Profiles

If you think it’s a long way from the Chicago to the South Pacific, then you haven’t watched Lawrence E. DiStasi making magic on stage. And magic isn’t too strong a word: As a founding member of Lookingglass Theatre, DiStasi helped conjure from thin air a theater company that has become a Chicago gem. And it’s with that troupe that he took to the stage as Long John Silver. To pirate from Shakespeare, it was a question of to argh, or not to argh. Here’s why: For the production, which ran through Jan. 31, DiStasi did his digging to find out whether …

            Umberto Davi of Willowbrook, a principal in the Western Springs Law Firm of Umberto S. Davi P.C., was installed as president of the Illinois State Bar Association at the organization’s 139th Annual Meeting on June 19 at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis. “Umberto is not only a lawyer’s lawyer, he is a gentleman’s gentleman,” Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride stated as he swore Davi in as president. “He brings to the presidency a classic combination of leadership, professionalism, humor, compassion, and the heart and soul of a hardworking small law …

Dr. Victoria Ursitti of Arlington Heights was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the Illinois State Dental Society, a professional association of over 7,000 members. She was installed into office at the Society’s Annual Session at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Ursitti received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in Nutritional Sciences and then earned her Doctorate of Dental Medicine from Tufts University in Boston. She spent two years in New York City practicing General Dentistry at Cornell University-New York Hospital before completing her advanced specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry …

This month we highlight the distinguished career of Raymond E. Rossi, highly respected judge of the Twelfth Circuit Court (Subcircuit Number 5) in Joliet. He was elected in 2010 and his current term expires in 2016. Judge Rossi has had a distinguished career as a Village President (1993-2005), Chairperson of the South Suburban Tollway Authority (1995-2003, and Executive Committee member of the Chicago Area Transportation Council (2001-2005) and a plethora of other appointed and elected prominent positions in the community and local government. He is a dedicated community leader, someone who wears his Italian ethnicity on his sleeve, and a …

This month we highlight the career of David T. Arena, one of the brighter lights in the Illinois legal community, a respected and highly successful litigator, and a partner in the influential and impacting firm of DiMonte & Lizak. Jesuit educated, David T. Arena received his undergraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago, concentrating in political science and graduated with honors in 1993. While in college, an obvious precursor to his accomplishments as a lawyer, he was involved in the Lakeshore Student Government Association, was a member of Phi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society, a recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, and …

  Italian Americans have many reasons to celebrate the enclaves that nurtured immigrants and changed families: Taylor Street, 24th & Oakley, Little Sicily on the Near North Side and Melrose Park are just a few that come to mind. On the Far South Side, Roseland became a bustling center for Italian life and culture. One man has taken on the laudable task of keeping Roseland’s memories and magnificence alive: C.J. Martello. Arguably, Martello knows Roseland and the adjoining Pullman and Kensington neighborhoods better than anyone. He was married at St. Anthony Italian Catholic Church in 1972, and has steeped himself …

Earlier this year, Metra announced the appointment of John A. Milano as the agency’s Deputy Executive Director for Administration effective February 1. Metra, of course, is the Northeast Illinois Regional Railroad Corporation, Commuter Rail Division of the Regional Transportation Authority. Milano, 50, who was Metra’s Deputy General Counsel, will serve as the top administrative officer for the Chicago area commuter rail agency under Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. He was selected from a field of 10 candidates after a nationwide search. “John brings the perfect combination of extensive experience and solid expertise to this role,” Orseno said. “I am confident that …

  Growing up in the dawn” of the variety show concept, one of my favorites had to be The Sonny & Cher Show. Each week, watching the little Italian guy get picked on by the tall beauty, well, really hit home for me for obvious reasons. When the show went on summer hiatus in 1974, its replacement starred a guy who I was excited to see, mainly because he was another Italian American with a great voice. Tony Orlando was actually Greek and Puerto Rican, but he still looked like one of my cousins with the big bushy moustache and …

Gino Bartucci is no stranger to the food industry. His father, Gino, ran the legendary Gino’s Italian Imports in the family owned Piazza Italia on Harlem Avenue for many years, and his uncle, Tony, has run Pasta Fresh in the same cluster of shops for decades. Bartucci grew up in both businesses, so it should come as no surprise that he has made a name for himself, not only as the food and beverage director for the Dana Hotel & Spa, but as the new proprietor of BarTucci, which he opened late last year in Piazza Italia with his business …

Since the turn of the 20th century, Italian Americans have had a significant impact on the Illinois legal community, mostly through participation in the Justinian Society of Lawyers, and by community participation by individual achievements. There has been no greater impact than from the contributions of the very successful and highly respected Salvi family. They are not just attorneys who have passed the bar exam, but have been leaders in the community as well as, especially, the legal profession. From extremely successful trial lawyers in the catastrophic injury field, to bar leadership and community leaders, this outstanding family is well …