L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers,  June - Giugno, has many dates with an Italian connection:  June weddings are popu- lar on both sides of the Atlantic, but in days gone by a young man did not simply ring a door bell or ring up a young lady and ask for a date, he had to send un' ambas- ciata. Although the dialect varied, you can certainly understand the connection of ambasciatore or ambasciata to our English word ambassador. In some dialects the friend of the would be suitor, an intermediary, was called "lu ruffi- anu." A shy young man could be rescued from obscurity by a good ruffianu. Working his magic, the ruffi- anu, would move from one fami- ly to the other until he had forged an arrangement agreeable to all. The ruffianu served the role of cupid by recognizing a compati- ble pair and planting the right thoughts in their heads. *** Gen. Giuseppe Garibaldi died in June 1882. Giuseppe Garibaldi, "The Hero of two Worlds," fought for freedom and national independence in both Latin America and Europe. Garibaldi lived briefly as an immigrant in the United States and was asked by our 16th presi- dent Abraham Lincoln to lead an army in the American Civil War, which he respectfully declined. In 1982, on the 100th anniversary of his death, June 2, 1882, Californians joined a worldwide celebration of Garibaldi's memory by sponsor- ing a superb series of social and cultural events in his honor. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the major of the city and County of San Francisco, proclaimed June 2, 1982 Giuseppe Garibal- di Day and urged citizens to honor his memory and be inspired by the perseverance, selfless courage and love of free- dom of the Great Liberator (1807-1882). *** Allies take Rome in World War II on June 4, 1944 under the direction of US General Mark Clark, commander of the Fifth Army. Cheering crowds, throw- ing flowers and handing around bottles of wine, celebrated the arrival of American and British troops as they marched into Rome. President Roosevelt declared jubilantly: "The first Axis capital is in our hands. One up and two to go." Apart from the occasional German sniper, there was little fighting in Rome itself, and Allied planes commanded the skies, harassing retreating Ger- man columns. The city's historic sites remained undamaged. Hitler's order to blow up the Tiber bridges were ignored. King Victor Emmanuel III resigned on June 5, 1944 and Crown Prince Umberto became the acting head of state. *** Composer Harry Warren was born in 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents emigrated from Calabria and Harry's name at birth was Salvatore Antonio Guaragna. He wrote the musical score for over 80 movies and published over 500 songs, among them were "I Only Have Eyes For You," "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" and "You Must Have Been A Beauti- ful Baby." He died in 1981. *** Giugno (June) 10 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and France because German troops were taking over most of Europe and Mussolini thought that in a few months the war would be over. He also did not want to miss out on the spoils of war or look like a lesser figure than his friend Hitler. Il Duce's fatal miscalculation brought much miseria to mil- lions of people on both sides of the Atlantic. In his book Growing Up Under Fascism in a Little Town in Southern Italy, author Dr. Nicholas La Bianca (born in Giovinazzo, Bari, Italy, in 1930) wrote about the deprivation and destruction brought by World War II to the people living in a small paese of Southern Italy, many of whom were friends and relatives of our parents and grandparents living in the United States and Canada. St. Anthony died on June 13, 1231 at the age of thirty-six. On June 13 all the Antonios, Tony's and Anthonys of the world can celebrate the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a priest and gifted preacher born in Lisbon, Portu- gal. His surname comes from the city of Padua, where he lived the later part of his life. Anthony was baptized in 1185 as Ferdinand. At age 15, he entered the order of St. Augus- tine, but left for a quieter monastery in Coimbra. There, he saw the bones of Franciscan mar- tyrs from Morocco and was inspired to be like them. He joined the Order of Friars Minor to travel to Morocco and adopted the name of Anthony, ready to start a new life. Once in Morocco, Anthony became ill and had to go back to Portugal. His ship was  blown off course, and landed in Italy instead. In Padua, Anthony lived a quiet, unassuming life until he was asked to stand in as a speaker at an ordination. When he spoke to the group, his gift for reaching out was revealed, and his life changed forever. A magnetic gifted speaker, huge crowds of people came to hear him. Anthony often held mass outdoors, because no church was big enough to hold the crowds. His speeches were so powerful that they inspired ene- mies to reconcile, thieves to con- fess and heretics to convert. So many people were touched by Anthony's peacemaking efforts that he is known as the "wonder worker." Another nick- name given to Anthony is "Find- er of Lost Things." People ask for Anthony's intercession when searching for lost articles. *** S.F. Italian Athletic Club first moved into their own build- ing in June 1936, after three Ital- ian Sport Clubs, formed many years before, merged and united to purchase land and build their own hall. The three clubs were Circolo Ricreativo Italiano, Unione Sportiva and Sporting Club Italia. Circolo Ricreativo Italiano Virtus was organized in June 1917, and had clubrooms on Mason Street, between Green and Vallejo Streets. Unione Sportiva Italiana formed in 1919, with headquarter at 120 Columbus Ave. This group sponsored the first Statuto race in June 1919. Sporting Club Italia was established soon after, on Powell Street and Broadway. San Francisco mayor Angelo J. Rossi served as honorary presi- dent and official speakers spoke in both Italian and English. Following that auspicious beginning, the club made its large hall available to other clubs and societies for dances, weddings and banquets. A wartime name change dropped the Italian, so it became S.F. Athletic Club. World War II created special problems for peo- ple of Italian descent because of Mussolini's aligning with Hitler's Nazi Germany. Because of this unfounded suspicion, the club was renamed the San Francisco Athletic Club during the War. It wasn't until Jan 1, 1979 that the club officially changed his name to the San Francisco Italian Ath- letic Club. In the prosperous postwar years and up to today, the club had placed cultural and social activities for its members and their families on a par with the commitment to sports. That fact played a major role in the recent renovation of the club's building. June is a big month for the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club at 1630 Stockton Street, across from Washington Square Park. ***

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