L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r r e a d e r s , Frank Sina- tra left us on May 14, 1998, a t C e d a r s Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His wife, Barbara, and children Nancy, Frank J r . , a n d T i n a w e r e a t h i s b e d s i d e w h e n h e p a s s e d away, at what his fans world- wide thought was the "young a g e " o f 8 2 . F r a n k ' s f a n s believed the famous words o f t h e i r f a v o r i t e I t a l i a n - American icon, "May you l i v e a h u n d r e d y e a r s a n d may the last voice you hear b e m i n e , " a n d s o m e h o w expected him to be around for at least a cent'anni. On Frank's simple gravestone, we can read: Francis Albert Sinatra, 1915-1998, the best, it's yet to come. Let's hope so. *** Here are some excerpts from my May 1998 col- umn. F r a n k S i n a t r a f e l t l i k e family to many fans in the early days of his career, and l i k e a n y f a m i l y m e m b e r , especially one that has been part of our lives for over 50 years, Frank's fans still miss him. Mauro Potestio, an I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n r e a d e r who lives in Portland, Ore- gon, has a party room dedi- cated to Frank that is filled with Sinatra memorabilia he has collected since his high s c h o o l d a y s . M a u r o , a retired teacher, owns each a n d e v e r y c o m m e r c i a l record Sinatra made in the 78', 33', 1/3' and CDs and s t i l l l i s t e n s t o t h e m . H e never drives a mile without having Sinatra on the speak- er system. *** In Mauro Potestio's party room, dedicated to Sinatra, there are over 60 framed pictures. Mauro also hosts a dinner party each year in December, Frank Sinatra's birthday month. *** V i l l a S c a l a b r i n i R e t i r e m e n t C e n t e r i n Sun Valley, California, bene- fited from several Sinatra concerts in the late 1970s. The up-to-date commercial kitchen at the villa was dedi- c a t e d t o F r a n k ' s m o t h e r , D o l l y S i n a t r a . I n 1 9 7 9 , F r a n k , w h o h a d a l r e a d y donated $250,000 for the state-of-the-art commercial kitchen at the villa, following a tribute to Dolly concert in Las Vegas, added another $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 w h e r e p r o c e e d s f r o m a c o n c e r t a t t h e L A Amphitheater. *** Sinatra's stays in the San F r a n c i s c o B a y A r e a w e r e memorable for his fans. In 1946, at the height of his s i n g i n g c a r e e r , s t u d e n t s skipped school to hear him sing at the Golden Gate The- ater. They stayed for show a f t e r s h o w u n t i l S i n a t r a begged them to go home so others could get into the the- ater. *** He was in San Francisco a lot in 1957 to film the musi- cal Pal Joy. Sinatra could be found at Coit Tower on Tele- graph Hill, which the film- m a k e r s h a d t r a n s f o r m e d into the mansion of Joey's wealthy mistress, played by Rita Hayworth. *** In 1981, Sinatra was in San Francisco for a benefit c o n c e r t f o r t h e M e n t a l H e a l t h a n d C h i l d A b u s e Foundation at the Masonic A u d i t o r i u m . H e p a i d t h e Nelson Riddle Orchestra to accompany him, but he told the organizers of the benefit that, if the information got o u t t h a t h e w a s d o n a t i n g everything himself, he could- n't give a nickel. *** Frank Sinatra didn't move pianos was the title of an article my bambina Caterina wrote. I thought the message it imparts was worth sharing. If you are feeling mired in the minutiae o f y o u r l i f e , t r y t o g e t 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. unstuck and get out from under. Doing so will allow you to start singing and glid- ing into more real living. Leave the pianos to the mov- ing experts. Start by making space in your life for true liv- ing and eliminating what y o u a r e n o t p a s s i o n a t e about. Get clear about your priorities. We only have so much time in a day and our mental and physical energy is limited. Perhaps this is what allowed the chairman of the board to become a l e g e n d a n d m a k e t i m e t o enjoy living every day. *** After switching political parties, Sinatra was back in San Francisco to help Presi- dent Reagan win re-election. "He sang better when he was a Democrat," wrote a local columnist. Sinatra and his cronies, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., kicked off the reunion tour at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1988, with Sinatra stealing the show. At the Circle Star in 1989, Sinatra marked the debut of his own brand of pasta sauce by holding up a j a r o f t o m a t o b a s i l s a u c e marketed by Artanis (that's Sinatra spelled backward). *** Once, he was asked what songs he would sing if he had only one concert left, to which he answered: "I'd do My Way. I'd have to do I've Got You Under My Skin. I'd do One For My Baby, which is sort of tied to me... I'd have to do what they want. After all, that's why they're here."

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