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Newsletter Update: Fall 2007
Taylor Street Archives
www.taylorstreetarchives.com
Historic Scrap Book
Vince Romano
1524 So. Sangamon #803
Chicago, IL 60608
312-443-6240 (Business) 312-218-4044 (Cell)
Newsletter Update Number 5: Fall 2007
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.”
The Gangs of New York.
Purpose and brief history of the Archives. The Taylor Street Archives
(TSA) is our historic scrapbook, which is designed to preserve the
memories of those emigrants (and the offspring of those emigrants) 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 expand 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.
Chicago Public Library
New stories submitted
Peter Pero: labor
Florence Scala
Sheridan Park. The prologue to Hemingway’s classic story, The Snows
of Mount Kilimanjaro reads, “On the north slope of Mount Kilimanjaro,
lies the frozen carcass of a leopard. What was he doing there?” On the
northeast corner of the legendary Taylor Street’s Sheridan Park, stands a
plaque dedicating that portion of Sheridan Park to a recently arrived
resident of Taylor Street’s Little Italy. What is it doing there? With all
due respect, he is/was not of Italian extraction. Whatever those deeds
were, they had not been performed in (or for the benefit of) the Little Italy
that surrounded Sheridan Park during its 100 year plus history.
Ironically, the participants in that dedication ceremony included
community leaders such as Florence Scala, Italian & non-Italian political
figures, the media, and a host of local business persons of Italian
American extraction. (Taylor Street Archives: Sheridan Park Protest.)
UIC’s Hull House Museum We continue our efforts to have the
University of Illinois, guardians of the Jane Addams Hull House
Museum and its web sites, re-engage the history of Hull House with the
history of Taylor Street’s Little Italy. Listing the works of local Italian
Americans who lived the history, as additional references for web-site
readers to research, will recapture the symbiotic relationship that had
existed between these two phenomenon…Hull House and Taylor Street’s
Little Italy. The new director, Linda Yu, in a recently published
interview stated, “We don’t have a narrow vision of ownership over
history or who gets to tell the story…” consistent with our belief that
history should include the story of those who lived it. Unchallenged
censorship contributes to the flawed perceptions of sociologists and
researchers while the true history of Taylor Street’s Little Italy, the
social laboratory upon which Jane Addams and her Hull House associates
had tested their sociological theories, lies dormant in the minds and
hearts of the remaining survivors who lived the experience. (UIC: Flawed
History expounds on this topic. For the BCC contingent of the Archives,
Bowen Country Club is supplemental reading.)
We continue our efforts to encourage the lay staff of Our Lady of Pompeii,
engaged in the day to day operations of the Shrine, to permit the Shrine’s
patrons to become aware of the existence of the Taylor Street Archives.
The Sopranos David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, was born Robert
Cesario. How ironic, that he, because of the media’s unrelenting assault
upon Italian Americans, may have found it expedient to remove the vowel
from his last name. Meanwhile, our local media continues to support the
Archives by publishing its stories. The May/June dates have been set by
Public Service Television (WTTW) and NBC5 to air the documentary,
And they Came to Chicago: The Italian American Legacy. The importance
of Taylor Street and the Italian American community, in the history of
the Jane Addams’ Hull house, was emphasized, as promised, by the
producer, Gia Maria Amella. The documentary also picked up on another
important theme espoused in the Taylor Street Archives; i.e., organized
crime was not an Italian American phenomenon imported from Italy.
Organized crime was in existence long before any southern Italians began
immigrating to our shores. (Ezekiel: The American Dream.)
Writers, thesis, etc. The book signing for Kathy Catrambone’s, Taylor
Street: Chicago’s Little Italy, took place at the University Village
Association and the Pompeii restaurant. Historians, novelists, script
writers, and post graduate students continue to request permission to
quote and reference the Archives …often amplifying upon the concepts
espoused in the writings contained in the Archives.
New additions: New stories to be added to the Archives include: 1) View
from Morgan Street by Sara Loconte and 2) Mike Garippo by Michael
Campo. Mike Garippo is mentioned in another Archive's story: Bowen
Country Club. Access the internet site of www.taylorstreetarchives.com
and those stories may inspire you to make your contribution to the
Archives.
Neighborhood/Groups. We continue to receive lists of neighborhood
groups that had existed during those glory days of growing up in our
Little Italy.
Scholarship. An annual scholarship of $1,000 is offered to that student
who writes the best story on “Growing Up in the Legendary Taylor
Street’s Little Italy.”
I leave you with one final quote, from the sister of one of the guys I grew
up with, out of a recently submitted story. “You guys are so much alike,
it’s as if you all had the same mother.” Vince Romano
Taylor Street Archives
www.taylorstreetarchives.com
Historic Scrap Book
Vince Romano
1524 So. Sangamon #803
Chicago, IL 60608
312-443-6240 (Business) 312-218-4044 (Cell)
Newsletter Update Number 5: Fall 2007
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.”
The Gangs of New York.
Purpose and brief history of the Archives. The Taylor Street Archives
(TSA) is our historic scrapbook, which is designed to preserve the
memories of those emigrants (and the offspring of those emigrants) 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 expand 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.
Chicago Public Library
New stories submitted
Peter Pero: labor
Florence Scala
Sheridan Park. The prologue to Hemingway’s classic story, The Snows
of Mount Kilimanjaro reads, “On the north slope of Mount Kilimanjaro,
lies the frozen carcass of a leopard. What was he doing there?” On the
northeast corner of the legendary Taylor Street’s Sheridan Park, stands a
plaque dedicating that portion of Sheridan Park to a recently arrived
resident of Taylor Street’s Little Italy. What is it doing there? With all
due respect, he is/was not of Italian extraction. Whatever those deeds
were, they had not been performed in (or for the benefit of) the Little Italy
that surrounded Sheridan Park during its 100 year plus history.
Ironically, the participants in that dedication ceremony included
community leaders such as Florence Scala, Italian & non-Italian political
figures, the media, and a host of local business persons of Italian
American extraction. (Taylor Street Archives: Sheridan Park Protest.)
UIC’s Hull House Museum We continue our efforts to have the
University of Illinois, guardians of the Jane Addams Hull House
Museum and its web sites, re-engage the history of Hull House with the
history of Taylor Street’s Little Italy. Listing the works of local Italian
Americans who lived the history, as additional references for web-site
readers to research, will recapture the symbiotic relationship that had
existed between these two phenomenon…Hull House and Taylor Street’s
Little Italy. The new director, Linda Yu, in a recently published
interview stated, “We don’t have a narrow vision of ownership over
history or who gets to tell the story…” consistent with our belief that
history should include the story of those who lived it. Unchallenged
censorship contributes to the flawed perceptions of sociologists and
researchers while the true history of Taylor Street’s Little Italy, the
social laboratory upon which Jane Addams and her Hull House associates
had tested their sociological theories, lies dormant in the minds and
hearts of the remaining survivors who lived the experience. (UIC: Flawed
History expounds on this topic. For the BCC contingent of the Archives,
Bowen Country Club is supplemental reading.)
We continue our efforts to encourage the lay staff of Our Lady of Pompeii,
engaged in the day to day operations of the Shrine, to permit the Shrine’s
patrons to become aware of the existence of the Taylor Street Archives.
The Sopranos David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, was born Robert
Cesario. How ironic, that he, because of the media’s unrelenting assault
upon Italian Americans, may have found it expedient to remove the vowel
from his last name. Meanwhile, our local media continues to support the
Archives by publishing its stories. The May/June dates have been set by
Public Service Television (WTTW) and NBC5 to air the documentary,
And they Came to Chicago: The Italian American Legacy. The importance
of Taylor Street and the Italian American community, in the history of
the Jane Addams’ Hull house, was emphasized, as promised, by the
producer, Gia Maria Amella. The documentary also picked up on another
important theme espoused in the Taylor Street Archives; i.e., organized
crime was not an Italian American phenomenon imported from Italy.
Organized crime was in existence long before any southern Italians began
immigrating to our shores. (Ezekiel: The American Dream.)
Writers, thesis, etc. The book signing for Kathy Catrambone’s, Taylor
Street: Chicago’s Little Italy, took place at the University Village
Association and the Pompeii restaurant. Historians, novelists, script
writers, and post graduate students continue to request permission to
quote and reference the Archives …often amplifying upon the concepts
espoused in the writings contained in the Archives.
New additions: New stories to be added to the Archives include: 1) View
from Morgan Street by Sara Loconte and 2) Mike Garippo by Michael
Campo. Mike Garippo is mentioned in another Archive's story: Bowen
Country Club. Access the internet site of www.taylorstreetarchives.com
and those stories may inspire you to make your contribution to the
Archives.
Neighborhood/Groups. We continue to receive lists of neighborhood
groups that had existed during those glory days of growing up in our
Little Italy.
Scholarship. An annual scholarship of $1,000 is offered to that student
who writes the best story on “Growing Up in the Legendary Taylor
Street’s Little Italy.”
I leave you with one final quote, from the sister of one of the guys I grew
up with, out of a recently submitted story. “You guys are so much alike,
it’s as if you all had the same mother.” Vince Romano