Berardi Brothers are Honored in San Marino

 

Photo credit: Dr. Daniele Cesaretti

Roberto and Leonello Berardi were the sons of Adam and Teresa Berardi, natives of the Republic of San Marino. The Berardi family emigrated to the United States in 1927, having left from Genoa, Italy on the ship Conte Biancamao. In 1930 the family was living on McKelvey Street in Sandusky, in a section of town known as “Little Italy.” This area was located along Milan Road, bordered by Finch Street and Boalt Street. 

Sadly, both sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi were killed during World War II. Leonello, often called Nello, was killed in action in Italy in 1944. Roberto died in Germany in 1945. A plaque honoring the memory of the Berardi brothers was erected in the Fiorentino Cemetery in San Marino. A front page article in the Sandusky Register of April 5, 1961 reported on the memorial in San Marino.

At the dedication of the marble monument in San Marino on March 25, 1961, Dr. Frederico Bigi stated, “As citizens of the world’s oldest Republic, they took with them the spirit of Liberty as they traveled to the world’s youngest Republic, and showed their devotion to Liberty by laying down their lives to uphold freedom.”

To read more about Roberto Berardi and Leonello Berardi, see the website of the American War Memorials Overseas, Inc. The final resting place of Adam and Teresa Berardi is at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio.

Stadium Diner

From 1941 until the late 1980s, the Stadium Diner was in business at 1019 West Perkins Avenue in Sandusky, close to the Sandusky High School’s football field (now Strobel Field at Cedar Point Stadium.) The postcard above states that Stadium Diner was “the world’s largest diner.”  The main structure of the Stadium Diner was made from two former Lake Shore Electric interurban cars placed end to end.

        

Nat Sherrard was the proprietor of this popular restaurant for many years. In 1941, the Stadium Diner was open 24 hours a day, and specialized in steak, chicken and fish dinners. Many business luncheons, dinner meetings, and other special events were hosted there. Of course it was a popular spot for a meal before or after a high school football game as well. 

In 1952, the Stadium Diner was remodeled. This advertisement, which appeared in the August 21, 1952 issue of the Sandusky Register Star News, indicated that the new owner of the Stadium Diner was H.S. Gamber, with A. Lack working as the manager.

Many local businesses offered their congratulations on the opening of the newly remodeled restaurant. In 1952, a Lake Erie perch dinner could be purchased at Stadium Diner for one dollar. Members of the Berardi family purchased the Stadium Diner in 1989, and now operate the popular restaurant, Berardi’s Family Kitchen. 

A cloth napkin from the Stadium Diner, from the collections of the Sandusky Library

      

Italian Heritage in Erie County

Between 1884 and 1924 about 7 million Italians arrived in the United States. In Erie County Italian-Americans found work in the quarries, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, landscaping, fishing, and many other businesses. Local Italian restaurants were quite popular on weekend nights, and remain popular to this day. Four generations of the Balconi family have been in the monument business in Sandusky. “Mama Berardi” opened her well-known French Fry stands at Cedar Point in the 1940's. Pictured below is the grocery store of Ruggiero Riccelli around 1920.

Major Thomas S. Amato (third from right in the picture below) was born in Sicily in 1880. Major Amato served in the Sixth Infantry of the Ohio National Guard in World War I. His death in 1921 was directly attributed to his military service.

The Sandusky Register’s obituary of Thomas S. Amato states that “full military honors were accorded to the man who came to this country from Italy when a boy and so loved it that his life has been laid a sacrifice upon the altar of his adopted land.”

During World War II, many Sandusky young men of Italian descent served in the United States military, and some lost their lives. One of the most moving stories of sacrifice and honor is one of two Sandusky brothers of Italian descent who were honored in San Marino, a small republic within the borders of Italy. The front page of the Sandusky Register on April 5, 1961 features an article about a monument having been built in the cemetery in Fiorentino in honor of Leonello Berardi and Roberto Berardi. Leonello and Roberto were the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi, who emigrated from San Marino to the United States in 1927. Leonello died in Italy in 1944, and Roberto died in Holland in 1945. They wrote to their parents that they hoped to meet up in San Marino, but they never had the chance to do so. Though the young men were buried where they died, officials of the small republic of San Marino wanted to honor the sacrifice of Leonello and Roberto Berardi. Officials from both San Marino and the United States were present at the dedication of the monument. Dr. Frederico Bigi, of the Italian consulate, spoke at the dedication. He said the young men “took with them the spirit of liberty as they traveled to the world’s youngest republic, and showed their devotion to Liberty by laying down their lives to uphold freedom.” You can read more about the monument to Leonello and Roberto Berardi by accessing the April 5, 1961 issue of the Sandusky Register, on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The names of Leonello and Roberto Berardi are also found on a plaque honoring several former students from Sandusky High School who lost their lives during World War II; the plaque is at the former Adams Junior High School.

A plaque that was donated to the historical collections of the Sandusky Library contains the names of the charter members of the Italian-American Beneficial Club in Sandusky, better known as the I.A.B.

You can read about “Little Italy,” a six-block area on Sandusky’s east side, in the May 18, 2003 issue of the Sandusky Register, now on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Hundreds of passenger records are available on the Ellis Island web site, accessible at home or at Sandusky Library. Consider donating historical family photographs or documents to the Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library for future generations to enjoy.