TAYLOR STREET’s NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Upon my return to Taylor Street, after decades of being away to raise my family, I am re-introduced to everyone as follows, “You remember Josie from Sheridan Park…well this is Josie’s son.” When I won the raffle (a brand new BMW car) at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii’s Annual Summer Fest, the word that passed through the crowd and the neighborhood was, “Josie’s son won the BMW.”
Vincent Romano
www.TaylorStreetArchives.com
Josie Romano was the matron at Sheridan Park during that era that nurtured the last generation of our legendary Taylor Street prior to the UIC’s eminent domain takeover. I share an example of the impact she had on at least one of the Sheridan Park participants. “Josie’s son?!. If it weren’t for your mother I probably would be in jail today.”
I would be remiss if I did not share that side of Josephine Romano, the 4 yr old immigrant child that arrived here from Acerra, Italy, in 1912, that has remained hidden.
Taylor Street has produced twelve (12) documented instances of national or international titles. Amazingly, six (6) of the twelve (6) share josie’s lineage.
Nick Fosco: 1928 Golden Gloves Champion .
Richard Guerrero: 1950s Golden Gloves Champion.
Jackie Corvine: 1950s Golden Gloves Champion.
Jerry “Bugsy” Piscatello: 1960s International Gin Rummy Champion.*
Eddie “Steady Eddie” Giampa: 1960s International Gin Rummy Champion.
*Marc Roman 1977 (grandson) Jr. College National Championship Wrestling Team.
*Rick Romano 1977 (grandson) Jr. College National Championship Wrestling Team
Jim Divito: 1980s National Senior Racquetball Champion.
*Robert Garippo 1990. (3rd son’s BIL) Windy City Softball Hall of Fame, 5 national championship teams, MVP.
*Ruffolo Family 2006 (nephew’s family) National Ivory Soap Family.
*Christina Romano 2013 (great granddaughter) National Karate Champion.
*Angelina Romano (2013) Great granddaughter. National Karate Champion.
*Angelina Romano (2019) Great granddaughter. International Karate Champion.
*Jerry “Bugsy” Picatelli, Eddie “Steady Eddie” Giampa, and Joe “Hammer” Delessandro. International Gin Rummy Champions. “We never knew how good we were as card players until we were old enough to venture out of our neighborhood. One club, the Morgan Fads S.A.C., produced 2 international champion gin rummy players plus a third contestant that came within a whisker from making it 3 out of 3 for the Morgan Fads. Imagine, in the whole world, one little known inconspicuous club harbored, arguably, the best gin rummy players on the planet. Jerry “Bugsy” Piscatello won the first Las Vegas International championship. Almost back-to-back, Eddie “Steady Eddy” Giampa also won the international championship. And Joe “Hammer” Delessandro barely missed winning a third championship (7th place). All three were from Taylor Street. All three were from just one of the numerous clubs that saturated our neighborhood. All three were first generation Italian Americans. It seems that we, as the prologue to the Taylor Street Archives attests, did “excel in virtually everything the larger society had ordained for us…from digging sewers to enterprises in which only the most talented and courageous could excel.” The Club. www.TaylorStreetArchives.com