St. John's News

St. John's University Celebrates 2005 New York City Italian Heritage and Culture Month

November 04, 2005

Queens, NY - On Tuesday, November 1, 2005, St. John’s University was the site for the celebration of the Annual New York City Italian Heritage and Culture Event for the Borough of Queens. Over 500 people attended the event, including Helen Marshall, Queens Borough President.

Joseph Sciame, event coordinator and Vice-President for Community Relations at St. John’s, and an honorary chair of NYC-Italian Heritage and Culture Month (IHCM), stated: “Mrs. Marshall is an ambassador of good will for all cultures and ethnic groups. We are fortunate to have her at the helm in our borough, especially in supporting Italian Heritage and Culture Month.” The event included an awards proclamation ceremony in which the Borough President recognized Queens citizenry among those active in Italian American activities.

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The program started off with a greeting given by St. John’s Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca. A salutation followed by Vice Consul General of Italy, Dr. Paola Munzi, representing the Republic of Italy.

An additional entertainment for 2005 was the choral performance of the Il Coro del Lunedi from Rome, Italy. The Il Coro was founded in 1979 by a group of friends who shared a love for the mountains and Alpine music. Over the years, the group grew in number and reparatory of the choir grew as well as to include all the regions of Italy.

Honorees included:

  • Dominick Bruccoleri, proprietor of Douglaston Manor
  • Linda DeSabato, President of Vallo Transportation
  • Joseph Franco, proprietor of Caffé On the Green
  • Thomas Galante, Director of Queens Libraries
  • Georgiana Reese, New York Community Bank
  • Rodolfo Sarchese, President of the Queens Federation Italian-American Organizations

For more information please contact Nicole Daversa, Office of Media Relations, at 718-990-6847 or e-mail requests to daversan@stjohns.edu.