Marcelo Maseda was the gentleman who gave President Kennedy the box of cigars on November 18, 1963. He is very visible in the video that shows the President’s visit to Tampa almost fifty years ago. I have watched this clip probably a dozen times. Just to think our fallen president was right here in Tampa just days before his horrific assassination. Not only was JFK in Tampa, but more importantly he was able to get a little taste of Tampa’s greatness and of Ybor City. We thank Marcelo Maseda for making that happen.
In the last several years Tampa has lost many great people. The Mirabella brothers, Sam “Red Eye” Leto, Victor DiMaio, Al Lopez, and Anthony Italiano, Sr. are just to name a few. Marcelo Maseda was added to this list early this morning. He now belongs to the ages. He was an “Alcalde” in Ybor City back when Ybor had alcaldes. He was involved in over a dozen organizations. He is loved. He is a legend.
But this is not an obituary. What I write is simply an appreciation of the “Greatest Generation”. Some of these people I have named belong to this special group. This is a generation that we will never see again. This is the generation that helped build the Tampa that we know and love today and were part of the Tampa we know and love from yesterday. There are two people I think of that help me understand the transitioning of the old and the new. Those two people are Nick Nuccio and Dick Greco, both mayors of Tampa. Nick Nuccio, part of the “old days in Ybor City” and Dick Greco, part of the transition into a newer and more modern Tampa. Marcelo Maseda was part of both worlds because he lived them.
I remember going to a funeral with a dear family friend, Anthony Italiano, Sr. back in 2003. Ever since I was a young kid I have always been fascinated with history, Tampa history, and the older generation. Mr. Italiano was 83 at the time and I remember standing in line with him to give our condolences to the grieving family and telling him, “Mr. Italiano, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I need to start making younger friends. All the old guys I enjoy talking to are passing away.” He looked at me and laughed and said, “My boy, that’s just how life is. We all gotta go sometime.” Mr. Italiano passed away on Christmas Day in 2010. He was also part of that special generation.
A lot of times we don’t really appreciate people until they are gone and then we wish we could have them back for just a little bit longer. All the people I have named in this post except for Dick Greco have passed away and we are blessed that Tampa has had great folks like these. As the saying goes: “They just don’t make them like they used to.” This phrase could not be more true. They really don’t make them like they used to
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