Sam Vazzano and his buddies had to promise not to talk during meetings when they asked to join the Sons of Italy in the early 1960s, but their later work starting the club’s weekly spaghetti feed still speaks volumes. In a 2002 interview, Vazzano told a World-Herald reporter that he remembered one of the “cranky old guys” wagging a finger at him and his friends, warning them not to speak up at meetings. “Now we’re the cranky old guys,” Vazzano said.

“When Dad and his buddies first met the old-timers, none of those guys spoke much English,” said Sam’s son, Joe Vazzano of Omaha. “The club was mostly about playing cards and having a few drinks. They wanted to try something different.”