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Dad was 6 years old when he came to the U.S., he and his brother Charlie took advantage of the fact that their Mother was too ill to look after them during the crossing. They had the run of the deck and wore out a pair of shoes dancing for the passengers on the upper decks who, would throw them money.
When they moved to Akron, Ohio, Dad's father paid tuition for him to go to Catholic School. After spending three days there, he quit school, and started going to public school. His father didn't find out for weeks that Dad wasn't attending Catholic school, when asked why he quit going, Dad told him the nuns beat him. You see, the only words he knew in English were, swear words. When he finished sixth grade, he quit school to go to work to help the family as did all the children with exception of the two youngest.
Dad was raised on the farm, and grew into a fine, strong, handsome young man. He was 5'10", had a mop of thick black hair and deep brown eyes. He always wore a mustache that he kept neatly trimmed. He had wide shoulders and a muscular build. He was a handsome devil, not a pretty boy at all, his face had a chiselled quality. If you've seen John Wayne movies you might remember the actor Ward Bond, a handsome man in a masculine kind of way. That's the best description of Dad that I can give you. Hence the nickname.
THE
OF RED BRUSH ROAD
He joined the Calvary in Ravenna, fought in the Golden Gloves and did some prize fighting as well. |