Profiles

A radioman on a Landing Ship Tank during World War II, Samuel Cascio and his crew delivered weapons, troops and other cargo throughout the Pacific. The only son among four children, Dr. Samuel Cascio was born in Chicago on Aug. 27, 1924, to Joseph and Josephine (Guercio) Cascio. His father, a barber, was born in Baltimore, and his mother emigrated from Cefalù, Sicily, with her family. Cascio grew up in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side of Chicago with his maternal grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins living two blocks away. He often brought his grandmother home for visits. …

Musical genres come and go, but Frankie Valli who made walking like a man famous is as dynamic today as he was when he scored his first hit with The Four Seasons in 1962. “You want a contract? OK, here’s the contract … a Jersey contract.” That’s part of an exchange in the global theatrical phenomenon “Jersey Boys,” as Frankie Valli extends his hand to bandmate Bob Gaudio when the legendary supergroup, The Four Seasons, was born. The handshake deal has stood the test of time for more than six decades. It is a barely legal arrangement unheard of in …

  An award-winning rower in high school, John Salvi overcame brain cancer and returned to his sport, stronger than ever. Rower John Salvi won nationals as a high school senior and came in 5th place at the U-19 World Championships last year. Impressive in their own right, Salvi’s accomplishments are even more significant in light of the fact that he battled brain cancer while in high school. He’s been in remission since October 2022. “The sport is massively physically intense and mentally exhausting, which makes success in the sport that much more fulfilling,” says the 19-year-old, now a sophomore studying …

As a leading member of the Italian American Women’s Club of Lake County in Northwest Indiana, Gina Geiss represents its values both personally and professionally. Through the club, Geiss actively works to preserve the Italian-American heritage and culture, and serves her community by volunteering at nonprofit organizations. As an in-home beauty groomer, she further serves others by helping to improve the lives of disabled and homebound adults. Geiss joined the club in 2014 and quickly moved through the ranks to become an officer in 2016. Four years later, she was elected president, a position she continues to hold. Geiss, who …

Among the many champions of the Italian community in Chicago is the Rev. Stan Czarnecki, a Polish-born Jesuit priest who fell in love with Italy after living in Palermo and Rome as a young adult. Czarnecki, who speaks Italian fluently, celebrates Mass in Italian on a regular basis at St. William Church and St. Francis Borgia Church in Chicago, and occasionally at Casa Italia in suburban Stone Park. “Whenever there is a request, I go,” he says. He also does bilingual masses, alternating readings in English and Italian, and giving parts of homilies in both languages. Czarnecki has been working …

Chicago native Patrick Bertoletti made national headlines on July 4 when he won the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest by downing a whopping 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The 39-year-old achieved what is considered the “holy grail” of competitive eating among about 70 events held annually by Major League Eating. Bertoletti’s records over the years include inhaling 10.63 lbs. of corned beef and cabbage in 10 minutes, 44 cherry kolaches in 8 minutes,7.5 lbs. of fried catfish in 10 minutes, 9 lbs. of boneless buffalo wings in 10 minutes, 47 glazed and cream-filled donuts in 5 minutes, …

A longtime aide to and confidante of the late, beloved Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Monsignor Kenneth Velo has leveraged his local and national connections in the Catholic Church to do a world of good for a host of worthy causes. About a year after being ordained a Catholic priest, then-Fr. Kenneth Velo was enthusiastically helping manage the large parish of St. Angela in Chicago, where he was associate pastor. Fellow churchmen saw something in the new priest and made a seemingly small move that changed the course of Velo’s life. Ordained for only two years, he was elected by his confreres …

Airborne-qualified as a paratrooper, Joseph Insolia served stateside during the Vietnam War as a supply clerk and company armorer while doing haircuts on the side. One of six children, Joseph Insolia was born in Solarino, Sicily, to Paul and Nina (Teodoro) Insolia. He grew up in the small town with his maternal grandparents living in the same house and aunts, uncles and cousins close by. Insolia’s father was the local barber. Once a week, he brought a meat bone home and his mother made a batch of sauce on the wood-burning stove. “My favorite food in those days was pasta …

Growing up watching old kung-fu martial arts movies, Thomas Glielmi started teaching himself how to do flips from trees, fences and garages. “I liked the adrenaline rush,” the 59-year-old recalls. That drive led Glielmi to join a men’s gymnastics team in high school, which set him on a course to forge an uber-successful career as a gymnastics coach over the last two decades. As head coach for Stanford University men’s gymnastics since 2002, Glielmi guided his athletes to clinch seven NCAA championships, including the last five. As head coach for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team, Glielmi helped lead Team USA …

Though he missed going to the 2024 Olympics by a fraction of a second, the progress Vincent Ciattei has made point toward a promising future in middle-distance running. After years of grueling training and long-harbored dreams, falling just short of making the U.S. Olympic team can deal a devastating blow to any athlete. While it certainly was a blow for Vincent Ciattei, it also spelled a qualitative leap in performance that has opened the door to exciting new opportunities for his track-and-field career. The 29-year-old suburban Baltimore native finished fourth in the 1,500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in …