Conference organizers in Chicago announced last week that "Reconstructing Italians in Chicago: 25 Authors in Search of Roots and Branches" scheduled at Casa Italia May 8-10 will be dedicated to Professor Rudolph Vecoli [2], Pioneering Scholar of Italians in Chicago and Director Emeritus of the immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. Conferees will view videotape presentations by Vecoli recalling his decision to specialize in Italian American studies and to write his U of Wisconsin dissertation of Chicago Italians before World War I.
Longtime "Dean" of Italian American Studies, Rudolph Vecoli will be honored by conferees in Chicago. Originally slated as the keynote speaker for "Reconstructing Italians in Chicago: 25 Authors in Search of Roots and Branches," Vecoli is too ill to attend the event.
His major early contribution to the field was to challenge Oscar Handlin's over-emphasis on emigration as an "Uprooting" experience that in short order created an "American Melting Pot." It seems that the Italians who Vecoli studied in Chicago weren't THAT uprooted----that they had retained many elements of South Italian culture--and that the original pioneer Italian immigrants to Chicago tended to be merchants rather than paesants.
Organizers are preparing to highlight the information and the sources that Vecoli used in his research. Complete information on the conference is available at the conference website http://dominic.Candeloro.googlepages.com/home [3]
Though the conference is mainly focused on Chicago Italians, it may also be of interest to scholars with a general interest in immigration. It's not too late to register. Low cost lodging is available at Casa Italia Which is located 5 miles south of O'Hare airport.
The event is sponsored by the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia, the National Italian American Foundation, the Illinois Humanities Council, Leonard Amari, The Romano Group/Morgan Stanley,Queens College CUNY, Sicilian American Cultural Association (SACA), the Italian American Executives of Transportation, Freddy's Pizza, Societa`Maria Santissima Lauretana, Order Sons of Italy in America-Grand Lodge of Illinois,
Triton College, [4]the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Loyola University Department of Criminal Justice, Vic Lezza Spumoni & Desserts, and Amaseno Lodge #3.
THURSDAY, May 8
9am--Breakfast--- Chandelier Room Foyer $10--reservation required
Conference Registration Book Fair----Chandelier Room Lobby
10 am Session 1--Foundations of Chicago Italian American History
Fred L. Gardaphe, Queens College/Calandra IA Institute--Chair
“How I Learned About Italians in Chicago”
Gary Mormino, University of South Florida
“Academic Foundations of Italian American Studies”
Dominic Candeloro, Italian Cultural Center
“Building on Solid Ground: An Appreciation of Rudolph Vecoli”
Rose Ann Rabiola Miele, Boulder City, NV Public Information
“Egidio Clemente and La Parola del Popolo”
Noon---1:30 Lunch $15 Registration Required
2pm-4pm Session 2 Life in the early Little Italies
Peter Pero, CPS
“ Work and Radicalism Among Chicago’s Italians”
Michael Serritella
“Tales of Founding Families”
Robert Lombardo, Loyola University
“White Hand v. Black Hand : Chicago's Little Sicily"
Peggy Glowacki, UIC Special Collections
“Pasta, Paesans, and Progressives: Chicago Italians and Food”
Mike Bacarella, Author Actor
“Garibaldi Guard Members in Chicago”
Jenny Floro Khalaf, ItalianAncestry.com
“Reconstructing Italians Life through Funeral Practices and Cemeteries and More”
4:15-5:30pm--Session 3--In the Neighborhoods-I--Fred Gardaphe. Chair
Laura DeBartolo Heidekrueger,
“ 67th and Hermitage---The Forgotten Neighborhood”
Fr. Gino Dalpiaz ,
“Church and Neighborhood on the Near West Side”
Rose Ann Rabiola Miele, Boulder City, NV Public Information
“Bridgeport---Change, What Change?
Chickie Farella, Melrose Park
“The Comfort of Community and the Challenge of Growth”
5:30-6 pm Reception Library and Italians in Chicago exhibit
6pm Dinner---- Banquet Center $25 Reservation Required
7- 8:30 pm Session 3.1 In the Neighborhoods-II--Fred Gardaphe Chair
Kathy Catrambone,
“You Can Leave Taylor Street , but it Never Leaves You”
Billy Lombardo, Author The Logic of the Rose
“Bridgeport; Another Take”
Tony Romano, Author, Grand and Western
Vince Romano, Taylor Street Archives
“Taylor Street Archives: Beyond Family Values...Beyond the Work Ethic”
Peter Venturelli, 24th and Oakley
8:30-10 pm Session 4 Recent Images—
Vince Gerasole, CBS TV Chicago
“The CBSs of Profiling Contemporary Italians on TV”
Bill Dal Cerro
“Italian Image and Mass Media: Lost and Found” with Video Clips form “And They Came To Chicago”
Richard Della Croce, OSIA Illinois Grand Lodge Pres.
“From Education to Activism”
Michael Pollele, John Marshall Law School
“Suing the Sopranos”
Friday May 9
9am--Breakfast--- Chandelier Room Foyer $10--reservation required
Conference Registration Chandelier Room
9:30----10:30 World War II Session 5--
Gary Mormino, University of South Florida
“World War II Changed Everything”
Vic Giustino, Chicago City Colleges
“Italians in Chicago in World War II”
Judy Santacatarina, Northern Illinois University
“Amabile Santacatarina and Italian Broadcasters in War and Peace”
Dominic Candeloro,
“Who Wants to Identify with a War Torn Enemy?”
Noon---1:30 Lunch $15 Reservation Required
2pm-4pm Session 6 Balbo in Chicago
Don Fiore, Italics
“The Impact of an Italian Hero on 1930s Chicago”
Robert Allegrini
“Balbo and Italian Immigrant Patriotism”
"Gli Atlantici" clips from newsreel film of the Balbo Flight, 1933
Gloria Nardini –
“My Father Translated for Balbo”
4-6 pm Session 7 The Post World War II Migration
Chair Thomas Secco, Triton College
Calogero Lombardo
Paul Ciminello
Gino Nuccio
Dino Porto
Pat Capriati
Luciana Boccia
5:30-6 pm Reception Casa Italia Lobby and Italian American Veterans’ Museum
6pm Dinner---- Banquet Center
7- 10 pm Session 8 Italian Americans Women in Chicago
Gloria Nardini, Chair
Chickie Farella, Performance Artist
Annette Dixon, Author
Ernesto Milani
“Rosa”
Peggy Glowacki ?
Saturday May 10
9am--Breakfast--- Chandelier Room Foyer $10--reservation required
Conference Registration Chandelier Room
Session 9---9 am- 10 am Keynote Address
Fred Gardaphe’, Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies, Queens College
“Leaving Little Italy”
10 am--Noon Session 10 Chicago Italians in literature
Tony Ardizzone, Indian University on tape
Michael Antonnucci, Keene State
"'Let's Play Two'(Double Plays & Double Consciousness in Tony Ardizzone's _Heart of the Order_)" Billy Lombardo
“The Logic of the Rose”
Calogero Lombardo
“Altavilla”
Tony Romano
“When the World Was Young”
Pamela DeFiglio,
“Tina De Rosa: A personal Appreciation.”
Noon---1:30 Lunch
2pm-4pm Session 11 New Sources
Peter Venturelli, Valparaiso University
Robert Lombardo, Loyola University
“Digital Help in Reading Yesterday’s Newspapers” "The Use of Historical Data".
Dan Niemiec, Genealogy columnist Fra Noi
"The Future of Computer Genealogy: 2010 and Beyond"
4:00 pm-6 pm-- Session 12 Into the Future---Italian American Organizations Since 1950
Dominic DiFrisco, JoAnne Serpico, Pres. JCCIA, JoAnne Spata, JCCIA past presidents
Richard Della Croce, Pres. OSIA
6 pm \----Reception Italians in Chicago Exhibit, Italian Cultural Center
7- 9 pm Banquet---------Speaker $25--reservation required
To Register for the conference, Print this form and mail it with your check to Casa italia, 3800 Division St., Stone Park, IL 60526. Please help us with our planning by registering before May 5. Call 708 345-5933 for additional info.
Name______________________________________
Phone____________________
Address_________________________________ State ___ Zip _______
City___________________________ Email_____________________________
Full Registration $100 Includes conference fee for 3 days and meals.One-Day Registration (without meals) $20/day ____ Thur Fri Sat. (Circle)
All Three Days of Conference Sessions without meals $40.
High School Students $5/day.
College Students $10/day.
Meals Must Be Ordered by May 5 5pm
Breakfast $10 Thur. Fri. Sat.Lunch $15, Thur. Fri. Sat.Dinner $25 Thur. Fri. Sat. Amount Enclosed $____________
