The Roma Lodge Newsletter
Order Sons of Italy in America
Roma Lodge #254
3097 Magic Hollow Boulevard
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453
(757) 468-2029
March 2011
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It has been my distinct pleasure to serve you these past 24 months. From the start of my first term in March
2009, my intention was to continually project a positive influence at Roma Lodge. Everything else beyond that
ought to have fallen into place in the form of fun, entertainment, and enjoyment, along with a better
understanding of how our lodge operates. I hope those goals were met.
Thank you very much for entrusting me with this awesome honor and responsibility these past 2 years. It
was a blast.
May God bless.
John William Del Russo, Sr.
President,
Roma Lodge 254
_______________________________________________________________________________
In memory of Roma Lodge member Wilma Regan – a Roma Lodge icon.
To Wilma and her family: May God bless you and keep you in His arms and
may the memory of our beloved Wilma live on in all of us. _______________________________________________________________________________
=== MILESTONES ===
Angelo & Dirce Costa will be celebrating their 65th
Wedding Anniversary on March 8th
.
Juan & Aida Perez will be celebrating their 45th
Wedding Anniversary on March 26th
.
Website: www.roma254.org E-Mail: [email protected]
LIBERTY EQUALITY FRATERNITY
Roma Lodge Council 2010 - 2011
President John William Del Russo, Sr. .......... 479-0240
Vice President Albert Marra .................................. 301-8797
Past President Bruno Cardo ................................... 495-6711
Orator Anthony Alfano .............................. 424-9546
Recording Sec. John Luizzi ..................................... 490-6448
Financial Sec. Mario Canu .................................... 575-8714
Treasurer Mark Zito ........................................ 495-7802
Trustees Russell Cerro Mary Del Russo Joseph Casto
624-9189 479-0240 481-3860
James Novelli Peter Langlands
426-1970 428-0938
Mistress of Ceremony
Diane Gossett Bonnie Ostrander
368-3632 435-8244
Guard Jose Rodriguez 340-8536
Lodge Chaplain Gerald Hyatt 436-0477
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STATE OFFICERS
State President - Marie F. Siebeking
Immediate Past State President - Paul Siebeking
Trustees: John Gossner
Mario Minervini
OSIA FOUNDATION
Recording Secretary - Lorraine Gossner
Ex-officio - Marie & Paul Siebeking
National Delegate - Paul Siebeking
Arbitration Commission: Bruno Cardo
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NEWSWORTHY NOTE
If any member hears of another Roma Lodge member
being sick or going into the hospital or any other
significant event that may befall any of our members or
a member of their family, please call our Sick & Welfare
Chairwomen Florence Alfano (424-9546) or Adrienne
Marra at 301-8797. They will ensure that these
members get rendered the proper respect and/or
visitation from other lodge members who might
otherwise be unaware of their situation. Thank you.
March Friday Night Menus
04 11 Ham (Installation Ceremony) Eggplant Parmigiana
18 (Dance Night) 25 (Birthday night)
Corned Beef & Cabbage Lasagne (Karaoke)
Salad - 6:00 Soup – 6:15 (when served)
Entrée - 6:30 - 7:30
NOTE: Menu is subject to last minute changes.
*************************************************
Birthdays
And
Anniversaries
BIRTHDAYS
Bobby Barone Madeline Barresi
Marilyn Borntrager Theresa Bourgard
Harriett Bulisco Angelo Costa
Raffaela Elliott Adriana Grillo
Carmen Gruhl Sal Iaquinto
Adeline Luizzi Adrienne Marra
Al Marra Mario Minervini
Raymond Nardoianni John Nicosia
Frank Orsino Joe Palmer
Manuela Peralta Debbie Pitrone
Mario Quaglietta Maria Roby
Paul Siebeking Teresa ―Suzi‖ Taylor
ANNIVERSARIES
Angelo & Dirce Costa (65th)
Marvin & Anna Mullins (49th)
Juan & Aida Perez (45th)
MEMBERSHIP
As of January 15, 2011: 303
We are up 49 members
from Jan 15, 2010 (254)
NOTICE
If anyone learns of the passing of one of our Roma
Lodge members, please promptly notify any Council
Member shown above. The Lodge President will then
decide when to activate the ‗Phone Tree‘ with
information that the surviving family member(s) want
announced. It is very important that the wishes of the
surviving family member(s) are followed to the letter.
CULTURE CORNER
MY FISHING STORY
by Mario Minervini
I guess my future was decided when I was
eleven years old. I had just graduated from
elementary school. My father was a fisherman, so I
guess it made sense to my mother to send me to the
maritime trade school in town. There were two
choices of study: the commander or the mechanic of
the fishing boats in Molfetta. I choose the
mechanical part; I always liked playing with tools. I
graduated three years later 1951 with a license as a
mechanic for small fishing boats with up to one
hundred horsepower. I was too young to work on
the boats so I went to work in a mechanical shop
that repaired the motors of the fishing boats. For the
first few months, I got no pay at all. I was in
training. Eventually I graduated to a small weekly
pay, just about enough to go the movies and a small
sack of squash seeds.
Finally, on May 21 1952, I embarked on my first
fishing boat. I was 15 years and 79 days old. I still
have my personal document where all my
embarkations and disembarkations were registered
by the port Captain. The first fishing boat that I
worked on was named Margherita, a proper
feminine name in Italy. It was about 35 feet long by
12 feet wide. It was powered by a 75 horsepower
diesel motor made in Germany by Deutchwerk? It
had three cylinders. The pistons were about 10
inches in diameter, At it fastest, the speed was 350
rounds per minute and that was pushing a lot. It was
a large motor, very bulky and taller then I was, but I
was the proud mechanic helper of that motor! Yes,
that was my title: Mechanic Helper.
I had no idea of what I got into. The big diesel
motor had a forward, and a reverse march, which
was accomplished by way of shifting a gear box
with a large lever and was done by hand and that
was my job. The reverse march was used only when
maneuvering in port. Once in forward, the higher
the round per minute, the faster the boat would go.
When the boat was maneuvering, I had to be down
in the motor room, at the lever of the gear shifting,
paying attention to the guy on the deck yelling
orders from above, ―Forward! Stop! Reverse!‖ I
was proud of the fact that I was maneuvering the
boat! Normal maximum speed was 310 rounds per
minute when going out to fishing. On the way back
home, the mechanic always raised the speed to
325 rpm. Like everyone else, he loved to be on solid
ground as early as possible. I was the mechanic‘s
helper and had to follow orders word by word. I had
to be extremely careful because if I made even the
smallest mistake, I would be punished by being
slapped around, by the mechanic or any other
person on board. I was the smallest by age and by
size, and I was abused. No one to complain to. My
Mother told me, ―If you got hit, you must have
deserved it.‖ And that was the end of the
conversation.
My job was to work on the vessel as a helper for
fishing, keeping the boat clean, and helping any one
that was working. I did things like fixing the
wooden boxes where we stored the fish, repairing
and mending the nets. In my free time, I was
expected to keep the motor and the room around it
sparkling clean.
The fishing was done by trolling a large net on
the bottom of the sea. The duration of the trolling
was determined by the quality of the bottom of the
sea, being smooth or rough. If sandy, the trolling
could last as long as four hours at the very most
BUT between the pulling of the net, there were fish
to be chosen by quality and size. They had to be
washed covered with ice and stored in the walk-in
icebox. The entire vessel had to be washed and set
up for the next pull of the net. Sometimes to do all
these chores could take two hours or more, so you
could rest for the remaining time, which would be at
the most two hours. And this was would he best
case scenario of life on the fishing boat. The two
hours of relaxation, included time for eating,
playing, and conversing. I never had it so good!
Molfetta Harbor
RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE ITALIAN PRIDE
by John William Del Russo, Sr.
Thanks to Raffaella Ciccone, I could always say that
I was brought up with 19th century Italian values and a
vivid impression of Italian pride, tradition, and love that
would last a lifetime. I even learned at age four to
speak a little Italian from her, although the Italian
lessons learned were more than just of the language.
There was Italian dignity and respect on the menu to
which she so selflessly gave me. Raffaella Ciccone was
my grandmother who was born Raffaella Casale on
April 5, 1878 in Teora, Italy. Grandma and Grandpa
John Ciccone, my namesake whom I never met (he died
in 1942), came to America in the early 1900‘s. They
lived in Newark, New Jersey and raised 10 children,
one of whom was my mother.
When growing up in Newark in the 1950‘s, my
parents worked during the day. ‗Grandma‘ who lived
with us took care of me from before I can remember
until she passed away in 1963 when I was 9. I was her
friend and she was mine and when I started school in
1959 at St. Augustine‘s just up the block, I couldn‘t
wait to get home. Every morning she would ask me (in
broken English), ―Johnny Boy, do you want-a some
toast an-a butter and coffee?‖ How could I refuse?
Tasty toast and butter (m-m-m-m!) done just right and
dunking it into the coffee up to my third knuckle. Even
though I liked the coffee diluted with milk until it was
the color of masking tape, it managed to wire me up so
that I would run around the backyard for hours on end
playing with our dog Butch, not to mention being the
fastest speller in St. Augustine‘s School.
Grandma and I were a team and we had fun and lots
of it. When we played cards, Grandma‘s favorite game
was Steal the Old Man’s Pack. It was the only game
we knew. And when she tried frequently to play a ‗pick
a card‘ type card trick on me, she would ever so slightly
bend one of the corners of the money card, thus easily
revealing that card as the one I‘d picked. She would get
a kick out of me when I would ultimately uncover her
trickery.
Although she dressed mostly in dark clothes - her
black dress with white polka dots was a classic - to me
she was the best dressed and most beautiful of all the
elderly Italian ladies who lived in the neighborhood.
They sometimes would visit, talk Italian, and try to
shove cheese, figs, and other Italian delicacies in my
mouth. Francisco the friendly fruit-and-vegetable guy
with his old 1930‘s truck would also come by and talk
Italian with Grandma as I would listen and pick up
every third word or so. While wearing his perpetual
smile, he‘d always have pairs of cherries connected
together by their stems with one pair draped over each
ear. Francisco - the smiling slot machine.
But all wasn‘t fun and games. There was panic and
drama on occasion. One time I locked Grandma in a
closet by accident. I was about 4 or 5 and when I shut
the door on her, the lock snapped shut. Apparently the
lock was designed for the ‗over 5 and under 75‘ crowd.
Neither of us could open that confounded door.
Grandma tried to talk over my cries and when she
finally succeeded, her calm voice simply said, ―Call-a
Ann, you hear me Johnny Boy? Call Ann-a.‖ I
nervously said ok and went to get Ann. Ann was the
lady who lived upstairs that kept telling me that she was
going to pin my ears back. I was kind of scared of her
but I knew that if she had pinned said ears back, that I‘d
have probably deserved it for one reason or another.
Ann came lumbering down the stairs and muttered the
‗ear‘ line to me, unlatched the door with her ample
fingers, and freed my Grandma from what I could only
have imagined was a horrible time in the dark recesses
of the dungeon-like closet keeping so many monsters
not to mention mothball-scented clothes company.
Despite my occasional boneheadedness, Grandma
NEVER got mad at me for that incident or anything
else -- ever! After the ‗ear police‘ went back upstairs,
Grandma and I looked at each other and cracked up
laughing. And Butch chased his tail around the kitchen.
And all was right again with the world for another day.
There is not a day that goes by that I don‘t think about
my Grandma in my prayers. I am so proud to have
been a part of her life and I am convinced that the
making of these indelible memories are more than any
kid growing up could ever have asked for.
Yes, Raffaella Ciccone spoke mostly Italian to me
and what little English she spoke, I helped out with the
translation as much as I could. One of the reasons I
joined the Order Sons of Italy in America back in 2001
was to promote Italian heritage and among other things,
to hear the Italian language spoken in the background.
It‘s like a favorite song to me that I‘ll never tire of
hearing (and you don‘t even have to know all the words
-- the melody alone gives you a kick!). We‘ve got to
try to come up with innovative ways to make our Italian
heritage stick around long after we‘ve gone. We
shouldn‘t have to try, but we must. Thanks again,
Grandma. And God bless you in heaven for the many
Italian lessons you have given me.
Happy St. Valentine’s Day
by President Del Russo
We don‘t say Happy Patrick’s Day, do we?
Then why is St. Valentine repeatedly slighted? This
year more than ever, I have heard virtually every
wish (on TV, etc) as ―Happy Valentine‘s Day!‖
Valentinus, as he was known in Roman times,
definitely earned his sainthood (see history in next
paragraph). Most people probably do not realize
that he was canonized to sainthood. So next year,
encourage the spreading of ―Happy SAINT
Valentine‘s Day‖ and help to give brother
Valentinus his due.
THE HISTORY OF ST. VALENTINE
Valentine was the name given to several of
martyred saints of ancient Rome. The widely
accepted tradition is that St. Valentine (latin:
Valentinus) was a Roman priest martyred during the
reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II in about
270A.D. He was arrested and imprisoned upon
being caught secretly performing wedding
ceremonies between Christian couples, and
otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time
being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. For his
persistent Christian beliefs, Valentinus was
condemned to death.
The name ―Valentine‖ is derived from the latin
―valens‖ which means strong, worthy, and
powerful. Let us contemplate St. Valentine‘s
strength and power by envisioning his desire to
propagate love and understanding. PS: Happy
(belated) St. Valentine‘s Day!
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Saturday February 12th
-- The Annual
Roma Lodge St. Valentine Party
by Bonnie Ostrander
We had a full house. The night was opened with
entertainment by flamenco dancers. The girls were
fabulous. The dancers were followed by a wonderful
meal guest are still raving about! After the meal we
danced the night away! The last guest left a 1:00 pm.
What a great enjoyable night! Thank you to Bruno and
Bonnie for putting on a great party. Thanks to the
kitchen staff who once again brought us a delightful
dinner and a special thanks to Roma Lodge member Rita
Orsino who sold well over 60 tickets for this event.
Festa di San Giuseppe
will be held on
Saturday April 2nd
The annual Roma Lodge Festa di San Giuseppe
which was originally scheduled for Saturday March
19th has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 2nd,
2011. Please make a note of this new date.
So what‘s cookin‘? The Festa di San Giuseppe
Dinner Dance, that‘s what! This Festa di San
Giuseppe will be a special one indeed. This event
will feature the on-premises authentic Italian cooking by
three Roma Lodge members. Bring your appetite as
well as your dancing shoes for this one, folks. You will
not regret it! The price ($25 members/$30 Guests) will
include plenty of authentic Italian cooking, an open beer
and wine bar, DJ music, and much more. Dress is
casual. See full-page ad in this newsletter for this very
special Festa di San Giuseppe event.
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A ‘THANK YOU’ TO THE MEMORIAL
MASS AND BEREAVEMENT
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS by President Del Russo
Thanks to this year‘s Memorial Mass chairperson
Angie Hughes for arranging the 2011 Memorial Mass
that was celebrated by Father Parke on Sunday, January
16. Charlie and Genevieve Kelly were very helpful with
many aspects of this Mass also. Thanks also to Molly
Carr for your assistance. And finally thanks to all those
who brought in desserts. (Great meal Bonnie!)
Another thank you is in order for our Bereavement
Committee Chairperson Adrienne Marra, Since she has
determined that her original plans for the Bereavement
Committee did not gather enough members to support
this committee, Adrienne has stepped down as this
committee‘s chairperson. I would like to thank
Adrienne and the 11 members that remained a part of
this intricate committee for all of their support and help;
however, the number of volunteers needed were just not
there to form the committee structure as Adrienne had
envisioned. If anyone desires to pursue this or a similar
committee, please contact President Del Russo. Until
then, the Bereavement Committee is hereby
disestablished. The eleven remaining Bereavement
Committee members are Norma Russo, Adele Griffiths,
Dee Clark, Sonja & John Konlande, Mary Del Russo,
Isabel Amante, Catherine Rodriguez, Russ Cerro, Ellie
Bove, Marie Siebeking. Thank you all so very much for
stepping up.
RECEIPT OF UNSOLICITED
MERCHANDISE IN THE MAIL
******** IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ ********
By President Del Russo
This will clear up the mystery once and for all.
This following problem has been identified in a
previous Roma Lodge newsletter and due to the
continuing nature of this problem from complaints
I‘ve received from members of our lodge, to me this
article is necessary. It will prove beyond a doubt
that you can keep any package or packages that you
receive in the mail that you did not order or ask for.
This trend is particularly disturbing since a high
percentage of complaints are from our senior
members. Last year, one out-of-state relative of one
of our senior Roma Lodge members actually had to
intervene and retrieve over $100 in payments that
our Roma Lodge member had inadvertently mailed
in for an OSIA book because the member had
thought that he‘d been sent a ‗bill‘.
By far, the most common complaint that I
receive is from our members who call and ask me
why OSIA is sending them a bill for a DVD that
they did not order. One Roma Lodge member from
New Jersey, Kathy Harrobin who happens to be my
sister, said that she was sent a letter in which the
sender, ―OSIA CS of Minneapolis, MN,‖ illustrated
to her in a bill-like statement that she had two
options: one was to send the DVD back, and the
other was to enclose payment.
Well I am here to tell you that the law states that
you, the mail recipient, are not obligated to send or
mail any unsolicited mail back to the sender, nor are
you required to pay any money for anything that
you did not order. Such unsolicited items you
receive are yours to keep free of charge. As shown
immediately below (see RECEIPT OF UNSOLICITED
MERCHANDISE) is all the proof that you will need
to substantiate this fact; furthermore, following this
article are source documents, one of which is the
U.S. Code from which it is derived:
----------------------------------------------------
RECEIPT OF UNSOLICITED MERCHANDISE
A company sends you a gift in the mail--a ball
point pen, a key chain, a tie. But you didn‘t order it.
What do you do? If you are the type of person this
company is looking for, you may feel guilty about
accepting the item without paying for it. Don‘t feel
guilty! It‘s yours, and you are under no obligation
to pay anything.
You, the consumer, may only legally be sent two
types of merchandise through the mail without your
consent or agreement:
1) Free samples which are clearly and
conspicuously marked as such.
2) Merchandise mailed by a charitable
organization that is soliciting contributions.
And in these two cases, you can consider the
merchandise a gift if you wish. In all other
situations, it is illegal to send merchandise to
someone, unless that person has previously ordered
or requested it.
These rules are codified in Title 39, United
States Code, Section 3009. That section of the
Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 incorporates
these protections for American consumers and
makes the mailing of unordered merchandise unfair
methods of competition and unfair trade practices
under the law.
If you do not wish to pay for unsolicited
merchandise or make a donation to a charity
sending such an item, you may do one of three
things (in each case, by law, you have no obligation
to the sender):
1) If you have not opened the package, you
may mark it ―Return to Sender,‖ and the
Postal Service will return it with no
additional postage charged to you.
2) If you open the package and don‘t like what
you find, you may throw it away.
3) If you open the package and like what you
find, you may keep it for free. In this
instance, ―finders-keepers‖ applies
unconditionally.
Furthermore, it is illegal for a company that
sends you unordered merchandise to follow the
mailing with a bill or dunning communication. If
you are aware of violations of the federal law
prohibiting the mailing of unordered merchandise,
or if you have personally had difficulty with such
items--especially if you are sent statements
demanding payment for the merchandise--you
should contact your local postmaster or the nearest
Postal Inspector.
{Source: 39 U.S.C. § 3009 : US Code -
Section 3009; see also the “USPIS GOV”
website pertaining to standard criteria as
set forth under “U.S. Postal Inspection
Service,” or simply Google “RECEIPT OF
UNSOLICITED MERCHANDISE”}
ROMA LODGE
ELECTION NEWS
NOTE: ALL ROMA LODGE MEMBERS MAY
ATTEND ANY ROMA LODGE MEETING
by President Del Russo
There may be a bit of confusion out there as to who
may attend Roma Lodge General Assembly Meetings
(as in the Election Night General Meeting scheduled for
Feb 28th). The rules state that all members may attend,
but please also note that only Regular Members in
good standing (ie dues paid) shall vote, run for office, or
make motions at our General Meetings. If Social
Members (or otherwise non-regular members) would
like to attend any of Roma Lodge‘s General Meetings,
they are, as always; most certainly welcome to do so. In
addition, any social or non-regular member may make
suggestions or comments at these General Meetings.
Any actual ―motioning‖ however must be made by a
regular member. So if you are a social member and
would like to see your idea in action, speak to any
regular member who would support your thoughts, and
simply have them make the motion.
The names gathered from this year‘s Nomination
Committee are as follows: John Luizzi (Recording
Secretary); Liborio DiMaria (Trustee); Bernadette
McClain (Guard); and several other who have expressed
interest but did not yet commit their names to any one
position. If you‘re interested in shaping our lodge‘s
future in a positive way, come on out and vote or run
for office. This is one meeting you won‘t want to miss.
Please also note that the Installation of Officers
Ceremony for 2010-2011 is scheduled for Friday, March
4th at 7:00pm.
**************************************************
OSIA of Tidewater Inc. Elections
Monday, March 28th
, 7:00pm Not to be confused with the ROMA LODGE Elections
The OSIA of Tidewater, Inc. election of officers always
occurs on a separate night from that of the Roma Lodge
elections. And just as with the Roma Lodge elections,
all positions are open. The OSIA of Tidewater, Inc.
election night is traditionally held on the fourth Monday
of March each year. This year, the OSIA of Tidewater
Inc. elections will be held on Monday, March 28th
shortly after 7:00pm in the main hall. If you‘re
interested in shaping our lodge‘s future in a positive
way, come on out and vote or run for office. This is one
meeting you won‘t want to miss.
ROMA LODGE ELECTION EXTRA
Help shape the next generation for our lodge. This
is your chance to project ideas for our lodge from a
Council seat. And remember, there are now only 12
Roma Lodge meeting nights per year for council
members in contrast to the former 24 meeting nights
as was the case last year. This makes holding a
Roma Lodge office all the more easier. If you are a
Regular member in good standing and desire to run,
simply be there on Election Night and throw your
hat into the ring for the 15+ positions available.
You can thusly be nominated from the floor on
election night. Members that are unable to commit
to run for any office are asked to consider any
Roma Lodge ―committee‖ or ―event‖ positions
that may become open in the coming weeks. We
need to keep moving Roma Lodge upward! Many
hands make for easier work for all of us.
*******************************************
ROMA LODGE INSTALLATION OF
OFFICERS CEREMONY
Also known as the ―swearing in‖ ceremony, the
Roma Lodge Installation of Officers for 2011-
2012 (for those elected to office on the previous
Monday’s election night) will be held at Roma
Lodge on Friday March 4th at 7:00pm following
that night‘s meal. The initiating officer will be
Susan Yungbluth, the Grand Lodge Deputy to
Roma Lodge.
*******************************************
Our 3rd Annual Super Bowl Bash
captivated right to the end (zone)!
It was quite a game throughout and it was a shame
that someone had to lose, but the Packers eventually
topped the Steelers 31-25 to take home the Vince
Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl XLV before the
settled-in jovial crowd at the Roma Lodge Cerino
Room on Sunday, February 6th. Lots of food from
others member‘s kitchens was sampled and coupled
with the fun, the beer and the wine, it made for
quite an event. We are thankful for the event
coordinators Pete Amante and Ellie Bove who again
(for the 3rd
year in a row) put this party together.
Did you know… that there is a play on Broadway titled
“LOMBARDI” which honors this great Italian-American
football coach for whom the Super Bowl Trophy is named?
ITALIAN HEROES SHRUGGED
by President Del Russo
Why aren‘t true Italian heroes celebrated as much
as the Hollywood‘s stereotypical imagery of our
people? To me, Italians and their American
descendants deserve to be shown in a more favorable
light—one that makes all people proud. Instead, we
are consistently exposed to the distorted Hollywood
version that seems to almost always portray Italian
culture as a celebrated criminal element. What about
Columbus or Fermi or Verrazano or Serpico or Scalia
or hundreds of others that have signified ‗Italian
Pride‘ over the years?
As I proudly hung the newspaper clippings of
Italian mobsters on my bedroom wall in Belleville,
N.J. when I was 12 or 13 (just because they had Italian
sounding names like mine and were further made
‗cool‘ in my eyes with their accompanying
nicknames), my Father strolled into my room, took a
look around and on his way out he pointed to the
pictures on the wall and casually said to me,… ―and
they‘ll take your last dime, too.‖ Short… to the
point... my Dad -- and I never forgot it.
Goodfellas is purported to be the unequivocal
benchmark movie for how it really is to live in that
part of the underworld. To me the original
―Goodfellas‖ are Da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and
the like who were instrumental in teaching the
WORLD how to live.
Would you believe that about 10 years ago there
were two prime time TV shows on the air and both
actually depicted a positive side of Italian-American
life and Italian pride? (You can go to IMDB.com and
check out their summaries). First Monday was a
drama about the US Supreme Court and featured a
level-headed Associate Justice who happened to be a
dedicated Italian-American family man. Another
show was That’s Life which featured a young Italian-
American woman in her 30‘s who strove to better
herself by going ‗back to college‘ and helping out in
the family restaurant. Both shows however were short
lived. My guess is that the network powers-that-be
determined that the respectable Italian family theme
isn‘t near as good for big ratings as showing Italian
mobsters battling it out on the screen. That‘s a shame.
Where did all the positive role models go for our
people?
Although we have to accept the fact that we and
our descendants will forever be linked as a nationality
made famous in part by the Mafia and organized
crime, Hollywood is the dubious ‗gift that just keeps
on giving‘ via their lack of exposure of positive
Italian-American role models. Hollywood‘s
perpetuation of this gangster imagery comes in all
forms, even for children as the cartoon movie Shark
Tale has shown us.
I believe that some segments of society push the
envelope to where they believe that it is okay to
offend another culture without receiving punishment
for doing so. Italian-Americans are Hollywood‘s
prime target for what I call ―racially offensive
permissiveness‖ -- complete with a big target painted
on the heads of all upstanding Italians courtesy of the
mindless Hollywood goons that keep insisting on
playing mafia make-believe.
If as Americans of Italian descent we don‘t speak
up in defense against this sort of thing, I‘m afraid that
we will deserve every barb and insult that comes our
way. So, keep fighting the good fight in defense of
who you are -- who WE are.
Reprinted and revised from the original
Primo Magazine, February / March 2009 article
*********************************************
The Roma Lodge inaugural
Centennial Committee
meeting set for Feb 26
by Pete Amante
The Roma Lodge Centennial Committee will
kick off its inaugural meeting on Saturday,
February 26 at 7:00pm in the Roma Lodge Cerino
Room. All members are invited to attend this
meeting. Topics for discussion are the theme of
―100 Years of Family Tradition‖ or the possibility
of a different theme. We would also like to hear
members‘ suggestions of what our lodge can offer
to the Hampton Roads community in order to draw
in more members. The start time of 7:00pm was
selected so as to give some a chance to go to church
on Saturday night.
Those who would like to attend and have a bite,
we can order out and share the cost. After the
meeting we can chat and play cards. If you are
planning to attend and have suggestions, please
contact Pete Amante at 430-8473 or Ellie Bove at
410-3450. Come help stoke the fire for our grand
scale ―100th
Anniversary‖ celebration which will
occur in 2014 – less than 3 years away! WE need
your support. So mark that date on your calendar –
Saturday, Feb 26, at 7pm - and come out and
enjoy a couple of hours with people who together
care about our shared heritage.
MAP OF WORLD TO
SUPPLEMENT
MAP OF ITALY
by President Del Russo
Thanks to the members who‘ve already phoned
in and emailed their Italian city of origin for this
map project which is still slated for a start date in
Spring 2011. Now that the groundwork is started,
let us add another map mural for good measure.
The map that will accompany the map of Italy will
be a map of the world.
About 25% of Roma Lodge is comprised of
Social Members (that is, those with origins from
places other than Italy). That percentage of
members is misleading because some members who
are not of Italian descent and who are married to
those members who are of Italian descent, are by
OSIA law considered to also be regular members.
So we can then conclude that the actual percentage
of members who do not have an Italian lineage is
higher than 25% -- probably closer to at least 35%-
40%.
This is why a map of the world would be
fitting – so that we might honor ALL of our lodge
members with this project. We are truly a melting
pot here at Roma Lodge. But it is important to note
that we all have one thread in common… our love
for Italian heritage.
This ―map‖ project will be maintained much like
our Veterans List and it will show the region or
town from which all members or their ancestors
have hailed.
Brother Mario Minervini took this idea a step
further and said that this list should also contain
map coordinates (ie: D-12) which would enable us
to keep this listing in a binder near each map so that
anyone interested could view ‗who‘s from where‘
and thus draw us closer together as a lodge.
A large professional mural of the map of Italy
and now a map of the world are planned for the
Roma Lodge Cerino Room (at no cost). This would
enable any member with map coordinates in hand,
to find any other members‘ origins within seconds.
Please email me your name and town/region that
you or your descendants originated from and let‘s
keep this new ball rolling. If you have no e-mail
capabilities, then call me at 479-0240 and we will
note this info for inclusion onto our Roma Lodge
Member’s Origins List that we will be publishing
in a future newsletter. This list as mentioned will
also serve as the index for the proposed maps.
Let us enjoy our lodge unencumbered and to the
fullest without any reservations whatsoever. Never
forget that this lodge belongs to all of us. It is not
any one member‘s lodge.
NOTE: You can see a full color artist’s rendition of the
map of Italy mural as it would appear on the Roma
Lodge Cerino Room wall by visiting our website at
WWW.ROMA254.ORG. Go to the February or March
2011 newsletter page. The World Map rendition is still
being assembled. Stay tuned … we’re having fun now!
**************************************************
GRAND LODGE SCHOLARSHIP
REVIEWERS STILL NEEDED
One representative is still needed from Roma Lodge
to review scholarship applicants for the Grand
Lodge of Virginia Scholarship Program. Anyone
interested, please contact President Del Russo at
479-0240 as soon as possible. Thank you.
******************************************
Please join us on March 5th for a special
evening out
You will choose your entrée
and we will cook to order.
Limited seating - Reservations Are Required
Menu:
Antipasto
your choice of:
Peperoni Ripieni
with sage roasted potatoes
- or -
Penne Alla Vodka topped with grilled chicken breast.
and
Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto with black bean
sauce
Limoncello Cake
Complimentary bottle of wine on each table
Price per person: $29.95 per person
Please call
Bonnie 438-8244 or Bruno 288-9544
*****************************************
Michelangelo‘s Italian artistry
by President Del Russo
How‘s this for Italian pride? Between 1508 and
1512, Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel
ceiling. At this website link (below), you will see
virtually every angle of Michelangelo‘s masterpiece
almost as if you were inside the Sistine Chapel.
Features include a ―zoom-in/zoom-out‖ capability
and with simple movements of your mouse, you
will be able to maneuver to every corner to view
each of the great works within.
For those who have access to the internet, copy
the below link into your address bar. For those of
you who do not have computer internet access, copy
the following sequence of letters down exactly as
shown, and when you visit someone who has a
computer, and have them type it in their address bar
and you will both be duly amazed.
http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html
******************************************
Lodge Notes
Lodge News via E-Mail
To better keep you informed of emergent Lodge
news, we continue to assemble an e-mail list of
participating Roma Lodge members. Since April
2009, we have amassed 178 e-mail recipients! Join
in and send your e-mail along with your name to:
Your e-mail address will be added to the Roma Lodge
‗e-mail roster‘. Your e-mail address will also be kept
strictly confidential via ‗bcc‘ mailings. We will not give
your e-mail address out to anyone else and we promise
not to send you any unnecessary e-mails. What we will
send you is an informative ―e-weekly‖ we call the
ROMA LODGE WEEKLY NEWS which contains among
other things the detailed menu (right down to the side
dishes) for the upcoming Friday Night Meal. It is
e-mailed every Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
******************************
All Roma Lodge members should have now received
a 2011 dues letter from our Financial Secretary. If you
have not yet received this 2011 dues letter, please
immediately call our Financial Secretary Mario Canu
at 575-8714 ... There‘s always room for musicians: If
anyone during the course of our Friday night meals
would like to play the piano located adjacent to the
stage, please help yourself! As a matter of fact, if you
have any instruments you‘d like to bring and play, you
and your instruments are always welcome!
See our latest Roma Lodge newsletter posted IN
LIVING COLOR at www.roma254.org. Also, did you
know that you can view past Roma Lodge newsletters
back to 2007? So curl up with your laptop and have a
nice historical read of what‘s been happening at our
lodge...
When is 12 better than 24?: Much to the delight of
the Roma Lodge Council Members, there are now only
12 meeting days a year. That‘s because a motion was
passed several months ago to hold the Council meeting
at 6pm on the same night as our General Assembly
Meetings which follow at 7pm. Instead of both meetings
being held on separate nights, Roma Lodge Council
members now save time, gas, and lots of unnecessary
driving back and forth…
Who was that masked man? Apparently John
Diamante is the man to see to get the job done. From
rewiring the salad bar (old plug posed a safety hazard),
to linking up our website with our ROMA LODGE
WEEKLY NEWS, to rifling computer tips via e-mail
which save other members loads of time, the list goes on
and on, and did I mention that he recently started Roma
Lodge on Facebook? Here is the link and before I
forget, thanks a million Brother Diamante!
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.
php?id=100001933926324 You can also search Facebook for:
Sons of Italy VaBeach **************************************************
Roma Lodge is not responsible for any
typographical errors or omissions in the newsletter
NOTE: The deadline for newsletter articles
Is the 2nd
Monday of every month.
EDITOR-IN-CHARGE: John V. Luizzi
My E-Mail - [email protected]
**************************************************
CARNEVALE CANCELLED
The Carnevale for the Kids event originally scheduled
for March has been cancelled. No further date has been
set for this event. Please note this cancellation: It
supersedes and cancels any dates or information that
may have been handed out or distributed.