PIP1 March 2007 Meeting Report

With special thanks to Dominic Candeloro, the March 21, 2007, PIP1 meeting was held at the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park, a suburb of Chicago. Several persons interested in Italian genealogy joined us for the meeting, billed as “Are Your Roots in the Boot?” We had an attendance of at least 13 persons, including the newcomers, on a stormy Midwest evening. 

Stone Park is demographically located close to a large population of Italian-Americans. The library and cultural collection of the Center are of considerable interest and value for genealogical research.

The topics for the March meeting were basically an introduction to newcomers about Italian genealogy, as well as about POINT, PIP, and specific examples by PIP1 members of successful research in finding living relatives and ancient family roots.

We were personally welcomed to the Italian Cultural Center by the President of Casa Italia. Hospitality arrangements made by Dominic Candeloro included pizza, salad, and drinks, for which we all chipped in. Copies of POINTers magazine were made available.

Some of the activities taking place at the Center, in connection with organizations such as Casa Italia, include social activities by Pugliesi, Calabresi and Siciliani communities, as well as cultural activities involving vocal training, education, Italian-language lessons, and yoga. On the night of our meeting, the entire center was busy with activities.

Jenny Floro-Khalaf thoughtfully brought in copies and autographed her recent book, Mount Carmel and Queen of Heaven Cemeteries, Images in America series,  that tells of and illustrates “a unique glimpse into the history of Chicago during a time that saw massive immigration, rising industrialization, two world wars, and numerous tragedies.”

As host of ItalianAncestry. com, Jenny compiled a valuable “Italian Genealogy Resources” flyer on behalf of our PIP1 Chapter, passing them out to all attendees. The single-page flyer will be especially useful for newcomers since it contains specifics about Internet Sites, Suggested Books, Organizations, Newspapers, and Magazines.

By near consensus, we are planning to have our next PIP1 meeting at the Italian Cultural Center on Wednesday, June 20, 2007.

--Alex DeVolpi