HR1207 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1207 LRB094 20288 HSS 58303 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Mr. Dominic DiFrisco has been named a recipient of the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA); and

WHEREAS, The JCCIA's Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award is presented annually to those whose lives exemplify the virtues of caring, humanity, and good will that were the hallmark of Cardinal Bernardin's tenure as Archbishop of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mr. DiFrisco moved to Chicago in 1962 after being transferred from his native New York by his employer Alitalia; he served as the public relations manager for the Midwest and later was promoted to district sales manager; it was during his career with Alitalia that Mr. DiFrisco began to devote himself to serving the Italian-American community; he served as president of the JCCIA from 1990 to 1994; and

WHEREAS, His involvement in the Italian-American community began as a combination of commercial necessity and personal commitment; he needed to maintain close ties with the Italian community because that is where most of Alitalia's clientele were from, but he also wanted to take part in causes that celebrated and advanced Italian culture; and

WHEREAS, Born to Leoluca and Antonina, immigrants from Corleone, Sicily, Mr. DiFrisco was taught the importance of community involvement at an early age; his father's involvement in many Italian-American causes left a strong impression on him and inspired him to dedicate most of his adult life to the promotion of Italian-American culture; and

WHEREAS, After Alitalia temporarily pulled out of the Chicago market in 1975, Mr. DiFrisco decided to remain in Chicago and created a successful career for himself in the public relations field; he is currently a senior consultant at Edelman Chicago; among the more prominent clients he has counseled throughout his career are the Illinois Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training, Gatorade, McDonald's, and Kerr-McGee Corp.; he has earned praise throughout his career for effective leadership in Chicago's multi-ethnic social fabric; and

WHEREAS, He is a commendatóre of the republic of Italy and president emeritus of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans; he served five one-year terms as president of the JCCIA and is the chairman emeritus of the board of directors of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii; he has received numerous awards from the Italian-American community; and

WHEREAS, He has also been honored by the African-American and Native-American communities and served as a board member of the Regional Organ Bank of Illinois and chairman for an Israel Bond event; he currently serves as a board member of the Illinois Arts Alliance and director of the Italian American Human Relations Foundation; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Mr. Dominic DiFrisco on being a recipient of the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. DiFrisco as an expression of our esteem.