To those of you who are not on the IAOV or La Dolce Vita Mailing List, 
you may not be aware that Dr. Emanuel Alfano spearheaded a Response 
to the intent of Katharine Gibbs School of Montclair, New Jersey to have a 
Teacher Appreciation/Halloween Event with a "Sopranos" theme.

With an outpouring of Emails, and Phone Calls by members of IAOV 
and La Dolce Vita objecting to the 'Sopranos' theme, Gibbs School reconsidered
and sent the following apology.

Congratulations to Manny and Francesca, and your dedicated members.

IAOV and La Dolce Vita, are building a record that soon may not be able to be 
matched by the I-A Major Organizations.  
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Dear Dr. Alfano:

Thank you for taking my call today.  As promised this is the revised letter
that will be sent to guidance counselors and teachers for October 25, 2001
event.

Mary Jo Greco

College Executive President 
Mary Jo Greco
Katharine Gibbs School 
33 Plymouth Street, 
Montclair, NJ 07042-2699 

cjohnson@njgibbscollege.net (Johnson, Cheryl)
    

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October 4, 2001
 

Dear Educator,

This year our Teacher Appreciation event was to carry a Sopranos Halloween 
theme. We realize now that this is an inappropriate theme and we regret the 
decision to promote a show and characters that forward such negative 
messages.  We recognize that our selection was offensive and for that we are 
sorry.
 
Instead, this year the Teacher Appreciation event will feature a "One Land, 
One People" theme that will honor American unity, a subject which has become 
even more important in the wake of the September 11th tragedy.  
 
For all those in attendance on October 25, 2001, Gibbs College will make a 
donation to the United Way September 11th Fund.
 
Because of our commitment to education and our deep roots in the
community, we value this opportunity to bring people together to
support such a positive message.
 
If  you should have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at 
(973) 744-2010. Again, we are deeply sorry for any misunderstanding and we 
look forward to working together in the future.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mary Jo Greco
Executive President