The New York Times has an interesting article on legendary New York Mob boss Joe Bonanno and John McCain from January 18,1995:
He is retired now -- no more of the murderous gangland mayhem the Federal Government says he used to mastermind. He is, his son says, "somewhat frail." But not too frail to put on a trimly tailored tuxedo and celebrate with 300 friends and relatives: Joseph Bonanno is 90 years old today.Just because McCain didn't attend the birthday party doesn't mean he didn't send a message.As Edward Zehr reports:
Actually, Mr. Bonanno had his revelry a few days early. On Saturday, Mr. Bonanno's three children rented a ballroom in Tucson, Ariz., 2,070 miles from the scenes of what the Government says were major crimes like attempted murder, gambling and narcotics trafficking.
Over salad and filet mignon, Mr. Bonanno's children and grandchildren gave testimonials to the man who prosecutors say parlayed a small bootlegging operation into one of New York City's major crime families. Then there was cake, sliced from a confectionery-scale Leaning Tower of Pisa. (The real thing was engineered by a Bonanno.)
"It was a private family-and-friends party," said one of Mr. Bonanno's sons, Salvatore, who is 62 and is known as Bill. "At least, when you compare that to my wedding, which had 3,000 people, I thought it was a small affair."
Sitting on folding chairs around the tables in the ballroom were people from walks of life far removed from those in which Mr. Bonanno is said to have made his name. There were priests and biographers, an actor who had appeared in the film "The Godfather," even a college instructor.
"He's been a wonderful, intelligent, loving godfather to us all," the instructor, Russ Andaloro of Pima Community College, told The Arizona Daily Star.
Salvatore Bonanno said 150 invitations were mailed. As the R.S.V.P.'s made clear, almost no one said no. "We were running about a 97 percent acceptance rate," he said. "The mistake I made, instead of addressing it to Mr. and Mrs., I just put 'and family.' We had fours and threes and fives."
The Daily Star had a story and two photographs about the party on the front page of its Monday issue. Yesterday, it ran another story, also on the front page, saying that more than 100 readers had called to complain that the Monday coverage "glorified Bonanno."
Some callers, the article said, were upset to read that Gov. Fife Symington of Arizona and Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, had sent birthday greetings. (Governor Symington's press secretary said his message had been a machine-signed form letter, while the note from Senator McCain's office, his press secretary said, was written by a staff member declining an invitation for the Senator to attend).
It has been 30 years, according to law-enforcement authorities, since Mr. Bonanno was deposed as boss. To the C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 corporation, stepping aside at 59 might qualify as early retirement. But Mafia-watchers point out that many of Mr. Bonanno's supposed confederates have been retired by assassin's bullets when even younger.
"About 300 guests turned out Saturday night to celebrate the 90th birthday of Joseph 'Joe Bananas' Bonanno, retired boss of New York's Bonanno crime family. He retired to Tucson in 1968. . . John McCain, R-Ariz., and Gov. Fife Symington sent their regards by telegram."The maverick,the "straight talk express",you've got to laugh.John McCain and Joe Bonanno a founding member of "the commission".
