Retired CFO Mark M. Corrado stepped up to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie optional installation dinner on Jan. 18 at the Medinah Country Club. Joining Corrado as 2020 officers are First Vice President Michael D. Russotto, Second Vice President John F. Curry, Third Vice President Victor M. Guerrieri, Secretary Carmen P. Forte Jr., Treasurer Christopher M. Derks and Sergeant at Arms Gerard Iannuzzelli.

One-Year Directors for the coming year are Edoardo D. Izzi, Matthew Rubino, Jack Ross, Michael Quaid and Anthony L. Scola. Two-Year Directors are Joseph K. Marinacci, John D. Brescia, Vincent Maietta, Michael Campanile and James Ferolo. Led by Chairman John L. Ferrentino, Columbia Club Charitable Foundation Trustees are Anthony L. Ambrose, Stuart J. Caravello, Vito A. Claps, Mark M. Corrado, Robert J. DiSilvestro, Carmen P. Forte Sr., Frank J. Lucchese, Roger A. Monaco, Frank A. Trocchio and Jonathan L. Zivojnovic.

That evening, the Charitable Foundation bestowed scholarships on Ariana Aloisio, Julianne Babich, Nicholas Caputo, Mary Casey, Sabrina Cucinella, Rosalia Cucinella, John Diatte, Anthony DiBartolo, Vincent Furlin, Carmelo Lattuca, Nicole Maimon, Olivia Miceli, Antonio Milazzo, Anastasia Orrico, Dominic Perez, Rosa Bianca Piscopo, Olivia Rauzi, Phillip Sasso, Krista Solano, Joseph Trelenberg, Robert Troiola, Rosalia Trupiano and Tara Valentino.

Additional photos can be found below. All photos were taken by Marshall Photographer.

The text of Corrado’s speech follows

To all my Columbian Club brothers, scholarship recipients, guests and to members of my family who are present here tonight, welcome to the 81^st annual Columbian Club Installation and Dinner Dance.

I want to extend thanks to Mike Russotto and the entire Installation dinner committee as well as Mike Spilotro and the scholarship committee for all their efforts making this event a success. Thanks also to member sponsor Lenny Maniscalco for sponsoring us at this beautiful venue and the entire Medinah Country Club staff.

Judge John Allegretti, thank you for providing us your service and honor by installing our officers and trustees.

We also have two special guests I want to thank for attending, Dominic Candeloro, who heads up the Italian Cultural Center at Casa and Professor Anna Clara Ionta from Loyola University. The Columbian Club recognizes the importance of educating our youth on our ancestry and we are proud to support Loyola’s Italian American Studies program and Casa Italia in their efforts to promote our Italian heritage and culture through their outstanding programs.

Finally thank you Stuart for your leadership and dedication to the club this past year. You had a great year and I have a tough act to follow.

I want to congratulate our new members and thank their sponsors for introducing these men to our organization. We are off to a great start in 2020 with 2 members approved and 2 more pending. I hope their experience will be as rewarding as mine.

I stand here tonight humbled and honored to have your confidence and trust to lead the Columbian Club in its 81^st year. To be a member, let alone President of an organization that places such high emphasis on promoting our Italian heritage, giving back to the community and providing a means to form lifelong friendships, I am very proud.

When I thought about what I was going to say this evening I immediately thought about the good friends I have made thru the club, the many club trips and events I attended, the great food and fun we have at our monthly meetings and the fine work our foundation does in “giving back” thru its charitable endeavors. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the person who encouraged me to join and sponsored my membership. That person would be my father, Al Corrado, better known to most of you as “Big Al”.

I’ve been a member of the club for approximately 15 years however I was introduced to the club over 40 years ago when my dad first joined. While it took a few years for me follow in his footsteps, primarily because there was a wait list to join at that time, I always observed the joy and saw how proud he was to be a member. This was especially evident when Carole and I joined him and my mother at various club events. This event, the annual Installation was by far his favorite, most likely because he was able to show off his dancing skills. Mom and dad loved to dance. I am so happy and proud that he is here tonight. While dad at 95 years old stays active in the club as a lifetime member, he has missed the last several Installations since my mom’s illness and passing.

To honor them both and keep their names remembered for many years to come I will be working with the foundation this upcoming year to establish The Albert and Edith Corrado Scholarship Fund. Hopefully next year at this time we will be awarding its first scholarship.

The best part of tonight for me, besides awarding 23 scholarships is the fact my entire family is here to share this occasion with me. My wife Carole who I will be celebrating our 40^th wedding anniversary in June, my daughters Valerie, Kristin and Alyssa, son-in-laws Bobby and Tom, my sister Cheryl and brother-in-law Gregg, thank you all for being here tonight. And to our ‘patriarca’, Big Al, thank you for everything.

In conclusion let us continue to love each other and support one another in both our business and our personal lives. We are a great club, with great members that accomplish great things and have a lot of fun along the way. I will do my best to stay the course to continue in that greatness. God bless you all and have a wonderful evening.

Corrado has been a member of the Columbian Club since 2006, but he was introduced to the organization more than 40 years ago when his father, Albert, first joined.

“While it took a few years for me to follow in his footsteps, I always saw how proud he was to be a member and the joy it brought him,” Corrado explains. “This was especially evident when my wife and I joined him and my mother at various club events.”

Corrado served as chairman of the club’s Christmas party, annual excursion and installation dinner over the years, in addition to ascending through the ranks of the officers on his way to the presidency.

“To be a member of an organization that places a high emphasis on promoting our Italian heritage, giving back to the community through the fine work of our foundation, and providing a means to form lifelong friendships is very rewarding,” he says, “and the feeling of family and the genuine camaraderie among the members is paramount.”

Becoming the president is a humbling experience, according to Corrado. “It is somewhat overwhelming, but knowing the character of our officers and directors I am confident I will have their support and encouragement,” he shares.

His goals as president are to “expand membership by reaching out to past scholarship recipients, form a health and welfare committee to visit sick and elderly members, and continue in the traditions that make the Columbian Club of Chicago great.”

Corrado recently retired as CFO of W-T Engineering after a 35-year career in finance and accounting. He lives in Schaumburg with his wife, Carole, and they have three children — Kristin, Valerie and Alyssa — who have given them four grandchildren.

He is a member of the Italian American Executives of Transportation, an associate member of the Italian American War Veterans and treasurer of the Pickwick Place Owner’s Association.