L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 4 LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY A s the Italian-American Heritage Month is about to end, a special Council presentation by Councilman Joe Buscaino, was held at the L.A. City Hall, on October 21 st , to honor several remarkable person- alities relevant to the Italian- American community. Very fittingly, the event took place in the Council Chambers, entitled to late John Ferraro (1924-2001), the longest-serving (35 years) Los Angeles City Council member, an Italian- American leader, son of Italian immigrants operating in the mac- aroni business. That reminds us once again that the history of L.A., the State of California, as well as the United States as a whole, was and is being made by immi- grants, who often – if not always - go through a lot of hardship, but by means of rolling up their sleeves and working hard and tirelessly, are able to rise to glory. Joe Buscaino opened his speech by mentioning the pivotal significance of last week's state dinner at the White House, with President Barack Obama, the First Lady Michelle Obama, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Mrs. Agnese Landini. As Buscaino reminded the audience, Americans of Italian descent are today's fifth largest ethnic group in the US. Among the numerous talented Italian-Americans, who have been enriching Los Angeles with their talents, but more important- ly with their big hearts, this year's honorees were: late Stefano Finazzo, Joe Mantegna, Carmela Funiciello and the Drago family. Sicilian-born Stefano Finazzo - who passed away unexpectedly on last September 23 rd – emi- grated permanently to San Pedro, California, in 1966. He was a proud advocate of his homeland traditions and cul- ture. In 1990, founded the Trappeto Club of San Pedro, serving as President for many years. He also fulfilled several positions within the organization of Sons of Italy. Every Saturday, he used to bring his children to Italian classes at "Casa Italiana," to keep them connected with their homeland's language and cul- ture. Throughout the years, Finazzo fought for having a monument built in commemora- tion of the Italian fishermen, of vital importance for the econo- my of San Pedro. In 2009, he also received the title of "Cavaliere" by the President of Italy's Republic. Second honoree was Tony- awarded and three times Emmy nominee, actor Joe Mantegna, Chicago-born of Sicilian descent. Buscaino and Mantegna got to know each other, during the LAPD Memorial Foundation's fundraiser for the families of the victims in the line of duty. It's impossible to list here all the actor's credits, but certainly Mantegna's long time collabora- tion with Chicago-born play- wright and filmmaker David Mamet deserves an honorable mention. In fact, Joe's interpretation as salesman Richard Roma in Mamet's Pulitzer-Prize-awarded play, Glengarry Glen Ross, gar- nered Mantegna a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. On screen, Mantegna is wide- ly known for his performances in several box office hits, including Three Amigos (1986), The Godfather Part III (1990), Forget Paris (1995) and Up Close & Personal (1996). More recently, Joe earned Emmy Award nominations for his roles in three different TV miniseries: The Last Don (1997), The Rat Pack (1999), and The Starter Wife (2007). In 2011, Mantegna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, next to his childhood's idol, Errol Flynn. Currently, Mantegna plays the role of Italian-American FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi, in the CBS television series Criminal Minds. Next up on stage, was Carmela Funiciello, born on the island of Ischia (off the gulf of Naples, Italy), who resettled with her family in San Pedro, like other 30,000 islanders did over the last decades. Recently, she was recognized by Italian RAI TV program, Cara Francesca, as "one of the best advocates for promoting Italian culture, traditions and lifestyle in the U.S." She played an instrumental role in forming the Los Angeles, Ischia, Sister City agreement, whose ten-year anniversary was recently celebrated in the pres- ence of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Last but not least, the Sicilian- born Drago family of restaura- teurs (you may remember my interview with Celestino for one of L'Italo-Americano's past issues), made of four brothers and one sister. Rapidly rising to success, since the 1980s, today they own, or co-own a total of 11 restau- rants, across the greater Los Angeles area. Celestino, the elder brother, in particular, is regarded as one of the pioneers of Southern Italy's cuisine, and, particularly, Sicilian specialties in L.A. The event was not a one-man show, as Joe Buscaino called to the lectern Consul General of Italy, Antonio Verde. The latter reiterated the spe- cial bond and multi-level cooper- ation between Italy and the U.S., as underscored by President Obama and Prime Minister Renzi, in the course of the last state dinner of Obama's mandate. The Consul remembered the sacrifices faced by the Italian immigrants to the U.S., as well as the contributions to the city of such personalities as the above mentioned John Ferraro, Simon Rodia, and Renzo Piano, who designed The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, set to open in 2017. He also stressed out how "Italy has had a Consular office in Los Angeles for over a centu- ry, one hundred and fifteen years, to be exact." The annual celebrations of the Italian American Heritage Month, recognize an essential part of the city's and the nation's identities, in a spirit of inclusive- ness, friendship and mutual respect that need to be preserved for our future. The Consul concluded, by talking about the recent inaugu- ration of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA), key to celebrating Italian-American contributions to this city and this country, as well as embodying the "Historia Magistra Vitae" motto, by teach- ing fundamental lessons through our shared past. The speech section of the event concluded with a surprise appearance by the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, whose ancestry is 1/4 Italian, 3/16 Mexican, 1/16 Irish, and 1/2 Ashkenazi Jewish. He expressed his pride to have an Italian family name and emphasized as L.A. hasn't always been the worldwide capi- tal of entertainment, but originat- ed as a winemaking area, with the contributions of so many Italian vine growers and farmers. As the celebrations moved out Continued to page 5 Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino Councilmember Joe Buscaino recognizes LA's Italian- American excellence VELERIO VIALE

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