L'Italo-Americano

THURS DAY,   S EPTEMBER  5,   2013 L'Italo-Americano PAGE  19 Local Profile: Richard Tomasello – Flying High with Italian Culture ANdReW BAgleY The Tomasellos are a tireless lot. A characteristic probably attributed to their bloodline and heritage originating in Santo Stefano di Camastra, province of Messina in Sicily. Salvatore and Marion Tomasello, Richard Tomasello's grandparents, were part of the "immigrant newcomers" during the turn of the 20th century. The couple gave birth to Emanuel Victor Tomasello, Richard's father, in New York City in 1912. When Emanuel was a teenager, his family moved to Milwaukee, where he would meet his future wife Rosalie Farina and later marry her in 1934. They started a family and conceived nine children, five boys and four girls spanning almost twenty years. During this time, Emanuel earned his high school diploma; enrolled in Marquette University where he obtained two Master's degrees; learned formal Italian; operated his own window washing business; and taught French, Spanish and English at a junior college at night and public schools for thirty years before retiring at 70. Richard Tomasello was born in Milwaukee the fourth child in succession. Several months after the attack on Pearl Harbor the family moved to Santa Monica, California where Emanuel joined his other siblings working at Hughes Aircraft in Long Beach. After the war ended, the family returned to Milwaukee. When Richard was a teenager in high school, he dreamed about flying. He hired a pilot to take him and his high school sweetheart Mary Anne up on a date. He shared with the pilot that one day he would fly and own his very own airplane. At twenty-four, Richard acquired his pilot's license and started to fly. He ultimately bought a plane in 1970. Nine years later, in his late 30s, Richard with his wife Mary Anne and two sons, moved to California. He sold his car and stowed the family in his fourpassenger Cessna 170 and took off for San Diego where he started his own successful carpet business of over thirty years. While attending Italian classes at Grossmont College taught by Graziella Spinelli in 1999, she invited Richard to join House of Italy to support her as president of the club where he became vice-president for two years before being elected to president for the next six years. During his tenure as president at House of Italy, Richard would for sponsorship and with a donation helped the organization get started. Richard's father taught him the importance of being Italian and Richard Tomasello tirelessly volunteer his time. He actively helped Mario Cefalu with the Sicilian Festival in Little Italy; he spearheaded sponsoring the Italian tall ship Amerigo Vespucci's only west coast stop in August 2002; he helped support the San Diego Italian Film Festival when Victor Laruccia and Pasquale Verdicchio approached Richard its culture advising him, "Don't lose your Italian heritage." They would travel together five times to Italy and France. In fact, on one of their last trips together, remarkably they found Richard's grandparents house where their niece and nephew were still living in the very same house his grandparents had left almost a hundred years earlier. Sept. 6, Fri. – Convivio Performance Series, Convivio Center, Little Italy; Italian tenor Rosario Monetti with James Bianchi on piano and Dan Ochipinti on drums perform. Doors open 7:30 PM performance begins at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. $10 advance/$15 door includes refreshments. For more information: www.conviviosociety.org Sept. 7, Sat. –Cinema Little Italy Series, Convivio Center, Little Italy. Indoor film showing: "Caravaggio". 2007 directed by Angelo Langoni. 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. $10 includes refreshments. For more information: http://cinemalittleitaly. com To purchase tickets: www.conviviosociety.org Sept. 13, Fri. - Meyer Fine Art, Little Italy. 6th annual Vintage Italian Poster Exhibit Opening. 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Free. Exhibit runs until October 19. For more information: http://www.plmeyerfineart.com/ Sept. 13, Fri. - Kettner Nights, Little Italy. Come for a night filled with arts and design. 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Free. For more information: http://www.littleitalysd.com/events/ Sept. 14, Sat. - Sons of Italy La Costa dei Fiori: Guided Tour of Little Italy with Lunch. Explore the back alleys of little Italy conducted by Anthony Davi. 9:45 AM to 1:30 PM. $25 prepaid. Call Mimi to RSVP at 760-943-8494. For more information: http://sonsofitalysandiego.org/?page_id=261 Sept. 15, Sun. - House of Italy: Monthly Membership Meeting, Balboa Park. Open to the general public. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. $10 donation includes dinner. For more information: http://www.houseofitalysandiego.org/index.php/calendar Sept. 20, Fri. – Venerd ì Convivio Performance Series, Convivio Center, Little Italy. Soprano Danielle Forsgren and pianist/composer Rayme Sciaroni perform. Doors open 7:30 PM performance begins at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. $10 advance/$15 door includes refreshments. For more information: www.conviviosociety.org

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