The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of the Bronx and Westchester (IHCC) honored the achievements of outstanding Italian Americans at its 44th Anniversary Champagne Luncheon on Sunday, September 29th at the Davenport Mansion in New Rochelle, New York. Five recipients were presented with Il Leone di San Marco Awards. Back Row, L to R: Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, N.A., Business; Tony Award-winning Actor/Singer Santino Fontana, Theatre Arts; New York Emmy Award-winner Frank C. DiLella, Host, Spectrum News NY1/ON STAGE, Theater Journalism; Patricia Santangelo, President, Italian Heritage and Culture Committee; Stephen J. Miotto, Founder and President, Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, Arts. Front Row, L to R: Lisa Salvati, Secretary, IHCC; Gary W. DeLeo, Treasurer, IHCC; and Diana Pecoraro, NYPD, Detective 1st Grade, Sonny Grosso Law Enforcement. The IHCC is a proud member organization of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), which is led by ISDA President Basil M. Russo.
By John J. Russo, St. Jude Lodge, Vice President
The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of The Bronx and Westchester in New York honors the achievements of outstanding contemporary Italian Americans for their talents or expertise. Il Leone di San Marco Awards are presented, at a luncheon, to individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields including, but not limited to, medicine, science, music, literature, sports, the arts, education, politics, business, entertainment, and law enforcement.
Award recipients have included actors Paul Sorvino, Stanley Tucci, Vincent Gardenia, Mira Sorvino, Armand Assante, Brenda Vaccaro, Tony Lo Bianco, Danny Aiello and Susan Lucci; entertainers Tony Danza and Regis Philbin; and sports legend Phil Rizzuto. In the field of Music, honorees have included Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci, Lou Christie, Steven Van Zandt, and Oscar winner Prof. John Corigliano. In the fields of medicine are Dr. Robert Lanza, a top doctor in stem cell research, Dr. Michael Brescia, Medical Director of Calvary Hospital who invented a life-supporting kidney machine, and Dr. Lisa DeAngelis, Chief Physician Executive of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Recent recipients also include Steve Schirripa, Actor, of CBS’ Blue Bloods TV Show, Nick Vallelonga, Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer of the movie Green Book, and Actor and Producer Chazz Palminteri, who wrote the play, which became the movie, Bronx Tale.
Over the years, Dr. A. Bartlett Giamatti, former president of Yale and later Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and his son, Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti accepted awards. In Journalism, Michael Gargiulo, and Mary Calvi were honored as were writers Lisa Scottoline and Adriana Trigiani for Literature.
The 2024 event was held September 29th at the Davenport Mansion in New Rochelle, NY. At that time, they presented the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of the Bronx and Westchester’s Il Leone di San Marco Awards to five outstanding honorees for their achievements. The honorees and their respective awards include:
- Tony Award-winning Actor and Singer Santino Fontana, Theatre Arts
- New York Emmy Award-winner Frank C. DiLella, Host, Spectrum News NY1/ON STAGE, Theater Journalism
- Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, N.A., Business
- Stephen J. Miotto, Founder and President, Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, Arts
- Diana Pecoraro, NYPD, Detective 1st Grade, Sonny Grosso Law Enforcement
The late Bronx Community College Community Relations and Media Specialist Dolores Magnotta, and the late educator Betty L. Santangelo, wife of New York Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo, founded the organization and held the first event in May 1980. This past year, the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee initiated and awarded a scholarship in their honor to a Junior at Preston High School in the Bronx. The Committee’s Officers are: Patricia Santangelo, President; Gary W. DeLeo, Treasurer; and Lisa Salvati, Secretary. Committee members include Madeline Balmaceda, Susan Schaefer, Maria Iovieno Swieciki, Andrea McArdle, Adele Gagliardi, Charles Santangelo, Meg Nocero, and Debra Sanguinetti.
Current president Patricia Santangelo, daughter of co-founder Betty, said “The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee continues the legacy of my father, the late Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo, who passed away in 1978, as he championed Italian Americans throughout his life. Dolores Magnotta and my mother, Betty, did amazing work honoring wonderful individuals including Paul Sorvino and Danny Aiello in the first two years, as well as hundreds of doctors, educators, jurists, journalists, playwrights, and law enforcement honorees over the following decades. Our committee continues their mission and nominates individuals who represent the best in their fields.”
The awards ceremony serves to promote the positive image of Italian Americans. It is important to preserve our heritage, which values the work ethic and the principles of honesty and integrity, the foundation upon which character is built. The awards are not only a tribute to outstanding Italian Americans, but a symbol of what we are and what can be achieved. In celebrating our heritage and culture, it is their hope that these achievers, many from humble beginnings, serve as role models for future generations. The awards ceremony and luncheons are being held on a biannual basis with the next event planned for September 27, 2026. Their website is italianheritageandculture.org for further information and photos of past events.