Judge Giovanni Falcone Remembered in Washington DC

Italian Judge Giovanni Falcone was commemorated, on the 31st anniversary of his assassination, with a mass at Holy Rosary Church celebrated by Fr. Sergio Dall’Agnese. A civil ceremony followed in the Italian American Museum of Washington DC.  Francesco Isgro, President of the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center welcomed guest speaker Michela Carboniero, First Counsellor at the Embassy of Italy, and keynote speaker, Dr. Lorenzo Bucossi, Police Attache at the Embassy of Italy @ItalyinUS.  A reception followed in the museum ‘s art gallery. 

The reception was hosted by CISC Inc. and co-sponsored by local Italian and Italian American organizations, the Lido Civic Club of Washington DC, the National Italian American Foundation, the Order Sons and Daughters of America, the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society, Italians in DC, the Italian Cultural Society, and Holy Rosary Church. Special thanks to Simonetta Baldassari for all her contributions.

Italian American Museum for Washington, DC Inaugurated (IAMDC)

Domenico Bellantone

Calling it an “an historic day for our Italian and Italian American community,” on December 15, 2020, CISC President Francesco Isgro, together with CISC Chair Fr. Ezio Marchetto, Italian Embassy First Counselor Domenico Bellantone, & donor Commendatore Robert Facchina cut the ribbon at the inauguration of the Italian American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC). Due to covid-19 restrictions the event was limited to 10 people.

Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio congratulated the CISC Museum Committee at a luncheon earlier at Villa Firenze and stressed the key role of people and culture in our Italy-US relations, as well as “the contributions that Italians and Italian Americans have made in the nation’s capital.”

Francesco Isgro
Robert Facchina

“So many historic events this year! But today is truly an historic day for our Italian and ItalianAmerican community. Thanks to the vision of Fr Ezio Marchetto, the generosity of Robert Facchina, and the hard work of our museum committee, we have built a museum that truly reflects the vast contributions that ItalianAmericans have made to our nation’s Capital. This museum is a reality today because of two years of volunteer work of our Board Member Elizabeth Di Gregorio and Parish Council member Anna Isgro, who served as co-curators. Thank you, Liz and Anna. And thanks also to our great museum designer David Fridberg. Thank you also to Tom Sweeney, Ciro DeFalco, Willy Meaux, the Marconi Project Team, for their work in recording the stories of members our community,” said Isgro.

“The Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center Inc., our nonprofit organization, was officially established in mid 2017 with the principal purpose of promoting and preserving programs and cultural activities for the ItalianAmerican Community in Washington DC. Within a year we were able to attract more than 100 Founders, financial donors, to support our mission. And most importantly we were fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Robert Facchina’s generosity, which helped us establish our museum — in record time! We have been fortunate to have a Board of Directors where every member has contributed and continues to contribute to the success of our organization,” added Isgro.

Lido Civic Club of Washington DC to Host Annual Past Presidents Night, November 22, 2014

The Lido Civic Club of Washington, DC will honor their Woman and Man of the Year for 2015. They are Gracia Martore, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett Co., Inc. and Joseph A. Martore, President & Chief Executive Officer of CALIBRE Systems Inc. The Lido Civic Club will also honor Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, with the National Public Service Award

The Lido Civic Club of Washington, DC, an 85 year old Italian and American civic and charitable organization, will be honoring this Saturday, November 22, 2014, at the Italian Embassy, a dynamic Italian-American couple as their Man and Woman of the Year for 2015. They are Gracia Martore, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett Co., Inc. and Joseph A. Martore, President & Chief Executive Officer of CALIBRE Systems Inc. The Lido Civic Club will also be honoring Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, with the National Public Service Award.

Gracia Martore

Gracia Martore

Gracia Martore became CEO of Gannett in October 2011. Ms. Martore is the chairman and president of Gannett Foundation which supports non-profit activities in the communities which Gannett serves. The Foundation invests in the future of the media industry, encourages employee giving, reacts to natural and other disasters and contributes to a variety of charitable causes. Ms. Martore champions and actively participates in USA WEEKEND’s annual Make A Difference Day, the nation’s largest day of community service.

Joe Martore joined CALIBRE in March 2004 as part of its acquisition of Strategic Management Initiatives, Inc. (SMI), which he co-founded and served as President & CEO. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Martore serves as a principal consultant to the U.S. Army. Mr. Martore currently is a member of the MIT Engineering Systems Division Alumni Advisory Council, and serves on the Boards of Directors for the Professional Services Council (PSC), the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Easter Seals Serving DC | MD | VA, and the Laurel Grove School Museum Association.

Gene L. Dodaro is the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). As Comptroller General, Mr. Dodaro helps oversee the development and issuance of hundreds of reports and testimonies each year to various committees and individual Members of Congress. These and other GAO products have led to hearings and legislation, billions of dollars in taxpayer savings, and improvements to a wide range of government programs and services.

“We look forward to honoring these three outstanding individuals who have given much to our community and who make us all proud of our Italian heritage,” said Francesco Isgro, President of the Lido Civic Club.

“We are honored to host Lido Civic Club of Washington DC at our Embassy for the Annual Past Presidents Night – said Ambassador of Italy to the U.S. Claudio Bisogniero – This organization enjoys a great tradition in keeping Italian heritage alive among Italian Americans in the D.C. area and beyond, and in supporting Italian culture and the study of Italian language especially among young generations”.

About the Lido Civic Club: The Lido Civic Club is an Italian-American organization serving the Washington metropolitan area since 1929. Through the Lido Civic Club Charities, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, it has awarded $417,000 in scholarships to Italian-American students in the area. The Lido Club also funds Italian cultural programs, supports wounded warriors, and performs other philanthropic activities in the Washington D.C. area and beyond. Lido has no paid staff and does not employ or retain lobbyists.

 

Lucia Dalla Montà, Director Education Office, Italian Embassy, Honored by Lido Civic Club

At a ceremony held at the Italian Embassy, the Lido Civic Club of Washington, DC, honored Lucia Dalla Montà , Director of the Education Office at the Italian Embassy, who was presented with the Lido Civic Club Appreciation Award in recognition of her contribution in promoting the study of the Italian language in the United States and in reinstating the AP Italian Language and Culture Exam. The award was presented by Lido Civic Club President Francesco Isgro at the Lido Club’s Annual Scholarship Awards Reception.

Italian Embassy Counselor Michele Pala welcomed the guests on behalf of Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero and thanked the Lido Club for not only honoring Dalla Monta but also for its support for the teaching of the Italian language.

Lucia Dalla Montà, Francesco Isgrò

Prof. Montà was born in the Province of Padua. After receiving her teaching diploma and several certifications she began to teach elementary school, at a time when changes were unfolding in the Italian school system, such as the “active school” movement and the mainstreaming of children with special needs. She developed a passion for helping students increase self-awareness and self-confidence, and for the special needs of handicapped students.

Resuming her studies at the University of Padua to further her education in Pedagogy, she wrote her final thesis on intercultural educational issues. She graduated with the maximum score and also became certified to teach history and philosophy. She then began a nine-year period as a middle school Principal in the province of Venice. Continuing her special interest in intercultural studies, she became Assistant Professor of General Pedagogy at the University of Padua’s Psychology Faculty, where her work included writing articles, preparing educational materials, researching educational issues in culturally-mixed families and participating in European educational projects.

She was then selected to be Principal of the Italian State School in Madrid, where she implemented many educational innovations over her five-year term. As Principal of this school of about 1,000 students, she gained invaluable multicultural and intercultural experience in dealing with the particular challenges of an Italian school in Spain.

After again winning a National Selection, she was appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Education Office at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where she has dedicated much energy and passion to the successful reinstatement of the Italian Language and Culture Program as an Advanced Placement (AP) program in the U.S. She designed the “Observatory on the Italian Language in the United States,” as well as strategic plans, sponsorship programs for teachers and students of Italian, a communication plan that includes a brochure, and the website www.usspeaksitalian.org, among numerous other initiatives.

She also coordinates the six Italian Education Offices in the U.S. and is the main reference point for AP-related data collections. She has been active with many teachers’ associations and has worked to create a teachers’ community in the Washington, D.C. area. During her time here, she has established close relationships with local scholastic authorities with whom she developed and concluded significant agreements to increase and improve Italian programs in the Washington area and beyond.

Isgro noted that Prof. Dalla Montà was an action and results-oriented individual, noting, for example that when she first met with Lido Club representatives who asked her how they could be of help, she immediately came up with concrete ideas. One of them was that the Lido Civic Club provide grants to students in the Washington area who take the AP Language Exam. As a result, this year the Lido Club has donated more than $2,200 to the Casa Italiana Ente Gestore to administer the grants.

At the event, the Lido Civic Club presented the winners of the 2014 scholarship awards. The Lido Club awarded $50,000 in scholarships to seven worthy college students of Italian descent. Special congratulations were extended to Martina Costagliola, twice the recipient of the Lido Club’s Dominic F. Antonelli, Jr. Scholarship.

 

Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President, Recounts Italian Traditions at 53rd Annual Charles Bonaparte Ceremony at U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday August 23, 2013, was the site of the 53rd Annual Ceremony honoring Charles J. Bonaparte, the 46th Attorney General and founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in a program organized by Francesco Isgro, Chair of the Friends of Charles Bonaparte. The event’s Keynote Speaker, Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, spoke first about the importance of tradition in growing up in an Italian American family, and then pointed to the significant accomplishment of Charles Bonaparte in setting up an investigative force that evolved into the FBI. Luca Franchetti Pardo, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassy delivered special remarks, noting the historic and continued cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and their Italian counterparts. Also speaking were Judge Francis Allegra and Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis. Maria Marigliano, a senior official with U.S.A.I.D. opened the ceremony with the singing of the national anthems of the Republic of Italy and of the U.S.A.  Fr. Ezio Marchetto, pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Washington D.C., gave the invocation.   This year’s ceremony was supported by the Sons of Italy, the National Italian American Foundation, and the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C. Pino Cicala, founder of Antenna Italia in Washington, D.C., was recognized for having attended all 53 Charles Bonaparte ceremonies.

The Annual Charles Bonaparte ceremony was established in 1961 by the late John LaCorte, Sr., who was also the founder of the Italian Historical Society of America in New York. He worked diligently in his lifetime to help promote the accomplishments of Italian Americans, as a counterpoint to the negative perception of the ethnic group during that era.

LaCorte started his efforts in New York. After many years of lobbying and several set-backs, LaCorte finally succeeded in having a then-new bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn named after a little-known Italian explorer of the New York Harbor—Giovanni Verrazzano.

LaCorte then came to Washington to promote the achievements of Charles Bonaparte. Bonaparte is the grand nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose parents were originally from Genoa, Italy. It is largely through LaCorte’s efforts that Charles Bonaparte has received his due credit as founder of the FBI.

When LaCorte first established the Charles Bonaparte ceremony 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 La Corte in establishing that first ceremony, making him the First friend of Charles Bonaparte. Judge Re also gave visibility to the ceremony by ensuring that Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was present at the ceremony.

On that occasion, a granite monument honoring Charles Bonaparte was presented by the Historical Society to the Department of Justice. The monument is now installed at the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of the United States Department of Justice.

(Pictured Judge Francis Allegra, Francesco Isgro, Luca Franchetti Pardo, David Margolis, Lisa Monaco – Photo courtesy Elissa Ruffino, NIAF)



Italian Elections: Candidates for North America Debate in Washington, DC

Candidates for the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies traveled to the nation’s capital on Sunday to participate at a candidates’ forum hosted by the Voce Italian newspaper.  Candidates from all the lists, except the PD, participated. The participants were: Dom Serafini (PDL), Simone Lolli (M5S), Giorgio Mosconi (Fare), Melo Cicala (Insieme President), and Vincenzo Arcobelli (lista Monti). Francesco Isgro, Executive Editor of Voce Italiana who moderated the debate, said that it was clear to him  that all the candidates agreed that Italian abroad were not well represented in prior administrations and that Italians abroad needed to speak with one voice.

The event was co-sponsored by the Lido Civic Club, the Abruzzi & Molise Heritage Society, the national Council for the Promotion of the Italian Language in American Schools (COPILAS), and the Sons of Italy International Lodge.

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)