Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mike Marotta, Sr., an entertainment legend, a Monterey native, and a cornerstone of the Italian American community on the central coast of California in my district. I am sorry to say, Mike passed away earlier this week at the age of 98. Mike was a family man, a businessman, and a civic leader. But I have to say everyone who knew him knew that music was Mike's first and everlasting love. He taught himself how to play the accordion when he was 11 years old. He would then take the accordion down to the bay and play for the Italian fishermen coming back and unloading their catch. His musical journey even led him to Hollywood eventually, where he played with stars like Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. During his military service during World War II, he entertained the troops throughout the United States. Now, recently you could find Mike playing Italian songs with his kids and grandkids and even at the Paisano Club, but also you could find him continuing his tradition of playing for fishermen and our community at the Festa Italia Santa Rosalia, the premier Italian American festival on the central coast of California. My condolences are with his family. Mike's civic-mindedness and his musical gift will be missed by our community, but his legacy and his love of music will be carried on by his family and friends through his everlasting songs played by his son, but most importantly, through the love in our hearts for Mike Marotta, Sr.…”