Antonio M. Romanucci honored with inaugural Dominic DiFrisco Lifetime Achievement Award
Civil rights attorney Antonio M. Romanucci received the Dominic DiFrisco Lifetime Achievement Award at a luncheon hosted by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) on September 14, 2021. Romanucci, who is one of the Founding Partners of the law firm Romanucci & Blandin, was honored with the inaugural DiFrisco award.
The JCCIA serves as a congress for Chicagoland Italian American organizations and a focal point for the community.
The Dominic DiFrisco Award was established to honor the life and legacy of the Public Relations executive who was a strong advocate for Italian-Americans. DiFrisco died in April of 2019 at the age of 85. DiFrisco was the son of immigrants from Corleone, Italy and grew up in New York. His professional life brought him to Chicago in the 1960s. He worked for the Alitalia agency, then Burson-Marsteller and later Edelman. Throughout his life, he was a passionate proponent of ways Chicago could best honor the contributions of Italian-Americans and fought against perceptions he felt were negative. He was the president of JCCIA for many years and the creator of the annual Dante award for members of the Chicago media.
The award was presented at a JCCIA luncheon held at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago. The event also honored Jennifer Lyons, President and General Manager of CBS2 in Chicago, with the 2021 Dante Award. That award is given to a person who is “no timid friend to the truth,” in commemoration of 700th anniversary of the death of Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri.
“As Italian-Americans we are exceedingly proud of the contributions Antonio M. Romanucci has made to our community and our country. His individual work as a civil rights attorney is outstanding, representing victims of police misconduct like George Floyd, serving as lead counsel on the Sterigenics environmental lawsuit fighting for hundreds of people who were made sick, and being a part of the legal team taking on corporate giants like Boeing for the fatal 737 Max 8 crashes. He is truly committed to making the world a better place, and his leadership at his law firm and in the civic arena serving as the past President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and Honorary Chairman of this year’s St. Jude Chicago fundraiser are but a few in a long list of ways he gives back. He is truly deserving of this inaugural Dominic DiFrisco award,” said Ron Onesti, President of the JCCIA.
"To say I am humbled by this award is a terrific understatement. I am flattered given the work JCCIA does to enrich Chicago on behalf of Italian-Americans. But I am truly moved to be honored in the name of Dominic DiFrisco who was an invaluable mentor as well an inspiration. I am a different person today because of his influence in my life,” said Antonio M. Romanucci, Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC.
