An Italian Legacy in Arkansas: The Zagnoni Marinoni Heritage over the Last Century

Abstract Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni and Professor Antonio Marinoni were legends in their own lifetimes. Rosa was born into a prominent Bolognese family, learned English from her playmates in Brooklyn, and was eventually appointed as the Poet Laureate of Arkansas in 1953. Antonio immigrated to America for scholastic reasons, earned his master's degree from Yale University, and swiftly rose to prominence as the founding chair of the Romance Languages Department at the University of Arkansas, later being honored by the king of Italy for his educational contributions. In this essay, Rosa and Antonio's granddaughter reflects on the many literary, institutional, and cultural manifestations of her grandparents’ legacy and how she is working to intentionally preserve her family's history.