L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 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 , October, official or not, will always be Italian Her- itage Month in the hearts of Italian-Americans through- o u t t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o f America. B a c k i n t h e d a y s w h e n Readers sent their "Italian Connections" to me via "snail mail," Signora Madeline C. of Utah wrote it was Fortunato Anselmo, a gentleman with "roots" in Calabria (province of Cosenza) that was respon- sible for establishing Colum- bus Day as a National Holi- day after WWII. I remember Fortunato as a warm, congenial friend who was very debonair and intelli- gent, and the warm friend- ship he, his wife Anna and their daughters Emma, Gilda, and Annetta, extended to me and my family. I remember the dolci they h a d f o r m e . . . . t h e a l m o n d cookies, wrapped in colored paper, the confetti… I still remember the smelly dried cod fish Mamma would pur- chase every Christmas from Fortunato's import store. I a l s o r e m e m b e r the saporito dish that stinky fish provided every Christ- mas eve. Fortunato Anselmo, the Italian consul to Utah and Wyoming, was responsible for the national holiday! It was Mr. Anseimo who lob- bied the Legislature to estab- lish the Utah holiday in 1919. He faithfully spent years p u r s u i n g h i s d r e a m o f encouraging Congress to cre- ate the national holiday we celebrate now. His efforts came to fruition over three decades later, in 1971. He was honored for his contribution by Utah's then-Senator Frank Moss' entry in the Congres- sional Record, on October 11, 1971: "Fortunato Anseimo, over 60 years ago, fully under- stood the great contribution that Columbus has made to t h e w o r l d . T h r o u g h M r . A n s e l m o ' s e f f o r t s , U t a h became one of the first states to declare a state holiday in h o n o r o f C o l u m b u s . M r . Anselmo's efforts did not stop there. He turned his attention to getting a national holiday...and for the next 30 years, this was diligently pur- sued." *** I f y o u a r e e v e r i n S a l t Lake City, check out the large Victorian mansion on 164 So. 900 East St. The Ital- ian Olympic Team of 1933 slept there. So did Italian h e a v y w e i g h t c h a m p i o n Primo Carnera and Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, the man who later became Pope Pius XII. Fortunato Anselmo used the home as his base for a 30- year quest to persuade Con- gress to create a national holi- day honoring Columbus. Mr. Anselmo was a unique figure in Salt Lake City and Utah in the early part of the century. H e c a m e t h e r e i n 1 9 1 3 t o engage in the wholesale food importing business after emi- grating from his native Italy to Colorado in 1901. I n 1 9 1 4 h e w a s t h e founder, publisher and editor of La Gazzetta Italiana, an Italian language newspaper. He sold the paper in 1915 when appointed Italian vice- c o n s u l f o r U t a h a n d W y o m i n g . M r . A n s e l m o ' s friendship with several Utah governors, senators and other state and national figures was a key to his long campaign to enshrine Columbus Day for all Americans. *** I n t h e e a r l y 1 9 0 0 s , t h e chief industry in Utah was mining. And while the Mor- mons may have come to Utah for religious freedom, the Italians (many from Calabria) came to work in the mines of U t a h . M r . A n s e l m o s p e n t m u c h o f h i s t i m e i n t h e shanties of Salt Lake City's west side, helping supply food, medicine and compan- ionship to Italian immigrants and others. After World War II, Mr. Anselmo sent 647 bundles of clothing, shoes and food to his devastated birthplace, G r i m a l d i , i n t h e I t a l i a n province of Cosenza. *** T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Postal Service first honored Columbus with a stamp as e a r l y a s 1 8 6 9 . T h e y h a v e issued 30 stamps in his honor 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. since and pulled out all the s t o p s i n 1 9 9 2 , t h e 5 0 0 t h Anniversary of Columbus' voyage of discovery. The US Postal Service issued 4 com- m e m o r a t i v e s t a m p s a n d arranged to have the Italian Postal Service issue the same 4 stamps in Italian for the Quincentennial Columbus New World of Discovery Cele- bration. The four commemo- r a t i v e s t a m p s w e r e a l s o issued in Spain and Portugal. Unfortunately, the big 1992 Quincentennial celebration became sort of the "last hur- rah" for Columbus. *** Dear Readers, here is some Trivia for you: 1 . I n w h a t c o u n t r y w a s Columbus born? 2 . W h i c h c o u n t r y d i d Columbus ask first to finance his trip? 3. At what time was the "New World" discovered? 4. Name the three ships Columbus took on his first voyage. 5. What date did Columbus leave Spain for the "West Indies"? 6, What was the total num- b e r o f v o y a g e s C o l u m b u s made from Spain to the "New World"? 8. What new product did Columbus find in the "New World"? 9. Who gave Columbus the money for his first voyage? Answers Italy Portugal 2:00a.m. Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria Aug. 3, 1492 4 Tobacco King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain

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