HR1207

LRB094 20288 HSS 58303 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


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

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

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

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

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

 
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    WHEREAS, After Alitalia temporarily pulled out of the 
 


 






HR1207
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LRB094 20288 HSS 58303 r




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

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

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

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

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