New memorial scholarship for Italian Americans

By Mary Georgevich

English professor Roseanne Quinn was devastated when her good friend passed away in November.

"He truly was one of the finest men I've ever met" she said.

To honor his memory, Quinn started the John C. Riccio Scholarship Fund to aid students of Italian-American descent that have demonstrated financial need.

Riccio, who died Nov. 24 after a nearly eight-month battle with cancer, was a valued member of the Italian American community in the Bay Area.

Riccio helped the community as president of the Italian American Community Services Agency, as well as the Italian American Bar Association.

An Italian phrase best describes Quinn's view of Riccio, she said.

"La bella figura. It means to live your life with class and dignity and integrity," she said. "He really embodied that."

Quinn said she and Riccio had been good friends for about seven years when she fell two stories onto a concrete surface.

"It was July 24, 2004, and I stepped on a balcony that collapsed," she said.

Riccio became her lawyer after the incident and eventually proved that the landlords of the building knew the balcony was faulty and did not do anything about it.

"He really helped me heal physically and emotionally from all those injuries," she said.

She said she had trouble reading, writing and speaking after the accident because of post-concussion syndrome.

"He helped me find really top-notch medical professionals," Quinn said.

The scholarship will be geared toward students in the Da Vinci Residential Learning Community.

Financial aid and the Da Vinci RLC will decide which student receives this scholarship, and students will not need to apply for it.

As a graduate of St. Ignatius high school in the Bay Area, Riccio especially appreciated a Jesuit education, Quinn said.

"He so valued education," she said. "I really thought about what would serve his memory well."

Riccio, a San Francisco native, is survived by his widow, Judy Macchello Riccio, and their two children, Isabella, 3, and Joseph, 20 months.

"He was a very devoted father and husband," Quinn said. "So I'm also hoping that through this they can receive some small comfort that John is going to be remembered in this way."

Quinn, who was a first-generation college student, said she knows every little bit can help when paying for college.

She has pledged $500 a year for at least the next 10 years to fund the scholarship.

"I asked my students how much they usually pay for books in the fall," she said. "And they said it was between $300 and $500, so I thought that it could at least pay for books."

Quinn said she has had a close connection to Santa Clara her whole life.

As a child, she heard stories about the university and Franklin Street, because her mother's great aunt and uncle had built the house at 644 Franklin St.

Her mother would often visit that house, which was moved a couple of years ago to become part of the Jesuit residence. When Quinn was growing up, they would stop by to see it on occasion.

She was accepted by Santa Clara and recruited to play basketball here, however, she decided not to come here for her undergraduate studies.

"Italians have a word called destino, which means destiny," she said. Quinn now parks on Franklin Street for work every day.

Contact Mary Georgevich at (408)554-4546 or mgeorgevich@scu.edu.