 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Newsletter Update: Fall 2006
If we do not act now, the following shall be our epitaph: “…and it
came to pass that, for those who followed us, it was as if we never were
here.”
Purpose and brief history of the Archives. The Taylor Street
Archives (TSA) is our historic scrap-book which is designed to
preserve the memories of those emigrants (and the offspring of
those emi-grants) who found their way to the legendary Taylor
Street’s “Little Italy” from their Italian origins. Your contributions,
whether they simply add to the demographics by submitting your
names, or ex-pand upon the theme of “Growing Up in Taylor Street’
s “Little Italy” by submitting your stories, will add to the richness
of a time and a people.
Taylor Street Archives Home Parties. Home parties are being
organized to instruct neighbors and friends on filing out the
application to the Archives. Information on how to recommend or
write sto-ries to add to he Archives is also on the agenda for these
home parties. Call for more information.
Near West Side Reunion Dinner Dance Once more, Frank Peccia,
et al, are breaking the previous year’s record in putting together
another dinner dance, whose elegance clearly states, “Taylor
made.”
Neighborhood/Groups. 1) Rocky Saviano recently contributed a
1948 Holy Guardian Angel Church ad book listing the Church’s
parishioners at that time. 2) Mike “Wacker” Alesia took the time
from his jewelry & diamond business to complete the list of the
Morgan Fads. 3) The Tay-Hal list (Taylor Halsted neighborhood has
gone through its first draft and awaits its second draft. 4) Cecilia
Boosters, Goodrich School, Hull House, and Sheridan Park lists are
all in their first stages. 5) The Bowen Coun-try Club list is near
completion. Individuals have graciously returned them with the
names of individu-als they recalled. All group lists are being
upgraded for inclusion in the Archives. You are encouraged to
submit your individual profiles as well names to be added to the
group lists. Please search your memory bank and add the names of
those you remember to the attached list. Be sure to identify, per
instructions, the group or groups to which they may have been
associated
The following should fill you in on some important issues as well as
the reception the Taylor Street Archives (TSA) has received from
the broader community and the media.
Media -- The media continues to support the Archives by
publishing its stories. Recently added to the media stable is The
Chicago Flame Student Newspaper. Public Service Television
(WTTW) and NBC5 will air the documentary, And They Came to
Chicago: The Italian American Legacy. Joe Mon-tegna had agreed
to come on board as the narrator of the documentary. The
importance of Taylor Street and the Italian American’s crucial role
in nurturing the neighborhood and its institutions will, apparently,
receive their full attention in the film.
Writers, thesis, etc. Historians, novelists, script writers, and post
graduate students writing their doc-toral thesis have all sought
permission to either quote from the stories in the Archives,
reference the Archives, and/or to amplify upon the concepts
espoused in the writings contained in the Archives. The most
recent request came from a writer commissioned to write the
history of Chicago’s Legen-dary Taylor Street.
Shrine Fest—The annual Fest of Our Lady of Pompeii was, once
again, a resounding success. Most of that multitude received
applications for the Taylor Street Archives with a proportionate
number of potential scholarship recipients (their offspring)
becoming aware of the $1,000 annual scholarship. Dominic Di
Frisco, recovering from a recent hip operation, was able to, once
again, serve as the MC. As mentioned before, Rev Fragomeni felt
strongly that the Archives was consistent with and promoted the
mission statement of the Shrine. The operations staff, however,
still retains its veto over the Shrine’s patrons having access to
information about the Archives and its scholarships.
UIC’s Hull House Museum A new administrator, Lisa Lee, has
been assigned to the Hull House Museum. She is sensitive to our
needs and has a keen interest in the Taylor Street Archives, “…an
amazing resource that should be a part of any story we need to tell
about the history of this place and its continuing relevance for
issues today.” A welcome response, after a two year silence by the
previ-ous administrators/guardians of the Hull House and Bowen
Country Club web sites which, by both omission and commission,
were redefining “The Hull House Neighborhood” and its history.
Danny Solis, ward alderman, stopped to convey his concern about
the Italian American community’s efforts to recapture its heritage
and rightful place in the history of Taylor Street and its
institutions.
Anthony Fornelli is a long time acquaintance going back some
decades when we were both politically and socially active with the
JCCIA—he, as a Justinian and JCCIA force, and I as President of
the Gre-gorian Society of Educators, whom Congressman Annunzio
once described as, “the crown jewel of the JCCIA.” His personal
odyssey, as a first generation offspring of one of the many
emigrants who had found their way to the streets of our Little Italy,
Chicago’s legendary Taylor Street, produced a leader of the Italian
American community during its Camelot days of the 1970s. Other
notable figures, such as U.S. Congressman Frank Annunzio,
Chicago Alderman Vito Marzullo, Illinois Congressman Victor
Arrigo, and the likes of Anthony Sorrentino were included in that
roundtable of those Camelot days. During our recent conversation
regarding the Archives and the TV documentary, he related the
follow-ing story which I share with you. His two daughters came to
Taylor Street to enjoy some Italian lem-onade. They engaged in
conversation with members of one of the Old Neighborhood Italian Clubs
that still exist, “Our father, Anthony Fornelli, was born somewhere in
this neighborhood.” "Yeah! That was Midge and Jerry. (Tony's
parents, Madelyn and Gerald Fornelli, who later moved out to one of the
many satellite Little Italies throughout the Chicagoland area.) Right
across the street there is where they lived--in the Briatta barber shop
building.”
George Randazzo and I go back to the very origins of the IASHF
when George held the first IASHF award din-ner (boxers only at
that time) on River Road. At that same time, the Gregorians, just a
few hotels away down on River Road, were hosting their annual
Scholarship dinner. We were honoring either Congressman Frank
An-nunzio, Alderman Vito Marzullo, or Jerry Sbarbaro that
evening, as our “Man of the Year.”
Ralph DiBartolo, president of the Italian American Police
Association (IAPA), invited me as a guest speaker to their monthly
dinner affair. A number of IAPA members, including Ralph, have
their ori-gins in Taylor Street’s Little Italy. Mike Jaconetti, one of
Chicago’s most highly decorated police of-ficers, whose roots also
trace back to Taylor Street, was recently featured in the Amici
Journal.
John Calfa, member of the Shrine of Our lady Of Pompeii’s board
of directors, continues to support the Archives by submitting the
names of family members and acquaintances.
Frank Peccia agreed that the history of the Near West Side Reunion
should be documented for the Archives. We expect that a
significant number of the eligible members (700 plus) of the Near
West Side Club are eligible to be listed in the TSA directory--and a
proportionate number of their offspring are equally eligible for the
annual TSA student scholarship.
Both DiFazio and DiFrisco, of the Old Neighborhood Italian
American Club, recognized the value of the Ar-chives and agreed
on holding a future meeting to introducing the concept to their
members—many of whom have Taylor Street roots.
Ray “Shorty Ray” DiJulio’s daughter, Diane Fata, recently
submitted his profile for inclusion in the Archives. Her note
acknowledged his being mentioned in the Archive’s Bowen
Country Club (BCC) story and reminded us that “Shorty Ray” had
his honeymoon at the BCC.
Vince Romano
Enclosures: Group Directory, Summer Newsletter, Index,
Application, Scholarship, Flawed History, etc..
Enclosures: Group Directory, Summer Newsletter, Index, Application,
Scholarship, Flawed History, etc..
All inquires and correspondence for Taylor Street Archives, please click here.
Copyright, 2009, Vince Romano, All Rights Reserved |