HOW IT ALL BEGAN

It was the fall of 1940, the 1939 World’s Fair was over and the WWII hadn’t begun yet. Two people, ordinary in their own way, Anthony and Olympia, joined hands and became man and wife. It was the beginning of something big.

Sixty-eight years later, we reflect of what it all meant, and how it affects their world at large. From the humble beginnings of marriage came a large family and friends, traditions and both triumph and tragedy. Life could not be complete without both.

Back in 1940, college was unheard of. Many people aspired to a high school diploma, some just to graduate elementary school, before going to work, in some factory to help the family make ends meet. That was the culture of 1940, for the ordinary people.

Neighborhoods were cells of ethnicity, and two languages. One language was where you came from, one where you were going. You learned English for your children’s sake. Their future depended on it. There were no dual language signs. Force feeding, the best way, was how one learned English.

Anthony (Tony) and Olympia (Lena) raised five children. Along the way, they also took from their pasts and blended it with their children’s futures and made new traditions. These traditions have held the family together for sixty-six years.

Just like every family, children have dreams of their own, and so did Tony and Lena’s kids. High school graduation was a stepping-stone for some of them, college an ultimate goal. We saw our parents, uncles and cousins and measured our progress by what they accomplished. But we weren’t content to merely participate in our own growth. We handed the baton on to our children, and they are handing it on to theirs.

Along the way, we expanded our Americanism. We incorporated multi-cultural influences, and made them our American way. We enjoy pepperoni, soda bread, sushi, or kielbasa, each is good, our real preferences are the people that we call family, not the traditions.

Today a Del Broccolo, or a Harrow, a Bogdan or a Dzicek, a Ruvolo or a Uyeno, and a Manning, is a family name. The family grew to O’Hara, Currier, Schneider and Carrillo, all meaning the same: Family. This year we added newer names. More families are evolving out of the simple act: that occurred on this day, in 1940.

If Grandpa Del Broccolo was alive today, he would be most proud.

To all my family and friends, and readers alike, I love you all. Thanks for being there.

Please remember Joan and DD.