La Mia Famiglia - Part 4

Revisiting family history these past few weeks has really had an impact on me. This post is most significant to me because it focuses on those I know and love best.

From the album my aunt gave to my sister and me, I learned that my grandmother immigrated to the United States from Italy when she was only 6 months old. She "arrived in America in May, 1907; they disembarked on Ellis Island-the arrival point for all immigrants. There the family was registered as immigrants, got health checks, and made New York City their new home."...She "proudly became a U.S. citizen in California in 1937." I never knew of my family's Ellis Island connection. How exciting!

My grandmother met my grandfather while vacationing in Springfield, Massachusetts.

I love this photograph. These are my grandparents back on their wedding day in 1928.

The photograph below is one of the earliest of my father. From left to right: my aunt, cousin Gloria, cousin Gilbert, my dad up front, and cousin Art Jr.

Below: my grandpa, grandma, dad, and aunt in 1935.




Below is my dad in 1936. This is one of my absolute favorites of him. I can't believe that's my dad!

Here is my another of my aunt, grandma, grandpa, and dad, this time in 1938. Look at that car!

This is my aunt back in 1944 when she was 15. Don't do the math!




Here are my grandfather and my dad doing some yard work in the early 1940's.

What a great shot of my dad in 1958. I wish I knew the occasion of this studio portrait.

Look at these kids! Mom and dad on their wedding day in 1961.



Grandpa and my sister, Ellen in 1963.

Me and my grandma in 1967.
The picture got some water damage so there are some off colors here but I wanted to show it anyhow.

My grandma died in 1970 at only 67 years of age. My grandpa never really got over her loss. My aunt tells me she wishes I got to know him better prior to this because of how much he changed.

After my parents divorce my father went and lived with my grandpa in the family home in West L.A. After high school I took a job in Century City. During the work week, I lived with my father and grandfather and on weekends went back home to my mom's house. I won't say it was a joyous time, especially because of my father's deteriorating health and my grandfather suffering from emphysema, but there was something special about the three generations of men living together.

With most of the people within the pages having died, this album is such a wonderful treasure. I am so grateful to my aunt for having done this for us.

The Gift - La Mia Famiglia - Part 3

Uncle Artie and Rose in 1961

Very little was mentioned in the album about Uncle Artie (my dad's mother's brother). But his is a story worth mentioning. I've heard a few versions of "Artie" stories growing up. Which are fact and which are embellished, I'm not certain.

Born in 1898 in Italy. (I'll talk about the family's immigration to the United States in Part 4) Uncle Artie is the reason the family came to California. Some say it also had to do with many family members working in the entertainment industry in the movie studios. But it seems that's the work they found once they came here. Once they had to come here. Fled here may be more accurate. All my aunt stated was that Artie made some unwise choices; choices that led to great wealth and power, but unwise choices nevertheless. It seems Uncle Artie was a high ranking member of an organized crime family in Massachusetts. I've heard that he was the head of a family. And then recently I heard that he was only in charge of money and never got involved in any killings or rough stuff. Hmmm. I'm not so sure what to believe here but I'm not sure how you get to the high ranking status if you never got your hands dirty. Since I don't know any specifics, I guess I always kind of romanticized this part of the family history. We were tied to the mob? The Mafia? Wow.

At some point, it seems Artie did something to upset some people. Given his line of work that's not a stretch of the imagination. The family promptly headed west to California. All except Artie and his immediate family. They "vacationed" in Europe for several years until things settled back in the states. Sounds kind of Michael Corleone-ish to me. My father told me stories about when he and Uncle Artie went to a movie theater when my father was still a child. Upon exiting the theater, Artie recognized some people from back east and promptly grabbed my dad's hand and said, "Let's go see that movie again." Eventually things calmed and Artie was notified that "all was forgiven."

I don't think I met Uncle Artie until he was in his 80's. Nice, sweet, quiet old man I thought. I kept thinking, "Him?" "He's the one?"

So I guess I have Artie to thank for me growing up here in Southern California instead of back east. So what would have happened had things not worked out as they did? Maybe I'd have been another Michael? Sonny? (Nobody wants to be a Fredo!)

The Gift - La Mia Famiglia - Part 2

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If you're here for Wordless Wednesday, scroll down below this post.
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A few more words on cousin Gil before I move on. When I had gone to his funeral in 2006 I had not seen him since my father's funeral in 1989. I did however, always have fond memories of Gil. In a word, he had charisma. When he spoke, people listened. People wanted to listen. He was a very accomplished man. He served in the army during WWII under Captain Ronald Reagan and later served in the air force doing a tour in Korea during that war. Following the war he earned two master's degrees and a law degree. In the years I knew him, he was a writer, producer, actor, and artist.

My aunt's words from the album state, "Gil's most inspiring and outstanding clay sculpting was the "Face of Christ". In this presentation, he narrated the Passion of Christ and at the same time sculpting a large mound of wet clay into the normal features of His face to its brutal disfigurement of the crucifixion. Gil toured many U.S. cities and appeared on TV during the Easter season for a number of years."

I found footage online of Gil's performance. It's about 15 minutes but in my biased opinion, well worth watching. I had the privilege of seeing Gil do the Face of Christ at my old church back in the early 80's. It sure brings back memories to watch him again.

Of all the people I saw at his service, the one I wanted to speak with most was laying in the casket. He was a good man.

More on the family and more pictures to come.

The Gift - La Mia Famiglia-Part 1

About two weeks ago, in the course of general chit chat during one of my calls home from work the following conversation transpired:

"You got something in the mail today."

"I did?"

"Ya, from your aunt."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I didn't open your mail."

"Well open it, open it!"

"Oh WOW! It's an album. Wow! It's about your family."


So obviously I was quite anxious to get home. When I got home I briefly perused the 52 pages within the three ringed binder, mostly taking in the pictures. But after dinner, and after we put Lily down for the night, and after getting things ready for the next day, I sat down with it and read it cover to cover. Last year, in my tribute to my father, I wrote briefly about the family background. This album really filled in the gaps, and corrected some things I had wrong, and left me confused on some other things.

This is the picture that inspired the making of the album:

Laguna Beach, CA 1938

Front row left to right: My grandpa, dad (6 yrs old), grandma, and aunt (the one that made this album); Great Grandmother in the center (Grandma's mom); cousins Gilbert (see below) and Gloria, Uncle Frank and Aunt Frances (Grandma's sister).

Back row left to right: Uncle Jim (Grandma's brother) and Violet, Art Jr. (Uncle Artie's son-more to follow in a future post about Artie) and Lilian, Uncle Larry, Aunt Pat (Grandma's sister) and her friend.

Following the death of Gilbert, my first cousin once removed (it took me about 15 minutes of research to finally figure out officially what our relationship was) in September, 2006, we saw the picture above at his funeral. It belonged to his son, Frank. Later, we asked my Aunt if she would contact Frank and see if we could get a copy of the picture. And I guess that's when my sister and I really began to fire off questions about our family's history. It was at this time that she decided to do this album for us. Filled within were stories and photographs of many family members, mostly all from my grandmother's side of the family.

Pictured above: Cousin Gilbert and his wife Beverly and the first two of their four children, Frank and Susan in 1953.

I'm seeing now that this will require quite a few posts to
A) adequately cover
B) not drive you crazy with too many photos and details all at once.

More to follow.