Galveston was still reeling in 1910, an island city trying to rebuild after the devastating storm of 1900. It took people like Omero Del Papa, Sr. to bring Galveston back to life. A young Italian immigrant, Omero believed in his adopted city and was certain that better days were ahead. So he went into business with his brother-in-law, Frank Celli, starting a company called Celli & Del Papa, a distributorship that handled everything from beer and wine to olive oil and ice cream. 100 years later we are celebrating the vision of Omero Del Papa and the company that today is known as Del Papa Distributing, one of the premiere Budweiser distributorships in the country.
The folks at Del Papa wanted to find out as much as they could about the beginnings of the company. So much of the story seemed to be lost to history. Susan Elmore of Elmore Public Relations was working with the company to plan their anniversary celebration, and she happily suggested that the Stonefilms staff might be a resource for research. And that led to a year-long search into the past: digging in libraries and archives across the Gulf Coast, interviewing employees in Beaumont, Galveston, and Victoria, and scanning pages of old newspaper copy. A wonderful story emerged. Omero Del Papa, Sr. was a shrewd businessman who at the same time loved listening to opera. He worked long, punishing hours but he was devoted to his family, and his sons all followed him into the business. "It is better to have a good name than money," he often said, and his lessons in work ethic and integrity have lived long after his death in 1959.
Stonefilms crews will be on hand to document Del Papa Distributing's 100th year, and we'll keep you updated as we continue to explore the past, the present, and the future of a great American success story.
The folks at Del Papa wanted to find out as much as they could about the beginnings of the company. So much of the story seemed to be lost to history. Susan Elmore of Elmore Public Relations was working with the company to plan their anniversary celebration, and she happily suggested that the Stonefilms staff might be a resource for research. And that led to a year-long search into the past: digging in libraries and archives across the Gulf Coast, interviewing employees in Beaumont, Galveston, and Victoria, and scanning pages of old newspaper copy. A wonderful story emerged. Omero Del Papa, Sr. was a shrewd businessman who at the same time loved listening to opera. He worked long, punishing hours but he was devoted to his family, and his sons all followed him into the business. "It is better to have a good name than money," he often said, and his lessons in work ethic and integrity have lived long after his death in 1959.
Stonefilms crews will be on hand to document Del Papa Distributing's 100th year, and we'll keep you updated as we continue to explore the past, the present, and the future of a great American success story.
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