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Newsmakers
Summer
2005
DONALD
J. D'AMICO, M.D., professor of ophthalmology
at Harvard Medical School, conducted clinical trials
on Macugen, the new drug approved by the FDA to treat
macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness
in older Americans.
MIKE D'ANTONI coaches
the Phoenix Suns which have excelled under his leadership
earning the club's best record. He has a 30-year professional
basketball career including the NBA, ABA and the Italian
League. Born in Mullins, West Virginia D'Antoni became
one of Italy's fiercest soccer coaches before coming
to the Suns.
TONY DANZA dropped
in on an Italian class at Grand Valley State University
in Michigan last April and shocked students by giving
all 19 of them a free trip to Italy, courtesy of Perillo
Tours and Alitalia Airlines.
ROBBIE DONNO help
found Gift of Life, a program that helps children
with heart problems get life-saving surgery. Over the
past thirty years it has helped almost 6,000 children
by arranging transportation from third-world countries
to the United States for needed operations. Recently,
Mr. Donno helped found Gift of Life International which
coordinates efforts worldwide.
MARY ANN ESPOSITO is
breaking broadcasting records with Ciao Italia,
the longest running cooking show on the air. Ciao
Italia, available on local public television stations,
has been running for 16 years. Ms. Esposito has released
her ninth cookbook, Ciao Italia Pronto!, featuring
Italian meals with quick preparation (30 minutes!) and
cooking time. [427.95; St.Martin's Press. Available
in October at bookstores nationally.]
ROBERTA GAMBARINI is
considered by many as one of today's finest young jazz
singers and a successor to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan
and Carmen McRae. This Italian native is known for her
near-flawless pitch and vast range. Her first American
CD, Easy to Love, is scheduled to be released
this year.
PETER W. RODINO, JR., 95,
the Democratic New Jersey congressman and House Judiciary
Committee Chairman who presided over the congressional
hearings that led to President Nixon's resignation, passed
away May 9. Born to an immigrant Italian toolmaker in
Newark, Rodino served in Congress from 1949-1989. He
played significant role in making Columbus Day a federal
holiday.
VINCENT SCHIRALDI, a nationally
known juvenile justice expert, has been nominated by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams
and confirmed by the city council as the director of the Department of Youth
Rehabilitation Services. He is the first director of this Cabinet-level agency
that replaced the Youth Services Administration.
NORMA VALLY, host of the hit Discovery
Channel show, Toolbelt Diva, has taken brought "Tool Time" to
a brand new audience: women. Vally splits her time between taping the show in
Hollywood and her home in Brooklyn. "I'm an Italian-American who grew up
in Brooklyn," she told the New York Daily News, "Whatever
package it comes in, this is it. And as it turns out, I think it makes me stand
out."
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