Scotch Plains Fanwood UNICO held its annual Columbus Day Recognition ceremony Monday, October 13, 2008 at the Columbus Memorial Monument in downtown Scotch Plains.

Members of the Scotch Plains Township Council, the Father Nelligan Knights of Columbus Council 5730, the Scotch Plains Italian American Club and Scotch Plains Fanwood UNICO were on hand to take part in the ceremony. The opening prayer was given by Rev. John Paladino, pastor of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Scotch Plains and chaplain of SPF UNICO. Mr. Joseph Triano, President of SPF UNICO, spoke of the significance of Columbus to Italian Americans. Mr. Michael D’Antuono, PGK, represented the Father Nelligan Council and Mr. Romano DelRoio, President, represented the Scotch Plains Italian American Club. Deputy Mayor Nancy Malool represented Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks. Councilmen Kevin Glover and Jeffrey Strauss represented the Scotch Plains Town Council. Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree members and SPF UNICO members Pat Harrington and Frank Russo served as the honor guard. Mr. Carmen Ponzio of SPF UNICO was the Ceremony Chairman.

The statue was commissioned by funds donated by the Father Nelligan Council, the Italian American Club and Scotch Plains Fanwood UNICO. It is sculpted from Italian Carrara marble, the same material used in the construction of the Tower of Pisa and other buildings on the Piazza del Miracoli in Pisa, Italy and in the sculptural works of Michaelangelo. It was placed on the Scotch Plains Municipal Building Plaza in Alan Augustine Park on Columbus Observance Day October 12, 1998. The statue is inscribed “Dedicato a Cristoforo Columbo – Admiral of the Ocean Seas” “Every man has in himself a continent of undiscovered character. Happy he who acts the Columbus to his own soul.”

The statue is a tribute to Christopher Columbus and to his courage and determination to explore worlds unknown. Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans to make notations about traversing the Devil’s or Bermuda Triangle, noting that their compass readings varied by as much as 11 degrees. This was in a time when compass readings, star navigation and sextant readings were the only means of direction finding. In addition, they traveled through the notorious Sargasso Sea, where sailors were often becalmed for days on end due to treacherous currents and lack of wind. The thickness of accumulated sea weed in this area gave rise to legends of sea serpents among generations of sailors.

The statue also stands as a tribute to the proud Italian heritage which a large number of the citizens of Scotch Plains share Many can trace their heritage to the town of Montazzali, Italy, which is the sister town of Scotch Plains. Every year a delegation of citizens visit each other with the country of destination alternated.