Italian American Digest Winter Digest 2018

WINTER 2018 Italian American Digest C iao! Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The American Italian Cultural Center is excit- ed to ring in the new year with our newly renovated museum! The museum will tell the story of the Italian immigrant. Visi- tors will have an interactive and immersive experience while learning the history of Italian Americans here in Louisiana. We will be open to the public just in time for our 34th annual Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Gala! Dan Pastorini, former NFL quarterback, will be honored as our 2019 National Honoree at the Gala! We cannot wait to celebrate him and other deserv- ing Italian Americans. I hope you’ll join us for this fabulous celebration. Learn more on page 29. The 2019 year looks to be one of the American Italian Cultural Center’s most impres- sive. We have some fantastic programming scheduled: Italian Language Classes, Lectures, Movie Nights, Wine & Cheese Events, Opera Nights, and so much more! Make sure to join the AICC as a 2019 member to receive discounts and perks at our events! Fill out the registra- tion form on page 28. Quel che si fa il primo dell’anno, si fa per tutto l’anno. Anything you do on New Year’s day, you will do all year. -Italian proverb Wishing you happiness and health in the new year! Frank Maselli PAGE 3 34th Annual Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Gala January 26th, 2019 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel 2019 LAISHF Honorees NATIONAL HONOREE DAN PASTORINI D an Pastorini is a multi-talented sports figure—a former NFL quarterback and a top NHA Top Fuel Dragster driver who has even dabbled in acting. From 1968-1971, Pastorini played for Santa Clara University, where he ranked in the school’s top 10 all-time passing records and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 46th Annual Shine East-West Classic at the Oakland Coliseum in 1971. Pastorini was then drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft. During his eight years with the Oilers, he only missed five regular-season games. He is known to have played through broken ribs and even a punctured lung. He changed the way NFL quar- terbacks play the game, donning the first flak jacket to protect three shattered ribs. Pastorini is one of the NFL’s most recognized and accomplished players. As the Oilers’ starting quarter- back for nine seasons, he led his team to successive AFC Championship games. Pastorini was also named to the 1975 AFC Pro Bowl Team. Pastorini’s best season came in 1978 when he threw for a career-high 2,473 yards and 16 touchdowns. In the 1978 playoffs, Pastorini fared very well, helping lead the Oilers to wins over the Miami Dolphins and AFC East Division champion New England Patriots. He went on to play for the Oakland Raiders, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles beforehis retirement in 1983. Pastorini is an Honorary Texan. Pastorini is in an elite group of professional athletes who has outstanding careers in two sports. Pastorini trained to become one of the premiere drivers on the NHRA Top Fuel Circuit. He is also a winning NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver. One of the most popular drivers on the NHRA Top Fuel Circuit, he won his first national event at the NHRA Southern Nationals in 1986 and finished 7th in the NHRA Championship Points. He was the third man to break the 270-mph barrier in a Top Fuel Dragster. Pastorini was inducted into Santa Clara’s Hall of Fame in 1990. In the 1970s, Pastorini had roles in the films Weed: The Florida Connection and Killer Fish, and in the early ’80s, he played a gladiator in the TV series Voyagers.

Italian American Digest Winter Digest 2018 | Page 3