February 14, 2012
The Circolo Garibaldi Club of the Staten Island campus of
St. John’s University conducted its second Annual Induction of
Honorary Members from the Staten Island community on February 9,
2012. The Club is named after the famed Italian general
Giuseppe Garibaldi and was created in 2011 in honor of the 150th
Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
The following Staten Island dignitaries of Italian-American
descent were inducted as honorary members:
- Joseph Causi, New York Radio personality
- Jeffrey Giordano, Firefighter, Ladder Company #3 -
Posthumously
- Rev. Monsignor Richard Guastella, Pastor, Church of St.
Clare
- Kimberly J. Palmieri-Mouded, Associate Dean of Student Life,
St. John’s University
Some 150 guests gathered to hear each honoree, or family member,
speak of his or her bond with their Italian ancestry, and recall
stories of how their lives took shape early in life, and they spoke
mostly of their family values and strong work ethic. For the
late Firefighter Jeffrey Giordano, who gave his life so
courageously on 9/11, the audience gave a thunderous round of
applause in his memory as his wife and son spoke of his attributes
and achievements throughout his life.
The Circolo Garibaldi Club pays tribute to the leader of the
unification of Italy who resided on Staten Island during the latter
part of the 19th century at a home in Rosebank, which is now the
Garibaldi Meucci Museum. The Club has conducted many
activities in the past year, which adhere to its goal of
scholarship promotion, and mirror Italian American themes, such as
the annual Festa di San Giuseppe.
“Once again, the Circolo Garibaldi club, a student
organization, has made us all proud,” said Joseph Sciame,
Vice-President for Community Relations and Chair of the Italian
Cultural Center of St. Johns. “The new induction of Honorary
members brings to life the fact that so many Italian Americans have
achieved so much in their respective lives and we at St. John’s are
recognizing them through a combination of student, community and
University events.”
For this 2011-12 academic year, the Circolo Garibaldi Executive
Board consists of students: Nicholas Giordano, President; Matt
Forgione, Vice-President; Alexa Napolitano, Treasurer; Teresa
Montuori, Secretary; Ariel Napolitano, Public Relations; Ralph
Esposito, Historian; and Alexa Lazzarotti, its Immediate Past
President.
“The importance of the day and our campus student club, Circolo
Garibaldi, is that it underscores the distinguished and
accomplished honorees who took their time to be with us today,”
said Dr. Jerrold Ross, Academic Vice-President, Staten Island
campus. “Their contributions to society and for all they have
achieved in their respective professions indicate that they have
made their mark, and for that too we congratulate them and commend
them. Further, we recognize the cultural diversity of our
Staten Island campus on this occasion, as we highlight the
contributions of Italian Americans.”
The Planning Committee for this event included:
Christopher Cuccia, Ed.D., Academic Assistant Vice-President, who
assisted with the reading of the citations with Mr. Sciame as
Master of Ceremonies; Stephen DiBlasio, Director of Campus Ministry
for the Staten Island campus; Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, Nicholas
Giordano, Theresa Cantarella, Director of Student Financial
Services for the Staten Island campus and Madeline Larsen,
Assistant to the Academic Vice-President.
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant
Vice-President for Media Relations at St., John’s University by
calling (718)990.6185 or e-mail inquiries to
sciannad@stjohns.edu.