L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 9 Dear Readers, N o v e m b e r n o t e s w i t h a n Italian connection: Abruzzi Duke, explorer and m o u n t a i n c l i m b e r , L u i g i Amedeo di Savoia, led the first ascent of Mt. Elias in Alaska in 1897. He was joined by noted mountain photographer Vittorio Sella. Although the mountain was first sighted in 1741, by European explorer Vitus Bering of Russia, it was the Italians who first ascended Mt. Elias. Mount Elias is notable for its immense vertical relief. Its sum- mit rises vertically over 18,000 feet in just 10 miles. Mt. Elias is the second highest mountain in b o t h t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d Canada, being situated on the Yukon and Alaska border. The second ascent was not until 1946, when a group from the Harvard Mountaineering Club, including noted mountain historian D. Molenaar, climbed the Southwest Ridge route. The s u m m i t p a r t y c o m p r i s e d Molenaar, his brother Cornelius, Andrew and Betty Kauffman, M. Miller, W. Latady, and Ben F e r r i s ( T h i s e x p e d i t i o n w a s somewhat unusual for the era in including a female member). They used eleven camps, eight of which were on the approach f r o m I c y B a y , a n d t h r e e o f which were on the mountain. They were supported by multi- ple air drops of food. Mount Elias is infrequently climbed today, because it has not easy route to the summit and because of its prolonged periods of bad weather (mainly snow and low visibility). *** B o s t o n ' s f i r s t I t a l i a n American mayor, Tom Menino, died last month. He was 71. In a city long dominated by Irish p o l i t i c o s , M e n i n o b e c a m e mayor in 1993 and served in the office for over two decades. Thomas Menino's folksy man- ner and verbal gaffes belied his shrewd political tactics to gov- ern as Boston's longest serving m a y o r a n d o n e o f i t s m o s t beloved. Health problems reluc- tantly forced Menino to eschew a bid for a sixth term. "I can run, I can win and I can lead, but not in the neighborhoods all the time as I like", Menino told an overflow crowd at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall in March 2013. Three weeks after that a n n o u n c e m e n t , t w o b o m b s exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260. Menino, who had under- gone surgery on a broken leg just two days earlier, checked himself out of a hospital to h e l p l e a d h i s s h a k e n c i t y through the crisis. Menino was not a smooth public speaker and was prone to verbal gaffes. He was widely quoted describing B o s t o n ' s n o t o r i o u s p a r k i n g s h o r t a g e a s " a n A l c a t r a z " around his neck, rather than an albatross. He often mangled or mixed up the names of Boston sport heroes- once famously confusing former New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri with ex-Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. But while such mis- takes might sink other politi- cians in a sports-crazed city, they only seemed to reinforce his affable personality and abili- ty to connect with the residents he served. "I'm Tom Menino. I'm not a fancy talker, but I get things done", he said in his first TV ad and for 20 years he did! *** Car Talk's Tom Magliozzi, o n e h a l f o f t h e b r o t h e r d u o known as "Click and Clack" died November 3rd of compli- cations from Alzheimer's dis- ease at age 77. "Car Talk" was National Public Radio's most popular entertainment program for many years, reaching out to more than 4 million people a week on more than 600 radio stations across the country and millions more via their books a n d s y n d i c a t e d a u t o r e l a t e d columns in newspapers through- out the U.S.A. Tom Magliozzi and his younger brother Ray managed to put comedy into car b r e a k d o w n s a n d d i s p e n s e d advise about car repairs, car rip- offs and car drivers with such humor and joy that among their biggest fans were the "car klutz" who simply enjoyed listening to "Car Talk" hosted by Click and Clack, also known as Ray and Tom Magliozzi. In 2012, the brothers stopped taping live shows but the net- work kept fans happy by airing repurposed archived material. The radio show continued to be top rated, as did their weekly "Click and Clack" column in the S.F. Chronicle. Tom and his b r o t h e r R a y c h a n g e d p u b l i c broadcasting forever. The pair, who called themselves "Click and Clack" dispensed humor and advice about repairing cars. They ended their shows with a catch-phrase- "Don't drive like my brother". In a statement posted on "Car Talk's" website, Ray Magliozzi affectionately teased his late brother, who was 12 years his senior: "Turns out he wasn't kidding...He really couldn't remember last week's puzzler." The Magliozzis were a n u n l i k e l y r a d i o d u o . T h e Cambridge, Mass. Mechanics and Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates began their show on WBUR, Boston's NPR affiliate, in 1977 as volun- t e e r s . T h e w e e k l y p r o g r a m became nationally broadcast starting in 1987 after building a steady local following. Tom Magliozzi was born June 28, 1937, in Boston's then largely Italian-American section of East Cambridge. Tom was the first in his family to attend col- lege, earning a chemical engi- n e e r i n g d e g r e e f r o m M I T . Tom's brother, Ray, plans to continue the Click and Clack c o l u m n , a c c o r d i n g t o K i n g Features, the syndication ser- vice for Click & Clack's col- umn. "Ray has told us that he is sure his brother would want him to continue helping people with their car problems and making them laugh." *** Gaetano Lanza founded the M a s s a c h u s e t t s I n s t i t u t e o f Technology (MIT) in 1861 and for twenty-nine years was head o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Mechanical Engineering. *** T h e C a l a b r e s e h a v e l o n g been known for their warm and generous Southern Hospitality. In pre "televisione", Netflix and computer days, Calabrese cou- ples, loved company and loved t o s i t , c h a t a n d r e l a x w i t h friends and family. Overlooked was the fact that after the com- pany arrived, it was usually the "marito" who was doing all the relaxing while his wife tended t o a l l t h e c o m p a n y r e l a t e d c h o r e s . I n L i s a C a p o g r e c o Cappuccio's Children's book "Where's Marianna? (Aundi e' Marianna?), the subject is treated with fun as well as food for thought. The book gives us a glimpse of life in an Italian i m m i g r a n t h o u s e h o l d , w h i l e acknowledging the responsibili- ties, love and commitment an Italian mother has for her fam- ily. It's a lesson in respect, love and family. Even though people reply on a mother's support, it's important to realize that a moth- er needs to be seen as a person, too. It's about learning how Italian families' roles dictate a household while maintaining the traditions of their upbringing. W r i t t e n i n E n g l i s h a n d Calabrese dialect, it's a way to connect to our Italian heritage while emphasizing the impor- tance of dialect, a language still used in many Italian households today. I think "nonna" or parents of young children should buy this book and read it aloud at the next family gathering to get a dialogue going about roots. *** The author, Lisa Capogreco C a p p u c c i o , b o r n i n B o s t o n , Massachusetts, grew up speak- ing English and the dialect of C a l a b r i a ( o n e o f I t a l y ' s r e g i o n e , t h a t i n c l u d e s t h e provinces of Cosenza, Crotone, R e g g i o C a l a b r i a , a n d V i b o Valentia with Catanzaro the regional capital) as a way to communicate with her parents and extended family who were b o r n i n M a r i n a d i G i o i o s a I o n i c a , p r o v i n c e d i R e g g i o C a l a b r i a a n d a r r i v e d o n o u r Eastern shores in 1963. Italy has t w e n t y r e g i o n s a n d m a n y provinces so different dialects w e r e c o m m o n l y s p o k e n i n immigrant households, however i t i s n o w s l o w l y b e c o m i n g extinct. Lisa, who has worked in many areas of public relations, promotions, marketing, film and print media is now focusing her creative efforts on children's books, which will tell stories that include a dialect that she still uses today. *** Lisa says that her children's book is more for adults than children, though a nice way to bond with your family, nonethe- l e s s . . . T o o r d e r W h e r e ' s Marianna? You can go on the internet or order by snail mail. Here's how: Readers not on the internet can mail a check payable to Boston Concepts for $20 ($15.99 for book plus S&H) to 322 Bremen Street, #3, East Boston, MA 02128. Lisa's w e b s i t e i s w w w . b o s t o n c o n - cepts.net. You can also reach Lisa at Boston Concepts by tele- phone, (617) 967-0463. To order online go to www.author- house.com where you can order a hard copy or e-version. When you log on to authorhouse, type in Where's Marianna? And both versions will appear. The book is also available at www.ama- zon. com. A u t h o r L i s a C a p o g r e c o Cappuccio is thrilled to share her heritage and hopes others will follow suit by writing sto- ries in their regional dialect. *** T h e B r i d g e a u t h o r G a y Talese says that there was much o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e n a m e V e r r a z a n o w h i c h h a d b e e n strongly recommended by the Italian Historical Society of America and its founder, John N. La Corte, ostensibly because they could not spell it. Others, many of them Irish, did not want a WOP name or bridge named after an Italian, and they took to calling it the "Guinea Gang- plank". The New York Times e x p r e s s e d t h e h o p e t h a t t h e name "Verrazano" be dropped in favor of a more "romantic" and "tremendous" name, and s u g g e s t e d c a l l i n g i t t h e Commissioner Moses Bridge". B u t t h e I t a l i a n H i s t o r i c a l Society, boasting a large mem- bership of emotional voters, was not about to knuckle under, a n d f i n a l l y a f t e r m o n t h s o f debate and threats, a compro- mise was reached in the name " V e r r a z a n o - N a r r o w s B r i d g e " . T h e V e r r a z a n o - Narrows Bridge which opened on November 21, 1964, turns 50 this month. The bridge connect- ing Brooklyn with Staten Island got its "Italian" name only after activist John La Corte single- handedly lobbied city, state and f e d e r a l a u t h o r i t i e s , a n d p u t e x p l o r e r G i o v a n n i d a Verrazzano back into America's history books. Tom Magliozzi

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