A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear members and friends:
Summer is here! Some of us are thinking “finally,” while others are astonished at how quickly the days pass. Since our last general meeting in early spring, our society has kept quite busy. At the end of April, the AMHS Scholarship Committee (Lucio D’Andrea, Peter Bell, Romeo Sabatini, Lourdes Tinajero and myself) completed its evaluation of the applicants competing for the two National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)/AMHS scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year.
This year saw the highest number ever of students applying, with absolutely no loss of quality among the outstanding young men and women vying for the awards. For more details, take a look at the article on page 4. On May 19th, a number of our members, officers and Board of Directors attended a Memorial Mass at Holy Rosary Church to mark the 27th anniversary of the assassination of Magistrate Judge Giovanni Falcone.
The magistrate, who specialized in prosecuting the Sicilian Mafia, was assassinated on his way to Palermo, as were his wife and three bodyguards. The Mass was certainly an appropriate way to honor the memory of Judge Falcone, a real Italian hero whose life has become an inspiration to Italian-Americans, Italians, and the entire world. Immediately following the Mass, Vincenzo Romeo, a colonel in the Italian National Police and the Law Enforcement Attaché at the Italian Embassy, delivered some poignant remarks on the life of Judge Falcone and the importance of remembering his work and principles. A reception followed at
Casa Italiana.
On May 23rd, Immediate Past President Maria D’Andrea-Yothers and I attended a meet-and-greet social event at the Rayburn House Office Building with members of the Italian-American Congressional Staff
Association.
The get-together served to foster communication between the Italian-American Congressional delegation and NIAF, in part through its Da Vinci Council, a top-tier membership initiative whose members play an important role in sustaining NIAF and engaging in local community outreach. The AMHS has a place on the Council by virtue of its affiliate status with NIAF.
AMHS President Emeritus Lucio D’Andrea, Immediate Past President Maria D’Andrea-Yothers, AMHS Representative to the Greater Washington D.C. Observatory of the Italian Language Maria LaVerghetta,
and myself attended a reception at the Italian Embassy on May 30th to recognize and celebrate Italy’s national day. Italian Embassy officials, including the Ambassador and his wife, were present to welcome the guests. The Ambassador’s remarks summarized Italy’s commitments around the world to help ensure stability and tied them to the importance of Italian-U.S. bilateral relations.
On June 9th, a most enjoyable AMHS general meeting took place at Casa Italiana. The event, catered by Fontina Grill, featured an interesting presentation by Carmine Vittoria, who talked about his book “Bitter
Chicory to Sweet Espresso,” a first-hand account of his experiences growing up in a small town near Naples during World War II. The author came equipped with copies of his book for sale. The meeting was also an occasion to finalize an important item of business. The members present at the meeting, voting on behalf of the AMHS membership, approved the society’s amended bylaws, a significant step forward in
bringing our key documents up to date and ensuring that its practices reflect its rules and bylaws.
Regarding our schedule of events moving forward, there will not be another general meeting until September. Please check out the article on page 3 by our First Vice President-Programs Nancy DeSanti for
background and additional details regarding our scheduling plans. We will, however, hold our annual Ferragosto picnic on August 11th at Ft. Ward Park in Alexandria, Virginia. The fun starts at 3:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars, as the picnic has been very successful the last two years and we would like to have the chance to interact with even more of our members in this informal setting. Please see the article and flyer in this issue for full details.
Our September meeting, to take place on the 22nd, will be part of the Vespa Rally of Washington, which will bring Vespa enthusiasts to D.C. for an entire weekend of rides, food, drink, and musical entertainment. The AMHS is an official sponsor of the rally and will have a special role to play in the Saturday (21 September) morning crespelle breakfast at Casa Italiana honoring Corradino D’Ascanio, the Italian engineer from Abruzzo who designed the original Vespa in 1946. Please make a note
on your calendar to keep your schedule free for the meeting on Sunday, the breakfast on Saturday morning, and any other events over the weekend that you might enjoy. Finally, a number of our members have had problems renewing their membership, sometimes because of online instructions that are not as
clear as they could be. We are aware of the problem and are working to remedy it. I hope you all have a safe and relaxing summer, and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Best regards,
Ray LaVerghetta