Brooklyn's Progress
November 2001

Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden hosted a Borough Hall ceremony and celebration honoring the achievements of Brooklyn’s Italian-American community, as well as those Italian-Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the people and communities of Brooklyn. Borough President Golden said, "Italian-Americans have helped make the borough of Brooklyn what it is today, the greatest place in America in which to live and work. With many people of Italian descent living in neighborhoods like Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Greenpoint, Carroll Gardens and Coney Island, Brooklyn is home to the largest Italian-American community in North America." He then added, "As one of the largest of Brooklyn’s 93 ethnic, racial and religious groups, Italian-Americans have played a major role in our history and continue to make important contributions today." The Borough President began the event proclaiming October, "Italian Heritage Month in Brooklyn," as a measure of the high esteem for the contributions of Italian-Americans to Brooklyn and as a symbol of the important connection between our borough and the nation of Italy. He then presented the proclamation to the Honorable Giorgio Radicati, Consul General of Italy, the special guest speaker for the evening. Immediately following the Consul General’s remarks, Borough President Golden made a special presentation to Mico D. Licastro, President of the Institute for the Italian American Experience and President of the Brooklyn-Anzio Sister City Partnership. Licastro coordinated a series of cultural exchanges between Brooklyn and Anzio, the first of which took place in 1990 involving a delegation of young Italian baseball players who visited Brooklyn. The young Italian players stayed in Brooklyn homes, played games against Brooklyn little leaguers, attended a New York Mets game and were treated to an exciting tour of the borough’s cultural and culinary institutions. Several months later, Licastro coordinated a similar trip to Italy for Brooklyn youth. Mico Licastro also helped Brooklyn welcome the visiting mayor of Anzio and organized a reception for the men and women of the U.S.S. Anzio at Brooklyn Borough Hall. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge, Licastro proposed and coordinated the pairing of the Brooklyn Bridge with the oldest bridge in Rome, the Ponte Milvio (Milvio Bridge). He is also the founder and organizer of the annual "4th of July- American Independence Day" event hosted by the mayor of Rome, an event inaugurated during the Borough President’s visit to Rome in 1993, as part of the "Brooklyn Goes Global" program. For his many initiatives in promoting cultural and educational experiences between two great nations, Borough President Golden conferred the honorary title of "Brooklyn Ambassador to Italy" on Licastro, saying "I have traveled to the homelands of many of our residents and developed "sister city" programs, so that contact between the "old country" and the "new" can be maintained. It takes a special commitment to ensure that educational and cultural exchanges take place and Mico Licastro has dedicated himself to expanding relations between Italy and America." The Borough President then made a second special presentation, in absentia due to the current high military alert, to Joseph Bevilacqua, Superintendent of the World War II Sicily/Rome American Military Cemetery. In July of 1943, United States forces landed on the shores of Italy, beginning a series of battles alongside allied troops. In June of 1944, with the enemy in full retreat, the allies entered Rome -- but not without great cost. Many Americans never came home. They gave their lives in service to this country. In 1947, fourteen sites in foreign countries were designated permanent resting places for these heroes by the Secretary of the Army and the American battle monuments commission. Their locations reflect the progress of military operations during World War II. The memorials at these military cemeteries offer a public record of the names of heroes buried there, as well as the names of those missing and the number of unknown. The 77-acre Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is located at the northern edge of the town of Nettuno, Italy, immediately east of Anzio. The remains of 7,371 Americans were laid to rest there, and the memorial commemorates 490 unknown and 3,095 missing Americans. Borough President Golden paid tribute to Bevilacqua’s distinguished service as superintendent of the cemetery and, alongside Consul General Radicati, assured those in attendance that Bevilacqua’s citation would be delivered to him safely. After a brief musical interlude by the Brooklyn Division of the Queens Opera Association, the Borough President presented citations to nine individuals and two organizations including Chamber Members Richard Aurelio, Joseph Chirico, Dr. Frank Sorrentino, and Marianne Teta. Richard Aurelio has had a distinguished career in journalism, government and communications. After service at "Newsday," Aurelio became press secretary and then chief-of-staff to U.S. Senator Jacob Javits. He later served as first deputy mayor to John Lindsay. In 1979, Dick Aurelio joined Warner Communications, becoming president of Warner’s Brooklyn-Queens television operations. Following the merger of Time and Warner, he took charge of the company’s New York operations. In 1992 he led the development of New York One News, the award-winning all-news cable channel that has become a model for similar local news channels nationwide. Aurelio is currently a director of Energy East, a northeast utility company. Aurelio has served on the boards of a number of civic and public organizations and corporations. He was a founding member of the board of directors of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation, a member of the 1975 New York State Charter Commission for New York City, the Javits Foundation, the City University Television Advisory Board, and the Citizens Committee for New York City. Joseph Chirico came to Carroll Gardens at the age of 19 from Reggio Calabria in Italy.His first enterprise was Joe’s luncheonette, which he opened in 1968, followed by Café del Sud in 1970. In the early 1980s Joe anticipated the renaissance of his beloved Carroll Gardens neighborhood, and created Marco Polo on Court Street, a restaurant and catering establishment that has become one of Brooklyn’s greatest eateries. His pride, and most recent venture, is the venerable Gage and Tollner, one of the most historic restaurants in Brooklyn, an establishment that predates the Brooklyn Bridge. Joe is widely credited with restoring Gage and Tollner to its original splendor, and continuing its great culinary tradition. Throughout his life, Joe Chirico has demonstrated a strong dedication to serving his community. He sponsors many youth sports teams and is a member of organizations such as the Verrazano Rotary Club, the South Brooklyn Lions Club, and the Calabria Regional Association. He also serves as the vice president of the Fulton Mall Improvement Association. Dr. Frank Sorrentino is chairman of the department of history, political science and social studies at St. Francis College. He has served as a member, trustee and program director of the American Italian Historical Society and was recently elected to the executive council of the American Italian Historical Association. He speaks Italian fluently and has served as host and coordinator of the Italian Historical Society lecture series, which has brought outstanding scholars and experts on culture, history and politics to speak at St. Francis College, benefiting the entire Brooklyn community. Sorrentino is the author of several books, and has lectured and published extensively on Italians and Italian-Americans. Several of his outstanding writings can be found in the "Italian American Encyclopedia" and "Italian American Studies." Marianne Teta, Director of Community Affairs for Verizon, has worked closely with every community board in Brooklyn. She is also very active in her neighborhood.Teta has served as the president of Bay Ridge Business and Professional Women and the Bay Ridge Community Council. She is currently president of Community School Board 20 and is a former vice-chair of Community Board 10. She has helped countless people and resolved many community problems throughout Brooklyn.