Celeste Anne Morello
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Celeste A. Morello is an American historian and criminologist specializing in the studies of the Mafia in the Philadelphia area. Recognized along with her prolific record as a nominator of buildings and artwork with the Philadelphia Historical Commission,[1] to date, she has nominated the most Pennsylvania historical markers approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Morello has been called one of "the most active preservationists in the city".[2]
Morello's Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia. Morello spent 15 years in research, during which time she interviewed over a dozen members of the American Mafia.[3]
She has applied for the placement of historical markers in Philadelphia.[4]
In 1978, as a student at Loyola University, in Rome, Italy Morello visited with relatives in Sicily, where she became acquainted with the Sicilian Mafia in her family's history. From this, Morello posited the "Medieval Origins" of the Mafia.
Morello's books have been used in university courses about organized crime.[3]
Her research was referenced in the Montgomery County Commission's decision about the Schuylkill County Prison.[5]