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One of the most stirring moments in “Piano Piano: Stories From My Father,” comes when an Italian-American man tells how his immigrant father went in search of food during the Great Depression. The church’s food pantry ran out before he could get any, but on his way home, he saw a “for lease” sign and leased a grocery store, which helped get his family get through the Depression. The play takes place as a conversation between Rocco Chrisfotano, played by Antonio Brunetti, and his daughter Roxanne Christofano Pilat. She plays herself in the Italian American Theatre of Chicago’s debut production, …

The Comboni Mission Center honored Rose Mary Ranallo on Nov. 25 at Porretta’s Banquets in Chicago. Ranallo is the chief financial officer and manager of her family businesses, NS Builders and Arno Decorating. A resident of Schaumburg, she grew up in Chicago and Elk Grove Village with her two sisters, Josephine and Lisa, and her parents, Gina and Natale Sclafani, who immigrated to the United States from Sicily. A past treasurer and president of the Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, she has chaired the division’s Italian Heritage Ball and Cotillion as well as its Scholarship …

Gianna Tuminello was crowned queen of the Columbus Day Parade at an intimate pageant in September at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and chaired by Ron Onesti, the pageant featured in-depth conversations with each contestant. “I wanted to focus on the girls’ personalities and public presence,” Onesti said. Tuminello credited the love and guidance of her Italian-American mom with making her the young woman she is today. Tuminello will take part in the parade and other events in the community in the company of her court: Giuliana Bartucci, …

On Sept. 10, 2017 the Maywood Bataan Day Organization unveiled a new tribute in Maywood Park to those who served at Bataan in the Philippines. The date marked the 75th commemoration of the annual Remember Bataan Memorial Services. The ceremony has been taking place on the second Sunday in September every year since 1942. I had the honor of representing the Navy at the wreath-laying portion of the program.   Those in attendance included members of the Illinois Army National Guard, veterans’ organizations, representatives of the Philippine government and the families of survivors from the 33rd Tank Company, 33rd Infantry Division …

Casa Italia sponsored another standout bocce tournament this summer, fielding 14 teams that competed for honor and glory over the course of nine weeks of regular play and two weeks of playoffs. Team Columbian Club battled its way to a first-place finish with Nonno’s Team coming in second and No Stress taking third. Everyone brought food and wine to share and Italian American Executives of Transportation member Andy Tegtmeier earned a trophy for his skills at the grill. MVP honors went to 92-year-old Leno Santacaterina. The tourney was ably chaired by Casa Vice President Peter Volpe.

Cesare Battisti Lodge at Villa Cesare in Schererville spread Italian cheer across Northwest Indiana in August at its first annual Festa Italiana. Roughly 4,000 festival goers were serenaded by traditional and non-traditional Italian music as they made their way to food, craft and beer and wine vendors. They enjoyed non-stop live entertainment, played bocce at their leisure and in tournaments, watched pasta- and pizza-making demonstrations, participated in an entertaining spaghetti-eating contest, and learned from the experts at a wine-and-food pairing. For the rest of the story, visit. On the food front, there was pizza, Italian beef, Italian sausage, meatball and …

The Italian American Executives of Transportation honored Dominic Romanazzi and Wayne Bubak on Nov. 18 at Alta Villa Banquets in Addison. Dominic Romanazzi — Man of the Year A devoted family man and fierce advocate for workers’ rights, Dominic Romanazzi is a most deserving recipient of the Italian American Executives of Transportation’s 2017 Man of the Year Award. Dominic Romanazzi first became a Teamster in 1986 when he began working for the Illinois State Tollway Authority. He subsequently became a member of Teamsters Local 330 in 1989 when he began working for the Illinois Department of Transportation. In 1998 Dominic was …

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans pulled out all the stops for its 2017 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Gala, honoring 10 local powerhouses from all walks of life. Renato Bacci (Military) U.S. Army Colonel, Retired Chair, Illinois Committee, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bacci received his commission in 1969 through the ROTC program at Loyola University. During his 30-year career, he served as an Infantry, Armor, and Civil Affairs Officer. His active-duty tours included Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. While mobilized for Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia 1996), Ron worked directly with the …

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce inductees and honorees for the 40th Annual Induction & Awards Gala, which took place at a dinner on Saturday, November 18th, at the Westin Chicago River North. Last year’s Sportsman of the Year award recipient, Eddie Greco of Greco and Sons, chaired the dinner. The program was emceed by 2016 Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and New York Mets Radio Announcer Wayne Randazzo. Previous inductees including Tommy Lasorda, Jerry Colangelo, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Franco Harris, Vince Ferragamo and more will be in attendance on this evening. …

The Cegliesi Italo American Association honored a groundbreaking scientist at its 43rd annual dinner dance on Oct. 15 at Alta Villa Banquets in Addison. Dr. Guy Dimonte was born in Ceglie del Campo, Puglia, in 1948. His family immigrated to Venezuela soon afterward, subsequently moving to America and eventually settling in California. A product of the University of California system, Dr. Dimonte has spent his entire professional career in the Golden State, where he has dedicated himself to basic physics research. With the ultimate goal of harnessing thermonuclear plasmas, he spent his early career working on experiments designed to produce …