A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear members and friends:
I hope that this message finds you safe and in good health. As we move toward the year’s end, it is both striking and disappointing to realize that we still don’t have the pandemic behind us. This year’s holiday season will likely be very different from any other most of us have experienced. We all continue to make adjustments, often major adjustments, to what used to be our normal routine, all the while hoping that something will emerge — a vaccine, a drug, a treatment — that will put a gradual end to the trail of illness and death that COVID has left. The AMHS is also trying to adapt to the new reality. We held our first virtual general meeting on Sunday, September 20th. AMHS Board member Sonny Scafetta gave an interesting presentation on Italian American baseball players with roots in Abruzzo. We heard some amusing anecdotes and learned some surprising facts about several successful Italian American athletes who made their mark on a national stage in an important slice of American life. Regrettably, we had some technical problems that prevented some of our members and friends from joining the session.
We apologize for our shortcoming in providing access to everyone who was interested, but we want you to know that we are taking steps to ensure that you will be able to take part in future events and meetings without the problems that plagued our first attempted general meeting. We did hold a virtual event that had no technical difficulties on October 3, when we hosted a discussion of the film “My country”. This was the fourth film discussion that we have offered, and, as in the previous three, Italian-American film producer/director Jim Toscano graciously agreed to serve as moderator. The discussion was, as it has been for each film, informative, entertaining and just a lot of fun, and we thank Jim for lending us his knowledge of film and his movie-making experience. Much to our delight, a surprise participant in the discussion was the Italian American director of the film, Giancarlo Iannotta, who was also the film’s lead actor.
Our thanks go to Jim Toscano for making this happen, as well as to Giancarlo Iannotta for his willingness to join us and answer all of our questions about the film, including how it came about, how he selected the cast, and what his plans are for future work. The entire session was enjoyable and informative and we hope that it helped a little to fill the void left by our in-person meetings. By the time this message gets to you, we will have hosted another virtual event, which hopefully many of you had the opportunity to attend. Well-known photographer Tony Vaccaro had agreed to deliver a lecture to us on October 30. Mr. Vaccaro grew up in Molise during the Second World War, after which he emigrated to the U.S. His enormous collection of photographs, which earned him a place in the International Photography Hall of Fame, includes scenes from the war, fashion, famous personalities and much else.
The event aimed at providing another opportunity for the Society’s members to gather (virtually) and celebrate another piece of Italian and Italian American culture. We are planning to hold our annual wine-tasting event this year, but, of course, it will be virtual. Mark your calendars for November 15, when we will present a wine lecture and tasting that will be guided by Veni, Vini Amici’s Stephen and Beth Yanchuk, who are experts in conducting winethemed educational lectures. This should be a really informative and enjoyable event, the very best that we can offer in the midst of a pandemic. Stay tuned for additional details, including the wines we’ll be tasting at home and how everyone can join in. I would like to alert you to our upcoming annual AMHS scholarship fund raising campaign. As you probably know, the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) discontinued its matching funds program, so we now raise by ourselves all of the funds needed to underwrite the two scholarships that we award each year. Please be on the lookout for our Fundraising Letter.
We believe that our scholarship program is the best way to promote the Italian language and culture to future generations, and it is our hope that you share this belief and that we can make this year’s campaign more successful than ever. We have three members who have agreed to stand for election to positions on our Executive Committee. They are Frank Bonsiero, Jeff Clark and Mark Lino. I am grateful for their willingness to lend their talents to our Committee. They will become key players in leading our organization and we are fortunate to have their energy and commitment. I ask you to be on the look-out for a ballot to be sent to you by which you can record your vote on this upcoming election. Finally, I wish everyone a happy holiday season, mindful, of course, that we will most likely not be able to celebrate it in the same way in which we have in the past. Stay safe and hopefully we will be able to see each other in person sometime in 2021.
Regards,
Ray LaVerghetta