The end of 2023 will mark the expiration of the terms of all five officers of the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society of the Washington D.C. Area. Those offices are President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. All terms are for two years.

In addition, there will be three vacancies in the nine-member Board of Directors, who will leave office after serving their three-year terms.

The Society needs members in good standing who are willing to take a leadership role in our organization to ensure the continued success of our operations and events. A Nominating Committee is being formed to recruit candidates. If you are interested in serving, please email us here.

Article VII of the bylaws of the AMHS set the duties of the officers and board members as follows:

Section 1: President

The President shall preside over the general membership and Executive Committee meetings of the Society. The President shall enforce the by-laws of the Society and ensure that the Society is pursuing appropriate programs and activities consistent with its objectives. The President shall establish any committee he/she deems appropriate, and appoint its chairman, except for the chairmen of the Programs and Membership Committees which will be chaired, respectively, by the First and Second Vice Presidents. The President has the privilege to be a non-voting member of any committee of the Society. The President will be the principal delegate to any committee or organization with which the Society is affiliated, or he/she may appoint a representative in his/her place. In the event an elected office becomes vacant, the President may appoint a qualified member as a replacement to serve the remaining term of that office.

Section 2: First Vice President

The First Vice President shall perform such duties as the President may direct. He/she will become Acting President in the absence of the President for any reason. In case of the resignation of the President, the First Vice President shall become President for the President’s remaining term of office; in the event the First Vice President is unable or unwilling to assume the presidency, the Second Vice President shall fill the unexpired term. The First Vice President shall also assume the role of Programs Committee chairman, responsible for implementing the functions of the Programs Committee as described in Article IX, Section 1 of these by-laws.

Section 3: Second Vice President

The Second Vice President shall perform such duties as the President may direct. He/she shall exercise the powers of the President in the absence of the President and First Vice President. The Second Vice President shall also assume the role of Membership Committee chairman, responsible for implementing the functions of the Membership Committee as described in Article IX, Section 2 of these by-laws.

Section 4: Secretary

The Secretary shall record the minutes of any official action taken at general membership meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and other meetings as directed by the President. He/she, in cooperation with the Publications & Publicity Committee, will prepare and send out notices of such meetings. The minutes of the Executive Committee meeting shall be available for inspection by the general membership at the request of a member. He/she shall coordinate, review, and prepare responses to any general correspondences of the Society. The Secretary shall also maintain the Society’s legal documents. 

Section 5: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall receive all the Society’s incoming funds and deposit same in the Society’s accounts; provide necessary signatures for outgoing disbursements from said accounts; and maintain all financial records of the Society. The Treasurer shall report at Executive Committee meetings on the expenses incurred and the revenues received during the preceding reporting period. At the end of each fiscal year, the Treasurer shall present the financial records to the Budget and Finance Committee for review and/or audit. The Treasurer shall also prepare and submit any forms or documents required by the Internal Revenue Service, or for any other official fiscal purposes. 

Section 6: Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shares the responsibility of managing the Society and its resources, and providing overall guidance and advice, by virtue of its seat on the Executive Committee.

The Board of Directors shall consist of nine (9) members who have been in good standing for at least two years. The Board shall be divided into three groups of three members. Each group shall be elected for three years and thereafter have three, two, and one year remaining in office. The group serving its last year in office shall retire at the end of the year. Each year a new group of three Directors shall be elected for a three-year term to replace the retiring Directors. No elected Board member may serve consecutive terms or serve simultaneously in any other officer position of the Society.

In addition to the afore-mentioned nine (9) elected Directors, the President Emeritus and the Immediate Past President serve as additional members of the Board.

The AMHS will be returning to Fort Ward Park in Alexandria, Va., for this year’s Ferragosto Picnic, Sunday, August 13, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We have reserved Area 5 just past the amphitheater, which has nine large picnic tables, two grills, and plenty of parking.

Fort Ward Park is located at 4401 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, Va. 22304. For directions, click here.

Bring your own picnic basket of food, along with paper products, utensils, and table covers. Bring your own charcoal and lighter fluid if you wish to use the grills.

Wine, keg beer, soft drinks, bottled water, ice, and cups for beverages will be provided by AMHS.

Feel free to bring bocce balls and lawn chairs. There are enclosed restrooms and a playground area within walking distance of the picnic area.

QUESTIONS? Contact Maria D’Andrea-Yothers, uva051985@comcast.net; (703) 473-4033. We look forward to celebrating with you on August 13!

Topic of Virtual Talk

On Sunday, July 30, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., Michael Markowitz will give a talk entitled “Show Me the Money!” about the evolution of Roman coinage from lumps of metal from about 300 B.C. to gold imperial coins in 476 A.D. 

Michael was born in New York City with Italian roots on his maternal side. His mother’s family name was Genga while his father’s ancestors emigrated from Romania. He attended the University of Rochester and the University of California, Irvine. He worked for many years in the aerospace industry in southern California and then moved to northern Virginia in 1991 where he is a senior research specialist for the Center for Naval Analyses.

Michael is a contributing writer on ancient and medieval coins for CoinWeek.com. He is a member of the American Numismatic Society and the Ancient Numismatic Society of Washington, D.C. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors of the Fairfax Coin Club. 

He has said that one of the highlights of his life was spending an afternoon inside the coin vault of the archaeological museum in Siracusa, Sicily. Following Michael’s talk, there will be time for questions and comments. A Zoom link will be available on the AMHS website closer to the date of the event.

We have planned a variety of programs (“something for everybody”) for the Summer and Fall of 2023. We hope our members and guests will participate in the following upcoming events. Details will be posted on our website shortly before each event.

On Sunday, July 9, at 11:00 a.m., AMHS members are invited to go on a self-guided tour of the exhibition “Going through Hell: The Divine Dante” at the National Gallery of Art, followed by lunch at the Cascade Café.

On Sunday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m., we will listen to a virtual talk called “Show Me the Money,” by Michael Markowitz who will tell us how Roman coinage evolved from lumps of metal to gold imperial coins. 

On Sunday, August 13, we will have our annual Ferragosto picnic at Fort Ward Park Area 5 in Alexandria, VA, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

On Sunday, September 10, we will have a luncheon program at 1:30 p.m. in Casa Italiana with a talk by Carmine Vittoria, an author who grew up in a small town near Naples during World War II, survived, and came to the United States where he became a well-known applied quantum physics professor. He was here a few years ago and has since written two more books which he will tell us about.

On Sunday, October 29, in the afternoon at Casa Italiana, we will be treated to a musical program by Italy’s most popular folk group, Ensemble Sangineto, which has been performing Italian folk songs of the 20 regions all over Italy, Europe, and now the United States.

Finally, on Sunday, November 19, we will have our annual wine-tasting event in Casa Italiana at 1:30 p.m.

Two different but perhaps interrelated subjects — legacy and longevity — were the topics of two virtual AMHS talks recently.

Stephanie Longo gave a talk on May 20, 2023, on “Preserving and retelling local culture and traditions,” giving useful tips on researching one’s Italian-American legacy locally.

As an Italian-American historian, she has dedicated her life to celebrating and focusing on her family’s heritage. Born in Scranton, Pa., she holds dual Italian and American citizenship. Her family comes from the towns of Guardia Lombardi, in the province of Avellino in the region of Campania, and Lamezia Terme, in the province of Catanzaro in the region of Calabria.

Stephanie is well-known as an expert on the Italian-American history of northeastern Pennsylvania and has authored several works on the subject, including Italians of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Italians of Lackawanna County, andDunmore. She currently lives in Dunmore, Pa.

Her interest in her own family’s roots is longstanding, perhaps because the traditions have been a part of her life since childhood. She recalled dancing the tarantella at a local Italian festival when she was about five years old and poring over a map of Italy with her mother in a restaurant when she was about six. She never knew her grandfather but was inspired by him to research her family roots. Stephanie told us the story of how, at a book signing for one of her works, a man told her that he knew her grandfather, and he proceeded to tell her stories about him that she had never heard.

Stephanie is also currently the associate producer and chief administrative officer of The Italian-American Podcast. The podcast features a wide array of interesting topics, such as a recent one called “AI for IA” about artificial intelligence as it relates to Italian-American genealogy.

During her virtual talk, she listed some good resources such as We the Italians with interviews by journalist Umberto Mucci, and Ovunque Siamo, an online magazine focusing on new Italian- American writers. She gave suggestions on sourcing material, writing, and eventual publication, and advised being as transparent and objective as possible, and double-checking information. Oral history interviews are also important, she said, but cautioned that obtaining a signed release is always a good idea.

Stephanie also gave tips on researching one’s Italian-American legacy locally. Thinking about her advice, I had the idea of finding out the location where Mass was held before the cornerstone of Holy Rosary Church was laid in 1919. I discovered that it was in a townhouse at 83 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. The space was rented by Father Nicholas De Carlo in December 1913 and furnished with an organ and chairs donated by parishioners. 

In urging everyone to preserve our local culture and traditions, Stephanie concluded by noting that “it’s not about ourselves, it’s about our ancestors and descendants.” Because after all, she said, “A people without knowledge of their history and culture is like a tree without roots.” 

John Michael Howard gave us a virtual talk on June 4, 2023, on “How to live to be 100.” He is a native of Texas with Italian roots on his paternal grandmother’s side of the family from Taranto in Puglia.

With a B.A. in psychology from the University of Dallas in 2016 and an M.S. in clinical counseling from Marymount University in Arlington, Va. In 2021, John currently works as a counselor in Arlington and lives in Northeast Washington, D.C.

During his talk, John told us about a man who was the epitome of longevity — Joe Rollino, a strong man and a lifelong vegetarian who never smoked or drank alcohol, and who lived to be 104. One of 14 children born to Italian immigrant parents in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1905, he was billed as “the world’s strongest man.” At 5’5” and 150 pounds, he could move over a ton with his back and bend coins with his hand. On his 103rd birthday in 2008, Rollino was interviewed by a reporter for a local newspaper and demonstrated that he could still bend a quarter with his teeth (yikes!). 

Rollino was also a war hero in the U.S. Army who won three Purple Hearts during World War II and was especially remembered for lifting two wounded soldiers with one arm and two other men with his other arm at a time and carrying them to safety. He worked as a longshoreman until he was 65. Unfortunately, he died when he was hit by a car during his daily five-mile walk in his Brooklyn neighborhood just a few months short of his 105th birthday. Who knows how long he might have lived had it not been for that tragic accident?

John also talked about the book, “Living to be 100,” written by Dr. Michael E. Howard who teaches psychology at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Regarding the book, he discussed terms used in the health science field. He followed up by briefly discussing the world’s five “blue zones” where there is a very high occurrence of centenarians, including in Sardinia. The others are Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and the island of Ikaria in Greece. He noted that among the centenarians in Sardinia, the men outnumber the women by nine to one! 

John commented that research shows that the aging process begins at the end of reproductive life, and he also noted that lifestyle counts for more than genes when it comes to longevity. He emphasized the importance of not smoking, avoiding alcohol, or at least drinking in light amounts, following a nutritional diet, like the Mediterranean Diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining a normal weight, noting that aging does not kill most of us. Sleeping from sunset to sunrise and taking naps is good for longevity, too, he said. 

Some tips for living a longer and healthier life, he said, are avoiding stress, keeping an optimistic outlook, learning a new language, reading books, staying socially active, and finding your purpose in life, whether it involves religion or something else. That sounds like a good formula for success!