L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano Art Mazzola, how one man's enthusiasm and generosity impacted his community I n the early 1990s, a group of residents began lobbying Seattle city govern- ment to add another sister city to its roster – this time, one from Italy. It would be a first, since at the time Washington State did not have a sister city from the Bel Paese. After some discussion, the group settled on the city of Perugia, the capital o f U m b r i a . P e r u g i a a n d Seattle had a lot in com- mon. Both cities are situat- ed on hillsides surrounded by beautiful landscapes. B o t h a r e h o m e t o g r e a t u n i v e r s i t i e s a n d h a v e a thriving local music scene. It seemed like a perfect fit. Among the group rec- ommending Perugia was S e a t t l e p h y s i c i a n H a n s L e h m a n . L e h m a n h a d been a medical student at the University of Perugia d e c a d e s a g o a n d g o t t o know the city well during that time. Saleh Joudeh was pro- prietor of a popular Italian restaurant called Saleh al Lago, which he opened in 1982. Located at Seattle's Green Lake, the restaurant, n o w c l o s e d , w a s a c i t y favorite. Born in Palestine, the son of a hotel owner, Joudeh fled with his family to Syria in 1948 when the state of Israel was created. Later, while studying medi- cine in Italy, his landlady taught him how to cook. L a s t l y , t h e r e w a s A r t Mazzola, a retired busi- nessman who was passion- ate about his Italian roots and Seattle's cultural land- scape. As luck would have it, he was also on friendly terms with Seattle's cur- r e n t m a y o r N o r m a n R i c e . In fact, they were tennis partners. T h e d r e a m b e c a m e a r e a l i t y i n 1 9 9 3 w h e n Mayor Rice and Perugia Mayor Mario Valentini signed a pact of friendship. Mazzola's many connec- tions were instrumental in getting the idea approved. " B a c k i n t h e e a r l y ' 9 0 s , w h e n a t l e a s t o n e o t h e r Italian city was in the run- ning," said Mike James, former Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association president, "Art's leadership and contacts with so many in Seattle government -- he was a particular friend and t e n n i s p a r t n e r o f t h e n Mayor Norm Rice -- made t h e s e l e c t i o n o f P e r u g i a possible." A charming raconteur, v o r a c i o u s r e a d e r a n d devoted father -- he had f i v e c h i l d r e n : J o a n , Dianne, Cheri, Christopher and a son Paul who prede- c e a s e d h i m i n 2 0 1 7 - - M a z z o l a w a s a c t i v e i n m a n y c u l t u r a l a n d n o n - profit organizations. He volunteered his time and t a l e n t s t o P a c i f i c Northwest Ballet, Seattle Rotary Service Foundation, S e a t t l e A R C a n d S e a t t l e A r t s C o m m i s s i o n . A n d from 1993 until his death in 2020 at the age of 97, Mazzola took an active role i n t h e S e a t t l e - P e r u g i a Sister City Association. M a z z o l a w a s b o r n i n Dorchester, Mass., in 1922 and grew up in Quincy, a s u b u r b o f B o s t o n . H i s father, who had immigrat- ed to the US in 1912, was a pattern maker in a factory a n d l a t e r w o r k e d a s a mason. After serving in W o r l d W a r I I , M a z z o l a made his way west, stop- p i n g i n I d a h o a n d t h e n Tacoma before settling in Seattle. Mazzola was an enthusi- astic tennis player and a skilled sailor. He named h i s s a i l b o a t C i a o , a n d called the smaller onboard d i n g h y , C i a o B a b y . Although he often sailed a l o n e , M a z z o l a w o u l d extend a helping hand to others. Jane McConnell, who served with Mazzola on the Pacific Northwest Ballet board of directors, recalled the time when "we had just gotten our sailboat and Art said he would give us a sailing tutorial. My h u s b a n d w a s a l r e a d y a good sailor but, of course, we went. Art spent a lot of t i m e s a i l i n g , m o s t l y b y h i m s e l f . H e h a d a g r e a t singing voice and loved to sing Italian songs, especial- ly when he was out on the water." Mazzola never lost his love for aviation which had been sparked during his years in the military. Alan V e i g e l , another former president of the Seattle- P e r u g i a S i s t e r C i t y Association, recalled how Mazzola enjoyed taking his I t a l i a n f r i e n d s t o t h e Museum of Flight, where he knew just about every a s p e c t o f t h e e x h i b i t s . "Arturo was a great guy," said Veigel, "always up and cheerful, a gentleman and a scholar, always reading a n e w b o o k a n d a l w a y s i m p e c c a b l y d r e s s e d . H e was just a very likeable guy willing to contribute to his community." Mazzola made his living in sales and financing. He s t a r t e d o f f a s a b r o k e r - dealer with Trans-Pacific Leaseco, Inc., a company which leased trucks, equip- ment and personal proper- ty. He quickly moved up t h e c o r p o r a t e l a d d e r , appointed vice president and then president. From there, he went on t o c o - f o u n d M e d i c a l Acceptance Corp., which provided financing for doc- tors, clinics and hospitals, and in 1977, was appointed president of the Federal C a p i t a l C o r p . W i t h h i s extensive business experi- ence and outgoing person- ality, Mazzola was a popu- l a r s p e a k e r a t b u s i n e s s c o n f e r e n c e s a n d w o r k - s h o p s . I n 1 9 8 0 , h e w a s appointed a regional dele- gate to the White House C o n f e r e n c e o n S m a l l Businesses. M a z z o l a ' s e n t h u s i a s m w a s l e g e n d a r y . F r i e n d s often referred to him as a c h e e r l e a d e r ; C a r o l e B e e r s , f o r m e r S e a t t l e Times dance critic, called him "an evangelist tout." He served for four decades on the board of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, elected as board vice-president in 1 9 8 0 a n d p r e s i d e n t i n 1 9 8 4 . T h e b o a r d r e c o g - nized his devotion by nam- ing him a trustee emeritus after he stepped down. A s f r i e n d a n d f e l l o w t r u s t e e e m e r i t u s J a n e McConnell put it, "He had a g r e a t a t t i t u d e a n d h i s e n t h u s i a s m w a s c o n t a - gious, whether he was talk- ing to other ballet board members or to members of the community. That outgoing nature, generous spirit and deter- mination to give back to his community made Mazzola a r a r e t r e a s u r e , a n d h i s m a n y c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o Seattle's cultural scene will live on for many years. Anytime there was a sing-along, Art Mazzola was in the mix, front and center (Photo by Alan Veigel) RITA CIPALLA SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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