History
The
Alpine Hunting and Fishing Club is in its sixty-fourth year. It is an
organization steeped in tradition, founded by Italian immigrants from
Tuscany who were successful family oriented businessmen, tradesmen,
restaurateurs, entrepreneurs and working men. These men formed a bond
with friends and relatives to make an investment in their new country,
the United States of America. The Alpine Hunting and Fishing Club is a
result of this investment. They did this not just for themselves but
also for future generations.
The Tuscany Group
The
founders, a group of friends from the Tuscany region of Italy, would be
proud of the Alpine Hunting & Fishing Club legacy they created.
The founding members were:
President: Paul Sodini
Secretary: Daniel Pacini
Treasurer: Ettore Fontana
Recording Secretary: John Cancilla
Directors: Charles Sodini, Anthony Vitter, Carlo Silvioni, Joseph
Silvioni,
and Frank J Zappala.
Paul Sodini along with his brothers Charles and Joseph owned Ideal Sports Shop in Mt. Lebanon, PA and also were partners in Sodini's
Restaurant in Squirrel Hill, PA. Ettore Fontana owned a restaurant
in downtown Pittsburgh, PA on Smithfield Street.
The first members of the AHFC met in the basement of the original farm
house on the club property. Ettore and Daniel Pacini prepared and cooked
dinner for the club members each Wednesday night in the remodeled
kitchen they had designed and built in the basement of the original farm
house. This was the start of the Alpine Club's famous delicious
traditional Wednesday night dinners finished with a shot of whiskey added
to a cup of espresso.
When Ettore or Daniel needed a rest from cooking other members would
take turns cooking. They turned this into a competition and the
debate would start, "Who cooked the best meal?" This was the start
of another Alpine Club tradition, "The Guest Chef". Wow! Many
fabulous meals have taken place at the AHFC. I have been a member for
over thirty five years and remember when Wednesday night dinners cost
$2.00 and only men attended. The members proudly shared their homemade
wine and played Tressette, an Italian card game, a tradition still
carried on by some members.
The leadership of Paul Sodini and later his son-in-law Dave Levy, Ray
Bourg and Fern Testoni as well as the Barsotti, Sodini and Tambellini
families have all helped the club for decades and are why the club
continues to thrive. If the Alpine Club was a service organization
Dave, Ray and Fern would have been given several award plaques for all
their time and efforts for the betterment of the club.
Another Dave that stands out as an asset to the Alpine Hunting & Fishing
Club is Dave Tambellini. Dave has given his time, money and equipment to
make the Alpine hunting fields among the best in the area. His cousins
continue to serve the club as well.
Many new
members have joined who share an interest and a commitment to keeping
the club active.
We have been blessed with many active members who serve on our board of
directors as well as those who serve on volunteer committees. Today's leadership includes Fern Testoni,
Ron Barsotti, Ray Bourg, Mike Tambellini, Dave
Tambellini, Steve Buchanan, Gerry Pasquale, Jerry Kopach, Joe Riepole, Bill Coen, Tony Sciorelli, Rob Keddie, Don Legrand,
John Brandstatter, Ollie Weiss, Bill Inks, Larry Lester, Kenn Popko and
Bruce Barnhart. I apologize for being unable to name all of the many
others who are the reason for the club's continued success.
We are all appreciative for those who always
make themselves available to help whenever work is needed to be done.
Such projects have included fish stocking, tending to the fields, caring
for the bird pens, grounds cleanup and mowing the lawn to keep our club working and
functioning well. Such labors require many people contributing.
Members have given their years of life experiences as role models for
our younger generations in caring for the club and grounds while
learning how to appreciate the environment and wildlife through safely
hunting, fishing, and applying skills such as shooting and fly-tying.
Time and mother nature have forced many changes upon the Alpine Hunting
& Fishing Club. The caretaker of the AHFC property, Lou Braccini
and his wife Helen, lived in the main part of the original farm house. In the
spring of 2002 a bolt of lightening struck and burned this structure to
the ground. Left standing in the basement was the hand carved stone
fireplace created by a club member who was a professional stone mason.
Some of the stone relief carvings decorating the fireplace were of
wildlife such as ruffed grouse, rabbit,
squirrel, and a ram's head. Hopefully one day this Alpine Club artifact will be
reassembled on a wall of our present club house. The same lightening
was also responsible for the destruction of the club house which had been designed and built to
accommodate the increasing number of members and the increasing size of
the original club members' families.
Through the leadership,
expertise, and many hours of hard work and dedication by Ray Bourg, businessman,
and Fern Testoni, civil engineer, plus the financial guidance of Gene Provero, entrepreneur and venture
capitalist, the present club house became a reality.
We currently have second,
third and fourth generation Alpine Hunting & Fishing Club members.
But we also have new members who are old and new members who are young.
Our members are unique in many ways and the same when it comes to being
good quality people. The great thing about this club is that it is
reborn over and over with the ideas and hard work of all members as we
work together, hunt together, fish together, garden together, feast
together, dance together and have fun together. The Alpine Hunting &
Fishing Club (AHFC) is the center of many activities such as fish
stocking of the lake, fly tying and fly fishing instruction, stocking of
the pheasant fields, hunter safety classes, instruction for shooting
sporting clays, bocce tournaments, Easter egg hunts, picnics, wild game
dinners, Oktoberfest celebrations, seafood fests, and dinner
dances featuring a variety of music. These activities and
more provide
enjoyment, learning, fun and good fellowship in an enriching
environment where young and old mingle and develop lasting memories. Because of the
excellent leadership and hard work of all members the Alpine Hunting &
Fishing Club has survived and grown to it present beauty. The
Alpine Club is constantly getting better and better in direct proportion
to the selfless efforts of its members.
Submitted by Chuck Morreale
