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Sons of Italy 49th Biennial Convention in New York City
Celebrating the Sons of Italy 100th Anniversary
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - July
21, 2005 The Order Sons of Italy
in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest
national organization for men and women
of Italian heritage, will hold its 49th
Biennial National Convention in New York
City August 16-21.
"We
are excited to be able to hold our convention
in the city of the organization's founding
during our centennial year. In 1905 OSIA
was founded by Italian immigrants in
New York's Little Italy. Here we are,
100 years later, with a membership that
reaches coast-to-coast," says Joseph
Sciame, OSIA national president.
The
convention will be held at the Grand
Hyatt New York. About 300 OSIA national
delegates, national trustees, state presidents
and OSIA Supreme Council officers and
their spouses will attend the convention
to review OSIA's last two years' activities,
elect a new slate of national leaders
and set OSIA's cultural, philanthropic
and administrative agendas for next two
years.
During
the week OSIA will honor Geno
Auriemma,
who coaches the Huskies women's
basketball team at the University of Connecticut. Auriemma will receive the 2005
OSIA Sports Award at a luncheon Friday, August 19. Auriemma currently holds the
record of having the highest winning percentage of any active coach in Division
I basketball. He is the only basketball coach in history to lead a team to five
consecutive Final Four appearances.
Justice
Frank J. Montemuro, Jr., an esteemed jurist on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
who has led OSIA in so many capacities,
will be honored with the OSIA's
2005 Sellaro Award. Justice Montemuro has served as OSIA's Pennsylvania state
president, National President for two terms and was a principal founder of the
OSIA's anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice. A luncheon honoring
him will be on Thursday, August 18 at Cipriani's restaurant.
The convention
will close Saturday, August 20 with the Marconi Gala at the Waldorf=Astoria.
Astronaut Michael Massimino will receive OSIA's 2005 Marconi Award in honor of
Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian inventor of wireless telegraphy. This award is
bestowed on those who have made important contributions to the United States,
exemplifying the ideals of OSIA.
Guests
wishing to purchase tickets to convention special events should contact the OSIA
National office at 202/547-2900. Tickets to the Sports Luncheon are $125.00,
the Sellaro Luncheon $75.00 and the Marconi Gala Dinner $200.00.
OSIA is the largest and longest-established national organization for men and women of Italian descent in the United States. Established in 1905, OSIA has more than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of more than 745 chapters coast to coast.
OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nationÅfs fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To learn more, visit OSIA on the Web at www.osia.org.
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