s gala- april 27th!paul and norma santella italian americans of the year to be honored at this...

Paul and Norma Santella Italian Americans of the Year to be honored at this year’s gala- April 27th!

Born in New York City to Domenico Lubrano—who immigrated from Procida, Italy—and Ann Maresca, on July 2, 1938, Norma is the oldest of three children. The family moved to Long Branch, New Jersey, and, as was the custom, Norma’s aunts and uncles joined them. The house was full and dinnertime was always lively. Norma enjoyed summers at the beach and their daily trips to Chelsea pool. Curiously, she excelled at basketball,

and when she headed to Holy Family College in Philadelphia, she played all four years for the Tigers. Paul, a south Philadelphia native and the oldest of four children, was born to Paul Santella and Angelina Geonnotti on March 15, 1937. Paul had no shortage of family living in south Philly. He

would travel around the neighborhood each Sunday to visit his aunts, uncles, and cousins, before returning home for family dinner that had been prepared by his father in their basement kitchen. He also enjoyed summers at the beach, working in Wildwood and sneaking in to watch the Philadelphia Phillies from the bleachers. Paul attended LaSalle College in Philadelphia and it was there, as the story goes, that Norma met Paul as he was having a donut at a refreshment table in 1959. Paul and Norma have always been dedicated to their family, friends, and faith. The couple married in 1961, moved to Ridley Park, and in five years had four children: Lisa, Dana, Kevin, and Chris. In 1969 Paul took a job with Ortho Pharmaceutical, relocating the young family to Flemington, New Jersey. Paul and Norma quickly became involved in their neighborhood and church communities. As the family grew, so did that involvement: Boys and Girl Scouts, Little League, Cheerleading, and Pop Warner Football. They volunteered with the Knights of Columbus, Meals on Wheels, and the Hunterdon Medical Center. Continued page 3

Calendar of Events

Current Meeting 4/27 - 5th Annual Foundation Gala,

Upcoming Programs/Events 4/7 - Boheme Opera NJ presents

"AIDA" - College of NJ

5/13 - Annual Foundation Golf

Outing, Copper Hill Country Club

5/9 -6/15 - "Over the River and

Through the Woods" HH Playhouse

5/21 – Joe Mannino, Bakery Owner

Italian Pastries

6/11 - Annual Scholarship Awards

Night

6/22 - Kingwood Township Bocce

Tournament

Every Saturday - Italian Class - HC

Library (see page 4)

ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CLUB OF HUNTERDON COUNTY

POST OFFICE BOX 2466 ♦ FLEMINGTON ♦ NEW JERSEY ♦ 08822 ♦ WWW.ITALIANAMERICANHC.ORG

Volume 19 Issue 4 April 2019

SINCE 1979

Italian American Heritage Club of Hunterdon County

5th Annual Gala

Honoring Paul and Norma Santella as our Italian Americans of the

Year! Saturday, April 27th

Razberry’s Banquet Center 834 State Route 12, Frenchtown

I L G I O R N A L E

http://www.italianamericanhc.org/

Il Giornale April 2019 Volume 19 Issue 4

Meeting Minutes – March 19, 2019 President, Mike DeSapio called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. He introduced the following guests: Charlie Ruvolo, Vinnie Nardon and Ellen Price. Mike reminded everyone of the 5th Annual Gala on April 27, 2019 at Raspberry’s in Kingwood. We will be honoring Paul and Norma Santella, who are here tonight. Jim Christie spoke about the Golf Outing which will be held on May 13 at Copper Hill Golf Course. He reminded members to try to get sponsors and also Gift Cards to restaurants to be used as raffle prizes, Scholarship applications are available at the door tonight for any member who has children or grandchildren graduating high School this year. We are organizing a group to go to see La Boheme opera performing “Aida” at the college of NJ. We are going on April 7and will have dinner together after the show. Please contact Mike DeSapio if you are interested. Our guest speakers were filmmakers, Jerome and Marylou Bongiorno. They presented their film, Hearing Voices, and discussed the historical and heritage background of the film. It was very educational and entertaining. Sal DeSapio gave a short, entertaining talk on the history of the Feast of St. Joseph. Everyone enjoyed the Zeppole of St. Joseph’s Day. Meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.

Reminder! Time to Submit Your Club Dues If you did not yet pay your dues, please take a moment to clip this form and mail it to Jim DeSapio, 262 Ridge Road, Frenchtown, NJ 08825. Checks should be made payable to IAHCHC. Dues may also be paid online at the club’s website or in person at the monthly meetings. Dues are $40 per person. AS PER THE CLUBS BYLAWS, DUES ARE TO BE PAID BY JANUARY 31st EACH YEAR. Amount enclosed $__________ / Check #_____________

Name(s):_______________________________________________________________________ _ Address/Phone/Email (if changed): ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s President (Club/Foundation) Mike DeSapio 908-347-1807 [email protected]

Vice President (Club/Foundation) Jack Aquila h/908-236-0985 c/908-391-3186 [email protected]

Treasurer - Club Jim DeSapio 908-996-6825 [email protected]

Treasurer - Foundation Jim Christie 908-235-6298 [email protected]

Recording Secretary (Club/Foundation) Pam Baldasarre Springstun 908-638-4526 [email protected]

Corresponding Secretary (Club/Foundation) Angela Lambert 908-268-3924 [email protected]

B o a r d M e m b e r s

Rose DeSantis (Club/Foundation) 908-310-9844 [email protected]

Vic Graziani (Club) 908-303-2086 [email protected]

Alison Benedickson (Club) 908-237-0171 [email protected]

Laura Ryan (Club) [email protected]

Mary Divock (Foundation) 908-377-1379 [email protected]

Bob Paolella (Foundation) 908-303-7855 [email protected]

Agnes Baccaro (Foundation) 732-560-0035 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]







Continued from page 1

Eventually, Paul left Ortho for a job at Bristol Myers in New York City. But the family’s home was in Hunterdon County. So, Paul traded in his ten-minute commute to Ortho for an “amazing” 90-minute bus ride to New York City. Lifelong friends were made on that bus, and the new job afforded Paul and

Norma the opportunity to travel the globe. They went on safari in South Africa, walked the banks of the Nile, attended mass at the Vatican, consumed fresh Belgian waffles on the streets of Brussels, and most recently, renewed their wedding vows in Israel. Of course, the couple’s travels also found them in Italy to visit relatives and the Lubrano family home in Procida.

As Paul and Norma experienced all the world had to offer, their family continued to grow. By the time Paul retired in 1993, they had added three grandchildren. Little did they know, another eight would quickly follow! Paul and Norma will tell you that they are at their happiest when this large, loud, and loving Italian family is together in one place. In addition to their family, Paul and Norma’s friends have, and continue, to play an integral role in their lives. They are blessed with a tight-knit, albeit large, group of friends that include members of the Italian American Club of Hunterdon County; an organization they have supported for the last forty years. They enjoy sharing dinners at the Clinton House (or Paul’s favorite, Finnagel’s), vacations to warm-weather locales, or just a night in with a glass of wine or whiskey.

For the last two decades, if the couple’s friends or family were searching for either Paul or Norma, they knew where to look first: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Ordained a deacon in 2001, Paul could be found preparing for a monthly meeting of the Seton Men’s Club, performing a baptism (he has performed over 100; his last, his first great granddaughter), or preaching to an ever-growing congregation. Norma, on the other hand, could be found directing the Liturgical Environment Committee, climbing on ladders a few rungs too high to ensure every flower was properly watered, or guiding another couple through pre-marriage counseling. Even as children they have been faithful members of the Church; Norma at Our Lady Star of the Sea and Paul at St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church, the first Italian-American Catholic Church in the United States. Paul and Norma Santella are parents, grandparents, great grandparents, friends and civic leaders. Of course, they are also Italian.

C h a i r p e r s o n s

Membership List/Il Giornale Toni Cancro Clarke 908-875-8262 [email protected]

Golf Outing Jim Christie See Treasurer - Foundation Jack Aquila See Vice President

Tony Gioffre 908-996-3051 [email protected]

Membership Linda Ponzo 908-806-6460 [email protected] Reservations Rose DeSantis 908-310-9844 [email protected] Meeting Greeters Phyllis Meola 908-782-4782 [email protected]

Joan Cafro 908-806-0452 [email protected] Public Relations/Programs Jack Aquila See Vice President

Pam Baldasarre Springstun 908-638-4526 [email protected] Sunshine Angela Lambert See Corresponding Secretary Scholarships Angela Lambert See Corresponding Secretary

Web Master Mike DeSapio See President

Youth Events Rose DeSantis See Reservations


FREE Italian Lessons! Dr. Balena has graciously offered his time to hold conversational Italian lessons.

Hunterdon County Library every Saturday 10am-11:30am.

Contact MIKE at [email protected]

IAHCHC Golf Shirts

$30 fine quality pima cotton

washes and wears well

available men's and women's

beautifully embroidered

may be custom ordered in an assortment of colors

Italian Fisherman Tricolor hats also available for $15

Contact Marie Jarowicz 908-534-6295

Tanti Auguri di Buon Compleanno!

Dominic Mustillo 4/03

Frederika Ebel 4/11

Marshelle Sanseverino 4/20

Bob Ferlauto 4/26

Jerry Sanseverino, Jr. 4/29

Felice Anniversario!

Paul & Norma Santella

4/22

Need A Ride?

Angela Lambert has graciously offered to drive anyone needing a ride to meetings from the Clinton, Lebanon, Glen Gardner, or Whitehouse areas. Call Angela at 908-268-3924.

Meal Sponsorships The IAHCHC is aware that for some members the cost of meals may pose a financial challenge. Believing that community is important, the Board has decided to offer Meal Sponsorships to those who need assistance. Contact Jim DeSapio at 908-996-3888. All requests will be held as confidential.

Planned Giving?

Planning a gift can be rewarding and fulfilling. A planned gift can enable you to advance the Italian American Heritage Club of Hunterdon County Foundation’s mission of scholarships for deserving young people of Italian heritage and support the causes and programs that benefit Hunterdon’s senior citizens. If you are interested in giving, please talk to your financial advisor about the benefits or call Jim Christie, IAHCHC Foundation Treasurer, at 908-235-6298.

Sunshine Committee

The Sunshine Committee is always looking to brighten someone’s day. If you know of a club member who is ill or injured and could use a little sunshine, please contact Angela Lambert and let her know. Angela will reach out to the person with a call or special card. Volunteers are needed to visit ill members with Sunshine.

Still Wanted...

Old family recipes and old wedding/anniversary/heritage photos to be included in future editions of the Il Giornale. Please send recipes as word files and pictures as Jpeg files along with names and description to Jack Aquila at [email protected].

Turn of Phrase

“I primi caldi raggi di sole che si riempiono di speranza che la primavera è arrivata!” Translation – “The first rays of sun that fill one with hope that spring is arriving”

When signing in at dinner meetings, please have payment ready to help move the line along faster. Checks are preferred and should already be pre-written to IAHCHC. Thank you!

NEW! Italian American Heritage Club

18 oz. mugs for sale Great for pasta fagioli and

minestrone soups! $10 each

Please contact [email protected]


In Memoria Joseph Carmen Parlapiano

March 10, 1949 - January 18, 2019

Joe was born March 10, 1949 in Elizabeth NJ to Sicilian immigrants Giuseppe and Pasqua Parlapiano. He was fiercely proud of his heritage. He was the youngest of six children. He was baby brother to Frances, Bessie, Vincenzo, Anthony and Josephine. As an infant, his parents moved to a small farm in Edison NJ. His siblings affectionately nick named him skinny because he was so much smaller than all the neighborhood kids. Joe was always tinkering. Our earliest memories were of him rebuilding bicycles. Later he could be found in the Shanty rebuilding grandpa’s tractor and other farm equipment. Most times without grandpa’s approval!! As he got older, he became a shade tree mechanic. His brother Anthony and his friends were building hot rod cars. Some even built professional race cars. Joe was totally engaged with them all. It was there his love affair of old cars began.

He was a member of the Good Guys Association and the National Street Rod Association. Joe also enjoyed hunting. On early autumn Saturday mornings, we would rabbit and pheasant hunt. He always looked forward to those Saturday mornings. He also liked to bow hunt and could not wait for the December deer season in NJ. In 1966 Joe was married and had his first son Joseph, followed by his second son Angelo in 1967. In 1967, Joe started a lifelong career in construction by becoming an apprentice carpenter. He was well on his way as a carpenter when he contracted vertigo. He remained in construction as a member of the International Labors Union of North America for the next 10 years. In the 1970’s Joe divorced his first wife Anita. Later in the decade, Joe married his second wife Gloria. Shortly after his 2nd marriage, Joe decided to leave the suburbs and build a new home and life in Pittstown, NJ. We spend many weekends working on that house. From pouring basement floors to hanging windows and final painting. He would live in that house until 2014, when he moved to Bath PA. Joe never liked to be confined in communities. While in Pittstown, Joe made a decision to start JG Ceramic Tile. He managed the company until his death. Joe’s work ethics and brutally honest personality endeared many people. Over the years, we would discuss ways to grow the company. In the late 1990’s we built a business plan which would have expanded the company tenfold. After presenting the plan to Joe, he immediately rejected it. He said he would lose control of the projects, by not being there to oversee the quality of the work. He said his name and reputation was more important than money. He was a tough man to work for or with. Customers would be taken back by his brutal honesty. They would also be in awe when his projects were complete. Continued next page.


Joseph Carmen Parlapiano continued He was a man who was never content. He always found areas where he could improve his work, his hobbies and most important himself. He began to find inner peace when he moved to Bath, PA. It there he met who we all believe was his true soulmate, Roxanne. She was his rock. She understood him in a way no one else did. They met when Joe was dressing down one of his employees on a job site. For those of us who knew him understood, the more he yelled at you was the more he loved you. He was always different when he was around Roxanne. She made him believe in himself. She made him understand the content of a man’s character should be judged by their actions and not their words. Weather you knew Joe threw work, car shows or is later in life favorite sport bocce, he was a person you didn’t easily forget. His favorite Holiday was la festa di San Giuseppe. He absolutely loved San Giuseppi Zeppole. As a child I remember him not really caring for Pasta con Sarde. He loved his Sicilian heritage. When he visited his sister Bessie in Florida, they would talk for hours about “the old people from the other side”. Of course, like most Italians, discussions on what year did so and so die always came up. For the last 10 years he always said he wanted to visit Ribera once before he died. He wanted to see the town where his mom and dad were born, met and married. Unfortunately, he was not able to fulfill that dream.


Pope Pius XII Archives to Open Reprinted from Italian Tribune, with permission Issue dated March 14, 2019

At the recent 80th anniversary of Pius XII's election as head of the Catholic Church, the Vatican has announced that it will open up its archives concerning the Papacy of World War II-era Pontiff to researchers next year. Critics have claimed Pius XII, who was Pope from 1939 to 1958, did not do enough to denounce the Holocaust. The Vatican has long maintained that Pope Pius worked vigorously, but quietly behind the scenes, throughout the war to protect the Jewish people. The archives will be opened on March 2, 2020. "The hope is to now clarify the role that Pius XII had in the period of the Second World War," said Ruth Dureghello, a community leader. "Better late than never. It's good news from which we hope to obtain clarity about that period of history and the role of the Pope."

Remarkable Fresco Unearthed Reprinted from Italian Tribune, with permission Issue dated February 28, 2019

A stunning fresco depicting Narcissus gazing at his own reflection has been uncovered during new excavations at Pompeii. Project Superintendent Massimo Osanna said the myth of Narcissus was a very common artistic topic in the ancient city. Additionally, adjacent to the atrium where the fresco was found, a store room was discovered containing a dozen glass containers, eight amphorae, as well as a bronze funnel. The discovery was made during a dig at the Regio V section of the ancient Roman city and comes just months after the unearthing of another specular fresco depicting the Spartan Queen Leda. The discoveries have caused a change in the priorities of projects at Pompeii so that excavations will continue in the area and at least part of the ancient home will be opened to the public. Narcissus, in Greek mythology, was the son of a river god and a nymph who was distinguished by his striking beauty.


Spring minestrone with parsley pesto By Michele Becci | Jan 25, 2019

Ingredients: For the parsley pesto: ● 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, loosely packed ● 1/3 cup grated Parmesan ● ¼ cup pine nuts ● 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped ● Zest and juice from ½ lemon ● ½ cup extra virgin olive oil ● Salt ● Freshly ground black pepper

For the soup: ● ¼ cup olive oil ● 4 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half, rinsed and cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices ● 3 cloves garlic, minced ● 1 bay leaf ● ½ cup dry white wine ● 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock ● Salt ● Freshly ground black pepper ● 1 (14 ½ ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed ● 12 ounces asparagus, tough ends trimmed and stalks cut on a diagonal into ½ inch pieces ● 1 cup fresh or frozen peas ● 2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves ● Grated or shaved Parmesan ● Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Directions: 1. Make the pesto: In a food processor, purée the parsley, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice and 1 tablespoon water until a paste forms. With the machine running, add in the olive oil in a thin stream. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Make the soup: In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic, bay leaf and sauté, stirring frequently until the fragrant and the leeks begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season broth with salt and pepper.

3. Add in the beans and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add in the asparagus and peas and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasonings.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Stir in a tablespoon of pesto and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, extra pesto and plenty of toasted bread.

Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co-author the blog www.OurItalianTable.com.

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