SONS OF ITALY 2013 ITALIAN FESTIVAL HONOREES Congratulations are in order for Sons of Italy members, Gilda Reed

and John DeBlasis, who have been selected as the 2013 Italian Americans of the year by the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival Board of Directors. We have previously featured Gilda Reed in the Meet Our Member section of the Newsletter so we have included the biography of John DeBlasis in this issue so you can meet him. Gilda and John will be honored at the Annual Honoree Dinner held at the McLure Hotel on the evening of July 24. We are asking our members to show their support for our lodge and for Gilda and John by attending this dinner. We will have tickets available at the lodge for the dinner. Mark the date on your calendar now and plan to attend

LOGGIA UGUAGLIANZA 754

ITALIAN FESTIVAL SAUSAGE MAKING. We will be making sausage for the Italian Festival on Tuesdays, July 9, 16, & 23. Sausage making begins at 8:00 AM and continues until the batch is finished. We will be cutting the meat for sausage on Monday evenings beginning at 6:30 PM on Monday, July 8. Links will be cut on Wednesdays at 8:00 AM after the sausage is made. We need help for all of these activities. If you can help let us know so we can schedule you. The Italian Festival is our major fundraising event of the year and we need help to make it a success. ITALIAN FESTIVAL We need workers for our sausage stand & kitchen for the Italian Festival. (The sausage stand will be covered on Sunday, July 28, by the Gianangeli Family.) If you can help, mail the following form to the lodge or call Janice 304-676-7137 or 676-3178. Remember to include your t-shirt size

BELLAIRE, OHIO ITALIAN FESTIVAL JULY 26-27, 2013 VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP NAME______________________ PHONE_____________________ DAY I CAN WORK __________ I WOULD LIKE TO WORK KITCHEN_____ STAND_____ TIME: T-SHIRT SIZE___

HOURS FOR THE STAND 11:00 - 300 3:00 - 7:00 7:00 - CLOSE HOURS FOR KITCHEN 7:00 - 3:00 3:00 - CLOSE SEND THIS FORM TO THE LODGE ATT: JANICE

COMING EVENTS
July 4 LODGE CLOSED NO PASTA NITE D.J. Tony James 8:30-11:00 Monthly Meeting 2:00 Monthly Drawing 8:20 Entertainment Vinny & the Time Travelers 8:30-11:30 Dance Italian Festival Kick-Off Dinner See article NO PASTA NITE Italian Festival Set Up Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival Volunteers Needed Officers Meeting 6:00 August 18 August 4 August 10 July 6 Monthly Meeting 2:00 Monthly Drawing 8:20 Entertainment Buffington Brothers 8:30-11:30 Dance Anniversary Dinner Scholarship Awards Bocce Tournament 8:00 - ??? No Monthly Meeting Meeting will be Sep. 8 LABOR DAY CLOSED NO
WEEKLY DRAWING

September 14 Hall of Fame Dinner After Game September 14 Monthly Drawing 8:20 Entertainment TBA 8:30-11:30 Dance September 20 Bellaire Alumni September 21 Bellaire Alumni Reverse Raffle September 28 Great Stone Viaduct Celebration Sausage Stand Volunteers Needed September 29 Cooking Class 2:00 - 6:00 September 30 Officers Meeting 6:00 October 6 October 12 Monthly Meeting 2:00 Monthly Drawing 8:20 Entertainment Silver Sky 8:30-11:30 Dance

July 7 July 13

August 24

September 1

July 24

September 2

July 25 July 26-28

September 3 September 7 September 8

Officers Meeting 6:00 Evening in the Courtyard Monthly Meeting 2:00

July 29

SONS OF ITALY
SICK LIST The following members have been reported to the Lodge as ill or in the hospital since our last newsletter. Tullio Ciancone Dom Davolio Paul DePaulis Ike Liberati Rose Patrone Virginia Stewart Richard Vannelle If you know of someone who is ill or in the hospital, please notify us at the lodge so we can get their name in the newsletter. IN MEMORIAM The following SOI members have passed away since our last newsletter. Louise Cicogna Bruce Cervelli Tony DeFelice Robert Mass MEMBERSHIP DUES ADDRESS CHANGES E-MAIL UPDATES Please contact David Badia for membership applications and address changes. Also, if you are interested in receiving updates on club activities and your newsletter electronically, send your e -ma i l a ddr es s t o Da vi d a t sonsofitaly754@gmail.com. Members who have submitted their e-mail addresses will receive their newsletters by e-mail. If you have lost your key card you can get a replacement for five dollars. Leave the money with your name at the bar and David will provide you with a new key card. LODGE HOURS Sunday: Closed. (Open for Lodge meetings.) Monday: Closed until 5:00 P.M. Weekly drawing at 8:00 P.M. Tuesday-Saturday: Open at 12:00. CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS Veterans of Foreign Wars of Ohio and Sons of Italy Lodge 754 The following is a report listing our recent charitable contributions: Wheeling Braves Baseball, Shadyside Youth Baseball, Big Red Touchdown Club, Chautauqua Days, American Legion Auxiliary for Chillicothe Veteran's Hospital, Citizen Committee for Bellaire Schools, Walk for a day Walk for Autism.

LOGGIA UGUAGLIANZA 754

HALL RENTAL Our hall is available for rental. It is the perfect place to hold your special event. We can serve spaghetti with sausage or meatballs, or you can have an outside caterer. We ask that all alcohol be purchased at the bar. The rental fee is only $75 for members and $100 for nonmembers. We are now taking reservation for 2014. If you are planning a party next year, it would be wise to reserve your date now. Call the lodge 740-6767137 and check with Janice to see if your date is available. COOKING CLASS Our Cultural Committee has scheduled the next cooking class for Sunday, September 29, 2013. The class will be held from 2:00 - 6:00 P.M. at the lodge hall. Plans are being made for another great afternoon. Watch for further information at the lodge and in your local paper. Tickets will be on sale August 1, 2013. BOCCE TOURNAMENT
Our Bocce Committee will sponsor a Bocce Tournament on our courts on August 24, 2013., beginning at 8am. Entry fee is $50 per team. Prizes will be paid for first through third places. You can pick up an entry at the lodge or call Doug Hartlieb 740-676-2348 or Janice 740-676-7137 or 740-676-3178 for further details or to register. Only sixteen teams will be accepted for this tournament, so it is always a good idea to sign up early.

BELLAIRE, OHIO
GOLF TOURNAMENT Chairman Phil Pata announced that our 14th Annual Golf Tournament held at Oglebay's Crispin Course on June 10. was a huge success thanks to our loyal sponsors! BAUKNECHTALTMEYER FUNERAL HOME, BELMONT SAVINGS BANK, BOMMER CONSTRUCTION, BREIDING INSURANCE & FINANCIAL SERVICES, BELLAIRE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, BUFFALO WILD WINGS, DEFELICE PIZZA, FAMILY MEDICAL SUPPLY, FREGIATO, MYSER AND DAVIES LAW FIRM, GARD DUTY ALARMS, HOLE 'N RUN, LANCIONE, LLOYD & HOFFMAN LAW FIRM, JACOB AND SONS, LYND COMPANY LEVA'S JEWELRY, OHIO VALLEY PROMENADERS SQUARE & ROUND DANCE CLUB, PANHANDLE CLEANING & RESTORATION, STONY HOLLOW TIRE, LARRY SIEBIEDA ARCHITECT, SAVE RITE PHARMACY, MAYOR BOB VINCENZO, WEST TEXAS ROAD HOUSE, & WHEELING HOSPITAL. Special thanks to John Gianangeli who was the chief cook this year.. Many of the players told us the meal was the best part of the tournament. Cash prizes were awarded to the teams who finished first through third. Tournament winners were: 1st: Dwayne Pielech, John Pielech, Jeff Pielech and Gary Schrickle. 2nd: Rodger Brown, Brian Herron, Don Walker, & Kevin Lahna. 3rd: Phil Pata, Phil Pata II, Joe Gaudio, & Jim Glasser. Many thanks to the 3rd. place team sponsored by Save Rite Pharmacy who donated their prize money back to the lodge. If you are a golfer, think about getting a team together for our 15th tournament which will be held sometime in June next year. Donations of $500 each were made to Alzheimer's & Cooley's Anemia Research at the State Convention. Congratulations to John DeBlasis who had a hole in one during tournament play.

EVENING IN THE COURTYARD Tickets are on sale for our annual Evening in the Courtyard on September 07, 2013. The event features a delicious 5 course dinner by Chef Tony Polsinelli and his talented crew. Entertainment has been scheduled with Italian music by Mirella the Musician, who will entertain us from 7:30 - 10:30. Tickets will be $30 for members and $35 for guests. Ticket price includes: Dinner/wine, entertainment, door prizes and gratuity. Main Dish: Choice of Braciolone with Polenta & Mushroom sauce or Lemon Chicken over Polenta. . Tickets are available at the bar or you can send a check to the lodge and tickets will be mailed. No tickets will be sold after September 1, 2013. BIRTHDAY DRINK If you are

celebrating a birthday stop in for a visit and get your birthday drink.

Thank you Phil Pata for another great year!

SOI 754

MEET OUR MEMBER

SOI 754

John F. DeBlasis of Wheeling has been named by the Board of Directors for the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival as a co-recipient of the Italian American of the Year for 2013. When asked if I would consider being recognized for this award, I could think of no better way to honor my parents. And when Joe Donahue informed me of the selection, I was humbled by the honor, DeBlasis said. DeBlasis, long associated with physical therapy and sports medicine in the valley, said it was the sacrifices made by his parents that fostered his success. He is the second son born to John T. and Clara E. Rataiczak DeBlasis. My father was a great motivator and any work ethic I have is a direct result of his tutelage, said DeBlasis, a Bellaire native. Mom was a great believer in education and made sure that my brother Tom and I had a sense of direction. DeBlasis is a 1970 graduate of St. John Central High School in Bellaire and a 1974 cum laude graduate of Bethany College. He then went to the University of Pittsburgh and received a bachelors degree in Physical Therapy in 1976. He began practicing in the Ohio Valley immediately upon graduation and continues to do so at Wheeling Hospital. He furthered his education by receiving a masters degree from West Virginia University in 1985, and his doctorate in Physical Therapy from Shenandoah University in 2006.

John DeBlasis

DeBlasis is recognized as being a driving force in the establishment of Sports Medicine in the region and through his involvement with the OVAC. Since he began seeing patients in 1976, DeBlasis has treated athletes on all levels, including grade school, interscholastic, intercollegiate and the professional ranks. He takes great pride in seeing athletes return to competition after an injury. And now I see that the young men and women that were once my patients are now coaches, athletic directors, trades workers, miners or administrators and their children are now the patients, he noted. After spending seven years at Wheeling Hospital, DeBlasis started Physical Therapy Services, a private practice clinic in Wheeling. He continued his sports medicine programs and game coverage and expanded service into the treatment of the injured worker as well. In 1997 he returned to Wheeling Hospital, where he now is director of Rehabilitation. He also oversees operations at Belmont Community Hospital in Bellaire, a division of Wheeling Hospital. Wheeling Hospital remains on the leading edge in the provision of medical and surgical services and a leader in rehabilitation from treatment of the pediatric to geriatric patient, said DeBlasis. More than 90 percent of our therapists have their doctorates and several have a certification in manual therapy and geriatrics. Physical Therapy and continuing education have afforded him several opportunities to grow professionally. Today DeBlasis continues to see a limited caseload of patients while adding administrative duties at Wheeling Hospital and Belmont Community Hospital. I have been very fortunate to have quality people around me, which allows me to do several functions on a daily basis, said DeBlasis. Senior staff at Wheeling Hospital and Belmont Community Hospital are exceptional, and special thanks go out to Mr. Ron Violi, CEO of Wheeling Hospital, for his faith in my abilities. DeBlasis has served in a variety of capacities professionally on the local, state and national levels. He has presented on numerous topics in these venues, with a most recent emphasis on management of concussions in student athletes. He has served on several local boards and is a current board member of Main Street Bank. We were very fortunate growing up in the Ohio Valley, said DeBlasis. Families were strong and there was a tremendous sense of values. The family gatherings included all holidays, with aunts and uncles visiting every Sunday. We learned very early that all of us had roles and that service to others was expected. From bartenders to musicians, everyone pitched in during our celebrations. My brother Tom, now of Pittsburgh, and cousin Bob Zatezalo provided and continue to provide our favorite Italian songs when we gather. The great sense of pride and service continues in the legacy of our fathers as I and cousins Bob Zatezalo and Nick DeBlasis are Trustees in the Sons of Italy, Lodge 754 in Bellaire. All of our fathers were great contributors to the organization and promoted the Italian heritage on a daily basis. And now we enjoy making homemade wine, sausage and prosciutto and sell the famous Sons of Italy sausage sandwich during the Italian Festival. John is married to Cheri DeBlasis and between them they have four children: Gina (Carl), Justin (Jen), Lauren (Dan) and Danielle. Grandsons Owen and Kade complete the family, which has spread out a bit, with some residing locally, as well as in Columbus, Morgantown and as far away as Fort Worth, TX. DeBlasis was quick to point out that many people should be recognized as part of his honor With Cheri at the top of the list, Id also add that the influence of parents, family and friends, educators and coaches, professional peers and co-workers at Wheeling Hospital all deserve to be recognized in this honor, DeBlasis said. They reflect the true team nature of this award.

Jul-Sep 2013

Sons of Italy in America Loggia Uguaglianza 754 3348 Belmont Street Bellaire, OH 43906-1029
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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2013-2014 OFFICERS & DELEGATES

OFFICE BAR 740-676-7137 740-676-3178 TRUSTEES TIBERIO CIANCONE 740-633-0833 JOHN DEBLASIS 740-633-6243 NICHOLAS DEBLASIS740-676-0046 JOHN GIANANGELI 740-676-4542 ROBERT ZATEZALO 740-695-5548 MASTERS OF CEREMONIES DOM DAVOLIO 740-676-0359 DOUG HARTLIEB 740-676-2348 GUARD TINA BUSACK ARBITRATION BOARD ALTERNATES DOUG HARTLIEB DOMINICK DAVOLIO SR. PHILIP G. PATA ANTHONY POLSINELLI ALFRED RENZELLA STATE DELEGATES DAVID BADIA TINA BUSACK TIBERIO CIANCONE NICHOLAS DEBLASIS JOHN V. GIANANGELI VINCE GIANANGELI MICHAEL DOSSIE ANTHONY POLSINELLI ALFRED RENZELLA ROBERT ZATEZALO STATE CONVENTION The 2013 State Convention was held at the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark, Ohio June 14-15. A report will be made at the regular meeting on July 7, 2013.

PRESIDENT RICHARD VANNELLE740-676-9663 VICE PRESIDENT FRED RENZELLA

304-845-1196

PAST PRESIDENT ANTHONY POLSINELLI 304-232-6373 ORATOR JUDGE FRANK FREGIATO H 740-695-5470 W 740-635-0162 COURT 740-633-3147 RECORDING SECRETARY CYNTHIA HARTLIEB740-676-2348 FINANCIAL SECRETARY DAVID A. BADIA 740-676-0785 TREASURER MICHAEL DOSSIE

740-676-1138

OPERATIONS MANAGERS TIBERIO CIANCONE 740-633-0833 JANICE WHIPKEY 304-281-6914 ARBITRATION BOARD TINA BUSACK TULLIO CIANCONE NICHOLAS DEBLASIS JOHN DEBLASIS ROBERT ZATEZALO

740-676-7754