Newarks Rotunda Pool Rotunda and Rotunda Delaney GSL29...war, but Americans of Italian heritage and...

“When WWII broke out, the Italians fought for America.”

This was how John Rotunda, our father andgrandfather, respectively, always began the story of ourfamily’s connection to the Rotunda Pool in Newark, NewJersey. All families have their tales of relatives, livingand dead, that are passed through the generations as away of creating a shared identity. In our family, the storyof the Rotunda Pool in Newark served not only as ourconnection to history, but as an important reminder totake pride in both our Italian and American heritages.

Joseph Ralph Rotunda was the first soldier fromNewark’s Italian-American community to die in WorldWar II. He subsequently had a city pool named for him

by Michele Rotunda & Scott Rotunda Delaney www.GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 29 September 2015

as a testament to the Italians who proved their loyalty by fightingand dying in the war. The story of the Rotunda Pool, as it was toldto us, spoke of a sense of a historical precariousness of Americanidentity that did not resonate with the third and fourth generationsthat we embody. When we began our research, numerous relativessent us clippings and shared what they knew about the pool andabout Joseph Rotunda, and his three brothers, who also served inthe Second World War. Clearly the story resonated strongly withinthe family, but what did it mean to the broader Italian-Americancommunity at the time?

The Rotunda Pool stands in the same location at 75 CliftonAvenue, where the Essex County Brewery once stood. When thepool was first named in 1943, it was known only as the “CliftonPool,” and this title still stands on the building right below theslightly more diminutive “Rotunda Pool.” Additional signs also noteits designation as the “Rotunda Recreation Center.” There havebeen calls in past years to rename the pool after someone morereflective of the current population, but objections from Newark’sItalian-American community prevented a name change. Likely fewwho pass by or even frequent the pool know its history. A recentvisit revealed that the 1966 plaque “in memory of Joseph RalphRotunda, Jr. who made the supreme sacrifice for his country, WorldWar II, North Africa, May 8, 1943,” still stands. Our revelation to thegentleman at the door, that the center was named after our relative,elicited little reaction (although he thoughtfully moved to the sideso we could take a few pictures). Today the neighborhood isethnically diverse with vibrant Latino and African-Americancommunities. However, there are still signs of its past life as anItalian enclave. St. Lucy’s Church, built in 1892 on Seventh Avenue,continues to offer a mass in Italian (as well as English, Spanish, andLatin) and to serve some segments of the diaspora of Newark’sItalian-American families. Calandra’s Bakery continues to operatejust a few blocks away. And directly across from the pool is theimposing presence of Sacred Heart Cathedral built in part by Italian

Newark’s Rotunda Pool Michele Rotunda & Scott Rotunda Delaneywww.GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 29 September 2015

Italian-Americans were eager toprove their loyalty to the U.S.during the Second World War.Newark’s ItalianTribuneregularly printed pictures andstories about the young menserving in the armed forcesfrom Newark’s Italiancommunity. This undatedclipping features all four of theRotunda brothers, includingJoseph Ralph Rotunda, whowas the first of that communityto be killed in action.

immigrants in the early twentieth-century to serve a growingCatholic population.

Looking back on seventy years of Newark’s history in October1943, the Italian Tribune spoke of the accomplishments of thecity’s Italian population whose “stories are filled with dramapathos, and courage, for against great odds they have won not only

a hard battle for existence but have reared theirchildren to become leaders in their new home, acredit to themselves and a valuable asset to theircountry.”1 Italians started migrating to the UnitedStates in large numbers at the tail end of thenineteenth-century with economic circumstancesserving as their primary motivation. Italian unificationhad not brought economic improvement nor had itcreated a unified citizenry. Southern Italians, inparticular, facing poor agricultural conditions anddiscrimination from their northern countrymen,arrived in large numbers on the shores of the UnitedStates. Yet this did not make them Americans. Manyof the immigrants initially viewed the move astemporary, an opportunity to provide for theirfamilies, to save up some money to purchase landupon their eventual return to Italy. While over four-million Italians in the years 1880-1920 remained inthe United States, estimates suggest that over amillion Italians did return home.2 However, by theearly twentieth-century, Italian immigrantsincreasingly found themselves making the decisionto remain in the United States, seeking opportunitiesnot only for themselves but for their children. Despitelargely agricultural backgrounds, most settled in

urban environments where they could more easily find employmentand a sense of familiarity as “Little Italys” formed in a number ofAmerican cities.

By the early twentieth-century, 21,000 Italian immigrants madeNewark the country’s fifth largest enclave with a vibrant Italian-American community spread throughout the city, and the First Wardbest known as the Italian quarter. A wide variety of businesses, fromgrocery stores to barbershops to saloons, both owned by andcatering to Italian-Americans, opened, and over eighty fraternalorganizations and mutual aid societies were formed.3

At the time of his son’s death in May 1943, Joseph RalphRotunda, Sr., a skilled cooper, resided at 34 Mt. Prospect Avenue inNewark’s First Ward, just one block southeast of the pool thatwould bear the name of his youngest son. He and his wife Maria(nee Stefanelli), who had died the previous July, had four sons andsix daughters. Their first child Gaetano (known as Gayton) wasborn in Italy and the rest in the United States. The family had faredwell in America and was well known in the First Ward. One of


The bronze plaquecommemorating the naming ofthe Clifton Pool for Rotunda.

Maria’s relatives, Louis Stefanelli, was a founder of ColumbusHospital which served the health needs of the Italian-Americancommunity. Gayton was a graduate of the Mercer-Beasley Schoolof Law, now Rutgers University, and served as President of theRevenue and Finance Chapter for Newark City Employees Local176 and as a tax assessor for the city of Newark. Constantine(known as Gus) was a well-known fencer who later served as thefencing coach at Central High School. John Rotunda, Sr. (our directfamily line) had been elected Justice of the Peace in 1935 and, priorto the war, was attending the Casey Jones School of Aeronauticsthen located on Raymond Boulevard in Newark.

Joseph and Maria’s youngest son was known by his middlename “Ralph” probably to distinguish between father and son.Margaret, Rose, and Diane, three of their six daughters, were married,and the youngest Josephine also fenced competitively in city andstate tournaments. The family were active members of thecongregation at St. Lucy’s Church, and the names of the varioussiblings filled the rosters of numerous First Ward clubs and societies.

The growing status of Newark’s Italian-American communitywas well-documented in the Italian Tribune with headlines focusedon the achievements of New Jersey’s Italian immigrantcommunity. The paper, which began publication in 1931 in bothEnglish and Italian editions, regularly ran stories on localpoliticians, physicians, and other distinguished professionals in aconcerted effort to counteract prevailing stereotypes. Like many of


The telegram John Rotundareceived telling him of hisbrother’s death.

the “new immigrants,” Italian-Americans found themselves facingthe dual challenge of inadequate economic opportunity andwidespread prejudice. Italians had a reputation for lawlessness,and assertions that the Italian government had a policy of sendingits criminals to the United States were widely believed.4 Italianimmigrants were often poorer and darker than white native-born

Americans at the time. Both qualities were closely tied toideas of social and even biological inferiority in the UnitedStates and fed immigration policy such as the NationalOrigins Act of 1924 which limited immigration bynationality. The editors of the Tribune decried prevailing“scientific” theories purporting to link intelligence tonationality or race noting “Italian-Americans were so ratedfor years, despite a wonderful heritage of educationalrefinements dating back thousands of years covering everyfield of endeavor. And they are still regarded as inferior inmany minds in this country despite notable advances alongevery front.”5 The connections between an Italian andAmerican heritage were closely maintained with the vasthistory and culture of the former serving to buttress theachievements of the latter. For a short time in the 1930s,many Italian-Americans celebrated the initial successes ofBenito Mussolini’s Fascist government as Italy seemed tobe assuming a place of prestige internationally that could,in theory, translate to greater respect for its sons anddaughters across the Atlantic.6 Yet as the potential formilitary conflict with Italy loomed, Italian-American opiniontipped markedly in favor of the United States. Italian-American newspapers, which had been simultaneouslypromoting Americanization while praising Italiansuccesses, abruptly switched gears by 1940. Just a fewdays after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Italian Tribunecharacterized Italy as “making war on us” and emphasized

the loyalty of Newark’s Italian-Americans to their country “whichthey are ready to defend at the cost of every sacrifice.”7

At the outset of World War II, Italian-Americans foundthemselves in a position in which their native land was at warwith their adopted home. By and large, they sided with theUnited States with soldiers of Italian heritage making up asignificant percentage of the armed forces. All four sons in theRotunda family served in the military. Gayton served in theArmy and Marine Corps and continued to work for veteransthroughout his life; Constantine was stationed in WashingtonD.C., and John was a First Sergeant in the Army who fought inEurope. Joseph Jr., was a private in the early invasion forces inNorth Africa. His death would become notable as he was

identified as the “first American soldier of Italian heritage, from thecity of Newark, to be killed in action.”8 This attribution is quitespecific. By May 1943, not only had many Americans died in the


Memorial card (above) andacknowledgement card.

war, but Americans of Italian heritage and Americans from Newarkwere already among these. On June 16, 1943, the Newark EveningNews reported on an announcement from the War Departmentwhich listed the death of Private Joseph R. Rotunda, Jr. as one offour soldiers from New Jersey to lose their lives in combat. In total229 U.S. soldiers were reported killed in action in North Africa and630 more wounded, 11 of whom were from New Jersey.9 But, forNewark’s Italian-Americans, the sacrifice of a soldier who was trulyof their community provided a kind of visceral evidence that theywere unquestionably American.

Publicizing the participation of Newark’s Italian-Americancommunity in the war effort served to belie lingering concernsabout their loyalty. While Italian-Americans were not targeted to thesame degree as Japanese-Americans during the war period, theywere tracked by the government and some were interned. Groupsmost likely to be targeted were members of the Italian War Veteranswho had been engaged in raising money for World War I widows andorphans in Italy, those associated with Italian language newspapersand radio broadcasts, and teachers of the Italian language. Initially,any U.S. resident born in Italy was labelled an “enemy alien.” Thisdesignation was removed, appropriately enough on Columbus Dayin 1942, in part because Italian-Americans comprised an influentialvoting bloc and were needed in the armed forces.10 Italian-American


Headstone application andheadstone.

young men were not unfamiliar with military service which hadoften been promoted by Italian-American cultural institutions asproviding education, a good standard of living, and an opportunity todemonstrate one’s patriotism.

The pages of the Italian Tribune regularly emphasized both theideological commitment and tangible contribution of Newark’s

Italian-American community to the war effort. Mostpoignantly, this was expressed in stories of its young men onthe front lines. The actions of the Fascist government hadcreated an uneasy relationship between one’s Italian heritageand American identity; yet the Tribune was able to turn thisaround by highlighting the unique contribution of Italian-American soldiers. On May 28, 1943, a front page story on 23-year-old Newark native Anthony Nisivoccia stationed inEngland noted he had been named “Best Soldier of the Year”by a chapter of that country’s Red Cross. In the article, hismother conveyed his motivation: “To be able to land in Italywhere he could use his ability to speak Italian and to convincethe Italians he might meet that the United States is Italy’s bestfriend and that we are in this war to bring back liberty andfreedom to the Italian people.”11

While Nisivoccia viewed his Italian heritage as a potentialstrength, this association was fraught with questions ofloyalty. Italian immigrants and first generation Americanscontinued to have close family ties to Italy. In his history onItalian-American interment, Lawrence DiStasi notes thedelicate nature of these ties in recounting the testimony ofLouis Berizzi in 1943 who had been interned during the war.Despite Berizzi’s assertion that he supported the U.S. wareffort, his statement that he “did not like the idea of having mymother bombed” was interpreted as revealing an allegiance tohis native land. Berizzi desperately tried to clarify that he was

loyal to the United States and was merely expressing concern forhis mother who still lived in Italy.12 While even a hint of sympathy forthe Italian cause could be viewed as treasonous, Newark’s ItalianTribune sought to strike a careful balance that separated thedeplorable actions of the Italian government from a more congenialview of the Italian people themselves. In a regular feature, “OurBoys in the Service,” the newspaper often printed stories that spokeof the connection between Newark’s Italian-American soldiers andthe Italian people. Sometimes literal family connections werehighlighted with pieces reporting on soldiers abroad able to meettheir Italian relatives for the first time. Italian-American soldierswere deployed around the globe and were especially likely toencounter Italian soldiers in the first years of the war in thecampaign in North Africa. A story on Corporal Anthony SanGiacomo, stationed in Bizerte, opens with his experience withItalian prisoners captured in North Africa who assured him thatthey had not wanted to fight the Americans. Writing home to Nutley


Private Joseph R. Rotunda, Jr.VFW Post 848 program.

in 1943, the corporal easily conveys a sense of the value of hisItalian-American heritage admitting that even though he“butchered the Italian language,” he was able to obtain keyinformation while out on patrol. He suggests an almost familialrelationship with the “half Italian and half French” inhabitantsepitomized, of course, in food, in his ability “to get a meal for all ofus and a drink of good wine.”13

It was in North Africa that Joseph Ralph Rotunda, Jr. was killedby a land mine while serving with the Cannon Company, 168thInfantry, in Tunisia as part of the first invasion forces. He had onlybeen overseas for three months. One of the first announcements ofhis death noted that in his last letter home, he told his family thathe was having “lots of fun.”14 Looking at the picture accompanyingthe news of his death in 1943, it’s hard not to think first of his youth.He was just 22 when he enlisted in June of 1942, only a month anda half after the birth of the nephew who would pass this story downto us. Army records indicate he was killed in action on May 8, 1943,


Though known as the RotundaPool since 1943, the plaquehonoring Joseph RalphRotunda, Jr. happened in 1966.

but the family wasn’t notified until a few weeks later. A telegramfrom Gayton to his younger brother John, who was stationed at theJefferson Barracks in Missouri, is dated May 28 and reads “Getpermission to come home at once received word that Ralph killedin action North Africa.” A letter to the family from Secretary of WarHenry L. Stimson, dated June 9, 1943, informed the family that theirson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice.Additional condolences arrived from U.S. Army Chief of Staff G.C.Marshall. Both government officials expressed their wishes thatthe noble cause of the war would provide some consolation to thefamily. The letters were reprinted in the Italian Tribuneaccompanied by a photograph of Pvt. Joseph Ralph Rotunda, Jr.and few lines of text which mentioned his family’s address in theheart of the First Ward.15 Certainly this news continued the paper’stradition of reporting on noteworthy members of the community,


but this story also spoke of a specific type of sacrifice that was feltby the family, the community, and the nation.

In the ensuing months, Pvt. Joseph Ralph Rotunda became aneven more visible symbol of that sacrifice. On October 17, 1943, hewas honored at a memorial service in Newark’s First Ward thatincluded a parade in his honor that began at Barringer High School,his alma mater. The Newark Evening News headline, “MemorialServices for Newark Hero” focused on the individual sacrifice ofPvt. Rotunda noting that a flag honoring servicemen andservicewomen from the First Ward would be dedicated as part ofthe ceremony.16 The Italian Tribune’s coverage highlighted theraising of a service flag as the main attraction and indicated thatthe day’s events would include “a special tribute in memory of Pvt.Joseph R. Rotunda Jr., who sacrificed his life in defense of hiscountry.” Community involvement was evident as “hundreds ofmen and women active in social, civic and political circles willparticipate.” A long list of organizations, entertainers, and politicalfigures including New Jersey Governor Charles Edison, son of thefamous inventor, were also noted.17 In February 1944, after seekingpermission from Joseph Rotunda, Sr., officials from the Veterans ofForeign Wars (V.F.W.) designated the Pvt. Joseph R. Rotunda Jr.Post (No. 848) in honor of the “first soldier from the First ward to bekilled in action in this war.” This post became the ninth V.F.W. unitin Newark and enrolled soldiers who were in active service duringthe Second World War as well as veterans of World War I.18 Thepost’s official publications, including programs from its annualdance, prominently featured a picture of Pvt. Rotunda.

In early November 1943, the City Commission passed aresolution to rename the “Clifton Avenue Pool” the “Rotunda Pool”in honor of Pvt. Joseph R. Rotunda, Jr., who was identified as “thefirst Newark resident of Italian extraction killed in this war.”19 Apublic and permanent memorial of this type would serve to not onlyhonor the patriotism of Italian-Americans in the war, but it wouldalso acknowledge the status and impact of the Italian-Americancommunity in Newark. This pool was not only centrally locatedwithin the First Ward, but it was part of Newark’s larger recreationalsystem as one of five Newark pools which participated in theNewark Water Safety campaign that provided swimming lessons tothe city’s children.20 The resolution was put forth by Ralph A. Villani,Parks and Public Property Director for Newark, who had a storiedcareer as a controversial police judge in the 1930s and laterbecame the first Italian-American mayor of Newark in 1949. Hisstature in the community was displayed in the Italian Tribune’sheadline declaring “Villani renames pool in honor of Pvt. J.R.Rotunda.” Villani’s political career was built on the support ofItalian-Americans, and he assiduously promoted their heritage andstatus in the community. For example, once the war ended, hemade sure that the Italian flag was reinstated among the flags ofthe United Nations flying in the City Commission Chamber.21 Villani


himself was viewed as an Italian-American success story with theItalian Tribune going so far to characterize a dinner honoring theDirector and attended by various Essex County dignitaries as “autopia realized.”22

The official dedication ceremony for the Rotunda Pool tookplace on Sunday, May 28, 1944, and was attended by Pvt. Rotunda’sfather, his brothers Gayton and Constantine, four of his sisters andnumerous other relatives. At the time, Gayton was serving in theMarine Corps, Constantine was a private in the U.S. Army, and John,now the youngest of the surviving brothers, was a corporal,stationed in England. A great deal of “pomp and circumstance”accompanied the ceremony, most notably a march through theFirst Ward that included “troops from the Air Corps, Wacs, Marco,the six-year-old shepherd dog wounded in North Africa, twoambulance units from Newark Chapter, Red Cross, Goldingay Guardof Newark Post 10, American Legion and Rotunda Post, V.F.W., St.Lucy’s Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps and St. Ann’s Drum and BugleCorps.” Johnny Adams and his orchestra played at the dedication,and the ceremony began with a volley fired by a squad from the AirCorps. Director Villani was the main speaker, among severalnotables from New Jersey and Newark government includingCongressman Fred A. Hartley, Jr. Villani characterized Pvt. Rotunda“as a symbol of American manhood who had given his life for Godand country,” emphasizing that he represented “all boys of Italianextraction, not only from the first ward, but from all over the city.” Healso noted the military service of all four of the Rotunda brothers,reminding the audience that they were the sons of Italian immigrantparents. Gayton also spoke on behalf of the family offering thanksfor the tribute that honored the memory of his brother.23

One can’t help but wonder if the political and social prominenceof the Rotunda family was relevant in the decision to rename thepool. Passed down to us along with the story of the pool’srenaming was a box full of newspaper clippings, letters, ballots,athletic accomplishments, membership lists, dinner programs andnewsletters attesting to the civic involvement of various Rotundasiblings and their association with prominent members of theItalian-American community. (And to our great surprise, we alsofound a newspaper clipping of Babe Ruth’s 1932 visit to theNewark School Stadium and an original autograph stuck betweenthe pages of a scrapbook.) John Rotunda had previously served asthe justice of peace to the First Ward whose 30,000 Italianresidents were reported to be able to “turn the tables in anyelection.”24 He ran for Essex County coroner in 1938 achieving adecided majority in his district but losing overall. Several newsitems on the pool’s dedication noted that Pvt. Rotunda was the“brother of Gayton A. Rotunda, Newark tax assessor” who ended upworking closely with Villani. Both men were equally concerned withpromoting the reputation of Newark’s Italian-American community,and it is possible that Gayton initially proposed creating an


A public andpermanent

memorial of thistype would serveto not only honorthe patriotism of

Italian-Americansin the war, but it

would alsoacknowledge the

status and impactof the Italian-

Americancommunity in

Newark.

enduring tribute to his brother. Gayton certainly took an active rolein supporting and memorializing the Rotunda Pool, and it seems tohave had a beneficial effect on his political career. In November1943, just days after the resolution to rename the pool wasannounced, Gayton was honored at a farewell dinner prior todeparting for service in the U.S. Marine Corps. The dinner at theHotel Essex House included Commissioner Ralph A. Villani andother prominent members of Newark city government as speakers,and the toastmaster, Chief Magistrate Ernest F. Masini, presentedGayton with a departing gift.25 When Villani was elected mayor in1949, Gayton served as Chief City Clerk.

In December 1966, Newark’s second and last Italian-Americanmayor to date, Hugh J. Addonizio, presided over the dedication of aplaque that is still affixed on the wall at the Rotunda Pool. Thebronze plaque notes the “supreme sacrifice” of Joseph Rotunda butmakes no reference to his heritage.26 Ralph Villani, then President ofthe Newark Municipal Council was also present at the dedicationand addressed the audience. The First Ward had already changedsignificantly. The success of the children and grandchildren of theoriginal Italian immigrants meant better education and better jobs,but it also meant greater mobility – particularly with the benefitsprovided to soldiers after the war by the G.I. Bill. Many Italian-American families moved out of the First Ward to one of the manysuburban communities that had developed around Newark. Urbanrenewal policies proposed under Villani’s leadership and backed byAddonizio and Peter Rodino, both members of Congress at the time,contributed to cultural and geographical change in the community.The Columbus Homes, whose demolition in 1994 was celebrated bymany Italian-Americans who grew up in Newark, created high-risepublic housing by tearing down old neighborhoods. Mayor Villanilost his re-election bid in 1952 amid various scandals and chargesof kickbacks from city employees, and the municipal governmentwas subsequently reorganized consolidating the Italian-AmericanFirst Ward into the North Ward. The construction of Route 280 in the1960s further destroyed and divided traditional neighborhoods. And,of course, the Newark riots in the summer of 1967 altered the city’spopulation and reputation in ways that continue to resonate today.

The dedication of the Rotunda Pool was a fitting memorial tothe Italian-Americans of the First Ward and to the dedication andservice to their country, the United States, which theydemonstrated during the Second World War. Joseph Sr. lived wellinto his nineties in the same house on Mt. Prospect Avenue wherehe raised his ten children. The pool’s location on Clifton Avenueallowed for the family and others to easily pass by, to remembertheir son, their brother, the uncle they never met, or the young kidfrom the First Ward that they simply knew as “Ralph.” The familycontinues to take pride in knowing that the actions of Pvt. JosephR. Rotunda, Jr. and the memorial accorded to him provides alegacy of bravery and honor for the family and their heritage.


1 “Newark’s Italian Colony Started MoreThan Seventy Years Ago,” Italian Tribune,October 8, 1943.

2 Frank J. Cavaioli, “Patterns of ItalianImmigration to the United States,” TheCatholic Social Science Review 13 (2008):220-1.

3 Michael Immerso, Newark’s Little Italy:The Vanished First Ward (New Brunswick,NJ: Rutgers University Press and theNewark Public Library, 1997), 15-16.

4 Luciano J. Iorizzo and SalvatoreMondello, The Italian-Americans (Boston:Twayne Publishers, 1980), 53.

5 Michael J. Eula, “Ethnicity and Newark’sItalian Tribune, 1934-1980,” Italian-Americana 19 (Winter 2001): 24-5.

6 Iorizzo and Mondello, 250-7.7 Eula, 26.8 “City Pool Dedicated to Pvt. Joseph R.

Rotunda,” Italian Tribune, June 2, 1944.9 “Reported Killed in Africa Action,” Newark

Evening News, June 16, 1943.10 Rose D. Scherini, “When Italian-

Americans Were “Enemy Aliens,’” in UnaStoria Segreta: The Secret History ofItalian-American Evacuation andInternment during World War II, ed.Lawrence DiStasi (Berkeley, CA: HeydayBooks, 2001), 12-21.

11 “Anthony Nisivoccia of Newark Named‘Best Soldier of Year’,” Italian Tribune,May 28, 1943.

12 DiStasi, xv.13 “Our Boys in the Service,” Italian Tribune,

June 25, 1943.14 “Newark Soldier Reported Killed,” Newark

Evening News, June 2, 1943.15 “Award Pvt. Rotunda Purple Heart Medal,”

Italian Tribune, June 25, 1943. 16 “Memorial Services for Newark Hero,”

Newark Evening News, October 12, 1943.17 “Unfurl Service Flag in the First Ward

Sunday Afternoon,” Italian Tribune,October 15, 1943.

18 “V.F.W. to Name Post for Jos. R. Rotunda,”Italian Tribune, February 25, 1944;“Rotunda Post 848 to Meet June 19th,”Italian Tribune, June 9, 1944.

19 “City Pool Renamed for Dead Soldier,”Newark Evening News, November 4,1943.

20 “Villani Opens Swim Campaign July 3,”Italian Tribune, June 16, 1944.

21 “Italian Flag Torn Down,” New York Times,September 6, 1945.

22 John J. Sileo, “A Utopia Realized,” ItalianTribune, May 26, 1944.

23 “City Pool Dedicated to Pvt. Joseph R.Rotunda”

24 “Newark Italian-American Youth ElectedJustice of the Peace,” Eric Times-News,November 23, 1935.

25 “Tender Rotunda Farewell Dinner,” ItalianTribune, December 12, 1943.

26 “Honor Rotunda at Pool Dedication,”Italian Tribune, December 2, 1966

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