Tag Archives: People

The Our Lady of Angels fire in 1958 had a devastating impact on the community in which it took place. When Mike was a young boy, he watched his school go up in flames, and afterward, his parents told him never to think about it again. And he never did, that is, until he was training to be firefighter, after four years of volunteering. He was in a drill at the academy that focused on the proper use of ladders. The slides displayed during the demonstration were photos of the ladders used in the Our Lady of Angels fire. It …

It isn’t uncommon for young boys to play cops and robbers as children, and Ralph DeBartolo was one of those boys. “I loved playing as a kid, and I always wanted to be the cop,” he says. After serving 18 months in Korea, and two years total in the U.S. Army, DeBartolo returned home to Chicago and started to work construction. That changed when his buddy told him he had found an article in the paper announcing openings for 500 police officers. He remembered his days playing cops and robbers, and thought, “Why not?” After taking the exam, he was …

When Sam Pitassi was attending Proviso East High School in Maywood, it was a place of racial unrest and discord. The situation got so bad at one point that school administrators asked police officers from Melrose Park and other west suburban towns to come and patrol the halls. “I admired their commitment and resolve in coming in and accomplishing the task of keeping us safe,” Pitassi recalls. “Plus, my uncle and godfather (Nick Perrino) was a police officer in Chicago in the 1960s, and he inspired me to pursue law enforcement as a career.” The son of Peter and Christine …

Steve Iovinelli was working with his father at a heating and air conditioning company when he saw a help wanted ad in the paper for firefighters in Franklin Park. Intrigued, he went down to the station to ask a few questions, and the answers sparked his interest. He took the test and, at 24 years old, he joined the department, moving up the ranks to fire chief two years ago. Though he went directly from heating and air conditioning to firefighting, Iovinelli stresses that firefighting requires constant education. “If you become a fire fighter and you think your days of …

When Joseph Casale was young, he had two very important role models. One was his grandfather, a Melrose Park police officer in the 1920s. The other was his Boy Scout leader, who was a firefighter. “I remember the scout leader came in and showed us all the knots and tools. I thought it was all so cool and interesting. He was a great guy, and I admired him like I did my grandfather.” Casale decided to pursue the firefighter route. After high school, he went to Triton College and graduated in 1976 with his associates’ degree in fire science. In …

Growing up, Rick Beltrame didn’t have to look very far to know what direction to head in life. Both his father and his brother were police officers, so he knew he wanted to do something with public service. He took both police and fire tests, and when the call came from the Melrose Park Fire Department, he answered and never looked back. On June 1, 1981, he became a firefighter for the town he has lived in all his life. And less than 25 years later, on May 1, 2005, he rose to the position of chief, which he looks …

Rich Belmonte was not one of those boys who dreamed of becoming a firefighter. But at the age of 32, he was curious if he could perform the firefighter physical agility test with the younger participants. He had already spent time in the Army, having served in Korea years prior, so his strength and agility was comparable to the younger applicants he was surrounded by. Once he passed the test, he decided to accept the position of firefighter for the Village of Westchester. Although he didn’t know it at the time, joining the Army gave him structure and experience he …

This month, we highlight the distinguished career of Carl Gigante, one of the more esteemed and successful lawyers in the Illinois legal profession and an outstanding member of our ethnic community. Carl achieved recognition as one of the leading lawyers in Illinois in the most complicated field of eminent domain law. Gigante is the second son of Joseph, a motion picture projectionist, and Annette Gigante, a homemaker. Gigante’s older brother, Joe, is a family physician in the western suburbs. The Gigante brothers grew up in the Far West Side’s Galewood neighborhood in a Chicago-style bungalow. They were raised in the …

Community leader, ethnic activist, money manager, investment counselor, and Italophile — this month I introduce the readers to Joseph W. Lamberti. Skilled, educated, trained and certified to provide financial planning management specifically for individuals and business owners in his capacity as wealth management advisor and vice president with Merrill Lynch, all Joe wanted to talk about in anticipation of writing this article were his Italian roots. “My family is from the town of Piandelagotti in the Apennine Mountains of northern Italy. It is a quaint place with beautiful views. Along one main road there is a church, town square, restaurant, …

This month’s subject provided me with a wonderful narrative that I am republishing here with minor editing, mainly for length. Please meet Sal Indomenico, a highly respected Illinois attorney, in his own words: “My life began in a small town, Floridia-Siracusa, Sicily, born to Antonio and Girolama Indomenico (nee Buccheri). My father, a welder, was 21 when I was born, and my mother, a seamstress, was 17. At the age of 4, my parents, baby brother and I left Sicily for Melbourne, Australia, where my father had siblings. Melbourne has a fairly large Italian community and offered a better opportunity …