Hi~Ya Fellers:
The following appeared in the October 5th
"issue of the Shelby Daily Star, in Holt McPher
son’s colunn, ^'Behind the Rront PagOo"
"About the happiest man I’ve seen lately was
Antonio Izzi, the Italian' born ice cream maker
who lives in South Shelby, yesterday when he got
his American citizenship papers,
Tony took the papers, kissed them and said,
”I hope God will help me to make a worthy citizen
of this greatest of all countries."
It was my pleasure to hackstand Tony before
the court and to commend him as the father of
two sons in the nation’s armed service. One son
is abroad with the army, another is in the Marines
waiting to go to foreign service, and' Tony is as
proud as all get out of them both, I neglected
to tell the court that Tony has been one of the
most consistent of bond buyers through the local
post office; v/hen his first boy went into service
he bought sufficient bonds to outfit him; he did
the same for the second; he bought another $500
bond when the Yanks invaded Italy; and every
Monday morning he adds to his stock of bonds and
he urges, every one to buy all the bonds. they can
because he-figures that’s one of the blessings
of freedom, the privilege of supporting with one’s
money the men who do the fighting,
Tony is a veteran qf the last war in which
ho almost lost his life when a German bullet pierced his clothes and grazed his side.
He took .his bride following that v;ar and came to America where he found opportunity ;
and friends; he is happy with his little business, home, war bonds and family of
nine children, but happiest over at last becoming an /jnerican,
I just wish that every American who holds that distinction merely, for being
born here could know and appreciate the fervor of Tony's love for this country and
its free institutions—one Ccin’t witness it without feeling humbler and being a
better American,"
The above message was extremely interesting to me and I believe will be of
equal interest to you boys, as everyone who has lived,or ever worked in Lavvndale,
knows Tony, We haven't seen very much of Tony since gasoline rationing became
effective, but prior to that tine, his appearance here every year w»as, as regular
as Spring.’ Tony numbered his friends from the very young to the very old> and long
about noon-time every day, I vjould see him and his funny little ice cream truck
parked under one of the large shady trees, I didn^ij see him many times until we
v;ero friends; I soon picked up a fev; Italian words, words of greeting, such as,
"How are you, Tony," and he v;ould grin and answer, that he vjas fine and ask hovj
I was., Tony got. a great kick out of my attempts to speak Italian and he told me
one day that he was going to bring an Italian-English Graramer and teacha’ me to
spika' da Italian, as I learned verra’ queek, ■ Somehow wo :never got around to-this
and its probably just as well, for I remember, as a boy,-.going to school with a
Spaniard, who tried to teach me Spanish - the complete results were the most choice
string of cuss-words, one ever heard - so maybe Tony v/ould have been disappointed
in trying to teach me Italiano
About the time that Liussolini began to appear in the public eye, and was
throwing out his barrel-chest and sticking out his jack-ass chin for the benefit
of photographers and the world-ini^general, I approached Tony on the subject of
him. The results v/ere astounding. Tony’s familiar grin faded from his face and
I was afraid for a moment or two that he would strangle on the mixture of broken
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