pm. Contact: Marynaccarato @ 516-921-7839 or MildredMancusi @ 516-295-0984.

Apr. 5 - nYosIa grand lodge leadershipseminar to be held at the antonio Meuccilodge hall, 279 Maple avenue, White Plains.Contact: Carol ditrapani @ 516-785-4623.

Apr. 25 - nYosIa grand lodge Foundation32nd anniversary golden lion awardsdinner at the garden City hotel, 7:00pm.Contact: Eileen stavis or Carol ditrapani @516-785-4623.

Local Lodges

Sept. 22 - Fr. John Papallo Lodge #2684 -annual lodge Picnic at hoyt Farm,Commack, $20pp. Contact: anthonydiChiara @ 631-724-2905.

Sept. 28 - Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319- brunch honoring IPP toni brenneis at villalombardi’s, holbrook, 11:00am, $70pp.Contact: Janice sibilia @ 631-361-9157.

Sept. 28 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211- an Evening at the races at brumidi lodgehall, deer Park, 5:00pm, $12pp. Contact:631-586-0883.

Sept. 28 - Luigi Pirandello Lodge #2875 - anight at the races at holy Family schoolCafeteria, 7:00pm, $15pp. Contact: debravaughan @ 917-682-8750.

Sept. 28 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 -Karaoke for breast Cancer at tJ byrnes, 77Fulton street, nYC, $10pp. Contact: annaMagliato @ 347-306-9558.

Sept. 29 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - annualFeast/Festival at no. broadway, Massapequa,11:00am. Contact: anthony ventiera @ 516-851-8531.

Oct. 3 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 -soup night at brumidi lodge hall, 6:30pm,$15pp. Contact: Carol nani @ 631-242-4261.

Oct. 6 - America Lodge #2245 - annualscholarship d/d at verdi’s of Westbury,1:00pm. Contact: bruno Caracciolo @ 516-659-8765.

Oct. 11 - Anthony Maggiacomo Lodge #2320- annual d/d at Westchester Manor, 140 sawMill river road, Yonkers, 7:00pm, $85pp.Contact: Peter tamburri @ 914-476-9659.

Oct. 18 - Romanesque Lodge #2198 - 45thanniversary d/d honoring Charter Membersat Madeline’s Petit Paris, 416 tappan road,

northvale, nJ, 6:30pm, $45pp. Contact:Judith scandiffio @ 845-359-1023.

Oct. 20 - Judge Frank A. Gulotta Lodge#2180, Marco Polo Lodge #2214, GalileoGalilei Lodge #2253, Edward J. Speno Lodge#2568 - Joint lodge d/d honoring JudgeFrank gulotta lodge IPP anthony vasaturo,Marco Polo lodge IPP leo diliberti, galileogalilei lodge Jean Cuccia, and Edward J.speno lodge anna biscardi at Carlyle on thegreen, bethpage golf Course, bethpage,12:00pm, $85pp. Contact: angela deCosimo@ 516-837-8550 or Kathy vitzthum @ 516-270-6050.

Oct. 20 - Michael Valente Lodge #2667 - 20thannual scholarship brunch honoring Joesinnona, brigadier general (rEt.) thomas J.Principe, douglas o’grady, and Past lodgedeputy Joseph squitieri at serata restaurant,777 West beech street, long beach,10:30am, $35pp. Contact: ralph Madalena@ 516-766-7772.

Oct. 24 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389- scholarship-Charity d/d at leonard’s ofgreat neck, great neck, 7:00pm. Contact:tony Conetta @ 516-883-4266.

Oct. 26 - Roma Intangible Lodge #215 -100th anniversary Celebration & goldenlion d/d honoring state Financialsecretary biagio Isgro at shaker ridgeCountry Club, 802 albany shaker road,albany, 7:00pm, $80pp. Contact: anthonygeddes @ 518-365-7431.Oct. 26 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge#2211 - halloween d/d and Costume Partyat Constantino brumidi lodge hall, deerPark, 7:30pm, $45pp. Contact: gingerFilangeri @ 631-666-0413.

Oct. 27 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321- Chicken Parmiggiano dinner and silentauction at lodge hall, schenectady,11:30am to 4:00pm, $10pp. Contact:renato viscusi @ 518-505-8918.

Oct. 27 - Giovanni Caboto Lodge #2372 -sands hotel & Casino (Pa) departsbellmore train station, 8:30am, $45pp.Contact: Joyce verity @ 516-804-9867.

Oct. 27 - Giovanni da Verrazzano Lodge#1236 - 90th anniversary d/d honoring statePresident Joseph rondinelli and lodge PastPresidents at the Colonial Inn, norwood, nJ,1:00pm, $75pp. Contact: Paul oddo @ 845-359-0182.

Nov. 1 - Vigiano Brothers Lodge #3436 -scholarship d/d honoring IPP Joanne speraand district 1 deputy arthur spera at Windowson the lake, lake ronkonkoma, $75pp.Contact: Michele sescila @ 631-676-6145.

Nov. 2 - Luigi Pirandello Lodge #2875 - 1stanniversary d/d at Immaculate ConceptionCenter, douglaston, 7:00pm, $75pp. Contact:James vaughan @ 917-682-0924.

Nov. 2 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - “dooWop”Party with the accords at Clinton Martin Park.Contact: anthony Calabro @ 516-739-2841.

Nov. 2 - Capt. Kathy Mazza Lodge #2163A -holiday Craft and vendor Fair at bethpageCommunity Center, grumman road,bethpage, 10:00am. Contact: santinahaemmerle @ 516-731-1811.

Nov. 2 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 -halloween Party at Most Precious bloodChurch hall, nYC, $30pp. Contact: tonispinelli @ 646-721-5735.

Nov. 3 - Perry Como Lodge #2846 - 5thannual d/d honoring IPP Charles lucie atthe larkfield Manor, E. northport, 12:30pm,Contact: anne Cajigas @ 631-754-2730.

Nov. 7 - Per Sempre Ladies Lodge #2344A -annual Fashion show at verdi’s of Westbury,7:00pm, $49pp. Contact: Mildred Mancusi @516-359-1745.

Nov. 8 - Donne D’Italia Lodge #2330 -Chinese auction at loyal order of theMoose, lindenhurst, 6:30pm, $5pp. Contact:vera Fisher @ 631-742-1205.

Nov. 8 - Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge #2234 -43rd d/d gala at larkfield Manor, 507larkfield road, E. northport, 7:00pm, $80pp.Contact: theresa Pernice @ 631-231-7033.Nov. 10 - Uguaglianza/NE Bronx Lodge #83- Italian Equality award Cocktail Party hon-oring Julia bastiani at the Italian Consulate,690 Park avenue, nYC, 3;00pm, $75pp.Contact: lilyanna Pekic @ 718-655-5000.

Nov. 15 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Culture &thanksgiving social. Contact: luigisquillante @ 516-456-2541 or Jeangagliardo @ 516-935-5084.

Nov. 16 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 -veal Cutlet dinner at lodge hall,schenectady, 6:30pm, $18pp. Contact: Petersparano @ 518-355-9612.

Nov. 16 - Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge #285 -“Mr. & Mrs. shopping night out” to benefitalzheimer’s at Most Precious blood Churchhall, nYC, $5pp. Contact: anna Magliato @347-306-9558.

Nov. 17 - Giovanni Caboto Lodge #2372 -annual d/d at the north ritz Club, syosset,12:00pm. Contact: rick trapani @ 888-997-9801.

Nov. 24 - Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211- Joint testimonial d/d honoring IPP andyFilangeri & ladies auxiliary IPP debraPrestano at larkfield Manor, E. northport,12:00pm. Contact: bob savino @ 631-422-6934.

Dec. 7 - Anthony Maggiacomo Lodge #2320- Christmas Party at Maggiacomo lodgehall, Yonkers, $40pp. Contact: Carminerubbo @ 914-423-5453.

Dec. 7 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 -Italian Christmas Eve Fish dinner at lodgehall, schenectady, 6:30pm, $25pp. Contact:angelina donadio @ 518-694-1868.

Dec. 8 - John Michael Marino Lodge #1389 -Christmas Party at the swan Club, glenwoodlanding, 12:30pm. Contact: tony Conetta @516-883-4266.

Dec. 13 - Progresso Lodge #1047 - ChristmasParty at ramada Inn, syracuse, 6:30pm,$40pp. Contact: Josephine Federico @ 315-457-5010.

Dec. 14 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - annual adultChristmas Party. Contact: alfonso squillante@ 516-280-4080.

Dec. 15 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - Children’sChristmas Party at Clinton Martin Park.Contact: anna Mulea @ 516-596-0910.

Dec. 15 - Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 -Kid’s Christmas Party at lodge hall,schenectady, 2:00pm, $10 per adult, childrenare free. Contact: angelina donadio @ 518-694-1868.

2014

Jan. 18 - Columbus Lodge #2143 - 50thanniversary d/d at stuart thomas Manor, s.Farmingdale. Contact: Ed bochynski @ 516-992-1775.

Apr. 4 - Cellini Lodge #2206 - 46thanniversary d/d Cellini CharitableFoundation, 7:30pm. More info to follow.Contact: vincent Illuzzi @ 917-922-8045.

May 1 - Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 -basilone lodge annual Cultural trip, 11 daytour through sicily, $3,569pp. Contact:Patricia summers @ 631-567-9493.

As of 9/15/2013

2013 OSIA UPCOMING EVENTS

State/National Events

n.Y.s. o.s.I.a.

Constantino Brumidi Lodge #22112075 Deer Park Avenue Deer Park N.Y. 11729

CATERING for all occasions -- Call Tara @631-338-6357www.sonsofitalyli.com

BALLROOM DANCING—Every Wednesday Night @ 7 P.M. Music by D.J.Ray

BINGO—Every Monday Night @ 7:15 P.M.

VEGAS NIGHTS--Fridays – Twice Monthly @ 7 P.M.Bingo and Vegas licensed by Babylon Town

Call Lodge @ 631-586-3928 for further information

For EvEnts rElatEd to thE ItalIan

hErItaFE and CulturE Month

CElEbratIon - PlEasE sEE PagE XXFor dEtaIls.

Ital ian American HeroesCongressional Medal of Honor Recipients

Anthony Peter Damato

Born - March 28,1922 - Shenandoah, PADied - February 20. 1944 - Engebi, Marshall Islands

Rank and organization: Cpl., U.S. Marine Corps. Place and date of action: EngebiIsland, Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands 19-20 February 1944. Entered service at:Pennsylvania.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above andbeyond the call of duty while serving with an assault company in action againstenemy Japanese forces on Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, on thenight of 19-20 February 1944. Highly vulnerable to sudden attack by small, fa-

natical groups of Japanese still at large despite the efficientand determined efforts of our forces to clear the area, Cpl.Damato lay with two comrades in a large foxhole in his com-pany's defense perimeter which had been dangerously thinnedby the forced withdrawal of nearly half of the available men.When one of the enemy approached the fox-hole undetectedand threw in a hand grenade, Cpl. Damato desperately gropedfor it in the darkness. Realizing the imminent peril to all threeand fully aware of the consequences of his act, he unhesitat-ingly flung himself on the grenade and, although instantlykilled as his body absorbed the explosion, saved the lives ofhis two companions. Cpl. Damato's splendid initiative, fear-

less conduct and valiant sacrifice reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S.Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his comrades.

Anthony was the son of Italian immigrants John and Speranza (Frances) Damato,and was part of a close-knit Italian family of eight children: four boys and four girls.He was educated in the elementary and high schools of Shenandoah. Prior to enlist-ment he was last employed as a truck driver.

Upon enlistment in the United States Marine Corps right after Pearl Harbor, on Jan-uary 8, 1942, trained for five months in the US, then went to Ireland for more training.He distinguished himself during the first year of his enlistment, volunteering for spe-cial duty with a select invasion party that took part in the North African landings. Hewas advanced in rate for especially meritorious conduct in action while serving aboardship at Arzeau, Algeria, on November 8, 1942, when he landed with an assault waveentering the port from seaward and assisted in boarding and seizing vessels in the har-bor as well as the seizure of the port. He returned to the United States in March 1943,for a short furlough and three months later sailed for Pacific duty and assigned to anassault company of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines, 5th Amphibious Corps. He even-tually found himself on small Pacific island that most people probably never heardof before the war, where by his heroic action saved his fellow comrades-in-arms. Hewas instantly killed. Tony was 22. His remains are interred in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu,Hawaii

On April 9, 1945, the tiny mining community of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania turnedout en masse to pay homage to Corporal Damato at the presentation ceremonies forthe Medal of Honor. The presentation was made in the High School where Cpl Dam-ato had been a student, and was presented to his mother.

The USS Damato, a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, was namedin his honor.

Tony’s older brother Neil, was a captain in the Air Corps, distinguishing himself asa bombardier aboard a Flying Fortress. He saw action over North Africa at the sametime that his brother Tony was in action there, and later on, he saw action over Ger-many. In November 1943, while Tony was fighting in small islands in the Pacific,Neil’s plane was hit over Germany and subsequently went down over water, likelythe North Sea. Neil's body was never found. He was 25. What a heartbreak it musthave been for the Damato family in giving its two eldest sons within 3 short monthsof each other, while fighting for the adoptive country of their immigrant parents. n

18 • Golden Lion • September-October 2013

Giovanni Caboto lodge #2372 - Bellmore. At the lodge’s Annual Picnic onJuly 14th, over 100 people were in attendance. Making the event a great successfor the guest were: from left - Dominick Santanella, Frank Tursi, Bob Ortlani, LucioDegrassi, Luigi Barberio, President PatFerrari and 1st VP Anthony Capriola. Jollythe Clown, a piñata, and organized games for the enjoyment of children.

S u m m e r F u n

Columbus Lodge #2143 - S. Farmingdale. On July 28, members and familyenjoyed a fun-filled day at the lodge’s Annual Picnic. Great food, games, and goodfriends, made it a picnic to remember. Helping themselves to yummy delicaciesalla “Iavarone Brothers” style, are some of the 325 people that attended.

Le Amiche Lodge #2550 of Yonkers, held a Night at the Races on July 18, 2013at Yonkers Raceway. The racetrack named a race after the lodge and due to spacelimitations, only 10 of the 68 attendees were lucky to have their picture taken withthe winning horse. Pictured with Lodge President Paula Baratta and her husbandMichael Baratta (President of Anthony Maggiacomo Lodge #2320) are members:Nancy Spizzirro, Fran Esposito, Michelle Simonetti, Lina Ferrito, Joanie Simonetti,and several other guests. Win or lose, a fun evening was had by all.

Attention All NY State Officers and ChairpersonsScheduled Plenary Session

October 26, 2013 - Fall Plenary Session

Hosted by Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321, Schenectady

February 1, 2014 - Winter Plenary Session

Hosted by Lodge and Location TBA

The Golden Lion • September-October 2013 • 19

Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 - Smithtown. 10 Past Presidents attend-ed the August general meeting at which the Lodge Queen, Caroline Grove, wascrowned and new members were initiated. How wonderful to have all of thesepast presidents remain active in our lodge. Pictured from left to right are:President Geraldine Iannello Graham, IPP Toni Brenneis, PPs Janice Sibilia,Antoinette Baldi, Eugene Sampieri, and Larry Trotta. Standing from left: NicholasMauro, John Carricato, Dominick Salerno, Rocco Loccisano, and StephenLoccisano.

R e m e m b e r t o Vo t e

O n N o v e m b e r 5 t h

Giovanni Caboto Lodge #2372 - Bellmore. Enjoying a day trip to the winecountry of the North Fork on Long Island, the Caboto family and friends of thelodge, led by Lodge President Patricia Ferrari (in front in white slacks), visitedRaphael’s Winery on August 25th. After tasting various wines, the group returnedhome in a “very-happy” mood.

Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge 321 - Schenectady. Lodge members hard atwork in the kitchen preparing for the lodge’s Annual Eggplant Parm Dinner. Theeggplants are being prepared in the old-fashion Italian way for a yummy treat forthe 130 guests that attended.

Constantino Brumidi Lodge #2211 - Deer Park. The lodge Queen AlyssaSoldano (center) participated in the District One 2013 Queen’s Pageant held onAugust 18, 2013. She’s flanked by, from left: Ladies Auxiliary President SabrinaSavino; her proud parents: mother Susan and father and lodge member, Carmine;and Lodge President Bob Savino.

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