Snake's outstanding 'legwork' reveals the following...Messino's residence is listed as 2037 North 77th Avenue, Elmwood Park, IL. It's still there, check it out on Google Maps. Nice neighborhood...Messino is known to specialize in "extortionate credit transactions" and is recognized as belonging to Jack Cerone's street crew. His known associates include Joe Gagliano, George Bravos, and Chris Cardi, his nephew (although the files leave that out)...Messino was Cerone's driver for nearly ten years...
Cerone's house was also on 77th Avenue, across the street and a half-block south of Messino. (If you do street view, you'll know which house it is...) I often wondered if Messino
walked down the block for 'work' and drove Jack's car, or if he got in
his car and
drove around the block to get to Jack's house because 77th Avenue is a one-way street northbound.
Cardi's house was one street over on 77th Court.
Then JoeEBrown reminisces...In 1978 I took my new girlfriend to the Feast in Melrose.
That would be the
Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Melrose Park and I can tell you with 100% certainty that I was also there on Sunday in 1978. That was the summer after my freshman year of college, and my sisters and I would have taken my mom and her sister, because they had made a promise to their mother to attend 'The Feast' every year to see the procession. Mom pinned a dollar on the statue. I paid for a candle in church. Probably had a stuffed pepper, beef sangwich and an Italian ice...
Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
tony b.
