Last Sunday’s historic tour of the Italian fishing community in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century was sponsored by a group unfamiliar to this writer – the Italian American Studies Association. Founded in 1966 by a group of historians, educators, sociologists and other interested persons, the IASA focusses on “the interdisciplinary study of the culture, history, literature, sociology, demography, folklore, and politics of Italians in America.”

According to Lawrence DiStasi, a member who lives in Bolinas, IASA is a national organization divided into two regions, one in the East centering in Long Island and the Western Region which focusses on California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho. Holding conferences from time to time such as one in Monterey some years ago studying the west coast fishing community, it takes tours such as the one on May 6 in Martinez.