Question: Who were Leo Politi and James Gillis, for whom two Fresno County branch libraries were named? I don't think people know much about them.

-- Linda Scambray, Fresno, president, Friends of the Politi Library

Answer: Atiglio Leoni "Leo" Politi was a prolific award-winning illustrator and author with more than 40 books to his credit.

Politi was born in Fresno in 1908. His family moved to Italy when he was 6. He began painting as a teenager and attended art school near Milan until he was 20.

Politi returned to the United States in 1930. He settled in Los Angeles, but often returned to Fresno to conduct writer workshops with fellow children's book writer, the late Arne Nixon.

"Little Leo" -- Politi's autobiographical children's book published in 1951 -- includes a reference to Fresno.

When Politi's books began appearing in the late 1930s, it was rare to see books about children from ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Some examples are "Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street" (1946) and "Moy Moy" (1960), about Chinatown in Los Angeles.

He won a prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1950 for "Song of the Swallows" about the annual return of swallows to San Juan Capistrano.

Politi also wrote for adults, including "Bunker Hill" (1964) about the Los Angeles neighborhood of grand Victorian homes were he once lived.

The Fresno County Library branch at 5771 N. First St. was named for Politi in 1974. An elementary school in Los Angeles also is named for him. Politi died in Los Angeles in 1996 at age 87.

Politi's paintings are known for their warmth and simplicity. One painting is in the Politi branch, which also has a collection of his books, many of which are out of print.

The Gillis branch at 629 W. Dakota Ave., was named for James Gillis, California's state librarian from 1899 until his death.

Gillis was born in Iowa in 1857 and moved to Sacramento with his family in 1870. He went to work for the state library in 1898.

Gillis established the Department of Traveling Libraries to take libraries to rural areas and encouraged cities to start their own public libraries. He helped pass the County Free Library Law of 1909, set up a school to train librarians and established the "books for the blind" program.

Gillis died on July 27, 1917, in the state Capitol shortly after he arrived for work.

Q: What is the history of the DiCicco family and their original restaurant in downtown Fresno?

-- Vic Pasnick, Fresno

A: Pasquale DiCicco married Maria Vitucci in Italy in 1947. They both had been widowed during World War II and had young children of their own.

The blended family came to Fresno in 1952. The first DiCicco's restaurant opened on April 12, 1956, on Blackstone Avenue near Belmont Avenue when four brothers -- Frank Vitucci, Roberto Vitucci, Nicola DiCicco and Alberto DiCicco -- bought out the Italian restaurant where Alberto and Frank were dishwashers.

Their parents put their home up for a $12,000 loan to buy the restaurant. The brothers, who called themselves the Four Sons of Italy, ran DiCicco's Pizzeria seven days a week and paid off the loan in 11 months. The restaurant also served pasta dishes made from Maria DiCicco's recipes.

The second DiCicco's opened in 1968 at Cedar Avenue and Fountain Way. By 1971, there were four DiCicco's restaurants in Fresno and about a dozen more in Merced, Modesto, Sacramento and Santa Cruz.

In 1975, the original DiCicco's was moved to 144 N. Blackstone, north of Divisadero. According to a family history on the back of the DiCicco's menu, that location and the DiCicco's at Clovis Avenue and King Canyon Road are operated by Frank Vitucci, the only surviving brother.

Q: When did Chrisman's Restaurant open on Olive Avenue, and when did it close? I worked as a waitress there in 1945. Their specialty was fried chicken in a basket, served with lots of napkins and a finger bowl.

-- Vera Cook, Fresno

A: Lloyd and Mary Chrisman, owners and operators of Chrisman's, moved from San Diego to Fresno in 1920 and opened their first business, a small store at Stanislaus and O streets, in 1923. They later expanded it into a pharmacy, lunch counter and soda fountain, with an ice cream factory next door.

The Chrismans opened their drive-in restaurant at 1035 Olive Ave., near Van Ness Avenue, in 1936. The restaurant could seat 84 people, in addition to car service. The restaurant was expanded over the years to seat 120.

Mary Chrisman died in 1968 at age 81, and the restaurant closed in 1969. Lloyd Chrisman died in 1976 at age 86.