SSILHOUETTES ' by Emily Carney Cavaliere Ufficiale Vincent Genovese knows what it's like to chisel out an existence in the United States from scratch. "I was born in Italy, in Calabria in Gioia Tauro, Reggio Calabria. After the war, with my family, we emi- grated from Italy to the USA. This was in 1955 when I was a teenager. None of us spoke English," he related. "I went .to school at night to learn English. vi I went to work for my uncles, who had a big ': clothing factors' -in Philadelphia. They were mak- *ing suits, pants, whatever. I ar- rived on Satur- day, by boat, with my family and Monday mom- ing, I was at the '-. " job 'immediately.' . I was very eager .j to be active." Through grit- ty- determina- tion, Genovese :- attained the American Dream. carving out a suc- - cessful career in 2.' business. He was %. then determined . to give back to his community N- .through service. Even in retire-' ment, he tire- lessly works to promote Italian heritage and cul- ture,. educating the Tampa com- munity about his native couihtry. After arriving in the U.S., the "Somebod teenage Geno- do to have f vese quickly for- involved. T mulated a plan to enrich his life. "I was there at the tailor shop... after having been there two or three days, 'I said, 'That's nice to start... but not to finish. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this factory.' I spent a couple of years there. In the mean- time, I went to night school to learn English," he related. Within a few years, Genovese was fluent in English and. had, along with his education in Italy, gained enough cred- its to go to college. "In 1959, I decided to go to university. I alsojoined the Pennsylvania National Guard as a reservist. "I went to Temple Universi- ty. I worked in the daytime and. I was going to school at night," he said. Genovese paid for his education tuition, books and all through his work at the clothing factory. "I graduated with a degree in business ad- - ministration from Temple in 1965. After graduating and completing my military ser- ' vice in 1966, I sat for the CPA test. In one shot, I made it. In the meantime, I was working as an auditor for a CPA firm." After filling out an applica- tion to work overseas, he was hired by Avis Rent-A-Car In- ternational, based in London, England, as audit manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. His career advanced swift- ly. "In two years, I was pro- moted to general manager in Tel Aviv, Israel. After a few years, I reorganized the com- pany in Israel... then I was promoted to be the director of operations in the Middle East based in Athens, including the Arab countries. I was then promoted to vice president of operations in Europe, Africa -and the Middle East. "In 1979, I joined the family of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat...I was managing di- rector and partner of a major project, which entailed cov- ering hotels, travel and any- thing related to tourism for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I met his spn-in-law. After meeting his son-in-law, cent Genove ly asked me the other day, 'Wh Fun?' I said, 'Being involved. I hat's my fun."' Photo by Robe in those countries, once you are part of a group, that's it you're a member of the fam- ily. I met Sadat many times at receptions. He was very gra- cious, very present and very warm." After Sadat's assassination in 1981, Genovese decided to move on from Egypt. "Once he was assassinated, I felt that it was time for me to leave Egypt.. In those countries, when your benefactor is not. there any- more, you have no protection. In those countries, you must have a benefactor you must have someone who can open the doors for you. The day he died, those doors closed im- mediately. It was time for me to leave." He went back to Philadel- phia and joined- an Italian helicopter company, Agus- .taWestland Corporation, as a vice president of finance and administration. During this time, he became focused on promoting the culture and heritage of Philadelphia's large Italian-American com- munity. "I was the head of many organizations. I formed sort of a coalition of many Ital- ian-American organizations, the Alliance of Italian-Ameri- can Associations.. .it was com- prised of about 50 or 60 dif- ferent organizations. I was its founder and first president. "I would meet with the press and media to make sure they would provide a balanced view of Italian-Americans. We suffered in Philadelphia and perhaps throughout the States the false notion that Italians are all criminals. That's what the perception was they're criminals or .thby have associations with the Mafia," he said, shaking his head. "My responsibility was to meet with the editors of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the lo- cal newspaper, to discuss this point and make sure the media would also recognize the contributions of Italians have made to this country in every field medical, busi- ness, engineer- IS ing, political and more, because the media tended to concentrate :..'upon the more negative aspects of our communi- t and our heri- tage." I arranged to have quarterly Meetings with the senior editors of the newspaper, along with presi- dents of major or- ganizations such as the National - -,.; ~I. talian-Ameri- -" can Foundation INIAFJ, Sons of Italy and UNICO. We'd meet every three months to discuss this Point. "Things im- proved when they began to realize that there was a misjudgment about the Italian- American com- munity they'd treat them as if they were all in the same bundle. The Mafia is a re- ality but it does not represent the iat do you Italian-Ameri- want to be cans. It does not rt Azmitia. mean all Italians follow the Mafia. Those were the kinds of things I did that was my main point of attack, to make sure we improved the image of Italian- Americans in that region and alsd in the States. NIAF, Sons of Italy and UNICO all had the same mission to foster awareness for what Italians have contributed to this coun- try. In the end, we were very successful. "We also did charitable events and raised funds for needy people all ethnic groups, not necessarily Ital- ians. We were on TV many times participating in the Easter Seals organization...we were bringing checks we had raised through many events," he added. "Whenever we had sailing boats come over from Italy for the 400th anniversa- ry of Christopher Columbus, there was a big celebration in Philadelphia. I was the chief organizer for the entertain- ment surrounding that time." He also was the chairman of the Amerigo Vespucci Wel- come Committee, which orga- nized 'events during the visits of the ships Amerigo Vespucci and Stella Polare, throwing gala events for military mem- bers. Genovese was "...busy all the time. I was working dur- ing the day, but in the eve- ning and during the week- ends I was always busy. This was a continuous activity. I never stopped." He was also a member of the National Ital- ian American Political Action Committee, the Associazione Regionale Calabrese, execu- tive director of Miss Italia USA- Philadelphia, and a founding member and first president of the Greater Northeast Phila- delphia Chapter of UNICO National. His numerous Ital- ian-American community en- deavors were rewarded with a Cavaliere Ufficiale dell'Ordine Al Merito della Repubblica Ital- iana, a level of knighthood be- stowed upon him by the Ital- ian government. A distinctive red-and-green pin on his lapel denotes this honor. In 2010, Genovese set his sights upon retirement. "My company had a policy at the age of 65, you had to leave. But they felt I should stay," he laughed. "Then I felt it was time for me to leave. I want- ed to go and enjoy the sun in Florida, but not stop I want- ed to continue what I enjoy to do, and these are the things I enjoy the most." While he and his wife, Linda, may have moved to Tampa to enjoy the warm climate, Genovese had no intention of quitting his service to the Italian commu- nity. "Before I came here, I knew the Consul General of Italy in Miami, Marco Rocca, very well. I mentioned to him that very shortly I would be going to Tampa to retire. He said he would be very interested to appoint me as the honorary consul in Tampa. I said, Well, as soon as I arrive in Tampa, Ill give you a call,'" he said. At first, the Italian govern- ment would not accept his application due to his -age- "They called me and said, 'We cannot accept.' I asked why. 'Because you're too old.' What do you mean, too old? 'Well, you're over 70.' Well, it was a new beginning of my life!" he laughed. Genovese is a very youthful-looking 76. "So they. gave me another title, which basically has the same func- tion. I am a Consular Corre- spondent of Italy, represent- ing the Italian government. ."When anyone has any need for services, I provide help here whenever I can. If it's necessary, I will channel them to the Consul General in Miami. I do also get involved in terms of assisting Italian com- panies who want to do busi- ness in the Tampa Bay area, or if there are Italians in the area who have problems, all sorts criminal, civil, what- ever. I provide any assistance they require. "I began to activate myself with all of the organizations here the Italian-American organizations. The major one is the Italian Club of Tampa," he related. "I held a very big event in 2011 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Last year, we had National Italian Day, which was to celebrate the day when Italy became a republic, on the second .of June. The event Fm organizing right now will happen on Sunday, Janu- ary 27." Genovese is the exec- utive director of International Holocaust Remembrance Day at Ybor's Italian Club, which will begin that day at 4 p.m. Genovese considers stay- ing involved with community matters as his most loved hobby. "That's what I love to do I love to be involved; I like to help people as much as I can. I receive calls all the time every day from people who need assistance; I chan- nel them to the right direc- tion. I like to do it because I can afford to do it. I do not do it for money. I do it because this country has been great to me and now I want to give back to society not only to the Italians, but also to the Americans. "I recognize the fact that if I hadn't been in this coun- try, I wouldn't have succeeded as much as I did...the coun- try gave me the opportunity. Somebody asked me the other day, 'What do you do to have fun?' I said, 'Being involved. I want to be involved. That's my fun.'" His dedication to service stems from his connection to his first home. "This passion originated from me at a very young age, even in the days when I just came from Italy. I had a nationalistic passion. I am an American citizen and I am also an Italian citizen. I'm 'an American and I'm an Ital- ian, but I have a passion for Italy, a passion for the coun- try where I was born. It's cul- ture. "Italy is a country where there is a family spirit. Ev- erything revolves around the . family. Everything revolves around the kitchen. That's how we are. I have a passion for the art. Italy made gigantic steps after the war. It was ac- tually destroyed in the Second World War, but it is now one of the premier countries in the world. "There is a perception that Italy is not stable, but it, in fact, is very stable. It grows very well. The reason why it grows is because of the en- trepreneurial spirit of the Ital- ians. They distinguish them- selves. The Italians who come to this country have really managed to establish many prestigious organizations and companies. That is because of their ingenuity in the fields of engineering, art and busi- ness. Many people who come from the south of Italy to this country establish themselves. There are many, like me, who have made inroads into this country. It's the passion for the country." LaViva Professional Center CLIF.CURRY@CURRYLAWGROUP.COM 750 West Lumsden Road WWW.CURRYLAWGROUP.COM Brandon, Florida 33511 813-653-2500 l-n - FT THIS PAPER COURSE TA'KE= A SMA !, lil i] -iLL STEP TO GET HEALTH Page,10/LA GACETA/Friday, January 25,2013 CLIFTON C. CURRY, JR. ATTORNEY AT LAW -'