When our Institute published its amazing magazine, The Italic Way, one of the highlights, oddly, was a two-page section where it displayed short obits of major achievers both in America and even around the world.

Far from being morbid, these tributes made a powerful point: When alive, such people were rarely highlighted in the mainstream media; instead, they took a back seat to people whom American outlets (primarily Hollywood) considered much more interesting, i.e., gangsters. By NOT mentioning such great Americans, the media solidified the idea that Italian Americans were nothing more than thieves or murderers, unworthy of respect or admiration. 

In short, we never had/still don’t have heroes and heroines who can inspire anyone beyond our community. 

Below is an obit of Mario Pasin, who recently passed away at 95. Mario who? The only Mario whom non-Italians know is the mustachioed cartoon character. Yet this Mario was the son of a legendary Italian American: Antonio Pasin, who, a century ago, created a staple of American childhood still with us today: the little red wagon. 

Mario ran his father’s Radio Flyer Red Wagon company in Chicago, which is still being run by his sons ( i.e, the grandchildren!) for over three decades. Yet the average American knows nothing about Mario nor his father Antonio, nor the fact that an Italian American businessman was behind this marvelous, iconic bit of Americana.

Indeed, imagine if Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola did a 1972 biopic about Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini (another “American” business titan) rather than a fictional mob boss named Don Vito Corleone.

Would our fellow Americans have a different view of Italy, Italians, and Italian Americans? Yes, yes, and yes. 

Instead, we comfort ourselves with the lame phrase “ah, c’mon, people don’t believe everything they see in the media.” Yet anyone who has ever introduced themselves as an Italian American to strangers knows this is a big, fat lie. The first toad to jump out of peoples’ mouths is a mob joke or a reference to “la mafia.” If we’re lucky, maybe a pizza joke. Yet even both are degrading. Crooks or cooks? No. The founders of Western Civilization. 

All it takes is one trip to Italy to see endless examples of Italic creativity and genius–traits which Italian immigrants likewise brought with them to various other nations, the USA included. Pasin is a great example. 

Yet again: Pasin who? I rest my case. -BDC