Physical description:
Original on audiotape cassette in case. Cassette side A has a length of 31 minutes, 33 seconds. Side B is blank. Transferred to one mp3 file for access. Clip of access file attached. Full version available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/historycolorado/sandra-morganti-spaulding-oral-history-ciapaoh138 Sandra's daughter, Debbie Fugate, also have participated in the interview.
Project description:
In 2002, the Colorado Historical Society (now known as History Colorado) founded the Colorado Italian American Preservation Association (CIAPA). A volunteer organization, CIAPA’s mission is to work collaboratively with the Society and other organizations to develop, support and coordinate projects that preserve, promote and celebrate Italian American culture and heritage. Since 2002, CIAPA has carried out its mission by meeting with people from the Colorado Italian American community, recording their stories and creating an archive of research materials that includes oral histories, photographs, moving images, sound recordings and artifacts. To date, CIAPA has helped the Society acquire over 200 oral histories, 600 artifacts and nearly 6,000 photographs. Since 2002, CIAPA has developed over 4,000 research files, all of which document the history, culture and traditions of Italian American families in Colorado.
Interview summary:
See attached index and interview summary.
Notes:
See MSS.02595 Sandra (Morganti) Spaulding file for additional information and images.
Sandra Morganti Spaulding (1934-2019) was the granddaughter of Umberto Morganti and Noemi Rosetti Morganti. Their son Cesar Morganti (born in 1908-1983) was Sandra's father. He married Carolina Odisio Morganti (1910-1967) in 1933. Umberto Morganti was widely known in the Italian Denver community for his work as a newspaperman and photographer. Sandra's parents met at the University of Denver. They were very active in the Italian community in Denver participating in many Italian clubs. They divorced in 1938/9. Sandra's father was a photographer, actor, and worked with his father, Umberto Morganti, in his photo studio where he also taught in a charm and modeling school. Later he lived in Greeley, Colorado where he focused on landscape photography.
Obituary for Sandra Morganti Cunningham Spaulding
"Sandra Marlene Morganti, later Sandra Cunningham, and finally Sandra Spaulding, age 84, died peacefully in Castle Rock, Colorado on January 23, 2019. She was born to Cesare Emilio Morganti and Carolina Margherita Odisio on September 27, 1934 in Denver, Colorado. She is preceded by her husbands, to whom she was a loving and supportive wife, including Donald Leo Spaulding for 15 years and Donald Fenner Cunningham for 30 years, and by her brother Mario Renaldo Morganti. She is survived by her five children, Debra Ann (Stephen) Fugate, David Alan (Becky) Martin, Larry Wayne Martin, Tara Ann (Morris) Kirkpatrick, and Steven Clark (Myriam) Cunningham, as well as by 19 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren, by her brother Cesare “Rino” Morganti, Jr., and by many other loving family members.
Sandra was kind, selfless, and (therefore) a stunningly beautiful person. Her life’s passion was caring for others, including, of course, raising her family through good times and bad, but also providing a loving, safe, supportive, and nurturing daycare environment to countless children over the years. In addition to this, she worked at Morganti Studios, in Denver. She taught us all by her example and by her words to be honest, humble, hardworking people, and to live by the Golden Rule. Having been born into two prominent Italian families in Denver, she grew up speaking Italian and English, and adored both her parents until the day she died. Though her final few years had to be given up to dementia, she is remembered fondly as being clear, lucid, and organized. The family would like to extend our gratitude to all who helped us care for her in these final years.
The funeral service will be Thursday, January 31, at 10 AM, with a reception to follow, both at Fairmount Cemetery (Quebec Place Chapel). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Sandra’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association, to the Children’s Defense Fund, or to any worthy charity.
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