Alonso to Speak About Italian Culture

As part of the Roads to Appalachia through Italy Study Abroad class, several speakers will visit campus to present lectures on Italian culture and customs.

The first of these lectures will be by Rosalyn Burnett Queen Alonso from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in Room 114 of the Education Building. All lectures will be free and open to the campus community. For more information, call the West Virginia Folklife Center at (304) 367-4403.

Alonso will speak about her new book, which she says stems from her desire to collect and preserve Italian customs and the culture in general. "Arriverdici" is not only a cookbook, but also a reference for Italian customs and beliefs. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event.

Rosalyn Burnett Queen Alonso was born in Clarksburg, the daughter of William Oliverio Burnett, an Italian immigrant from San Giovanni in Fiore, and Florence Roberti Burnett. She grew up in the small community, where she was born. She lived there for 60 years, raising two sets of twins. The community was the typical "Little Italy" that so many places have, and she became seeped in Italian culture in the United States. She served on the Board of Directors and was the Executive Director of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival for over 25 years. U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd nominated her to serve on the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, and she was then appointed by President George H.W. Bush. In 1995, President William Clinton appointed her to serve as chairman of the board of the CCFF. President George W. Bush reappointed her to the foundation in 2003. West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton chose her to serve on the Columbus Quincentennery Commission.

She is a member of the National Italian American Foundation and has served as a co-chair of the annual Gala. She is a member of the William Marconi Lodge, Sons of Italy, the Audia Caring Heritage Association and is an active member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. An article she wrote on fund-raising in rural areas for festivals and events was included in a periodical publication edited by Clemson University. For the past 10 years, she has written a weekly column, "The Grapevine", which appears in several North Central West Virginia newspapers.

Alonso has attended and taught many seminars on festivals and event fund-raising, sponsored by colleges and universities throughout the United States. She has visited Italy several times and has walked the streets where her father was born and played. She received a preservation project grant to record orally the histories of 50 West Virginia Italian families.