Profiles

Suffering 75 percent hearing loss as a member and then leader of a mortar squad in the push toward Berlin, Alex Fosco took part in three major battles on the way to victory over the Nazis. The oldest of five children and only son, Alex Fosco was born on Sept. 19, 1925, in Chicago to Alex and Mary Vespa Fosco. The family lived in the Italian neighborhood at Taylor and Halsted streets. Fosco’s father was born in France, but his family was originally from Pizzone, Italy. Fosco enjoyed spending time with his extended family, especially his maternal grandmother, Angelina Vespa. …

Through her efforts to connect Italian Americans in TV and film, Taylor Taglianetti is having a huge impact on the industry at a relatively young age. Over the years, Fra Noi has featured many film industry standouts who have made a positive impact on their industry, but none with a story of youthful exuberance, persistence and vision quite like 22-year-old Taylor Taglianetti. As founder of the National Organization of Italian Americans in Film & Television, the recent NYU graduate advances a simple but dynamic mission. In a nutshell, Taglianetti wants to connect and empower Italian Americans to attain their professional …

Originally assigned to the Army Finance Branch in Kentucky, Louis Mirabelli soon found himself behind the controls of a tank on the battlefields of Korea. One of six children, Louis (Lou) Mirabelli was born in Chicago. His parents, Enrico and Mariane (Mirabelli) Mirabelli, emigrated from Cosenza. The growing family moved from apartment to apartment in the vicinity of Taylor Street and Hermitage. “It seemed like every time the people would raise the rent, my father would say, ‘OK, let’s pick up our furniture and move someplace else’ … the old Italian custom,” Mirabelli says. The Italian neighborhood was a haven …

After beating serious health challenges that hampered his athletic and corporate careers, Chris Bordoni celebrates resilience through a special podcast. Talented teens and young adults tend to view themselves as invincible. Even when they suffer a major setback or two, they often emerge humbler but still immensely confident. But what happens to a star athlete and corporate wunderkind who gets sidelined not once, but four times by serious health issues? In the case of Chris Bordoni, the answer defies easy analysis or explanation — especially since his last health scare was the worst: Stage 3B testicular cancer. Where others might …

Agostino Dessi is one of the premier mask makers in Italy. For more than 50 years, he has fashioned magnificent facial adornments in celebration of Carnevale in Venice as well as Commedia dell’Arte, a 500-year-old tradition of improvised theater in Italy. I recently had the opportunity to meet Agostino in the mask workshop of his daughter, Alice. Dubbed Alice’s Masks, it is located at Via Faenza 72R in central Florence, not far from the Central Market and San Lorenzo Church. A visit to the shop offers a wonderful perspective on the street theater of Italy. Perhaps a raucous Commedia company …

Mortgage industry executive Michael D. Russotto will ascend to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie-optional installation dinner on March 20 at the Royal Fox Country Club in St. Charles. For reservations, call John Curry at 847-890-8717. Russotto has been a member since 2014. “This club is made up of members with big hearts and extreme generosity. We promote Italian heritage and help those in need, and the scholarships we provide are second to none,” he explains. “I also enjoy the camaraderie that we have among members. We’re a tight-knit group united by common goals.” Russotto, …

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has unanimously elected Basil Russo to serve as the organization’s new president. Representing 50 of the largest Italian-American groups in the country, the CPMIAO is headquartered in New York City and advocates for the 17 million Americans of Italian descent. Russo currently serves as national president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, one of the largest Italian-American fraternal associations in the country. A native of Cleveland, he acts as chairman of the city’s Columbus Day Parade. He is a founding and managing partner of the law firm Russo, Rosalina …

  Lucia Mauro passion for Italy and humanitarian causes shines through in her award-winning films. Some people make a life in film; others lead lives worthy of a film. Lucia Mauro is one of those rare individuals to whom both sides of the cinematic coin apply. Mauro was an established Chicago-area writer when she made her first foray into moviemaking with a 2007 screenplay. It led her to a major crossroads professionally and personally, for as that project ramped up, Mauro was stricken with ovarian cancer. Despite two recurrences, Mauro forged onward and upward with courage and confidence. She transitioned …

After years of living from project to project, Torrey DeVitto finally has a home base in one of Dick Wolf’s famously long-running series. When the hit drama “Chicago Med” returns to NBC later this year, the doctors at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center will face off against the same coronavirus pandemic their real-life counterparts have been grappling with since March. Actress Torrey DeVitto, who plays the brilliant emergency pediatrics specialist Dr. Natalie Manning, says the show won’t time jump or ignore current events. Instead, the crown jewel of executive producer Dick Wolf’s “One Chicago” franchise will embrace its creator’s …

In his award-winning book “Crying the News,” Vincent DiGirolamo brings the fast-fading history of 19th- and 20th-century newsboys back into focus. The shopworn stereotype of the newsboy — some rosy-faced rascal hoisting the Five-Star Final above his head, shouting “EXTRA! EXTRA!” —  is all most Americans know of this once-ubiquitous urban icon. Then, along comes Vincent DiGirolamo to tackle their story with the passion and precision of a front-page scribe. In “Crying the News: A History of America’s Newsboy” (Oxford University Press), DiGirolamo shines a light on this once-vibrant milieu, in the process preventing it from disappearing from our cultural …