This is an archived UW-P news item,
originally posted: 6/10/2009.
Italian program honors Falbo, Antaramian, DeSimone
Saying there were few successful community causes that had not been helped by Al De Simone, UW-Parkside Vice Chancellor Lenny Klaver led a moment of celebration for the late Kenosha businessman and philanthropist during the Celebrazione Italiana. This fifth annual salute to all things Italian also honored UW-Parkside graduates Michael Falbo and John Antaramian while raising fund for the university's Italian exchange and cultural programs.
Before an audience of about 300, the university presented Falbo with its 2009 UW-Parkside Lifetime Recognition Award. Falbo was honored for success and service in both his personal and professional life. After serving as a medic in Vietnam, Falbo earned an undergraduate degree from UW-Parkside and a graduate degree from UW-Madison's School of Banking. Later, as chairman and CEO of State Financial Services Corporation, he helped building the fifth-largest bank holding company in Wisconsin with assets of $1.5 billion. When State Financial was acquired by Associated Banc-Corp., Falbo became chairman of Associated Community Development, which helps people with modest incomes afford housing, participate in commercial development and preserve historic buildings. Falbo continues to serve UW-Parkside through his active membership on the university's foundation board. He was named to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents in 2004. In addition, he serves the community as co-chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and through his membership on the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Advisory Board, the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Advisory Board and many others.
"I'm thankful. I'm blessed to have the gift of being a better person because I am around all of you," he was quoted as saying by the Kenosha News as he accepted his award.
Antaramian's receipt of the university's 2009 Excellence in Leadership Award was no surprise given the fact that the recipient is no stranger to public service. After graduating from UW-Parkside, Antaramian held elective office for more than a quarter century. In 1982, he was elected to the Wisconsin legislature representing the 65th Assembly District. For the next ten years he served as a member of the Assembly's Joint Finance Committee, co-chaired the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and led the Assembly Select Committee on Work Incentives. Returning to Kenosha in 1992, he was elected mayor, winning re-election three times. He served as co-chair of the Brownfield's Task Force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and served on the Green Tier Advisory Committee, the transportation work group, and as president of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Brownfield Association. He is founder of the Emerging Communities Corporation and serves as a Visiting Professor of Government in the Political Science Department of Carthage College.
In accepting the award, Antaramian praised the students involved in UW-Parkside's Italian exchange and cultural programs calling them the real winners of the evening's festivities and adding "the real important of tonight is making sure this program continues."
UW-Parkside Biological Sciences Professor and event organizer Dr. Carmel Ruffolo said she was "Proud to have [Falbo and Antaramian] receive these awards especially since they are UW-Parkside graduates!"
Carmel went on to say the Celebrazione Italiana "gets better and grows in importance every year" emphasizing that the event is vital to the university's ongoing student/faculty exchanges with the Universita della Calabria and UW-Parkside's Italian cultural programs.
She thanked the program's major sponsors CNH (Case New Holland), a Fiat Group Company; and Associated Bank along with long-time sponsor Turano Baking for their support of Celebrazione Italiana.Publish date: 6/10/2009
