PRESIDENT JOE MORRA’s FAREWELL ADDRESS - MAY 2026
I’ve given considerable thought to what I might write in this, my “Farewell Address,” bittersweet though it obviously is, and ultimately found my inspiration from the widely-known passage from Ecclesiastes . . . As our ancestors would have intoned: “C’e un tempo per tutto e una stagione per ogni attivita sotto il cielo.” In simple English . . . “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
And as my thoughts drift backwards, what remarkable seasons SICE has provided for the past quarter century! We have highlighted the Italo-American experience and filled the cultural void with a never-ending variety of opera events, scholarly lectures on art history, immigration symposia, gourmet dinners, collegial luncheons, book talks and, of course, an ongoing celebration of Italian cinema.
With all of that in mind, we should have no regrets that, as is the case with all human activity, SICE has run its course and can take justifiable pride in all that it has accomplished. Think of how we have contributed monetarily year after year to the Sarasota Opera, along with seasonal disbursements to the Italian-American Museum in New York, the Sarasota Film Society, the Selby Library and an occasional nod to the Sarasota Ballet. Most significant has been its Student Scholarship Program which provided financial help to university students travelling to Italy to enhance their academic studies. These, then, constitute the enduring legacy of SICE which has the additional distinction of separating itself from other Italian organizations which, fine though they may be in their own right, rely primarily on social activities.
Again, Ecclesiastes reminds us to . . . “Goditi il tuo lavoro sopratutto, perche questo e il tuo destino.” In other words . . . “Enjoy your work above all, for that is your lot.” And so, your Executive Board has worked tirelessly and lovingly over the years and cherishes all the friendships it has forged with all of you. It has been my honor to have served you as President these last five years, and please remember our prevailing mantra, “Siamo amici per sempre.” “We are friends forever. “ Grazie Mille !