Profiles

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 …

Beginning his professional life as a product designer for Sears, Joseph Burlini took a leap of faith into the world of sculpting and has never looked back. A practicing artist for 50-plus years, Joseph Burlini has made a name for himself by creating inventive kinetic sculptures and soaring public works. A native of Morton Grove, Burlini has a degree in industrial design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and spent six years designing for Sears, Roebuck and Co. before pivoting to making art in a variety of metals and other materials. Burlini’s works have been commissioned by …

Running for village clerk of Addison never crossed Lucille Zucchero’s mind, but the nine-term veteran of the position says that she has loved her job from day one. As liaison between the village’s staff and board of trustees, Zucchero has helped countless people navigate their way through a variety of issues.  After 35 years on the job, people recognize her when she’s out and about. “I’m frequently stopped by residents with questions, concerns and opinions that I bring to the staff and board,” she says. “My relationship and trust with residents is very important to me.” Zucchero grew up in …

From World War II veteran and accomplished dentist to community leader and generous philanthropist, Dr. Sam Cascio has seemingly done it all. And yet, as he approaches 100, he remains a lively and active member of his community. Cascio was born on Aug. 27, 1924, to Joseph and Josephine Cascio. His father was born in Baltimore, Maryland, while his mother was born in Cefalù, Sicily, and immigrated with her family to the United States. His parents came from modest means and worked hard to make a living, says Cascio, who grew up on the Northwest Side of Chicago and attended …

Antonino Bondì’s teaching career stemmed from an unlikely place: a goal of practicing pharmacy in Italy, where he’d always hoped to live. Nowadays, Bondì teaches Italian 1 and 2, Italian honors 3 and 4, and AP Italian at Rolling Meadows High School and is a diving coach at Prospect High School, both in suburban Chicago. For the past year, he’s also served as president of the Midwest Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI), an organization open to past, current and future teachers from the private or public sector, as well as college students who are studying …

A singer and pianist, Marie Sartor Pawelek used her talents to heal the wounded psyches of soldiers on the mend at Walter Reed General Hospital during World War II. Marie Sartor Pawelek was born 100 years ago in Eveleth, Minnesota, the only child of Luigi and Eva (Pivetta) Sartor. Her parents emigrated from a small town near Venice, Italy. With all of their relatives back home in Italy, Pawelek’s parents socialized with their Italian neighbors. Luigi joined the Order Sons of Italy in America and Eva was active in the Sacred Heart Society of their church. Their parish priest built …

Indefatigable after 40 years at the helm of Giordano Dance Chicago, Nan Giordano continues to advance the legacy of her father, jazz-dance pioneer Gus Giordano. Nan Giordano says she’s blessed with a high level of energy — energy that enables her to dance, mentor dancers and produce performances, but also to run the business side of an arts organization and manage its budget. As the artistic director and leader of nonprofit dance company Giordano Dance Chicago, she’s continuing the legacy of her late father, Gus Giordano. Known across the country among dancers and dance fans for developing the Giordano jazz-dance …

Undaunted by a catastrophic injury, Mario DeMatteo has carved a place for himself as a graphic novelist and organic farmer in no small part because of his faith. Mario DeMatteo is the founder of Beartruth Books, a Christian comic-book ministry, and the co-founder of the Agrarian Institute, a nonprofit educational farm in Bonsall, California. He also uses a wheelchair, after suffering a spinal cord injury in a swimming pool accident at age 20. DeMatteo, who lives in Carlsbad, California, with his wife, Karla Cordero, talks to Fra Noi about his passion for comic books, his efforts to make healthy food …