L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 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 , C h r i s t m a s sing-alongs are always fun, be they in Ital- ian, English or a little of both. Here are some lyrics to help you and your family get start- ed: Silent Night Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright Round you virgin mother and child Holy Infant tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace *** Santa Notte Dolce Natal, Santo Natal, Che silenzio intorno c'è Nasce in terra il Bambino Gesù E nel ciel si fa luce lassù Nato è il Salvatore Nasce il Bambino Gesù *** Santa Lucia Sul mare luccica L'astro d'argento, Placida è l'onda Prospero è il vento Venite all'agile Barchetta mia! Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia Fresca e leggera Venite all'agile Barchetta mia! Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia In English On the sea shines the sil- ver star Calm is the water, favor- able the wind Come to my supple boat, Santa Lucia W i t h t h i s z e p h y r , s o smooth, How beautiful it is to be aboard C o m e t r a v e l e r s , c o m e away. Now why delay? The evening is beautiful A c o o l , l i g h t b r e e z e i s blowing Come to my supple boat, Santa Lucia. *** S a n t a ' s b o o t s w e r e ordered annually from Texas because he wanted nothing but the best and they did not have Lucchese brand boots in the North Pole where he lived. From the sunny shores of Palermo, Sicilian brothers Salvatore and Joseph Lucch- ese set foot on Texas soil at t h e p o r t o f G a l v e s t o n i n November 1882, having left behind family in Sicily to seek fortune. The brothers found work in a local shoe factory where they were able to apply the highly honed skills they'd learned under the tutelage of their father, Gaetano Lucch- ese, a revered shoemaker back home. Fast forward to 1883 in San Antonio, Texas: " S a m " a n d J o s e p h s e t u p shop as Lucchese Bros near- b y t h e b u s t l i n g F o r t S a m Houston, cranking out mili- tary boots for the troops. They weren't just ol' boots makers, though; these two had to offer a better product to compete with the multi- tude of producers in this epi- center of military and cowboy outfitters. As the business grew - along with their bank account - Sam, who had taken t h e l e a d o f t h e c o m p a n y , began to spread his focus. He purchased Teatro Zaragoza, at the time the corazon of the Mexican-American world. Later, Sam premiered the Teatro Nacional, a social hotspot featuring some of the best Mexican entertainment. Sam found solace in his immersion in Mexican cul- ture: the similarities with his Italian heritage were rife in shared passion for family, food, church, music and sim- ply celebrating life in the c o m p a n y o f l i k e - m i n d e d folks. It is also likely that the era brought the co-misery of segregation and discrimina- tion to both the Mexican and Italian communities of South Texas. T h e S p a n i s h - s p e a k i n g entertainment world was not the only reason for Sam's the- ater ownership. His daughter Josephine loved to sing and s o o n s h e b e c a m e a n a c c l a i m e d o p e r a s i n g e r , known affectionately as "the American Nightingale." Upon Sam's death in 1929, his son Cosimo literally pulled himself up by his Lucchese boots' straps, abandoning his own aspiration of running a separate company, and took over operations. Riding the wave of his father's success, Cosimo focused not only on the aspects of superior quality and fit but was sharp enough to pick up on the new-fangled attraction to the personified Hollywood cowboy, further- 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. i n g t h e p o p u l a r i t y o f t h e brand. Cosimo's reign ended in 1961. After his death, son Sam Jr. stepped in bringing tech- niques old and new, as well as modernized company con- cepts to support his zealous belief that the finest fitting boot should be constructed with the finest quality materi- als. As the Lucchese brand became more mainstream so, too, did the feet sliding into them. Not just for the suc- cessful rancher anymore, names such as John Wayne, Bing Crosby, James Garner, Johnny Cash and Zsa Zsa Gabor began sporting custom Lucchese boots. President Lyndon B. Johnson was often photographed in his Lucch- ese. June 1970 brought the end of an era of sorts. The Lucchese brand and quality standards continued - and continue to this day - in El P a s o , T e x a s , b u t S a m J r . made the decision to sell the company to the Blue Bell Cor- poration, parent company of Wrangler Jeans. Sam did stay on as president, however, until 1977. The end of the 70s saw disco fade and Sam Jr. laid to rest in his boots. But the Lucchese name continues to prosper. Besides the El P a s o s h o p , t h e r e a r e s i x n a t i o n a l s h o w r o o m s a n d retail locations: Nashville, Santa Fe, Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The Lucchese website (www.luc- chese.com) offers up some great personal interest stories a n d t h e p o p u l a r i t y a n d supreme fit of the Lucchese b r a n d t r u l y d o e s l i v e o n , thanks to the aspirations of a couple of fellows from Paler- mo.

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