New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. with honorees and co-sponsors at his Italian Heritage and Culture celebration at City Hall on Thursday, October 18, 2007. Pictured (back, l to r) are: Vincent Celenza, D.M.D., P.C., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics and Past President, Northeastern Gnathological Society; Frank Celenza, Jr., D.D.S., P.C., Past President, Northeastern Society of Periodontists and Associate Clinical Professor, New York University; Roma Torre, Anchor, NY1 News; Thompson; Carol Silvagni McLeod, President, National Organization of Italian-American Women; Christine M. Meola, M.A., Executive Director, Columbus Citizens Foundation; Monsignor David L. Cassato, Pastor of St. Athanasius Parish, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; Salvatore Primeggia, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Adelphi University and Co-editor, “The Italian-American Experience: An Encyclopedia & The Saints in the Lives of Italian-Americans; (front, l to r) Cristina Fontanelli, International Recording Artist; Adriana Caruso, Soloist; Paolo Raschilla, President and CEO, FIERI International; and, Father Guy Sbordone, Pastor of St. Dominic’s R.C. Church, Brooklyn. Photo credit: Marla S. Maritzer

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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. honored five City leaders last night at his Italian Heritage celebration. The event was co-sponsored by the National Organization of Italian-American Women and Fieri International.

“The contributions made by the Italian-American community on New York City have had a great impact on the history of this city,” Thompson said. “We honor a special group of men and women who continue adding to that rich tradition.”

Thompson continued: “This year’s honorees have excelled in their fields and civic pursuits. They are all highly motivated and dedicated New Yorkers, and they have all made extraordinary contributions to our city.”

The night’s honorees were:

• Dr. Frank Celenza Jr., a dual certified specialist in Periodontics and Orthodontics who maintains a practice on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and is an Associate Clinical Professor at New York University’s College of Dentistry. Celenza is a Past President of the Northeastern Society of Periodontists and a member of the International Team of Implantologists.

• Dr. Vincent Celenza, Secretary of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics. After earning his graduate degree in prosthetic dentistry at Boston University in 1979, he joined his father Frank’s business where he worked until his father’s retirement 25 years later. His father had founded the Northeastern Gnathological Society, for which his son served as president. Currently, he is a Fellow of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics.

• Christine M. Meola, Executive Director of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, a non-profit organization in New York City committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement. Meola previously was the Director of Development for the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was responsible for all fundraising activities that include corporate, foundation and planned giving as well as communications, special events, and special gifts fundraising. She also served as Assistant Vice President for Development at Fordham University. Meola is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

• Roma Torre, anchor for New York 1 News’s “News All Day” and “News All Morning.” She previously anchored New York 1’s award-winning news program, “Inside City Hall.” Born in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh, Torre broke into the business at Channel 2 News before leaving to go work for News 12 Long Island, which at the time was the country’s first 24-hour local news station. Torre has won more than 25 awards including an Emmy for reporting and anchoring about the Avianca plane crash in 1991 and received the Newswomen’s Club of New York’s 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcast for her review of the Broadway show, “Big River.” Torre serves as New York 1’s theater critic and regularly hosts “NY1 On Stage” as well as the red carpet coverage of the Tony Awards.

• Dr. Sal Primeggia, Professor of Sociology at Adelphi University and a co-editor of “The Italian-American Experience: An Encyclopedia” and “The Saints in the Lives of Italian-Americans.” Primeggia served as a contributor and participant in the New Jersey Network film documentary, La Festa and WLIW 21 Public Television’s acclaimed “The Italian-Americans: Part 1” and the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary “Heaven Touches Brooklyn in July.” Currently, he teaches “The Italian-American Experience” and “Media Images of Italian-Americans” at Adelphi University.

For photographs of the event and individual honorees, please contact Marla Maritzer at mmaritz@comptroller.nyc.gov or (212) 669-2597.

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