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Canonsburg pays tribute to Como
Sunday, May 16, 1999 By Antoinette Fitch
They walked from their post-war bungalow and frame foursquare neighborhoods. They came by car, van, busload and airplane, some as far away as California. Thousands of adoring fans crowded onto the sidewalks and parking lots surrounding the tiny, white-picket-fenced Canonsburg plaza to pay tribute yesterday to the baritone crooner and the town's world-famous son, Perry Como.
Como, nearly 87 years old, did not attend the festivities. He remained at his Jupiter, Fla., home to recuperate from a bronchial illness, according to his daughter-in-law, Melanie Como.
But four generations of his family were there as the purple satin cloth draping the life-sized granite statue was removed. The hour-long ceremony that began at 10 a.m. included all the usual fanfare -- speeches were made by dignitaries, a proclamation was read by Canonsburg Mayor Daniel Caruso, and a key to the city was presented to the Como family.
"It is a tremendous honor," Melanie Como told the crowd. "I assure you Dad is here in his spirit." She said her father-in-law intends to make the trip soon, perhaps within weeks. "We as a family are grateful to be included," she said.
"Dad told me many times as soon as he is able, he will come," she added after the ceremony. "He was so looking forward to this."
To a count of three, Como's grandchildren Ronald Jr., Wendy, Mary, Melanie Como-Dits and Paige Como-Wolf, and great-grandchildren Christopher and Naldo unveiled the statue. Como's brothers Al and Gene and his sister Venzie Jakubetz watched from nearby.
The crowd cheered and applauded as the 5-foot-8 statue by Vermont artist Stanislaw Lutostanski sparkled in the bright morning sunlight. It reflected a casual, cardigan-clad Como, hand in pocket and mouth to a microphone. Beneath it an inscription reads, "To this place God has brought me" -- one of star's favorite sayings.
"Thank God we were born at a time when we've all been able to appreciate the talent and the soul of this wonderful human being, Perry Como," said Nick Perito, Como's longtime friend and musical arranger, who read congratulatory letters from singer Pat Boone and Richard Carpenter. Boone joked about Como's longevity in his correspondence.
But longevity best describes Como's career and personal life. His career is a legacy of enduring hits from the 1945 "Till The End Of Time" to "It's Impossible" in the 1970s. Como recorded 147 hit singles, , , 22 albums, and hosted weekly radio and television shows and numerous holiday television special productions.
He married his childhood sweetheart, the late Roselle Bellini, and left Canonsburg in 1933 to join the Freddie Carlone Orchestra. It was one of the longest marriages in entertainment history, lasting 65 years until her death in August.
Como's big break came in 1942, when he was discovered by agent Tom Rockwell of O'Keefe and Rockwell, later called GAC, one of the largest booking agencies in the country. He placed Como in several New York nightclubs, including the Copacabana, and landed him a contract with RCA Victor Records and a spot on the Chesterfield Supper Club on NBC radio.
In 1944 Como made another media transition when the Chesterfield Supper Club moved to television. He achieved celebrity status with a weekly TV variety show that aired under various names on NBC and CBS from 1948 to 1963.
Yesterday's celebration sponsored by the Greater Canonsburg Heritage Society continued through the day with bus tours past the Franklin Avenue Como homestead, a luncheon at Southpointe, and evening banquet at the Meadow Lands Holiday Inn.
Antoinette Fitch is a free-lance writer.
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