L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , A September sel ection of "Labor" r e l a t e d I t a l i a n C o n n e c t i o n s a s t h e f i r s t M o n d a y i n S e p t e m b e r , Labor Day, pays tribute to t h e c o n t r i b u t i o n s a n d achievements of American workers. First created and celebrated during the labor movement in the late 19th century, Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 and is celebrated this year on Monday, September 5. Academy Award win- ner Harry Warren (1893- 1981), was born Salvatore Guaragna in Brooklyn and was the son of a Calabrian boot maker. One of Holly- wood's most successful and prolific composers during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, he wrote Chattanooga Choo Choo, I Only Have Eyes For Y o u , A L o v e A f f a i r t o R e m e m b e r , a n d T h a t ' s Amore, among many other songs. *** T r o p i c a n a F o u n d e r Anthony Talamo Rossi was born in Messina, Sicilia, on S e p t . 1 3 , 1 9 0 0 , and achieved a high school edu- cation before immigrating to the United States at the age of 21. He delved into self study to the point that he became an expert math- ematician and mechani- cal engineer. During his early years in the United States, he supported himself with several diverse jobs, from being a machinist's assistant, to driving a taxi a n d r u n n i n g a n e i g h b o r - hood grocery store. His first "taste" of the Florida citrus industry was selling citrus g i f t b o x e s t o M a c y ' s a n d Gimbel's department stores in New York City. In 1947, opportunity knocked and his previous interest in the citrus business came full circle. Rossi purchased a small orange juice company in the western part of Flori- da. Rossi increased sales at his new venture by having fresh-squeezed orange juice h a n d - d e l i v e r e d t o c u s - tomers in glass jars. He was a stickler for quality and purity, and soon the Tropi- cana name became synony- m o u s w i t h d e l i c i o u s a n d fresh-tasting juice. From his operations in Florida, Rossi would find demand for his juice coming from farther and farther away. But get- t i n g o r a n g e j u i c e t o c u s - tomers more than a thou- s a n d m i l e s a w a y w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g q u a l i t y a n d freshness was a logistical nightmare. Rossi's inventive n a t u r e a n d s e l f - t a u g h t mechanical abilities brought a solution that would soon be implemented universally. I n 1 9 5 4 , h e i n v e n t e d a ground-breaking pasteur- ization process to asepti- cally pack pure juice in glass bottles, which would allow it to be shipped and stored without refrigeration. For the first time, it was possible to offer consumers, over a w i d e s p r e a d a r e a , a f r e s h taste of Florida orange juice m a d e f r o m 1 0 0 p e r c e n t fruit. The Tropicana name also became known to millions of children, as Rossi led the way in introducing healthy, f r e s h o r a n g e j u i c e t o t h e nation's school system. H e r e t i r e d a t 7 8 w h e n B e a t r i c e f o o d s a c q u i r e d Tropicana. Antony Talamo passed away at age 92. *** Thanks to the European Recovery Plan, (common- ly known as the Marshall Plan) and Clare Boothe Luce, Italy received gener- ous funding after the end of t h e S e c o n d W o r l d W a r . Italy. Clare liked "Ike" and when Dwight D. Eisenhower became our thirty-fourth president (1953-1961), he appointed her Ambassador t o I t a l y . H e r h u s b a n d , H e n r y L u c e , w a s t h e founder of Time Magazine. Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. H e w e n t o n t o launch Life magazine and then acquired several other popular publications. A s a m b a s s a d o r , s h e addressed the issue of anti- communism and the Italian labor movement and helped settle the dispute between I t a l y a n d w h a t w a s t h e n Yugoslavia over the United Nations territorial lines in Trieste. She charmed her way into Italian hearts; w o r k e d h a r d f o r m i l i t a r y and economic assistance, and for refugee relief. *** Firefighters and other first responders were there o n S e p t e m b e r 1 1 , 2001 when at 8:48 am the first highjacked jet slammed into the North Tower of the New York Trade Center. In the later afternoon of the terrorist assault, firefighters hoisted the Stars and Stripes in memory of the attack vic- tims. *** S e p t e m b e r h a s m a n y Italian connections. Alvaro Bettucchi was the Adult School Adminis- t r a t o r w h o , o n S a t u r d a y m o r n i n g s , w e l c o m e d " L a Scuola" (School of Italian Language and Culture) for p r e - s c h o o l c h i l d r e n a n d y o u t h a t t h e S o u t h S a n Francisco Adult School Soc- cer S.F. Hall of Fame. He was the founder of the Re di Cuori Television Program (sports, news and interviews on Channel 20) which, in 1981, compiled the first Ital- ian American calendar for National distribution.

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