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A tale of 2 sister cities By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Jul 26, 2022 06:02 PM A A Medford and Alba, Italy, celebrate 60th anniversary of historic phone call that strengthened “person-to-person” relationship Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino, seated, toasts Tuesday with Medford Sister City Committee president Robin Snider, other members of the committe and their counterparts in Alba, Italy, celebrating 60 years of partnership between the two cities. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] As he looked intently Tuesday at a live video feed of dignitaries from Alba, Italy, Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino asked nervously, “Can they hear us? Hello?” before waving at them from a conference room in City Hall. Not everyone was able at first to clearly hear Sparacino’s counterpart, Alba Mayor Carlo Bo, but the technical glitches did not prevent the sister cities from popping a Champagne cork and toasting to mark exactly 60 years since the two cities first called one another. “I think it’s fantastic — at a time when there’s so much negativity in the air, to actually celebrate something that’s this important and monumental … It really provides an opportunity for a cultural exchange,” Sparacino said after the meeting. “I’m proud that we’re still continuing to do this today.” Alba, Italy, located on the European country’s western side, above the “boot,” encompasses over 20 square miles and is home to more than 31,000 people. It is known for its wine, white truffles and as the headquarters of Ferrero, maker of Nutella. Alba and Medford became sister cities in 1960, when President Dwight Eisenhower began the “People to People” program to promote relationships between the U.S. and other countries. John Snider, then Medford’s mayor, chose Alba to be his city’s “sister” for the similarities they shared: population, climate and agriculture. Two years later, on July 26, 1962, Snider and Alba’s mayor, Osvaldo Cagnasso, called each other on the phone with the help of the first telecommunications satellite, Telstar. “It it very good to be able to speak with you across the many miles separating our sister cities, and to tell you how proud Medford, Oregon, is to be associated with Alba, in a program of mutual friendship,” Snider said on a recording of the call provided by the Medford Sister City Association. Since then, the sisterhood has blossomed into not only regular trips between dignitaries to Medford and Alba, but a student exchange program that has sponsored more than 400 Medford students since its inception. The same can be said of Alba students, like Guido Roggero, who studied in Medford in 2019. “I was so proud to be selected to represent Alba,” he said during the call Tuesday. “I still remember the wonderful experiences I had in Medford, especially going to open houses with people at night. They made me feel at peace in a completely new place, and they welcomed me in their homes.” But just like everything else, the sister city relationship has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For one thing, no student exchanges have occurred since Roggero last visited. Robin Snider, the former Medford mayor’s daughter, who leads the Medford Alba Sister City Association, called the pandemic pause “sad.” “We forgot that, all this time in the last two years, we could use Zoom,” she said. “The only thing that’s hard sometimes is the nine-hour time difference and finding a time that works for us and them.” But they did find a time — and it was spent with remarks in both Italian and English from the mayors and the association. Video montages, with photos of the two cities meeting over the years, also were played. Technology was something the Alba mayor touched on during his remarks to Medford officials Tuesday. “We have seen that technology can do a lot, but it can never completely replace personal relationships, meetings, exchanges of visits and experiences,” Bo said. “We keep our bond alive. My invitation is to come and visit us in Alba as soon as possible, starting from the next Truffle Fair!” In his prepared remarks Tuesday, Sparacino was mindful of the 1962 phone call. “While many years have passed, our sentiment about our friendship remains the same,” he said. “Medford is proud to be associated with Alba, our sister city.” Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.