From the Presidents Desk: September 19, 2014 Dear readers, The International Chiari Association (ICA) is honored to receive thank yous every day. While I am the founder and president, I am thankful to the ICA as well. Through the ICA, I have met so many brave people that inspire me every day and I have also learned a great deal about my family history. I visited McComas, West Virginia for the first time on Sept. 11 and, thanks to the ICA, my goal is for McComas to always be remembered. See photos of McComas and the McComas Country Store. My grandfather, Vittorio Dal Bello, was a coal miner in McComas in the 1920s and that is where my father and his oldest sister were born. Ive learned that while the population of McComas was 1,000-2,000 during my grandfathers time, there are now 50 people that live there today. The coal mines are not there anymore and jobs left years ago. I remember, more than 30 years ago, my father saying that McComas doesnt exist anymore. My mother wrote to the the person in charge of West Virginias tourism, or a similar title, and requested a map so her husbands boys could see where he was born. To my fathers surprise, a map arrived and McComas was on it. Today, you wont find McComas on any maps. One of the residents told me that many people that live in the area have never heard of McComas, despite its rich coal-mining history and nearby natural beauty. The woman that lives across the road from the McComas Country Store said that it closed about a year ago due to lack of business. McComas has seen better days and while my father died in 1999, Im glad he wasnt with me on this trip. He was a very proud man. He was born in McComas and he would have died in McComas that day. The community needs a blood transfusion and that is something that I have thought about since my visit. If it wasnt for the first-ever Chiari Awareness Tour, I never would have saw McComas. If it wasnt for the country store, I never would have found McComas as I was close to giving up my search. My grandfather arrived in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, from Italy on Jan. 1, 1921, and started work in a lime kiln. Vittorio worked hard and was a boarder as he saved enough money to send for Maria, his sweetheart of eight years, to leave Italy and join him in Guelph. She arrived on Dec. 12 and they were married two days later. It was this experience of being a boarder that inspired my grandfather to have a soft spot to help single Italian men and that was something that he did even after he moved his family to Santa Barbara, California on Oct. 1, 1927. While I knew some things about McComas, I never knew this much about my grandparents time in Canada. My friendship with Janet Hussey, the founder and president of the Canadian Chiari Association (CCA), inspired my interest in looking up my family history. I have already learned so much in such a short time. Sunday is a special day for my family because my grandparents came to America on Sept. 21, 1923, at Detroit, Michigan. From there, they went to McComas. After four years, two children and 15 different boarders, Vittorio decided that he had too many close calls with mine explosions. He moved his family to Santa Barbara and we have been here ever since. My grandfather did not have the opportunities that I was given, but I know that he would have had much more success than anything I achieve. I doubt he had more than a third-grade education, possibly less, but he had strength, courage and was always trying to better himself. Vittorio had a big heart as he cared about his family and others. He was a wise man and someone that people came to when they needed help. In 1933, a young mother named Erminia Pellizzari came to my grandfather for advice. She was a close family friend who was eager to work, but concerned about her familys contemplated business venture. She and Vittorio discussed her worries and problems of life in general. My father, who was a bed-ridden youngster, remembered Vittorio concluding with In questa vita, non ce rose senza spine o carne senza osso. That is Italian for In this life, there are no roses without thorns or meat without bone. Erminia briefly had tears in her eyes, but then a smile glowed on her face and she came over to my father and gave him a big hug. My father, J.J. Dal Bello, would go on to become an accountant and a long-time president of the local branch of the Italian Catholic Federation, which is a nonprofit organization. I was his right-hand man and I have been involved in the nonprofit world my entire life. It was difficult being J.J.s son and I can count on one hand how many compliments that he ever gave me. The one that means the most is when he said that I reminded him of his father. It is something that I think about every day. Ill never be half the man my grandfather was, but I am honored. I think about my father every time that I give a speech or write a letter, but I think of my grandfather every time I have to make a decision or give advice. Ive heard my father give hundreds of speeches, but I recently found his best speech and that was for his parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. Father did not graduate from college, he was not in business, he was not an officer in any organization but he was the PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF HIS FAMILY, J.J.s speech notes said about Vittorio. What he said went and without ifs, buts or ands. I do not recall any of us children being spanked. All he had to do was give us his famous look of business and, if that did not work, a clearing of the throat noise never failed. He worked hard and was an excellent provider. Wine, not women, French Bread and homemade salami was his food responsibilities and one of which he never ran short of. When I walked the same path of my father and grandfather on Sept. 11 in McComas, it brought some happy tears. It was the only non-ICA stop on the Chiari Awareness Tour and I was in the area because ICA Chiari Advisor/Columnist Samantha Tiller hosted an International Chiari Walk on Sept. 13 in nearby Council, Virginia. I am thankful to Tiller, as well as her family and friends, for making me feel like family in a part of the country that means so much to me personally. After spending the night of Sept. 13 in Grundy, Virginia, the tour continued on Sept. 14 and I would end the day in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the drive, I couldnt stop of thinking about McComas and my concern that it would eventually disappear. As mentioned, I would have never found it if the now-closed country store wasnt there. Thoughts ranged from getting a plaque or a coal miners statue to even turning the store into a local history/coal mining museum. I want the coal miners and their families to be remembered. The miners risked their lives every day and their hard work is more than just local history. They are part of American History. I plan to visit McComas again next year, possibly as early as April. Since it took so much time to find it, my recent visit was short. I want to meet as many of the residents as I can and see what is at Harmon Cemetery Road. It wouldnt surprise me if there was a cemetery with some of my grandfathers friends who lost their lives in explosions. If you know of the McComas area or have any helpful advice, please e-mail me at the address below. Please put McComas in the subject line. I know my grandfather would be proud of the ICA and, possibly thanks to the ICA, my goal is that McComas is always remembered. Thank you for your continued support. All of us at the ICA really appreciate it. All the best, Pete ********************************************** Pete Dal Bello Founder/President International Chiari Association (ICA) E-Mail: [email protected]
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 04:10:19 +0000
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