The History of the Association of Former Citizens of Guardia Lombardi
(Researched by Frank D'Antona)
In the early 1900's, another society named "Guardia Lombardi" existed which was made up of immigrants from our home town; including Joe DiMarino, a forefather of our own club. The meetings were held in Newark, Brooklyn and White Plains. At that time, Joe DiMarino thought that it would be better to
establish only one location for the meetings, and to therefore end the policy of varying the meeting sites. Vernon, New York become the new and permanent location of the society. Many of the members objected to the idea of a single site, and unable to persuade them to change their views. Joe DiMarino set out to establish a new Guardia Lombardi Society which would be situated at one location. It was Joe's dream to establish a haven for these immigrant men to come and share their thoughts and dreams. Indeed, many of these men were in the United States without their families and were virtually alone. Realizing the benefit that such a society could offer these men, Joe DiMarino and others formed a small committee to establish a new club. This new committee (with Joe as its chairman) included among others, Tommaso Delfico, Vito Magnotta, Giovanni Lucadamo, Vincenzo Stanco, and Frank Magnotta. These dedicated committee members went virtually from house to house of our "paisani" to inquire whether they would be interested in joining the new society. The committee met with some success, and on August 7th, 1938, the very first meeting of this new Guardia Lombardi Society was held in a rented hall (the rental fee was $4.00) on 4th Avenue (Between 2nd and 3rd Streets) in the City of Mount Vernon, New York. This fledgling group worked hard to build up the organization, and by December, 1938 the society membership grew to 73. The coming of World War II saw many of our members called to serve in the armed forces of their newly adopted country - a service which was performed willingly and proudly. Other members contributed to the war effort by their employment in defense work. Despite this major disruption, Joe DiMarino remained resolute in furthering the establishment of our society and continued to hold meetings and kept the membership as active as possible during the war years. From the society's beginning in 1938, Joe DiMarino served as President continuously for 25 years. Frank Magnotta, as Financial Secretary, Tommaso Delfico, as Corresponding Secretary, and Vincenzo Stanco, as Oratore, also served continuously in their respective offices during that 25 year span. Indeed these four men deserve much gratitude for their hard work and intense loyalty to our society. Soon after World War II, the club decided that it wanted to end their practice of renting space for their needs, and formulated plans for eventually owning outright a permanent home for the Guardia Lombardi Society. Indeed, there was considerable discussion and debate over the relative merits of purchasing an existing building as opposed to building a new structure specifically designed to meet the society's present and projected needs. It was finally agreed that the society would construct a brand new building. The members had realized that this decision would require a truly ambitious effort to raise money for this project, since the society's own treasury lacked anywhere near the money that would be needed to finance such an endeavor. After a considerable mount of time, initial funds were raised to purchase a vacant lot on the corner of Putnam and Locust Streets in the City of Mount Vernon. Since this purchase exhausted whatever funds that were raised, a special committee was established to raise the additional money needed to construct a new headquarters building on the lot. The committee for the building fund consisted of Joe DiMarino, Salvatore Sgobbo, Angelo Riccio, Gaetano Troiano, Gaetano DiMatteo, Larry Scavone, Joe DiPietro, and Tommaso Delfico. The committee members went to the homes of members and friends, asking them to contribute whatever they could afford to a specially established building fund. The contributions were considered as a loan, which would be paid back in 15 years without interest. Finally, after a long period of struggle and perseverance, the committee was able to raise enough money to begin construction in 1960. The construction project was supervised by committee member Vincenzo Stanco, who was also a building contractor, and the project proceeded under his license and insurance coverage. Three years later, after any sacrifices, devotion, and hard work from the members of the club, the building was completed. The construction of this large edifice represented a significant and unique achievement in that it was built and financed by a relatively small group of people which drew its membership from only one small town in Italy. Indeed this achievement matches the efforts of other larger Italian-American organizations which drew their respective memberships from larger regions of the Italian peninsula. It should also be noted that a majority of the construction was done by two of our members, Carmine and Angelo Sicuranza. With construction completed by the beginning of 1963, a big celebration dinner dance was held in our new club building. And, over the years, the club has kept its promise by paying back each individual contribution to the building fund at the end of their respective 15 year loan period. In 1979, the Ladies Auxiliary of Guardia Lombardi Society was established, and Virginia Maiorano was elected as its first president. Following her tenure, The presidency was also held by Geraldine Riccio (twice), Nina Scavone and Eleanora Petriello. Under the current president, Olga DiPaola, the Ladies Auxiliary continues, as it has over the last 32 years, to raise funds for the society in general and scholarship program in particular by organizing various dinner dances, such as annual "Carnivale." During the past 73+ years of the club's existence, many events were held which not only benefited the club, but also benefited the community and individuals. One example is the annual picnic for senior citizens held at Hartley Park in Mount Vernon. Under the sponsorship of the Guardia Lombardi Association, this barbecue, now in its 13th year, feeds over 500 seniors. Another example is the scholarship fund established for members' children and relatives who are entering college Founded in 1985 by Mike DiSanto with assistance from Nina Scavone of the Ladies Auxiliary, and presently headed by Michael A. DiSanto, Esq., the Scholarship Fund has awarded 46 scholarships to date. The Guardia Lombardi Scholarship Fund was the original dream of Frank Sgobbo, the Society's fourth President, but it came into being several years later when New York State Senator John Calandra appropriated an initial $2,000 donation to get the fund started. In addition to these regular ongoing, yearly events, the Society has also sponsored specific humanitarian fund raisers to help individual members and members' families in need. The Society periodically held a "Queen of the Society" contest where members' daughters competed for the title based on their ability to raise funds for the club. There have only been five contests held between 1940 and 1980. The "Queens of the Society" were: Mary Ambrosio (1940), Della DiPietro Iannacchino (1952), Teresa Riccio DiMatteo (1957), Joanne Maiorano (1964), and Roseanne Trolio Valvano (1980). Another annual event is the summer picnic held for the enjoyment of the club members and their families and friends. The picnic is filled with an abundance of activity - children's' games, music for listening and dancing, a raffle of cash prizes, and a great deal of socializing in what has always been a truly festive event. The picnic has become an annual tradition since the first one which was held on August 6th, 1939 at the "Romeo and Juliet" picnic grounds (located near the present day Westchester County Airport). The picnic was soon relocated to the Ridge Road picnic Grounds in Hartsdale, where it is still held every year. In 1992, the Society's headquarters underwent a major architectural renovation and face lifting, President Al DiLeo was instrumental in seeing the project through. Many members donated their time in doing the construction work, thereby saving the Society a considerable amount of money. Coupled with more recent renovations involving the parking lot, roof, and sidewalks with inlaid brick design; our headquarters building stands out as the "jewel" of the neighborhood. This was further recognized by the City of Mount Vernon when it honored our society and its headquarters by officially renaming Putnam Street "Guardia Lombardi Plaza" on August 24th, 1995. In conclusion, when self-reliance was a key to survival for many Guardiesi in the early days of their emigration, the Society's original and prime function of mutual aid and support proved to be invaluable to those members struggling to succeed in a new life in a new country. The Society has also succeeded, over the years, in fulfilling its additional goals of renewing kinship, preserving tradition, and engaging in community service. Although many of the original Guardiesi settled in Mount Vernon and West Harrison, today some 35,000 of their descendants live throughout Westchester County and the entire region. For many of them, the Guardia Lombardi Society is still a focal point and binding tie to their common heritage and beloved village nestled in the mountains of central Italy. All of the members and the past administrations should be congratulated for their sacrifice and hard work in furthering the interests of our society over the past 70+ years. Indeed, it is our hope that our children will lead the Guardia Lombardi Society to greater accomplishments well into 2000's.
