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The Italian American Executives of Transportation will honor Jamie Rhee as Woman of the Year and Sergio Serritella as Humanitarian of the Year at its awards dinner and celebration on Nov. 16 at Ashton Place in Willowbrook. Rhee is Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation. Named to the post in 2018, she oversees operations at O’Hare and Midway International Airports, one of the largest airport systems in the world. Over the course of a 28-year career with the city of Chicago, Rhee has served in multiple positions at the airports, from customer-service foreign-language assistant while in law school, to …

A host of perks and an attractive price tag await those who sign up as members of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Members can download two e-books per month from the institute’s digital library, access Italian newspapers through a digital newsstand, borrow books and DVDs from the institute’s physical library, and receive discounted parking to institute events and discounted tickets to external events held in collaboration with the institute. A stylish tote bag reflecting the institute’s 2024 theme, In Futuro, is included. General membership is $40, with ItalCultura students paying only $25. For more, click here.  

  Longtime Fra Noi correspondent Dr. Kathryn Occhipinti has released an audiobook titled “Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Important Phrases,” with the same phrases found in her popular pocket phrase book of the same title. Recorded with native Italian and American speakers, the audiobook makes it possible to read and then listen to “all the Italian you need in order to enjoy your trip to Italy,” according to Occhipinti. The audiobook is available on Spotify and most streaming platforms, and the print version is available on Amazon.com and LearnTravelItalian.com. A radiologist of Italian descent, Occhipinti has been leading Italian-language …

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is seeking North American families who are willing to host girls and boys, ages 15 to 18, from Italy and more than 50 other countries. The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance, and are carefully selected based upon academics and personality, according to ASSE Midwest Regional Director Saphia Lesch. ASSE also offers qualified American students the opportunity to spend a school year, semester or summer with a host family in another country. (800-736-1760)  

The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago has reopened its library after upgrading its catalog, adding hundreds of new titles and creating several new sections. The institute’s library contains 4,000 titles, including books and DVDs. The collection now boasts sections dedicated to Italian fiction, children and young readers, and other specialized themes. The library is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by making an appointment at iicchicago@esteri.it.  

Super Lawyers magazine has named 13 attorneys at Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin to its 2024 Top 100 Super Lawyers, Illinois Super Lawyers and Illinois Rising Stars. Among them are several Italian-American attorneys, among them founding partner Antonio Romanucci, who ranked among the top 10 on the Illinois list. Super Lawyers relies on peer selection and review, third-party research, and professional achievement to curate its lists. Candidates are eligible as Rising Stars if they are 40 or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. Only 5% of attorneys in Illinois earned the Super Lawyer title and only …

The gravitational pull of their shared DNA was irresistible. On Dec. 29, 2023, the inhabitants of Alessandria del Carretto convened with their paesani in America in this ancient Calabrian mountain town for their first-ever Heritage Day. The two groups organized the gathering to celebrate the enduring bond between them. The day’s festivities, which were videotaped for American viewers, began at the municipal library, where attendees were shown a display of photographs. Among them were images of the town’s American descendants wearing T-shirts printed with their names and family connections. The display also included a photo of Mayor Domenico Vuodo with …

The Italian American Political Coalition presented Judge Celia G. Gamrath with its William Paca Award, Richard Caifano with its Lifetime Achievement Award and Richard Catezone with its Public Service Leadership Award at its annual Heritage Celebration on March 7 at Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. The following profiles were provided by the organization. Richard Caifano Lifetime Achievement Award Richard Caifano has been a leader in the legal profession and Italian-American community for nearly six decades. An attorney in private practice since 1965, he focuses on civil and criminal litigation at the trial and appellate levels. Rich was a trial instructor …

Holy Week is central to the spiritual lives of Italians on both sides of the Atlantic. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish and Shrine and the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii will play their parts from Palm Sunday (March 24) to Easter Sunday (March 31). OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL (Melrose Park) will celebrate Mass with the distribution of palms at 7:45 a.m. and noon in English and at 10:30 a.m. in Italian on Palm Sunday; Mass of the Last Supper in English and Italian and the washing of feet at 6 p.m. and adoration of the Altar of …

Chicago attorney Patrick A. Salvi was honored as Sportsman of the Year at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony and gala in December. A founder and managing equity partner at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, Salvi also is the CEO of Salvi Sports. A lifetime baseball aficionado, Salvi bought the Gary SouthShore RailCats in 2008, owning and operating it until 2022. Under his leadership, the minor league baseball team won four division championships, had 30 players signed to MLB organizations and won the 2013 American Association Championship. Salvi later expanded his baseball holdings with the purchase of …