National Porto Rican Day Parade.

0:00 Speaker 1 With us this morning. Is Joe Itthia, a good friend worked for Governor Pataki distributing the nine to eleven funds and also he was economic development chief in the Bronx. Joe Athia, congratulations is a big parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday. Give us an update.

0:21 Speaker 2 Sure, John got to be the biggest, and it is the biggest, I should say, but you should know that in nineteen fifty eight, April thirteenth, the first parade was held. One of the pioneers of the parade was a great guy Republican from the Bronx, Ramon Velez, who created then in nineteen ninety five, the first National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

0:49 And John today the parade is celebrated in so many places like Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, and Long Island in the Yonkers. And this year they’re celebrating in the Puerto Ricans of Georgia Atlanta, Georgia this year and they have some glory people that they’re honoring. And by the way, people should know John, that you are an honorary Puerto

1:22 Rican and you marched in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. You had a float and with the first time ever that an ex governor of Puerto Rico marched in that parade. The government Puerto Rico stayed away. And that was Louis Portunio that you invited and was marching in your float along the parade.

1:47 Speaker 1 And I remember time Joe Anthy. I remember that he was afraid that the people won’t remember him, and on the way up Fifth Avenue, people were proarding him all the way up Fifth Avenue, and he was saying he felt so good about it.

2:03 Speaker 2 He kept telling us how he was afraid that they would throw eggs at him, but it turned out to be that they applauded him. And we did not know if the millions of people out there were applauding more for John Katzimatini or for Lewis Fortuno, And I kept telling them it’s both of them, two great Puerto Ricans.

2:30 Speaker 1 Well, I always enjoyed We operated Capitol Airlines out of Puerto Rico. We had a reservation center of five hundred people in Puerto Rico. We had a great operation there and I always enjoyed working down there.

2:44 Speaker 2 And one of the great things that people should know is the parade came about of the birthday of Saint John the Baptist, which is June twenty third, and the Catholic Church was instruments mental in pulling that together. Now last Sunday they had the ceremonial day at Saint Patrick’s with the blessings and stuff. So the Catholic Church has

3:15 been instrumental in helping, you know, making the parade, which has been said one of the largest parades in the United States is that Puerto Rican Day Parade. And I know, John, you get to see it every year coming up Fifth Avenue.

3:32 And they have some great folks like Olgatagong, who’s a great singer from Puerto Rico. They have Lewis Guzman who’s an actor in so many programs, Gina Rodriguez another great actress from Chicago who has been on different television programs, and the Merengue Puerto Rican Elvis Crespo from Puerto Rico. Now, the other thing people should know is that the National

4:03 Puerto Rican Day Parade has a scholarship fund that gives out two thousand dollars scholarships to many students who apply for that, and it helps pay for tuition in college.

4:18 Speaker 1 Well, Joe Anthea, thank you for bringing us up to date. Now, what time does it start on Sunday?

4:26 Speaker 2 It starts at noon on Fifth Avenue, and everyone comes up and sees a lovely, colorful parade and salutes the Puerto Rican community, not only in New York, but like I mentioned that coming up from Georgia and from all the different states, and many mayors who are coming up from the different towns of Puerto Rico.

4:54 Speaker 1 Well, Joe Anthea, thank you. I’ll be watching the parade from my window. And God bless you you, and God bless the Puerto Rican people and their American citizens. God bless him and all of America. Thank you so much.

5:09 Speaker 2 And John, we love everything that you do with all the communities. And if I get a second, John is being honored next week at one of the mainstays in the Bronx, and that’s Lehman College, where many Puerto Ricans graduated recently. And we’re so glad that John is the honoree at the foundation of Lehman College and I will

5:37 be there with him.

5:38 Speaker 1 Look forward to seeing you, Joe. Maybe I’ll see you twice this week.

5:43 Speaker 2 Okay. I’m always there for you John and your audience, and thanks for all you do. For the city of New York and WABC radio