In memoriam
A tireless volunteer and music educator with a seemingly bottomless source of energy, Dr. John P. Gelsomino was involved in a host of local organizations, from church groups to the Riverside Township Chamber of Commerce.
“He was always one to serve and give time that a whole lot of times he didn’t have,” said his son, John V. Gelsomino. “He had a hard time saying no to people.”
Dr. Gelsomino, 72, died June 14, 2009 of complications following a recent heart bypass operation.
Born on Dec. 31, 1936 to Victor and Virginia Gelsomino, he grew up on Lorel Avenue in the Austin neighborhood in Chicago and attended Austin High School.
He studied music and education at DePaul University, eventually receiving his Ph.D. He played clarinet, saxophone, and piano and was quite a singer, according to his wife, Susan.
“He had a wonderful voice,” Sue Gelsomino said of her husband’s baritone.
Following college, Dr. Gelsomino served in the U.S. Army, assigned to military intelligence during the early years of the country’s involvement in Vietnam.
Following his years in the service, Dr. Gelsomino embarked on a career in education that would last until 2002.
Hired as band director at Kelly High School, he taught at various schools in the Chicago Public Schools through the years, according to his son, John. In 1972, he left Kelly to become assistant principal of then-new Curie High School on the Southwest Side. That same year, he moved to Riverside and two years later married Susan Nigro, whom he met at Curie High School, where she worked as a music teacher.
In 1990, Dr. Gelsomino returned to Kelly High School as its principal, where he stayed until his retirement in 2002.
Dr. Gelsomino also lent his talents to other organizations and schools. For a decade he directed annual musical productions at Fenwick High School in Oak Park and directed the Chicago Pops Concert Band. He was former choir director at St. Mary Church in Riverside, where he also became involved in Boys Scouts.
He was scoutmaster of St. Mary Troop 92 and later was named to regional positions within scouting. He was council commissioner for the entire Chicago Area Council, a position he held for 10 years. At the time of his death, Dr. Gelsomino was area commissioner for the entire Area 7 region, which includes eight councils in northern Illinois.
Last month he was awarded the silver antelope award by the Boy Scouts of America during a ceremony in Orlando, Fla. The award is granted for outstanding service to youths within the territory of the Boy Scouts of America region.
Dr. Gelsomino was also a past president of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Riverside Lions Club and director of the Riverside Township Radio Players.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Gelsomino (nee Nigro); his children, John V. Gelsomino and Angela (Michael) Norris; his brothers, Victor (Kathryn) and Richard (Patricia) Gelsomino; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Visitation will be Thursday, June 18 from 3 to 9 p.m. and on Friday, June 19 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Ivins Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St. in Riverside. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Church, 126 Herrick Road in Riverside, followed by entombment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.