To the editor:

Congratulations and a special thank you to Mayor Linda Johnson, City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn, the City Council and the city staff for the outstanding hospitality shown to the visiting Sister Cities delegation from Suffolk’s sister city, Oderzo, Italy, the birthplace of Amedeo Obici.

The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts and the Obici House were great settings for two functions of the visit. Our city’s two icons of cultural, educational and historical preservation gave our city an aura of dignity and prestige that were perfect settings for demonstrating to our visitors the city’s commitment to the cultural arts and historical preservation.

Congratulations to Ronnie Rountree on the great work he has done in remodeling and restoring the Obici House and for including the important details of the original building.

This exchange has allowed the two cities to share a common bond and afforded Suffolk youth and adults the opportunity to travel to Italy, meet many people from Oderzo, live in their homes and host them in our homes in Suffolk.

The friendships and bonds that have developed from these exchanges have increased the understanding of each country’s culture and built lifetime relationships for our city.

Thanks, Suffolk! The hard work of Mayor Johnson, City Manager Cuffee-Glenn and all members of the Suffolk Sister Cities Commission was essential in welcoming our guests and helping them to see our city at its best.

Suffolk Sister Cities International is open to all citizens of Suffolk. To learn more about the organization, visit www.suffolkva.us/SisterCities.

Monette R. Harrell
Membership chairman
Suffolk Sister Cities International Inc.