2009 Speaker Series

Antonio Pucci, 24 Nov 2009

“Fort William’s ‘Little Italy’ and the Founding of the Società Italiana Di Benevolenza Principe Di Piemonte”

Antonio Pucci is a teacher of history at St Ignatius High School in Thunder Bay. Several scholarly articles based on his M.A. thesis at Lakehead University have been published in The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Papers and Records and Little Italies in North America (The Multicultural History Society of Ontario). 

Location: Da Vinci Centre

John Potestio, 2 Apr 2009

“The Welch (Veltri) Company and the Emigration of Calabresi to Canada”   

John Potestio is a retired teacher of history. He holds an M.A. in history from Lakehead University and is the author and editor of several books on the Italian community in Thunder Bay including The Memoirs of Giovanni Veltri, In Search of a Better Life and The Italians of Thunder Bay. A revised and enlarged version of his M.A. thesis on the R. F. Welch Company is being translated into Italian with the prospects of publication in 2009.

Location: Italian Cultural Centre