Italy’s Festa della Repubblica was commemorated Sunday in Washington, DC at a mass held at Holy Rosary Church, the Italian National Parish. Members of the Italian Diplomatic Corps joined parishioners at the Italian mass con-celebrated by Fr. Lydio Tomasi and Fr. Claudio Holzer. Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero gave some brief remarks praising the contributions of the Italian American community. Amb. Bisogniero also presented certificates of appreciations to the teachers of Italian in the Washington metropolitan area. Following the mass, a reception was held at the Casa Italiana Cultural Center.
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Sergio Marchionne, General Colin Powell, Gary Sinise, Robert Corrao Honored By Sons of Italy
It was a very patriotic evening the Italian American community! Four leaders in business, government and entertainment received awards during the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) 25th Silver Anniversary National Education & Leadership Awards(NELA) Gala held on May 23, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
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The honorees were: Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne; General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.); actor Gary Sinise and Sky TV’s Robert Corrao.
Sergio Marchionne, chairman & CEO of Chrysler Group LLC and CEO of Fiat S.p.A., received the 2013 SIF Award for Excellence in Global Business. Mr. Marchionne is credited with 
turning around two major automobile companies: the Italian auto manufacturer, Fiat and the American manufacturer, Chrysler. In addition to his duties as head of the two auto companies, Mr. Marchionne serves on numerous boards of directors, including Fiat Industrial S.p.A. as chairman and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association as president.
Mr. Marchionne is bilingual in Italian and English having been born in Italy and raised in Canada.
In accepting his award, Marchionne stressed the importance of moving from interdependence to integration. “It’s a philosophy that has played a key role in the Fiat-Chrysler partnership from the very beginning. It is a partnership which is driven by people who are willing to listen to each other, who are willing to share experiences, exchange knowledge and ideas, and expand their horizons. And in bringing together the best of our two groups, we’ve embraced both the Italian heritage of Fiat and the distinctly American identity of Chrysler. In many respects it is an idea that is very familiar to the Sons of Italy, which takes pride in an Italian-American culture that draws strength from both traditions,” Marchionne said.
General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) received the 2013 SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service for his career in the military and diplomatic fields as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 65th U.S. Secretary of State. He is also the founding chairman of America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit that aims to make children and youth a national priority by focusing on lowering the high school dropout rate. Under Gen. Powell’s leadership, the organization has become the nation’s largest multi-sector alliance that focuses on the well-being of young Americans.
The SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service is presented annually to a person who is not of Italian heritage. The award and the recipient reflect the significance of working together to build a better global community. Past recipients include former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden; and U.S. Senator Jack Reed.
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Gen. Powell referred to the commonality of the immigrant experience, regardless of the origins, and proudly remarked upon receiving his SIF award, “I always say that I’m an honorary Italian, but tonight I can finally say that I’m more.”
Actor and activist Gary Sinise received the 2013 SIF Award for Courage & Patriotism. As founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, Mr. Sinise works to assist the men and women who defend our country. His foundation partners with a range of organizations that support U.S. service personnel and veterans, including the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which builds customized smart homes for severely wounded veterans. A skilled musician and entertainer, Mr. Sinise has also performed for U.S. troops around the globe with his “Lieutenant Dan Band.” Along with NELA Gala emcee Joe Mantegna, Mr. Sinise hosts public television’s annual National Memorial Day Concert.
Accepting his award after a moving introduction by Mantegna, Sinise spoke about what inspires his work. “If by highlighting what I do shines a light on these brave men and women, that’s one way I feel like I can serve.”
Robert F. Corrao is CEO and chairman of the Ski TV Network, a national high definition television network broadcasting via direct satellite and DSL technology to LCD screens at premier ski resorts across the United States, delivering over 60 million impressions through year round TV programming. He received the SIF’s highest honor, its National Education & Leadership Award for 2013. Accepting the award, Corrao proudly spoke of his Italian roots, the importance of education and his long history with the SIF. “All this Italian blood in my heart right now is boiling over.”
During the NELA Gala, the SIF also recognized the men and women who have served or are serving our country. Present at the dinner were U.S. military personnel, active, veteran and wounded warriors. The SIF has long collaborated with and supported the Wounded Warrior Project.
About 1,000 guests attended this year’s NELA black tie gala. Among the special guests were: U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno, Claudio Bisogniero, Italy’s Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH AIDS researcher, Jack Reed, U.S. Senator representing Rhode Island, Doug Flutie, former NFL quarterback, Bob Johnson, BET founder Mack McClarty, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, Franco Nuschese of the premier Italian restaurant in Washington, Café Milano, Judge Francis Allegra of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the recipients of nine SIF national scholarships
Past attendees have included U.S, presidents; members of the Cabinet and the Congress; and foreign diplomats. Previous SIF honorees include President Bill Clinton; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; AIDS researchers Anthony Fauci and Robert Gallo; the late Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro; former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.); and entertainers Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Regis Philbin, Annette Funicello, and Joe Mantegna.
The Sons of Italy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Sons of Italy, the nation’s oldest and largest organization for people of Italian heritage. The SIF has contributed to date $125 million to medical research, disaster relief, scholarships, and cultural preservation, along with other special projects. NELA Gala proceeds help fund these philanthropic programs.
Source: OSIA as revised
Photos by Max Taylor
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Winner of Urbino Press Awards 2013
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, currently the host of The Situation Room and its lead political anchor, is the 2013 winner of the Urbino Press Award as announced by the Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, at a reception held at the Italian Embassy on April 18, 2013. The prize, now at its sixth edition, is awarded in recognition of excellence in journalism to American
Wolf Blitzer
reporters who, through their commitment and daily work, conscientiously inform millions of people.
The Urbino Press Award “recognizes excellence in journalism, in searching for news, in writing stories, in analyzing facts and turning information in freedom and progress,” as stated by former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi who also underlined how “media, both traditional and new ones, can influence today’s decision-making in foreign policy”.
In announcing the winner, Ambassador Bisogniero noted that, ”Per tutti noi Wolf Blitzer rappresenta un marchio di qualita’ del giornalismo. ‘Wolf ha saputo costruire una sua forte immagine professionale nel corso di una straordinaria carriera.” In accepting the award, Blitzer said that he was accepting it in the name of all his colleagues at CNN.
The City of Urbino, which during the Renaissance gave life to one of the most enlightened courts of Europe, symbolically reinstates its court, once enriched by geniuses like Baldassarre Castiglione and Torquato Tasso, with the voice and experience of todays’ reporters, the outstanding interpreters of the events that are changing our world.
The award will be officially presented to Blitzer on June 20 in the Ducal Palace of the City of Urbino. Giovanni Lani, President of the Urbino Press Award, who has managed to bring to Urbino, Italy, the best of the best of American journalism, was very satisfied by the large crowd who joined in the evening’s ceremony and was already thinking about how he could top this year’s honoree.
Amb. Claudio Bisogniero, Wolf Blitzer
Prior winners of the Urbino Press Award include, Sebastiano Rotella of Pro Publica, Helene Cooper of the New York Times, David Ignatius of the Washington Post, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, Martha Raddatz of ABC news, and Michael Weisskopf of Time magazine.
Remembering Italian American Visionary architect Paolo Soleri
Today the world has lost one of its great minds. Paolo Soleri, architect, builder, artist, writer, theorist, husband, father, born on Summer Solstice, June 21, 1919, has died at age 93.
Paolo Soleri
Paolo Soleri spent a lifetime investigating how architecture, specifically the architecture of the city, could support the countless possibilities of human aspiration. The urban project he founded, Arcosanti, 65 miles north of Phoenix, was described by NEWSWEEK magazine as “…the most important urban experiment undertaken in our lifetimes.”
Continue reading this article authored by Karissa Rosenfield at … http://www.archdaily.com/357747/remembering-paolo-soleri-1919-2013/
For more, read Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti : The City in the Image of Man.
HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM
Italian Elections: Angela Fucsia Nissoli Elected by Italians in North & Central America to Chamber of Deputies
“Care elettrici, cari elettori, Vivo negli Stati Uniti da 25 anni, amo questo paese nel quale mi sento integrata e conservo profondamente radicata nel mio cuore la mia italianità, l’amore e l’orgoglio per la mia terra d’origine. Amore e orgoglio che unisce noi tutti, italiani fuori patria. Orgoglio di essere Italiani e allo stesso tempo desiderio di essere tutelati, di sentirci riconosciuti anche se lontani. Abbiamo imparato tante cose in America, come imprenditori, come lavoratori, come madri, padri, come pensionati… Qualsiasi percorso abbiate fatto, voi, come me, sarete giunti alla stessa conclusione: siamo Italiani, ma anche un po’ Americani. Siamo diversi. Ed i nostri figli sono più Americani che Italiani. Dobbiamo allora trovare un forte legame con la nostra TERRA, che dia a noi stessi ed ai nostri figli motivo di tornare, la speranza di dare il nostro contributo, anche a distanza, con dignità e rispetto. Ho scelto di
Fucsia Nissoli
candidarmi al Parlamento Italiano per portare un contributo nuovo alla politica del nostro Paese, per dare voce a quella piccola e grande Italia che esiste fuori dai confini nazionali e che noi qui rappresentiamo. Per unire le esperienze, le differenze, le aspettative delle “due Italie”: la nostra, nel paese che ci ospita, e ancora la nostra dall’altra parte dell’oceano, in una prospettiva di sviluppo e benessere. La nostra esperienza, in questo periodo di crisi, può essere preziosa per individuare strategie capaci di ridare slancio al sistema economico e produttivo dell’Italia, per dare vita ad un rinnovamento che possa renderla davvero competitiva nello scenario mondiale. L’America ha dato a tutti noi delle grandi opportunità, opportunità per i nostri figli. Rincorrendo il “sogno americano” abbiamo fatto tanta strada, abbiamo costruito, creduto, vissuto. Realizzato piccoli e grandi progetti. Ora possiamo a nostra volta creare opportunità. Uniti ed insieme possiamo essere una grande forza.
Possiamo costruire un percorso associativo e politico in cui ciascuno di noi possa sentirsi parte attiva, costituire una comunità dinamica, unita, al di là delle differenze regionali. Possiamo sostenere il Made in Italy e rafforzare il sistema Italia all’estero. Possiamo aiutare i giovani a mantenere viva la nostra italianità e la nostra lingua proponendo iniziative che coinvolgono le nuove generazioni di connazionali e di discendenti, per promuovere la diffusione della lingua e della cultura italiana. Possiamo batterci su temi che necessitano di maggiore attenzione da parte delle istituzioni italiane come la cittadinanza, l’assistenza e l’erogazione delle pensioni, l’informazione per gli italiani all’estero e Rai Italia. E ancora la revisione dell’IMU e del Tarsu, la tassa sui
rifiuti. Attraverso la mia esperienza di italiana all’estero, madre di tre figli, ho percepito tutte le problematiche che ognuno di noi vive quotidianamente abitando in un paese straniero. Il mio sogno è un giorno di poter parlare con i miei nipoti in italiano senza vergogna. Di comprare specialità regionali a prezzi ragionevoli e senza imposizioni doganali: in questo Paese arrivano merci da tutto il mondo senza problema… ma provate a farvi mandare un pacco dall’Italia e vedrete quanto tempo e costo comporta! Chiedo la vostra fiducia per rappresentare la vostra voce a Roma, una voce che porterà una ventata di novità all’interno del Parlamento, che vi ascolterà, che cercherà di capire quali sono le vostre problematiche, i vostri ideali, i vostri sogni e che farà valere le vostre idee e i vostri DIRITTI. Lotteremo insieme, come comunità italiana che condivide dei forti valori di identità caratterizzati da una profonda umanità e cultura, quegli stessi valori che ci hanno trasmesso i nostri padri e che ci contraddistinguono ovunque nel mondo.”
Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign manager, Receives the Machiavelli Award as the Italian Democrat of the Year
This evening, the Italian American Democratic Leadership Council, co-chaired by Robert Blancato and MD Senator Jim Rosapepe, presented Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign manager,with
Jim Messina
the Machiavelli Award as the Italian Democrat of the Year. The reception was held this evening a Carmine’s Restaurant in Washington , D.C. According to the IALC, this award honors the legacy of Niccolo Machiavelli, the first political scientist, and showcases a current political mastermind.
In accepting the award Messina said that he had just returned from a month-long vacation from Italy (“I highly recommend it” he said), with his girlfriend now fiancee and that while visiting Florence he was invited to the mayor’s office and shown the desk that Machiavelli had used.
Speaking at the event was also Lapo Pistelli, a member of Parliament and the foreign policy spokesman for Italy’s Partito Democratico (PD) who had lavish praises for Messina, saying to him at one point: “You saved the world.”
Pistelli noted to the guests that “We have a crazy system in Italy, a crazy electoral law . . . not an easy system to understand,” that is why, he said, he could be in Washington thirty days before Italy’s national elections, because under Italy’s political system he had been already assured reelection.
Italian American Community Mourns Passing of Joseph Coccia, Jr.
The Montclair State University community mourns the passing on January 3, 2013, of Cav. Joseph Coccia, Jr., a loyal friend and founder of the University’s Joseph and Elda Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America.
Joseph Coccia, Jr.
Coccia dedicated his life to preserving Italian American culture and heritage, and through the Institute and Coccia Foundation, he educated young people about Italian language, life, food, business and history. The Coccia Institute at Montclair State partners with national and state organizations to promote an understanding of the important links between Italy and America and to advance an interest in Italian and Italian American fields of study, both among scholars and the general public. Read more…
Joseph Coccia Jr. wanted everyone to love Italy’s rich history and culture as much as he did. “He wanted to show people it’s not all about the negative. It’s not all about the Mafia and tough guys. … He wanted to promote all the positive things,” said Coccia’s daughter, Elisa. Read more . . .
Italian Armed Forces Day Celebrated in Washington, DC
Italian Armed Forces Day was commemorated in Washington, DC with a mass at the Italian Church, Holy Rosary on November 4, and on the following day, with a reception at the Italian Embassy. The Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, General Giovanni Fantuzzi, and the Embassy diplomatic corps joined the Holy Rosary Church parishioners Sunday in a solemn mass in honor of the fallen soldiers .In particular, special observance was made of the following soldiers who died in the line of duty during the past year: Giovanni Gallo, Francesco Currò, Paolo Messineo, Luca Valente, Michele Silvestri, Manuele Bray, and Tiziano Chierotti. At the end of the Mass, Amb. Bisogniero delivered brief remarks noting the sacrifices of Italian troops in places such as Afghanistan, where they serve side-by-side with America troops to defend the shared values of both countries.
On Tuesday, November 5, the Italian Embassy celebrated Italian Armed Forces Day with a reception at the Embassy’s Piazza Italia attended by senior representatives from the U.S. military and federal government, together with representatives of the Italian American community. In their brief remarks, both Amb. Bisogniero and General Fantuzzi underscored the extraordinary commitment of the Italian Armed Forces to peace missions throughout the world. Amb. Bisogniero also noted that Armed Forces Day was also an opportunity to reinforce the ties and friendships between Italy and the United States.
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- Armed Forces Day at Italian Embassy
Italy celebrates Armed Forces Day on November 4th each year to mark the end of World War I in 1918, which ended in victory but took the lives of 650,000 Italians.
Italy Donates Bust of Amerigo Vespucci to the Organization of American States
On the occasion of the Columbus Day celebrations, Sebastiano Fulci, the Permanent Observer of Italy to the Organization of American States (OAS), joined by Andrea Claudio Galluzzo, President of the Association Fiorentini nel Mondo, Joseph Sciame Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, John Viola Chief Operating Officer of The National Italian American Foundation, Justice Dominic Massaro of the Supreme Court of New York, donated on behalf of Italy, a bust of the Florentine navigator and cartographer, Amerigo Vespucci, a work by the American artist Greg Wyatt.
Unveiling of Amerigo Vespucci at OAS
During the ceremony, held in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 2012, Fulci, said that the donation was an “homage to the five hundredth anniversary of the death of the Italian navigator” who gave his name to the continent, and is part of the celebration of “the discovery of America,” which the OAS commemorated on October 12.
Present at the ceremony, held in the Hall of the Americas at OAS headquarters, were also the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, the Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin, and the Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Mexico, Ambassador Joel Antonio Hernández García, among others.
Amerigo Vespucci was born and raised in Florence, acquired the favor and protection of Lorenzo de Medici. In 1499 he joined Alonso de Ojeda, who had received from Spain the task of exploring, the south coast of the “region” discovered by Columbus.
Navigator of the seas and profound scholar, during his travels he explored much of the eastern coast of South America. He was among the first supporters of the idea that Christopher Columbus had discovered a new continent and not a western route to reach the Far East by sea.
In his letters and diaries Amerigo Vespucci described the mainland as a “New World” and was the first to realize the presence of a new continent. In fact in his letters, addressed to Lorenzo de ‘Medici, Vespucci describes in detail the new territories, the peoples and animals understanding that this land couldn’t be the Asian continent.
It was the rapid spread of the letters circulated under his name that suggested the cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to use the female gender (America) of his Latinized name (Americus Vespucius), to indicate the new continent in his world map drawn in 1507.
Columbus Day 2012 a Proclamation, by the President of the United States of America
Washington, October 5, 2012
As dawn broke over the Atlantic on October 12, 1492, a perilous 10-week journey across an ocean gave way to encounters and events that would dramatically shape the course of history. Today, we recall the courage and the innovative spirit that carried Christopher Columbus and his crew from a Spanish port to North America, and we celebrate our heritage as a people born of many histories and traditions.
Barack Obama
When the explorers laid anchor in the Bahamas, they met indigenous peoples who had inhabited the Western hemisphere for millennia. As we reflect on the tragic burdens tribal communities bore in the years that followed, let us commemorate the many contributions they have made to the American experience, and let us continue to strengthen the ties that bind us today.
In the centuries since that fateful October day in 1492, countless pioneering Americans have summoned the same spirit of discovery that drove Christopher Columbus when he cast off from Palos, Spain, to pursue the unknown. Engineers and entrepreneurs, sailors and scientists, explorers of the physical world and chroniclers of the human spirit — all have worked to broaden our understanding of the time and space we live in and who we are as a people. On this 520th anniversary of Columbus’s expedition to the West, let us press forward with renewed determination toward tomorrow’s new frontiers.
As a native of Genoa, Italy, Christopher Columbus also inspired generations of Italian immigrants to follow in his footsteps. Today, we take time to celebrate the innumerable contributions that generations of Italian Americans have made to our country. Throughout 2013, Italy will also commemorate this rich heritage and the enduring bonds between our countries with the Year of Italian Culture in the United States, which Americans will join in celebrating.
In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage 520 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 8, 2012, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA
At Bonaparte Ceremony U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Recalls His Italian Roots
At the 52nd Annual Ceremony commemorating Charles J. Bonaparte held on September 12 at the U.S. Department of Justice, keynote speaker, U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli recalled his Italian roots to invited guests from the Italian American community. Charles J. Bonaparte, was the 46th Attorney General of the United States and the founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Donald Verrilli
The ceremony organized by Justice Department Attorney Francesco Isgro, opened with the singing of the national anthems of the United States and Italy by Maria Marigliano and Marco Fiorante, followed with an Invocation by Reverend Lydio Tomasi of Holy Rosary Church.
John DiCicco, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division at the U.S. Departmentof Justice gave the welcoming remarks. He was followed by special remarks given by Minister Luca Franchetti Pardo, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Italy in Washington. Minister Franchetti Pardo noted that Charles Bonaparte, by establishing an investigative force within the Department of Justice laid the groundwork for future international cooperation, noting especially the collaboration between the FBI and Italian law enforcement offcials in combating organized crime and terrorism.
Judge Francis Allegra of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims introduced Solicitor General Verrilli who recalled his Italian roots, noting in particular that his great grandfather Rocco Verrilli, who immigrated to the United States Castelfranco in Miscano, a smal toen in Campania, near Benevento, were more or less contemporaries and shared some similar values. “Bonaparte lived from 1851 to 1921. Rocco lived from 1857 to 1931,” said Verrilli. While they shared dome values the “ihabited entirely different worlds.”
Bonaparte had an distinguished lineage, and attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School. “My greast grandfather Rocco . . . was the son of a sheperd with little in the way of a formal education and left that life as a young man to travel by ship to the United States, taking residence in New York’s Little Italy on Mulberry Street.” Verrilli recounted how his father eventually founded a bank with its offices at 129 Mulberry Street but athough it prospered, it could not survive the 1926 crash. Verrili said that Bonaparte and Rocco “appear to have have been kindred spirits in the things that matter.” Both believed in education and and “both understood in particular the indespensable link between education and effective citizenship.” Rocco put all his eight children to college, including his daughters, said Verrilli. “Bonaparte was a devoted Cathlic and so was Rocco. Bonaparte reportedly loved a good argument and did not pull punches. Neither did Rocco. And both loved his country and were utterly devoted to it.”
I like to think that Bonaparte’s commitment to public service and citizenship would have been an inspiration to my great-grandfather, and a goal he would have had for his descendants. And Bonaparte was indeed a true servant of the public interest – his service fully captured the spirit of his age, the age of Teddy Roosevelt’s progressivism – and he is justly celebrated for his role in laying the groundwork for what would become the FBI, for his fearless trust-busting, and for his lifelong fight against public corruption and in favor of a professional civil service.
Verrillli then talked about the work of Bonaparte before the Supreme Court, noting in particular that he had argued a number of cases on the issue of the fedeal authority to regulate the economy. “Even more impressive to me – given the era in which he lived,” said Verrilli, was Bonaparte’s committment to civil rights.” “Whatever its wells spring, Bonaparte’s commitment to civil rights — like the rest of his record to public accomplishment – fully justifies the honor we bestow on his memory every year,” concluded Verrilli.
Donald Verrilli, Francesco Isgro, John Dicicco, Luca Franchetti Pardo, Francis Allegra
The Bonaparte ceremony was started in 1961 by the late John LaCorte, Sr., founder of the Italian Historical Society of America in New York. At a time when Italians were still struggling with their Italian American identity, John LaCorte sought to promote the accomplishments of Italian Americans. Giovanni Verrazzano , one of the first explorers to reach the New York harbor, was one of them. LaCorte, after many years convinced New York officials to name a bridge in his honor. And then LaCorte came to Washington to promote Charles J. Bonaparte the grand nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose parents were originally from Italy. Through his efforts, Charles Bonaparte has received his due credit for the founding of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and for his many accomplishments in the U.S. public service arena.
When LaCorte came to Washington in 1961, the late Judge Edward Re had just been appointed by President John F. Kennedy as Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, an office established here at the Department. Judge Re assisted John La Corte in establishing the first ceremony, making him the First Friend of Charles Bonaparte. Judge Re also made sure that then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was also present at the ceremony. On that occasion, a granite monument honoring Charles Bonaparte was presented by the Society to the Department of Justice. The monument is now installed at the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of Main Justice building.
The Friends of Charles Bonaparte, Department of Justice Senior Litigation Counsel Francesco Isgro, together with the Order Sons of Italy, and the Department of Justice sponsored this year’s ceremony, with the support of the OSIA Commission for Social Justice, the National Italian American Foundation and the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C.
(CiaoAmerica! Magazine)