L'Italo-Americano

LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I n every community, there are pillars. Walking and talking memory of local traditions and history, they are those we go to when we need to know more about why we are the people we are. When the heart of a commu- nity, what makes it whole and one, is a country on the other side of the ocean, its pillars are also the people who allow others to keep old habits and traditions from the Motherland alive: they become the face and voice of what's most familiar and, with their work, they make it possible for everyone to keep that bond alive and to pass it on to the younger generations. This is what Frank Claro was to the Italian American commu- nity of Southern California: some- one who, with his work, determi- nation and example helped first generation Italian Americans to feel home and younger genera- tions to embrace and love their roots. Thanks to his family busi- ness, Claro's Italian Markets, he helped hundreds and hundreds of Italian Americans to keep their identity and Italianità alive: be- cause we all know how much of Italy's heritage passes through its food. SIMONE SCHIAVINATO amazing way to grow up for the three young Claros, as Rosemarie fondly remembers: "we literally grew up in the country! It was a wonderful life." Frank set an incredible exam- ple of work ethics and commit- ment for his children, who would see him and their mother, Geral- dine, "drive down Valley Blvd to the Claro's in San Gabriel every day to go to work;" but their memories speak also of a man who, throughout his life, showed love, kindness and generosity to those surrounding him. Italians are known for finding pleasure and happiness in the smallest things – and isn't that the secret of being truly happy, in the end? – and Frank was no exception. He loved to travel and to entertain friends and family at home, a feat he shared with his wife Geraldine. His passion for baseball, which he practiced in school, remained strong through- out his life and his love for the LA Dodgers was unconditional. Still, even the game would be- come an occasion to spend time with his family and friends, a way to celebrate those essential bonds of love and sharing that make every community, from the small- est to the largest, alive and strong. Frank was, without a doubt, a pillar. A pillar for his family, be- cause he created with his own hands and with the endless sup- port of his wife, a business that is today kept alive by his two daughters, Rosemarie and Mary Linda, who run the six branches of Claro's Italian Market in Southern California. But also a pillar, crucially, for the Italian American community. He was a proud member of the Garibaldina M.B. Society, of the Sons of Italy and the Historic Ital- ian Foundation. But most of all, thanks to his business, he allowed generation after generation of Italian Americans to feel "at home" through what they'd put on their Sunday dinner table. It may seem a small thing, but it is not: tradition, in the end, is born and kept alive in the simplest of things. Frank leaves behind three chil- dren, Rosemarie, Mary Linda and Joe, five grandchildren, Nicole, Michelle, Michael, Kara and Kief, and six great-grandchildren, Kayli, Kamryn, Noah, Anaya, Micah and Jax. "He was a gener- ous, loving man," Rosemarie con- cludes, "and we were lucky to have him for a father." Frank was born in LA in 1930, the son of Joe and Mary Claro. As a teen, Frank's interests were varied, "he played baseball and saxophone in high school," says Rosemarie, his daughter. And it was right there, at Puente High School, that he met and fell in love with Geraldine, who was to become his life-long partner: a first love that lasted a lifetime. They got married straight after graduation and, with the spirit of initiative and enthusiasm typical of those who are young and in love, they bought a store and transformed it into their dream project, an Italian American mar- ket. The war had just ended and we were about to enter the 1950s, the time of the economic boom, the time when the American Dream was born: everything was possible, if you put your head and efforts to it. That's exactly what Frank did, not only for his business, but also for his family. "He built his own home in Walnut when he was in his twenties," Rosemarie tells us, "my grandfather had bought some land in Walnut in the early 50s. He offered each one of his three children an acre of land if they wanted to join him and move to the 'country.' My dad was the only one who took him up on the offer." A beautiful family home "built out of redwood and bricks from the old Walnut Grammar School," where he and Geraldine settled and started a family. They had three children, Rose- marie, Mary Linda and Joe, to whom they transmitted ideals, re- spect and an evident love for their roots: "they were wonderful role models for us. Both of them were very active in the Italian Ameri- can community and they instilled a strong sense of service in all of their children." And being in Walnut, in that beautiful redwood and old bricks home, was an Frank Claro, a true pillar of the Italian American community (Credits: Rosemarie Lippman) Building a community, one smile and one dream at a time: goodbye to Frank Claro, father of Claro's Italian Markets

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