Profiles

As he completed his studies to become an Illinois state trooper in 2010, Jonn-Paul Oliveto was pulled out of class and into a room where he stood opposite a captain, sergeant and master sergeant. To earn a passing mark, he had to sing the National Anthem. “I had an appointment to perform in front of them, without any rehearsal, so you can imagine my nerves,” recalls Oliveto, a trooper who works the Chicago area for the state police today. “But I’d come up with an idea: Instead of having the bagpipes play the National Anthem for our graduation ceremony, I …

This month we highlight the very distinguished career of Eugene A. DiMonte and Riccardo A. DiMonte, father and son and alter egos of the north suburban law firm of DiMonte & Lizak. Gene, and now his exceptionally talented son, Riccardo, have been significant influences in our Chicagoland community for many decades and in no small part, our ethnic community. They contribute time, effort and talent to making Park Ridge and the Chicagoland community a better place with their quality legal services and their contributions to the improvement of the Italian condition in these areas. I’d like to introduce them to …

Imagine the Chicago Cubs winning 41 out of 43 to start the season, or the Bears losing only two games over three-and-a-half seasons. Now, you have an idea of the monumental accomplishment of Ridgewood High School senior Vinny Scaletta, a hard working wrestler with the heart and grit of a pro. Wrestling in the 220 lb. weight class, Scaletta captured a state title in February in remarkable fashion, beating one of the few opponents to best him this year. Austin Parks of Crystal Lake Central beat him just a week before Scaletta returned the favor when it truly counted. But …

Without a doubt, comics have emerged as a much-loved 21st-century art form. Could it get any better? When native Italians apply their mastery and artistic acumen to the task, there can only be one answer — and you don’t need Superman to skywrite it for you. Better still, a successful Italian school that trains future comic book artists and storytellers recently landed in the United States. The International School of Comics (known in Italy as Scuola International di Comics) is up and running in Chicago. Founder and president Dino Caterini chose the city because of its reputation for nurturing new …

During the holiday season, I met at one of my favorite Chicago landmarks, the Palmer House, with the three women who founded the lifestyle blog “The Sister Project.” When Nicole, Michelle, and Lauren Massarella walked in, I immediately knew we would become fast friends. Although I knew quite a bit about them already from reading their blog, it was another experience entirely to watch them interact with each other. Each in their own way is unique and beautiful, and together the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. We settled in for a fun few hours surrounded …

Photo by Mark Seliger. At least the story starts in familiar fashion: Christian Picciolini’s parents emigrated from Italy to the United States, where they would meet, marry, raise a family and work hard at building a successful small business. But without his parents around to attend his school functions and sports game, Picciolini turned to a heartbreaking place to find his identity: the American white supremacist skinhead movement. He wasn’t even 14 at the time. “Hell, I had no idea who I wanted to be — aside from Rocky Balboa, of course,” says Picciolini, who has Italian lineage on both …

This month we highlight the distinguished career of a bright young man from our community, Michael E. Matarazzo, a dynamic professional in the financial field. Michael has a wealth of educational and professional experience, presently serving as a Regional Vice President of Nationwide Financial. No small feat for such a young person. In this capacity, he manages the distribution of Nationwide Mutual Funds to all the major investment banks and broker dealers in Chicago. He consults and partners with financial advisors on asset allocation, security selection and financial planning concerns. Michael has been recognized in his field, an example of …

This month we highlight the distinguished career of highly respected academic leader, John P. Pelissero. John P. Pelissero, Ph.D., became interim president at Loyola University Chicago on July 1, having previously served as provost. He is also a political science professor at Loyola, where he has been a member of the faculty for 30 years. He joined Loyola’s Department of Political Science as an assistant professor in 1985, was promoted to associate professor in 1988, and then to professor in 1993. He served as chairperson of the Department of Political Science from 1999 to 2002. Dr. Pelissero’s university leadership roles …

At a time when too many comics try to wow an audience through rapid-fire delivery, Chicago comic Jimmy Carrane has honed the slow burn, winning audiences with sly subtlety, and leaving them in stitches. Then again, Carrane had to figure something out as a kid. The son of a Calabrese father and a half-Calabrese, half-Irish mother, Carrane was one of five siblings vying to take center stage. “It was a very boisterous loud Italian family, and the thing is we loved to laugh,” he recalls. “They had so many kids we were kind of neglected, but making them laugh was …

This month we highlight the distinguished career of prominent lawyer, litigator and government leader James P. Montana. Montana’s father, James Sr., was also a lawyer, highly respected attorney and community leader, truly beloved and well known and a moving force for decades in the successful growth of the 97-year-old Justinian Society of Lawyers. Of his dad, Jim says, “He had a neighborhood office and one downtown. He mostly represented individual clients. He did a good job for them. That influenced me the most about becoming a lawyer.” One of the things that makes him most proud is when he walks …