Profiles

In the course of an exemplary 22-year career in the Army, Enrico Clausi has advanced from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel while tackling everything from training soldiers and officers to mobilizing troops and equipment. Enrico A. Clausi was born in Chicago and grew up in the Italian neighborhood of Homan and Chicago avenues. “Even the garbage cans were painted red, white and green,” says Clausi. His father, Enrico, emigrated from Cosenza, Calabria, as a young boy. His mother, Antoinette Messi, was born in Chicago. He has one older sister. Clausi grew up surrounded with music. His father was a professional …

The Rev. Michael P. Caruso and Larry Wert were the guests of honor when the Justinian Society of Lawyers hosts its annual installation and awards dinner on Sept. 12 at the Palmer House Hilton. For details, call 708-338-0760. The following officers were formally installed at the event: Natalie M. Petric (president), Judge Regina A. Scannicchio (first vice president), Dion U. Davi (second vice president), Bruno R. Massaro (third vice president), Michael D. Pisano (treasurer) and Brian T. Monico (secretary). The following profiles were provided by the organization: Fr. Michael P. Caruso, SJ — Award of Excellence The Rev. Michael P. …

The Sicilian American Cultural Association celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala Medal of Merit luncheon on Sept. 8 at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village. All past presidents and Medal of Merit recipients were honored at the event, along with this year’s honorees, Joseph and Martha Monastero and Katherine Amari O’Dell. For details, call 773-454-4710. The following profiles of this year’s Medal of Merit recipients were provided by the organization: Joseph Monastero Joseph Monastero was born in Philadelphia on Sept. 21, 1930, and returned to Caccamo, Italy, in 1932. He completed Liceo Classico in Palermo, returned to the United …

A pair of Illinois Italian Americans were among this year’s recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Attorney Enrico J. Mirabelli, corporate executive Sergio “Satch” Pecori and 90 others received their medals during a May 11 ceremony on Ellis Island. Mirabelli is a family law attorney with more than 37 years of experience. He served for 10 years on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and has served on the ISBA General Assembly and Family Law Section Council. Mirabelli has been honored by the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Corporation, John Marshall Law School, National Center for Exploited …

A karate enthusiast since early childhood, Angelina Roman has taken the sport by storm, earning a spot on the U.S. team before her 15th birthday. There’s a new force to be reckoned with in the karate world. From her first well-aimed kick in kindergarten, teen phenom Angelina Romano has pummeled her way to the top of the sport in her age bracket, winning the national championship and earning a spot on the U.S. team. Though the martial arts are now her passion, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for Angelina. “My dad sat me and my sister down, and …

In her book “Lipstick Brigade,” Dr. Cindy Gueli brings to light the almost-lost history of World War II’s ‘Government Girls.’ It’s one thing to document history by encountering it through antiquities, long-lost archives and dead-end trails left for an informed imagination to reconstruct. Then comes the history that remains so real, it lives, breathes and speaks through the women who made it. In those instances, the historian blossoms into a dynamic preservationist: working to record, for all time, remarkable stories and deeds that hide in plain sight. That mission becomes all the more critical when the history-makers in question — …

A reconnaissance photographer during World War II, Ralph Triggiano captured the enemy’s presence in the Pacific from 10,000 feet and the horrors of war from point-blank range. Ralph Triggiano was born in Chicago and grew up in the neighborhood of Taylor and Peoria streets surrounded by his maternal grandparents, aunts and uncles. Triggiano’s father, Joseph, emigrated from Carbonara di Bari, and his mother, Emmanuela Lorita, was born in Basilicata. Only five years old when his mother passed away, Triggiano moved in with his grandparents while his father worked on the railroad. “The aunts and uncles were really great,” says Triggiano. …

Miles of charm and a winning on-air chemistry with co-host Val Warner have contributed to eight years in the spotlight on “Windy City Live.” Ryan Chiaverini projects such a warm, affable presence as the co-host of the ABC7 talk show “Windy City Live” that as I waited to talk to him, I wondered whether he acts that way in real life or whether it’s just a persona for TV. A moment later, he bounded into his office with a big smile, a proffered handshake and a friendly gesture motioning me to sit on a sofa. During a round of chitchat, …

Through her Allegro Dance company, Anna Pishner Harsh turns Italian traditions into a cultural treasure to preserve and pass on. The traditions of Italian dance — like those of any traditional art form — only have two places to go: either the dusty confines of museum exhibits and history books, or back into the spotlight to live in real time. Picking the latter requires much more than just pluck. You have to take on the multiple roles of ambassador, preservationist and electric artist, all propelled by indomitable passion. Anna Pishner Harsh — director, founder and choreographer for the Allegro Dance …

An average runner early in her college career, Megan Vaccaro took her race to the next level in the wake of a family trauma. The most decorated runner in the history of Dominican University says it was a personal tragedy — the death of her beloved father — that sparked her fierce dedication to the sport and her multiple achievements. “Going through college, I learned that nothing is impossible, and if you want something bad enough, you can find a way to make it happen,” 31-year-old Megan Vaccaro says. A native of Oswego and a 2010 graduate of Dominican University, …