Posted on Friday, January 17, 2020
All her life, Dr. Mary Ann Wilson has taken every chance to learn about Italy.
As an adult, she lived there, traveled there, taught and studied there – and her enthusiasm for the culture and cuisine expanded with every visit.
But before any of that, little Mary Ann Tortorici grew up thinking about Italy in her hometown of Bessemer, Alabama, thanks to the influence of her four – yes, four – Italian grandparents.
“All of them migrated from Sicily to America in the second decade of the 20th century,” she said. “I grew up listening to the Sicilian/Italian language, smelling the wonderful cooking of my grandmothers and aunts and enjoying the cultural rituals they brought with them.”
On Jan. 27, Dr. Wilson, professor emerita of English at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, will share her passion for Italy as the kickoff speaker for LaGrange College’s 3D Journeys lecture and optional travel series. This year’s 10th anniversary series will focus on Switzerland and Northern Italy. More than 40 travelers have already signed up for “From Alps to Lagoon,” a spring trip from Lucerne to Venice, hosted by President Dan McAlexander and Celeste Myall, with stops at Lake Como, Milan and other destinations along the way.
Preparing for the lecture, “La Dolce Vita and the Food of Northern Italy,” Dr. Wilson said it has been a pleasant journey down memory lane.
“It has been so fun to remember it all,” she said.
“All” includes a teaching stint in Florence, where her classroom was near Santa Croce, the magnificent church where Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo are buried. Another time she took her mother, then 82, on her first visit to Sicily, a moving experience for both of them. More recently, she made memories on an Italian pilgrimage with her sons and their families.
Dr. Wilson’s love of northern Italy initially blossomed when she lived in Milan for a year with her late husband and their two sons, then ages 5 and 8. Dr. James Wilson was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Milan, teaching American Literature to Italian graduate students.
“For me, it was a ‘Roots’ kind of odyssey. It sparked my interest in Italy. I began to learn the language, met relatives from Sicily who had migrated north and began to learn the cuisine of Northern Italy,” she said.
Her children attended Italian schools, and through them she realized that Italian children learn to appreciate good food at an early age.
“Instead of something out of a package, they had a three-course snack in the afternoon, eating like little grownups with cloth napkins and beautiful table manners.”
Indeed, she realized, food was much more than nourishment to Italians, regardless of their age.
“Food is woven into the fabric of life in Italy,” she said. “Italians take pride in their food.”
The Wilson sons are now grown and married, each with a son of his own, and both have followed their parents into academia. Dr. Matthew Wilson teaches political science at Southern Methodist University and Dr. Anthony Wilson is an English professor at LaGrange College.
Dr. Mary Ann Wilson moved to LaGrange in 2018, following her retirement as a much-honored professor with specialties in 19th and 20th American literature, Southern literature and women’s studies.
She has jumped right in to her new community, joining a book club and the boards of the library and symphony, becoming active in the Lafayette Alliance and teaching community classes at LaGrange College, including a recently completed series on Flannery O’Connor. Her next class series, called “Fiction, Food and Film,” is planned for Sunday afternoons in mid-February to mid-March. Registration information will be available at the 3D lecture.
With a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and decades as a Louisiana resident, she has relished the national championship run of the LSU Tigers, proudly sporting a Christmas gift LSU tag on her car.
Working with other “lifelong learners” is a particular interest of Wilson’s. She enjoys it so much she volunteered for the 3D lecture when she learned that northern Italy was this year’s focus.
“By accident of birth, I was launched on a love affair with Italy,” she said. “I am excited to be part of the lecture series.”
Dr. Wilson’s lecture is open to anyone with an interest in learning. This and all 3D lectures are free and held at 10 a.m. in the Dickson Assembly Room of Turner Hall.
If you go: Parking is available behind Sunny Gables, the LaGrange College Alumni house, 910 Broad St. with shuttle service to the door. An optional Dutch-treat lunch, featuring Italian dishes and other choices, is offered in Pitts Dining Hall after the lecture.
For additional information, contact 706-880-8244 or 3DJourneys@lagrange.edu.
Other lectures in the series are Feb. 24, March 23 and April 27.
The college will be closed Monday for the MLK holiday. Classes will resume Tuesday.
Students in the Interim Term “Intro to Genealogy” class will present their findings at noon Tuesday in the Corn Auditorium at Lewis Library.
Delta Tau Delta will host a fundraising walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at 11 a.m. Jan. 25 in the Fraternity Row courtyard. The event will raise money and bring awareness to juvenile diabetes research. For more information, contact Ryan Cook, Associate Dean of Campus Life, at rcook2@lagrange.edu.
The Interim Term “Flash Writing Workshop” class will present a group reading of creative writing at 2 p.m. Jan. 24 in Lamar Dodd Lecture Hall.
Women’s Basketball
Head Coach Lee Buchanan earned his 100th victory for the Panthers during a 67-46 USA South win over Agnes Scott on Jan. 11. He is the first head coach in program history to reach 100 victories. Read more about it here. Piedmont defeated LC 59-49 on Tuesday at Mariotti Gym in a USA South game. Jahpera McEachin led the Panthers (8-6, 3-4 USA South) with eight points, while Sadie Desroches and Mykelli Taylor had six points each.
Men’s Basketball
The Panthers (3-10, 2-4 USA South) lost to West Division leader Covenant 76-67 in a USA South game last Saturday. Lincoln Anderson had 16 points and Julian Cameron 14 points to lead LC.
Saturday, Jan. 18
Men’s Basketball vs. Berea, 2 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Women’s Basketball at Johnson University, 1 p.m., Knoxville, Tennessee
Swimming at Warren Wilson, 5 p.m., Asheville, North Carolina
Sunday, Jan. 19
Men’s Basketball vs. North Carolina Wesleyan, 2 p.m., Mariotti Gym
Wednesday, Jan. 22
Women’s Basketball vs. Huntingdon, 6 p.m., Mariotti Gym
A master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at LaGrange College is attractive to many graduates looking for a field with plenty of human interaction and growth potential.
LaGrange College pulls away in second half – LaGrange Daily News, Jan. 7, 2020
LaGrange College basketball teams looking for home success – LaGrange Daily News, 2020
Coach earns 100th win – LaGrange Daily News, Jan. 14, 2020
Conference victory for Panthers – LaGrange Daily News, Jan. 9, 2020
Losing a close one – LaGrange Daily News, Jan. 9, 2020
Category: Arts and Culture, Academics, Global engagement, Community, Events, College
Keywords: 3D Journeys Italy food travel Wilson
