Profiles

As a member of the 34th Infantry Division during World War II, Casey Presta battled his way up the peninsula where his father was born. One of five children, Ferdinand Prestia was born in 1921 to Peter and Jenny (Tavolina). His father immigrated to Chicago from Marsala, Italy, by himself when he was 17 years old. The family moved several times during Prestia’s childhood, always in Italian neighborhoods, before settling in the 3900 block of West Flournoy Street. Prestia graduated from Sumner Grade School and attended Crane Tech High School. Over the years, his father worked hard to bring his …

Retired local businessman and charitable dynamo Richard Montalbano Sr. will receive the prestigious Joseph P. Cianci Humanitarian Award at UNICO National’s annual convention, which will run from July 24 to 28 in Nashville. A knight grand cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Montalbano is also a past grand knight and district deputy of the Knights of Columbus and a past regional director and grand commander of the Order of Alhambra. He has served for nearly 40 years as the curator of the Crypt of the Saints, a shrine at Visitation Parish in Elmhurst that contains …

The Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will honor veteran educator Lyn Scolaro as Person of the Year at a gala on July 13 at Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. For details, call 630-913-7654. The following profile was provided by the organization. Lyn Scolaro Professoressa Lyn Scolaro is the daughter of Veneto parents Mary (Cecchin-Galliera Veneta) and Attilio (Loreggia), sister to Lori (Robb) Vasilevich, and the proud ZiZi of Luc and Giuliana. She has been at Prospect High School for 28 years, and has been teaching Italian for 37 years, beginning her career at Mother Guerin High School in …

Data analysis is important in helping players make the leap from the minors to the majors, L.A. Angels exec Mike LaCassa says, but you can’t lose sight of the human element. As director of minor league operations for the Los Angeles Angels, Mike LaCassa says that yes, of course, developing players for Major League Baseball is the goal. “Each time a player moves up a level and especially when they make their Major League debut, it really makes us feel proud of all the work they put in, because none of it comes easily,” the 32-year-old said. But the job …

Half a century after enshrining a famous Italian statue of Christ beneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico, blind diver Gabe Spataro proves himself to be a source of inspiration. Christians hold dear the unwavering belief that Jesus reigns over all the realms of Earth: land, sky and sea. As tributes, believers have reverently placed monuments around the globe, from sea level skyward, including the 125-foot-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer that tours half a mile above Rio de Janiero on Mt. Corcovado. As for the briny deep, statues of the Lord are much harder to find. Encountering Christ …

Having served as a weather observer in southern Illinois after World War II, Mario Ortigara never expected to be called back up and thrown into the teeth of battle in Korea. Mario Ortigara was born in his parents’ home on the South Side of Chicago, where brother Benny welcomed him. A few years later, sister Mary joined the family. Anna Panozzo and Domenico Ortigara were from small towns in the Piedmont region of Italy, where they met and married. They lost their first-born son to illness before immigrating to Chicago, where they settled in the historic Pullman area. Domenico was …

“How ya doing kid?” … “I have shoes older than you.” … “These God-damned cell phones.” … When you read these phrases, you only hear one person: Dominic DiFrisco. Dominic was a loving husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, brother, uncle, brother-in-law and godfather to many. As he would say in Sicilian dialect, “sangue mio.” My blood. Dominic’s other family members were the countless worldwide friends and colleagues that he would laugh, mentor and share with any hour of the day or night. There literally wasn’t a corner of the world where Dominic didn’t know someone. He was born Nov. 14, 1933, …

Giorgio Berrugi was making a name for himself as a concert clarinetist until an impromptu serenade sent him on a completely different career trajectory. Giorgio Berrugi’s unlikely career as one of opera’s most electrifying upstarts is proof that second acts aren’t just for the stage. The 41-year-old tenor, whose voice has been celebrated by opera critics and fans for its bright and full-bodied Italian sound, has ascended into rarefied air in little more than a decade. Berrugi has performed for some of opera’s most esteemed houses — including the Royal Opera House in London, Lincoln Center in New York City …

As dean of the DePaul University School of Music, Dr. Ronald Caltabiano brings the passion and expertise of a master musician and composer. With a grand sweep of his right hand befitting a triumphant conductor, Dr. Ronald Caltabiano gestures to the glorious curves that grace the Holtschneider Performance Center at the DePaul University School of Music. Architectural glissandos ring out everywhere, including the upper-level overhangs that hug 500-seat Gannon Concert Hall and the church-like windows that look out onto the Chicago campus. The building hums with a palpable energy that seems to quicken his step. But while DePaul’s music school …

ABC news anchor and reporter Alan Krashesky and social justice luminary Rabbi Abraham Cooper were honored at the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans’ annual media luncheon on May 16. Krashesky received the Dante Award, which is bestowed on a member of the media who lives up to Dante Alighieri’s call to be no timid friend to truth. Cooper will be given the Mazzei Award, which is presented to a person who shows extraordinary skills in the world of communications. Each year, the JCCIA Human Relations Committee recognizes a member of the news media who has answered Dante Alighieri’s call …