At 11:10 p.m. on July 25, 1956, the Italian liner Andrea Doria and the Swedish ship Stockholm hit each other in a thick fog bank off the coast of Nantucket.
It was a tragedy that took the life of 51 people, traumatized the survivors and abruptly ended the era for the iconic ship that everyone in Italy saw as a symbol of their comeback after the war. The Andrea Doria was legendary, elegant and innovative, but that night, it disappeared into the dark ocean.
It has been seventy years since this tragedy happened.
Naturally, we have fewer and fewer survivors around to tell us what happened. Their stories are a big part of our history, not just for Italy but for everyone. We must keep these memories alive so future generations can understand the bravery and hope that emerged from such a dark night. It is about ensuring the next generation understands what truly happened.
For us at the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association, this idea of historical memory - or memoria storica - is pretty much why we exist. We are lucky to know community member Antonio De Girolamo, who is the father of our Vice President John De Girolamo.
Antonio is 90 years old and comes from Ischia. He also lived through the Andrea Doria sinking and his family's immigration history to the United States started with this tragedy. We honored him last year at Festa Italiana because he has lived such an incredible life, spending much of it helping people.
Much has been said about that night and Antonio has shared his story many times. It is also well documented on the Andrea Doria website and has a detailed account of the events of that night:
https://www.andreadoria.org/
Antonio always says that the big takeaway for him was that life is short and everything can change in a second.
He did not let the sinking ruin his life or his dreams. Instead, inspired by the generosity of many strangers who allowed them to go on in the aftermath of the tragedy, he decided to be a giver. Antonio spent his life looking out for his community, first in NYC and then in San Pedro, giving back whenever he could.
Antonio's is a story about moving to a new country and starting over. There were hundreds of Italians on that boat, many of them were just trying to get to America for a better life. They carried all these dreams across the Atlantic and their unsung courage mirrors the story of countless other immigrants who helped build the United States.
As we mark this 70th anniversary, we remember those who died and those who survived to achieve their dreams. We are celebrating a group of people who just refused to let a disaster stop them from having a future.
History is not just a list of dates in a book. It stays alive through people like Antonio. As long as we keep talking about these things and sharing his story, the legacy of the Andrea Doria is not going anywhere.
Never forget.
