SIAMO UNA FAMIGLIA

Lynn Sorbara Honored as ‘Wise Woman’ at NOIAW Dinner

By Nancy DeSanti

Three Wise Women: AMHS VP Lynn Sorbara (center) with Eve Grimaldi (left) and Dr. Andrea GiacomettiThree Wise Women: AMHS VP Lynn Sorbara (center) with Eve Grimaldi (left) and Dr. Andrea Giacometti

A large group of AMHS members were on hand to cheer for Lynn Sorbara as she was honored as one of the Three Wise Women by the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW.) Lynn and the other two honorees were celebrated at a dinner on January 10, 2019 at Maggiano’s in Washington, D.C. Lynn, our AMHS Second Vice President, was recognized for her illustrious career in the medical field. Lynn is currently the program director for the Cancer Biomarker Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In this role, she oversees the Biomarker Reference Laboratory cooperative agreement grants and the Lung Collaborative Group projects. She is the lead program director for a new Consortium for Early Cancer Assessment Using Liquid Biopsy and the divisional representative program director for the NCI Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies and Small Business Innovation Research Programs. Her impressive portfolio also includes grants focused on biomarkers for hematopoietic malignancies and new technologies for cancer detection.

Before the honorees were called up to the podium, welcoming remarks were made by Diana Femia, president of NOIAW for the Greater Washington Region, and then by Domenico Bellantone, the First Counselor for Consular and Social Affairs of the Embassy of Italy. The emcee for the evening was Gemma Puglisi, a 2016 recipient of the Wise Woman award. Also giving brief remarks was Alyssa O’Connor, a 2015 NOIAW scholarship recipient who is now an attorney with the Federal Reserve Board.

The two other women honored by NOIAW were Dr. Andrea Giacometti and Eve Grimaldi. Dr. Giacometti is a neuroradiologist who won many top awards in her medical field and who now mentors young doctors at Georgetown University’s Medical School. She explained that she was born near Gibraltar while her parents were on board the ship Andrea Doria immigrating to the United States and thus she was named Andrea. Eve Grimaldi has been the dean of students at Georgetown Visitation for over 33 years. She told how, after several faculty members and students’ parents were diagnosed with breast cancer, she set out to raise money and raise awareness about breast cancer, with the result that she and her students have raised over $200,000 for breast cancer research.

Lynn told the audience about growing up in Queens, N.Y. and her career in cancer research, and how her interest in medical research stemmed from her father dying when she was 14 of an illness that should have been easily diagnosed and cured. So after losing her father at this young age, she and her mother had to go to work, and she ended up doing administrative work for Aristotle Onassis’ shipping company in New York City, while at the same time getting her education. Eventually Lynn earned her Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Later on, she moved to the Washington area and went to work for NIH. Lynn has been a board member and then officer of AMHS for several years, and she is also a parishioner of Holy Rosary Church.

Lynn also spoke about her family’s Italian roots (her father was from Polistena, Calabria and her mother was from Resuttana, Sicily, near Caltanisetta), and how when she was growing up in New York, she lived with her grandparents and her cousins down the street were her best friends. In attendance at the dinner honoring Lynn were some of her NIH colleagues, her brother who came down from New York, and her friends and family members who came from New York and Florida. Many AMHS members will recall that Lynn gave us a wonderful presentation on September 23, 2017. She spoke about what is going on in the field of cancer research and broke it down in layman’s terms. She really wowed the audience with the depth of her knowledge and her ability to communicate it to everyone. Congratulations Lynn! We are all so proud of you. ❚

Passing of Antonio Bianchini

Talented Artist and Long‑time AMHS Member

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I t is with great sadness that we note the passing of our long-time AMHS member Antonio Bianchini, a talented artist and a wonderful friend to many of us. Antonio had been battling cancer and was in hospice care when he passed away on January 2, 2019. Antonio led a very interesting life. He was born in Tripoli, Libya, where his Italian parents had been living. He grew up in Rome, and then later on in life he studied the art of mosaics in Ravenna, the renowned center of mosaics in Italy. After mastering the techniques of mosaics, Antonio practiced his artistry here in the United States. Settling in the suburban Virginia area, he became a devoted parishioner of Holy Rosary Church, a member of the AMHS for many years, and he was also among the soci of the Circolo della Briscola begun by his friend Dr. Enrico Davoli.

His many friends have wonderful memories of Antonio. His good friend Cecilia Fiermonte recalls that when she first began coming to Holy Rosary years ago and didn’t know anyone, Antonio made her feel so welcome. Cecilia recalled that a few years later, she went with Nancy DeSanti to give a presentation on Puglia to a meeting of the Sons of Italy in Fairfax. Antonio came with them, and for this occasion, he made a beautiful mosaic of the trulli in Alberobello which he said took him 45 hours to make. Then he demonstrated to the audience how he used his tools to make his beautiful mosaics using the painstaking technique he learned from the masters.

He charmed everyone in the room. Antonio’s mosaics can be found in churches and museums in Europe, including the Madonna he made for a church in Krakow, Poland. The beautiful mosaic of the Madonna and the Baby Jesus which he donated to Holy Rosary was on display in the church during his funeral Mass. He especially enjoyed attending social events of AMHS and Casa Italiana with his family members, and many of us remember the wonderful magic show he put on for the children at one of our AMHS programs, wearing his magician’s black top hat. We extend our sincerest condolences to the Bianchini family and to his dear friend Bianca Starace. ❚

Condolences to AMHS Member Helen Free on the Passing of Her Father

Alvin A.

Turner, Sr

AMHS expresses its heartfelt sympathy to board member Helen Free whose father, Alvin A. Turner, Sr., passed away peacefully at his home on February 6, 2019, four weeks prior to his 90th birthday. Al graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1948. He retired from the Real Estate Department of PEPCO in 1986 after many years of service. Al was past Grand Knight of St. Pius X Council of the Knights of Columbus and was instrumental in the founding of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Camp Springs, Maryland. He was active in Prince George’s County politics and economic development and was particularly proud to have served on the board of Bishop McNamara High School

. Al was the beloved husband of Rosemarie Antonelli Turner for 66 years; loving father of Helen (Douglas) Free, Christine (Buddy) Summers, Andrew (Avis) Turner, Kathryn (Gary) May, Carolyn (Mark) Kulesza, Matthew (Mary) Turner and the late Thomas Turner. He was a wonderful grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of 6. His family was his pride and joy. (from the obituary of Alvin A . Turner, Sr., on the Kalas Funeral Home website). ❚