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Identical twins share birthday, interests
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Twin sisters Rose Pacalo (left) and Charlotte Italiano stood proudly next to "The Garden of Life" monument in memory of the late Jacquelyn Herpy, former principal of Ursuline Preschool and Kindergarten. Herpy was also a twin.
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Neighbors | Submitted .Boardman resident Rose Pacalo (left) and Poland resident Charlotte Italiano graduated from Ursuline High School in 1950. They both attended Youngstown State University where they earned their bachelor's degrees.
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Neighbors | Submitted .Poland's Charlotte Italiano (left) and Boardman's Rose Pacalo attended Twinsburg's 35th annual Twins Day Festival in August. This was their third year in attendance.
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Neighbors | Submitted .Rose Pacalo (left) and Charlotte Italiano were born April 2, 1932. Pacalo is five minutes older than Italiano.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Born April 2, only five minutes a part, Boardman’s Rose Pacalo and Poland’s Charlotte Italiano share more than just a birthday.
“We have common interests,” Italiano said. “We could always play together and study together. We were each other’s company and still are.”
The identical twins graduated from Ursuline High School in 1950 and attended Youngstown State University together. They both earned degrees from YSU and had careers as educators. As children and young adults, Italiano and Pacalo spent majority of their time together, until one of them fell in love.
Pacalo, at age 23, married Campbell’s Nicholas Pacalo in 1955 and spent 40 years away from her sister and hometown due to her husband’s career as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.
Italiano remained in the area where she worked as a teacher earning her a position as principal at Holy Family School. She is currently serving as principal and director at Ursuline Preschool and Kindergarten in Canfield.
The two have always wanted to attend events geared specifically to twins, but never could find the time to get together.
When Pacalo moved back to the area in 1992 after decades of separation from her hometown, the sisters agreed that it was time to have fun with the identical looks they were given. Pacalo introduced the idea of a twins festival and both decided to give the event a try.
Twinsburg’s annual Twins Days Festival has been a annual tradition since 1976. The city was actually named after a set of identical twins from Connecticut who purchased thousands of acres of land in the early 1800s. Twinsburg is now the world’s largest gathering ground for twins, triplets and other identical sets. Pacalo and Italiano finally graced the festival with their presence in 2007.
“I loved how happy everyone were,” Pacalo said. “There are thousands of people and nobody knew anyone, but were all laughing and having fun.”
Each festival features a “Double Take” parade, line dancing, talent shows, sports events and several contests. This year’s ages ranged from infants to adults in their 90s and included national and international participants.
According to the Twins Days Festival committee, 1,784 identical sets were registered for the three-day event. It is exclusive to registered multiple birth sets and family members.
Italiano and Pacalo have been attending the twins festival for the past four years. This year’s festival had a western theme which enabled the sisters to get creative with their attire. They wore identical cowboy hats, vests and toy hand pistols. Both say they plan to make the festival an annual event.
Though the last festival was less than a month ago, the two are anxiously waiting for the next twins event.
“Oh I can’t wait. I already have our reservations made,” Pacalo said.