Italian American Museum Holds Its Third Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony

By Vincent P. Cuccia

Former New York State First Lady Matilda Raffa Cuomo, City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, and actor and Order of Sons of Italy national spokesman Tony Lo Bianco were honored at the third annual Gala and Awards Ceremony of the Italian American Museum. There was also a special award handed out to Dr. Lucia Servadia Bedarida, who is the oldest surviving Italian American, for a lifetime of humanitarian service. Mistress of Ceremonies Laura Savini hosted the event that was held at the Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom on April 2.

The black-tie event commenced with a cocktail reception at 7:00 p.m., with dinner and dancing beginning at 8:00 p.m. America’s tenor Michael Amante and Don De Marco and his orchestra performed.

Individual tickets to the event were $350. And the money is going to The Italian American Museum, currently housed at 28 West 44th St. The hope is to acquire a building in Manhattan that will become the institution’s permanent home, according to Joseph V. Scelsa, EdD., the Museum’s president.

The Museum, which has received widespread support from prominent Italian Americans, received its provisional charter from the New York State Board of Regents in June 2001. The Italian American Museum is dedicated to exploring the rich cultural heritage of Italy and Italian Americans by presenting the individual and collective struggles and achievements of Italians and their heirs to the American way of life..