STEUBENVILLE — Ensuring that efforts to improve the community are remembered has been a goal of the Italian American Cultural Club since it was founded in 1925.

That tradition will continue April 27 when the Steubenville Italian American Honor Guild induction presentation is held at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville.

“It’s a way to honor Italian Americans who have given back to the community,” explained Michele Fabbro, a member of the committee organizing the evening, which will begin with dinner at 6 p.m.

Earning induction into the honor guild when the program begins at 7 p.m. will be Dave Mosti, Tony Recinella, Ettore Scassa, Mary Ann Sunyoger and Dominic Teramana. The late Bishop John King Mussio, the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, will be recognized with the lifetime achievement award, she said.

Fabbro said this is the second year for the honor guild event, adding that organizers want it to become a regular part of the club’s activities.

“We think it’s important to honor people in the community, many of whom have done things for other people with little fanfare and who have not sought recognition,” Fabbro said. “Plus, they value their Italian heritage and try to continue the traditions.”

Honorees include:

• Mussio, who was born in Cincinnati on June 13, 1902, earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University and a Master of Arts degree from Notre Dame. He was ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 15, 1935, and came to Steubenville as bishop in 1945. One of his first achievements was the establishment of the present location of Catholic Central High School.

When Mussio arrived, there were four downtown parishes: St. Stanislaus, St. Anthony, Holy Name and St. Peter. During his tenure, 37 new parishes and missions were created, and 49 new churches were constructed throughout the 13 counties of the diocese.

He established 11 new elementary schools and three new high schools, the St. John Heights subdivision, the Diocesan Community Arena (which would become St. John Arena), founded St. John Vianney Seminary and a Catholic Women’s Club in each parish, was instrumental in the founding of the then-College of Steubenville, which has grown into Franciscan University of Steubenville, and initiated the Caritas Medal program. Mussio started the diocesan ecumenical committee.

He retired on Oct. 11, 1977, and taught classes at Catholic Central until his death on April 15, 1978.

• Mosti, a 1975 graduate of Catholic Central, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Ohio and West Virginia and has been with Mosti Funeral Home for 45 years. He is a graduate of Youngstown State University and the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.

Mosti is a member of Triumph of the Cross Catholic Church and the Serra Club of Steubenville, and he and his wife, Marilyn Cashioli Mosti, are the parents of two sons and four grandchildren.

• Recinella was born in Italy and immigrated to the United States at age 12, arriving in Steubenville on April 23, 1959. A 1966 graduate of Catholic Central and Air Force veteran, he and his first wife, Pat, who died in 2006 after 36 years of marriage, returned to Steubenville and he began working in various roles at Weirton Steel. When that position was eliminated in 1987, Recinella enrolled at Jefferson Technical College, earning his degree in 1988, and worked at Ohio Edison’s Toronto plant, which closed in 1993.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheeling Jesuit University in 1993 and began his career with the Ohio Department of Workers’ Compensation, advancing to special agent within the fraud unit of special investigations.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Recinella played a significant role in developing soccer in the Upper Ohio Valley from 1977 to 2005. He was instrumental in introducing youth soccer programs for children as young as 7 and was a strong advocate for establishing soccer at the high school level.

With the support of others, he helped Catholic Central become the first school in the area to start a varsity program. He resigned as coach after the 2025 season, and the school’s soccer field has been named in his honor. He remains a supporter of the program.

• Scassa, who was born in 1968 in Massillon, was raised by Italian and Greek parents with strong traditions and family ties.

At an early age, he traveled to Poggio di Roio, Italy, with his grandfather and spent two summers with his great-grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins, visits that helped form his love of farming.

Scassa attended Massillon Washington High School, playing football and baseball and earning a football scholarship to Mercyhurst University, where he met his wife, Jeanine Buttermore.

After college, he worked in construction for Central Allied in Canton, where he served as quality control supervisor. He later started his own construction company and for the past 32 years has been a general contractor serving Ohio and West Virginia.

In 2018, he purchased Laney Tire, with locations in Steubenville and East Springfield, which he runs with his wife. He also farms 500 acres in Carroll and Jefferson counties with his son and their families.

He and Jeanine have five children and eight grandchildren.

• Sunyoger, a lifelong resident of Steubenville, was the first organist and choir director of Holy Family and St. Anthony churches, positions she held between the ages of 8 and 22.

She was selected by Cameo (currently Trinity Images) as woman of the year and has been nominated as woman of the year by the Ohio Valley Business and Professional Women.

Sunyoger received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Steubenville and her master’s and doctorate from Kent State University. She has taught English at Catholic Central and Franciscan University of Steubenville and has been instrumental in developing curricula at both schools. She co-developed the writing concentration and worked with the late Rev. Michael Scanlan, TOR, former university president, to establish the writing center.

She has presented writing workshops, given lectures, offered many presentations to teachers on writing instruction and worked with many schools to develop methods of teaching composition.

Sunyoger, who retired in January, has published “Life Lessons: A Connection of Souls Throughout Life’s Journey” and is finalizing her second book, “Life Lessons II.” The professor emerita of the university’s English department and her husband, Rich, are members of Holy Family Church and are the parents of a son and two grandchildren.

• Teramana is a 1962 graduate of Catholic Central who went on to study communications at Ohio University before building a career as a real estate broker and developer, serving as president of Teramana Enterprises, Hollywood City Center Inc. and Teramana Limited Partners. He has developed and managed commercial real estate ventures and played a key role in energy-producing properties. He has worked with his cousins, Tony and Mark, to grow the family business.

He has been a member of the Steubenville Board of Realtors for more than 50 years, serving as president in 1987 and earning Ohio Realtor of the Year honors. He has been involved with numerous organizations dedicated to regional growth.

He has a daughter, Noelle, and four grandchildren.

Tickets to the dinner cost $75 each and are available at iaccsteubenville.org. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday.