WHEN NEXT YOU see this column, the photo and byline will be that of my successor Julian Bellenghi.

I hope Julian will have every bit as much enjoyment serving as IALA president as I have.

Saturday, he and the other 1997 officers will be sworn in as the annual Installation Ball at the Friar’s Club. Really, it ought to be denominated the "Baretta Ball." It’s Ed Baretta who each year organizes and stages what is truly our premier event. It’s one at which no one goes hungry!

The installing officer, once again, will be Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Mallano, who will be scurrying back from San Francisco to attend the function.

Among the many other judges who will be in attendance will be Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Mildred L. Lillie, who that day will be celebrating her birthday. Justice Lillie, who has attended many of our events, was married to an Italian-American lawyer, A.V. (Alfredo Vincent) Falcone, who died last year. Her continuing interest in the IALA is most gratifying.

Indeed, there’s much that’s happened in the past year that’s been gratifying to the IALA. We’ve picked up four life members, three in the past few weeks. We made our quota of members in the County Bar and averted a snipping of our ties to it as an affiliate. Not one of our speakers turned out to be a disappointment. The organization in its 20th year has remained as vigorous, spunky, spirited and fun as ever.

Serving as your president has truly been an honor, one of the highlights of my life. I’ve tried this year to accentuate the Italian in Italian American Lawyers, maybe somewhat out of personal predilection. My practice has been limited, and being a lawyer has never been as important to me as being an Italian-American. But I wonder if those sentiments are not shared by many in the organization with the heaviest of practices.

President Theodore Roosevelt lectured against dividing our citizenry into separate classes comprised of "hyphenated Americans." This nation has heeded his exhortation, but blindly. To "hyphenate" for the purpose of lumping together persons with like national heritages and subjecting all who fall in that class to denigration and discrimination is plainly wrong — and when it is part of state action, it is a breach of one of our most basic and precious constitutional precepts. But when the motivation is benign, the Roosevelt Stricture is senseless, indeed injurious.

When our grandparents and parents were instilled with the notion that "we’re not Italian-Americans, just Americans," it became destructive to the self-pride of a distinctive group with shared qualities and heritage, a group that might have clung together even more solidly than it has. The explanation I have been given for a judge of Italian descent not being involved in our organization is that he doesn’t want to be thought of as an Italian-American judge, but just a judge. But why should a person ignore an inheritance, one that will account for many of the attributes the person has?

As Americans, we should be proud of, and fully dedicated to, this magnificent republic. That doesn’t mean that as Americans, we need ignore or suppress our "Italianality." Rather, it should unite us.

As I get older, as the bottle of Miss Clairol is used more and more to cover gray roots rather than brown, I find myself caring more about heritage. I knew, of course, from a young age that my mother’s side of the family was Italian-American. A teacher asked in my first grade class where Italians came from and I stuck up my hand. I responded: "From Chicago." I was amazed that the teacher was expecting some other answer. All the Italians I knew were from Chicago! (Looking at the membership roster of the IALA, I wonder if the correct answer isn’t that Italians come from Pasadena.)

Are Italian-American families instilling in their children an adequate regard for their heritage, or has the Roosevelt Stricture and the pervasive attitude emanating from it daunted that? Well, how many in our organization speak Italian? I don’t. Of those who do, how many of their children do?

All persons "are created equal" so far as rights are concerned. That doesn’t mean all persons are the same. Italian Americans, like other ethnic groups, are possessed of distinctive qualities. We should not, in the interests of eschewing bigotry, pretend that persons within such groups are not marked by qualities in common. To engage in that fantasy is to ignore what is special about each group.

Ours is the zippiest of all bar associations because of the qualities its members share, including their outgoing nature and upbeat outlook. Sure, there are persons in any group whose characteristics differ from those of the majority in the group. Take Judge Larry Crispo, for example. He’s proof that not every Italian can sing! But his relish for doing so is obviously reflective of Italians’ shared love of song. Indeed, love of music, love of art, and appreciation of good food and wine are typical of those of Italian descent. So is love of family and sentimentality. The current phobia of stereotyping should not preclude such observations.

That judge who won’t come to our meetings because he doesn’t want to be thought of as an Italian-American judge is missing out on something, on the camaraderie and good times he would savor if he allowed himself the opportunity.

Whether ethnic bar associations remain in vogue or not, I hope ours will for many generations remain intact, and remain the extraordinary group that it is. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to serve the IALA, and to work with a wonderful, cohesive group of officers and directors. Julian, you’re about to have a year filled with excitement and reward.

See you at the Friar’s Club on Saturday.