Married to the mob — sorta
| July 23, 2009 | 5:49 PM
More journal entries from Melissa Pomponio »
The first thing I learned about my husband’s family after things started getting serious between us crazy kids was that he was related to the Smaldones.
I’m not a Colorado native, so that name meant a whole lot of nothing to me. But one of the editors at the Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne (where we were working at the time) overheard and sure did recognize it. His dad, apparently, was a cop in Denver. And that name is akin to saying Voldemort at Hogwarts.
See, Grandpa Clyde Pomponio thought he’d settle down with a nice Italian girl, Florence Pacello, back in the day. The maiden name of Florence’s mom just happens to be Smaldone.
I’ve never met the more colorful side of the family, and I don’t think my husband has either. But we follow news of the extended family and pull that little family gem out at parties and to threaten the children when they’re not behaving like the little angels they are. Checkers, at my house, is not a game.
I’ve pestered my husband for years to write the family’s story, but it looks like someone has beat him to the punch. Former Denver Post columnist Dick Kreck has written Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, which includes a forward by Clyde Smaldone’s sons, Chuck and Gene.
Kreck and the Smaldones are paying a visit to the Denver Press Club Thursday night beginning at 5:30 p.m., when they’ll talk about the book and sling a few drinks behind the bar. Check out the Press Club’s Web site for more information.
I, for one, am looking forward to a great read. And perhaps someday I’ll have the opportunity to rub elbows with that side of the family!
colorado, denver press club, dick kreck, smaldone
