My mother was the 1954 summer Cover Girl for County Line, a Monmouth New Jersey magazine. As a 1st generation Italian, Mariana Elvira Lucia Siciliano did not have the female look that was popular in the day. Doris Day was the all American cover girl face of the times. Mom persisted and used her earnings as a model to pay for college and earn a Master’s Degree in comparative literature with honors. She was the first in her family to earn a degree in higher education. She urged me to pursue journalism, yet it took me many years to finally heed her words and pursue photojournalism. Mothers really do know best. Are you feeling the Italian love? You can find this recipe for Italian gnochetti soup HERE.
