L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 9 degree. So in 1976, while he was still Superintendent, Frank received his Doctorate in Education Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. During his tenure as Superintendent, he oversaw the building of 10 high schools; Mt. Pleasant, Oak Grove, William C. Overfelt, Silver Creek, Piedmont Hills, Santa Teresa, Yerba Buena, Foothill, Milpitas, and Independence High Schools were built. His last major construction project was the district office facility. It makes me tired just He has been referred to as a Renaissance man, a community leader, a man of conviction, a loyal champion of causes, and an all around great guy. While all these are accurate descriptions of Frank Fiscalini, I'm here to give you the story and let you be the judge. Frank Fiscalini is a native Californian, raised in San Bernardino during the Great Depression. He served in the US Army during World War II. Following his return from ser- vice, he married his wife, Joan, in 1946. Shortly after, they moved to San Jose where Joan taught school and Frank received his B.S. degree from the University of Santa Clara in 1948 and his Masters degree from Stanford in 1950. Frank has four children, thirteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren. You'd think that would be a large enough family to keep Frank busy but you would be wrong and here's why. He became a teacher at James Lick High School in 1950. He took him only six years to advance to Superintendent of the East Side Union High School District, remaining there from 1956-1982. Frank once said that, "He had the privilege of putting the district together." Because of his passion for edu- cation Frank wasn't satisfied with just having a Masters Frank Fiscalini a Man Beyond Description listing them all. Frank's commitment to the community doesn't stop there, and retirement from the school district for Frank was just another word for opportunity. He became CEO of Alexian Brothers Hospital, coordinated the restora- tion of St. Joseph's Cathedral, and in 1992 was elected to the San Jose City Council (1992–2000). He served as Vice- Mayor from 1998–2000. Since 1977, Frank has been a supporter of Opera San Jose starting when it was called Opera Workshop. As docu- mented on the Opera San Jose website, "At the time Irene Dalis returned to San Jose from New York and founded the Opera Workshop at San Jose State," Frank recounted, "I was Superintendent of the Eastside Union High School District and we had just built Independence High, with a 500 seat theater. Irene called and asked about the theater, as the Opera Workshop had no proper place to perform. We arranged for the Workshop to perform in our theater." Frank continues to be a loyal contribu- tor, through the years he has served on the Opera San Jose Board, and currently serves on the Governance Committee. In addition to the Governance Committee for Opera San Jose, Frank is on the advisory board for Little Italy San Jose, and is a NANCy MoRReAle member of the board of directors for History San Jose and Silicon Valley FACES. Frank still finds time to lend his time to charitable organizations serving as master of ceremonies for such events as the recently held Italian American Heritage Foundation Scholarship Awards Dinner. It is not hard to understand why Frank was honored this summer at History San Jose's Valley of Heart's Delight fundraiser held under the stars at History Park on June 28. The community out- pouring was overwhelming, it truly was one of the most extraor- dinary gala events of the year. The evening was filled with plenty of music from Fiddle Road and the big-band music of Millennium Sounds which served to top off the awards and speech- es. There was also a surprise per- formance by two opera singers, to recognize Fiscalini's role in helping Opera San Jose get its start. In true Frank style, he accepted July 17, Thurs.- Italian Regional Lunch featuring Bari, Puglia, Italy, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. The food of Bari, Puglia and an over- view of its history and culture. $15 non-members, $12 IAHF members. Italian American Heritage Foundation, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, eventrsvp@iahfsj.org or www.iahfsj.org. July 24, Thurs.- La Divina Book Club, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Discussion: Maria Bandy will present plays by the Sicilian comic, Giovanni De Rosalia (1864-1934) using the character Nofrio. The Innkeeper, The Interpreter, and Nofrio on the Telephone will be read in both English and Palermitano, Sicilian dialect. RSVP is welcomed by not required. Italian American Heritage Foundation, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408- 293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. July 24, Thurs.- IAHF Dining Out Series: Cena Fuori, 7:00 p.m. Mama Mia's Ristorante, 275 E Dunne Ave, Morgan Hill, Battle of the Mamas Part 1, Morgan Hill vs Campbell. Same name, different owners, different menus, $30 per person, includes dinner, dessert tax & tip. More information www.iahfsj.org, 408-293-7122 or eventsrsvp@iahfsj.org. Aug. 2, Sat.- San Jose Giants Italian Night, gates open at 5:00, game starts at 6:00. $5.00 per person, tickets can be purchased online at iahfsj.org/programs/events/rsvp or by contacting the Italian American Heritage Foundation office at 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, eventsrsvp@iahfsj.org, www.iahfsj.org. Aug 5, Tues.- Italian Cooking Class, 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Genovese specialty, chestnut flour gnocchi with a pesto sauce, with Nancy De Vincenzi Melander. All materials included but you might want to bring an apron. $15 per person. Italian American Heritage Foundation office at 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, eventsrsvp@iahfsj.org, www.iahfsj.org. Aug. 21, Thurs.- Italian Regional Lunch featuring Old Calabrese, Italy, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Select recipes from "Flavors from a Calabrese Kitchen" by author and chef, Ken Borelli, along with a historic view of Calabria. $15 non-mem- bers, $12 IAHF members. Italian American Heritage Foundation, 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, eventr- svp@iahfsj.org or www.iahfsj.org. Aug 23 & 24, Sat. & Sun.- 34th Annual Italian Family Festa, Sat 11:00-8:00, Sun 11:00-6:00. Authentic Italian foods, fanta- stic live entertainment, arts and crafts, wine tasting, culinary demos, grape stomp and more. Free admission. Guadalupe River Park, 350 W. Julian St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.italianfamilyfestasj.org. Aug. 28, Thurs.- IAHF Dining Out Series: Cena Fuori, 7:00 p.m. Mama Mia's, 200 E Hamilton Ave, Campbell, Battle of the Mamas Part 2, Morgan Hill vs Campbell. Same name, dif- ferent owners, different menus, $30 per person, includes din- ner, dessert tax & tip. More information www.iahfsj.org, 408- 293-7122 or eventsrsvp@iahfsj.org. Community Highlights Charming Kitchen, Teresa Cefalu Dirkson Cannoli, all local cannoli connoisseurs and chefs. The attendees were invited to travel from table to table, pass- port in hand, tasting cannoli, sip- ping wine, chatting , and enjoy- ing a warm spring evening with friends and family. All around the piazza was the constant "hum of yum" in the air, the sounds of cannoli shells crunching and the joy that comes from eating, what could possibly be called the most perfect dessert ever invented. The judges were world- renowned Pasquale Esposito, Italian Tenor, Linda Bozzo Zavoral, San Jose Mercury News, and Jeffrey Capaccio, National Italian American Federation. As a bonus, there was also a People's Choice award so everyone had the opportunity to participate and express their opinions (and we all know Italians have strong opinions). Congratulations to the winners; Judge's Champion, La Biscotteria and People's Champion, Romolo's Cannoli The event proceeds will go towards the new Little Italy San Jose cultural center & museum. For more information on how you can be a part of this exciting venture contact Josh Melander, jcmelander@yahoo.com, (408) 394-2893 or Debbie Caminiti, dcami123456@comcast.net. The San Francisco Giants just held their Italian Heritage Night on June 24. Now it's time for the San Jose Giants to do the same. The year it's going to be held on Saturday, August 2, gate opens at 5:00pm - game starts at 6:00pm. The entire night will be a celebration of Italian culture with raffles, Italian music and food, and giveaways. They'll be fresh, hot sfingi, a Sicilian favorite, and of course, spaghetti and meatballs, plus baseball. What could be more Italian- American than that? Come out, have fun and show your Italian pride. San Jose Giants Italian baseball cap free to the first 1,000 attendees. Buy your tickets now at http://www.iahfsj. org/programs/events/rsvp/ or contact the Italian American Heritage Foundation office at 408-293-7122 or eventrsvp@ iahfsj.org. What do you call several hun- dred people in an Italian piazza with a little wine and eight dif- ferent cannoli to taste? It's either heaven or the 1st Annual Cannoli Competition held at Bel Bacio's in Little Italy San Jose. Little Italy San Jose brought together A Slice of New York, Dolce Sicilia, Holy Cannoli, La Biscotteria, Mary's Cannoli, Romolo's Cannoli, The NANCy MoRReAle the awards and accolades with the humility that those that know him have come to expect. As he faced the crowd of nearly 400 people he said, "I'm deeply hum- bled by this, the historical muse- um (History San Jose) is very important to me, not only as a collection of memorabilia record- ing our past but as a way to con- nect to the future we continue to make." "He is a true Renaissance man and deserves recognition for his many achievements and humble devotion to the betterment of our community," History San Jose CEO Alida Bray said. We've only scratched the sur- face of everything Frank has meant to this community. He is not only a man to be emulated in the Santa Clara Valley but a stel- lar example of what makes Italians the proudest, our contri- butions to the communities in which we live, work and play. Now that you know a little more about Frank Fiscalini how would you describe him? L to R Pasquale Esposito , People's Champion Romolo's Cannoli, Judge's Champion La Biscotteria, Linda Bozzo Zavoral, and Jeffrey Capaccio — at Little Italy San Jose. Photo by Sergio Oliveri

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