In August 1948, the city of Syracuse celebrated its centennial. The celebration was going to be the largest civic event in the city's history. Syracuse streets and buildings were decorated, a four-hour parade was planned along with a mammoth Centorama held at Archbold Stadium, with a cast of 3,000 people, which would illustrate Syracuse history.

Another interesting feature of the celebration was the introduction of a goodwill ambassador from Syracuse's namesake. Bruno Salafia, of Syracusa, Sicily, was an 11-year old World War II orphan. His father had died fighting in Africa and his mother was killed in when their village was bombed. After Bruno's maternal grandmother died in 1944, he was placed in an orphanage.