Mature Life Features

. . . there’s an Ash Wednesday.

So enjoy Mardi Gras frolicking

that begins at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the dining room,

then

all Roman Catholics

get down to the 2^nd floor theater

for Communion and ashes at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

=  =  =  =  =

Some people never get my name right

While there have been several requests about how to pronounce my first name, See-sill for Cecil is easy to remember.

It’s my last name that gives them the most trouble. In English, you just pronounce every letter – Scag-lee-owe-knee. In Italian, the “gl” is swallowed and the name comes out Scal-YO-knee. It works the same as gnocci — nyoki

Even after several attempts, most seem to prefer spelling my last name ending with an “i” – Scaglioni. My insurance company persisted for years to keep spelling it that way even though it was spelled correctly on the policy.

Many editors have had head-scratching sessions to make sure the by-line on my stories was spelled correctly. For many years, they preferred the shortened Cec Scaglione. One article in my Detroit paper appeared under the by-line of Ceg Scaglione until a sharp-eyed editor caught it and corrected it for the later editions.

Early in my career, I received a check from a Toronto magazine made out to Cec Scogbone. I managed to get it cashed at my bank so it didn’t become a problem.

I get a lot of correspondence with the “g” dropped – Scalione.

One of the credit-card companies I was enlisted with a while ago persisted in sending me a monthly statement addressed to Scaslione. They even came up once with Schelione.

A welfare agency I did a story about sent me a thank-you note addressed to Mr. Scageclone. A complimentary note for another story I wrote was addressed to Mr. Scheline. A Methodist bishop sent a letter to my boss lauding the effort of Mr. Ceg Scaliogre.

But I feel comfortable with my name, especially after having run across so many easy-to-maul names over the years.