Richard J. Badolato Honored by Columbian Foundation
November 20, 2004 Roseland NJ.
Litigation partner
Richard J. Badolato was honored on Saturday November 20, 2004 by The Columbian Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping to improve the cultural, education, economic and social welfare of the citizens of New Jersey. The biography prepared by the Foundation about Richard is available here. Richard's remarks are available here.
Connell Foley Executive Committee Chairman Richard D. Catenacci had the following to say about Badolato's honor: "We have known for many years that Richie Badolato is a gem. It is gratifying to see others honor Rich in this way."
The follwing is the speech delivered by Mr. Badolato:
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Thank you, Wayne for those generous remarks. As some of you may know, both Wayne and I are lawyers. We also served together as Officers of the New Jersey State Bar Association. But most significantly, perhaps, is that each of our surnames, Positano and Badolato, are also the names of small villages in Italy.
It is a distinct privilege for me to be named as one of the 2004 Honorees of The Columbian Foundation. It is also humbling, for I join a distinguished list of past recipients of this award. I thank all of you for this great honor, and for adding my name to that list.
I should confess, however, that I am often leery of accepting awards because I suspect that my selection was based more on longevity than accomplishment. But the Columbian Foundation award is unique, because it recognizes both accomplishments and heritage. And in my case, it is heritage that definitely influenced accomplishments.
My immediate family was small; two parents and one younger sister. She was the academic all-star; I was the jock. We practiced some traditional Italian customs; for example, seven types of fishes served at Christmas dinner and lamb on Easter Sunday. When my grandfather was alive we celebrated his name day, that of St. Guiseppe, on March 19. There were crucifixes in each bedroom, and a picture of the Pope hung proudly in the bedroom of my parents. Generally, it changed as the Popes changed, though I should tell you that the picture currently hanging is that of Pope John XXIII, formerly Cardinal Angelo Roncali. He was, of course, one of the last Italian Popes.
My parents spoke both Italian and English at home. But neither my sister nor I were taught Italian, because my parents used it, in part, as a language of concealment. When they did not want us to understand what they were talking about, they switched languages. Naturally, this was a clue that we should listen more carefully, and that is how I learned a little of the language. By the way, this particular approach to child-rearing is not unique to Italians. My Jewish friends whose parents spoke Yiddish tell me the same things happened to them.
I did not, however, grow up in an Italian neighborhood. In 1951, my parents bought a house in Union and we moved there from Irvington. My mother still lives in that house. Union then had quite a few farms and a large German population, and we moved into a neighborhood with both. My parents wanted all of us to be part of this community, physically and spiritually. We joined a local church, St, Michaels, which had a mixed congregation, rather than attending St. Rocco's in Newark, where Mass was said in Italian. I learned to eat new foods; indeed, I think that I ate more sauerbraten than pasta. And all of it was wonderful.
I can truly say that I grew up in a multicultural environment, with friends and neighbors who came from various national, ethnic and religious backgrounds. This exposed me to new ideas and different customs and beliefs. And to the extent that I was able to learn from those differences, I believe that I am better for it.
Yet as I think back over the past decades it is clear to me that my core beliefs, who I really am as a person, has remained steady. I have no doubt that this is because of my family, and the values that were instilled in me growing up. And a large part of those values derived from the Italian heritage of my parents and relatives.
Many in our nation care little about their heritage, scoffing at the idea of thinking of themselves as anything other than authentically American. But America is a complex country, made up of a vast array people with ethnic differences. Each has made some contribution to the formation of our nation and society, and the heritage of each is part of what makes our country great.
A recent story in the New York Times shows what can be lost when a society chooses to ignore the value of difference. In Denmark, the "Law of Personal Names" requires that parents choose the names of their children from a government-approved list. Many children go nameless for months if the names their parents prefer are not on the list. The authorities claim that the law protects children from ridicule and humiliation for the foolish choices of their parents. Critics say the law is designed to enforce conformity, and to deny individuals a means of establishing a separate identity through names, particularly ethnic-sounding ones.
Something similar used to happen at Ellis Island, as arriving immigrants were given new names by immigration officials. There was little concern for the names these people had in the "old country", for now that they came to America, they could be called something else. Perhaps that is why I am a"Badolato." To be sure, some wanted to assimilate and willingly changed their names, but others surely did not.
We should not forget our heritage because "where we came from" contributes to who we are. That is why the honor you have bestowed on me today is so meaningful. It recognizes not only what I have done, but more importantly, my Italian heritage; it recognizes who I am.
Thank you.
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