FAIRFIELD, N.J. -- Nutley writer Anthony Buccino was named
the recipient of the UNICO National 2005 Grand Order Filippo
Mazzei William Paca Americanism Award.
UNICO, the largest Italian-American service organization in the
United States, said the Americanism Award Committee selected
Anthony Buccino for his noteworthy efforts in “researching
historical facts and contributions of the many unsung heroes who
have given their lives for our country.”
This prestigious award is named in honor of Philip Mazzei, an
Italian and confidant of Thomas Jefferson, whose ideas and
philosophies were instrumental in the formation of the most
fundamental principles of our great nation.
The William Paca Award is presented in recognition of
historical research and in recognition of the contributions of
the many unsung heroes whose lives were expended in making our
country the beacon of freedom in the world today.
Buccino is a writer by profession and avocation. While attending
a town-wide effort by local veterans to rehabilitate Nutley’s
war memorials, he was struck by the fact that he didn’t know
anything about most of the men whose names appeared on the
plaques.
Along with his college-age daughter Andrea, he researched old
newspapers, government files, and the like, to learn about the
soldiers from Nutley and the neighboring community of Belleville
where Buccino grew up, who paid for our freedom with their
lives.
The result was two books: “Nutley Sons Honor Roll – Remembering
the Men Who Paid for Our Freedom” and “Belleville Sons Honor
Roll - Remembering the Men Who Paid for Our Freedom”.
Steve Mairella, president of the Nutley Chapter of UNICO, which
nominated Buccino, said the research project fit the Americanism
profile perfectly.
Criteria for the William Paca Americanism Award:
* For researching facts and contributions made by our founding
fathers and t he many unsung heroes who have given their lives
for our country, and whose sacrifices have helped to shape the
destiny of the United States of America.
* For his desire to acquire more knowledge and a better
understanding of the American Constitution, its designers and
those people who have upheld it.
Maryland resident, and later governor, William Paca signed the
Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Representatives from 128 chapters and 16 states participated in
the UNICO mid-year meetings of the Board of Directors and
National Committees, held mid-March at the Marriott Harbor Beach
Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
National Award Committees judged applicants for UNICO’s annual
awards recognizing outstanding individuals for their
accomplishments and contributions in their respective fields.
The awards ceremony will be held at the UNICO annual meeting in
August.
UNICO, which means unique or one of a kind in Italian, was
founded in Waterbury, Conn., by Dr. Anthony P. Vastola in 1922.
Members work to support charitable, educational, scientific and
literary projects while promoting Italian heritage and combating
negative stereotyping.
The Nutley Sons Honor Roll paperback has reached 290 pages in
its third edition compared with 162 pages in the first edition
and 250 pages in the second edition.
The latest edition includes more information on Nutley in the
American Revolution, Nutley Civil War veterans, WWII survivor
and POW stories, and additional details throughout.
Prior to this project, begun about four years ago, there was no
one place beyond the local monuments to the fallen and many
years’ worth of microfilm where anyone in town could learn who
were the men who paid for our freedom. Now, in one source,
beyond the names of the Nutley sons are their stories as best as
can be collected.
For more information, visit
Nutley Sons and
Belleville Sons.
For further information, contact UNICO National at
1-800-877-1492, or
Unico
- April 2005
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