During a cold January blizzard in Peekskill at 4 in the morning, my mother Esther Mae went into labor. Since we did not own a car, my father Tony called Mom's cousins who owned the local taxi service. They came immediately and took Mom to the Peekskill Community Hospital where Dr. Sweet, our family doctor, was waiting. So at 4:30 am on January 7, 1927, I was born. I weighed over 12 pounds.

I was the second son of Tony and Esther. Brother Fred was fifteen years my senior. Fred described me as a child by saying that I went from crawling to running in a very short time, filled with energy and enthusiasm and always eager to learn. Mom laughed at that and said that I skipped learning to walk.

When my brother Vincent was born on December 9, 1931, two big changes took place in my life besides having a new little brother. For one, Dad realized our apartment was too small for the growing family. He found us a new place to live on upper Division Street in Peekskill where we had more room. I was four years eight months old and still running all the time. It took a great deal of Mom's time to keep me busy, which led Mom to make the second change.

Mom decided to enroll me in kindergarten shortly before Vincent's birth. That gave Mom an opportunity to spend more time with Vincent, and it gave me an outlet for my energy. I started school at Oak Street Grammar School as the youngest student enrolled.

Big brother Fred took me to school each day since Dad was working from 4 am till 9 or 10 pm seven days a week. We took our hard lives for granted then since we knew little else. Not seeing Dad very often meant that my brother

Fred became a dad to me, which is a story to be told! Fred was a husky, strong youth. He quit school at 16 to work with Uncle Tom at the New York Central Railroad repairing track up and down the Hudson River shoreline.

Fred left for work about 5 am each day, came home to take me to school about 7:30, and then returned to work. When his hours permitted, he also brought me home from school. Fred played an important role in my life. He was Mom's favorite, my surrogate dad, and my buddy and teacher about life both good and bad.

Although Dad was raised as a Roman Catholic, he no longer attended church. He did, however, have all five of his sons baptized as Roman Catholics. Mom, an Episcopalian, went to Eucharistic Services in the morning and worked at the Salvation Army in the evenings. She became a soldier and was dedicated to the Army and all its good deeds for the poor. I went to the Episcopal Church on Sunday mornings and the Salvation Army in the evenings. I loved both but had more fun and enjoyed the music and singing at the Salvation Army Headquarters. My aunt and my cousins were all Salvationists as well. My psyche was already ecumenical! I went from mass to merry music and singing. Mom sang solos and had a lovely voice. Dad, however, would have nothing to do with either! He continued to work hard seven days a week, and we continued to be very poor.

In spite of my early training, I was not really religious. I did not go to church school nor participate in church classes. I simply attended occasionally. Mom said I often slept during Mass and loved to sing and rattle the tambourine in the evenings during the Salvation Army Service.

Fred was now working full time for the New York Central Railroad. He continued to drop me off at school early before the school opened, and at times it was bitterly cold. The janitor was a kind man who let me stay in the furnace room to keep warm until school opened.

My first teacher was Miss Durkey, one of the most caring and warm people I ever knew. Soon a problem arose for me in Miss Durkey's class, however. I spoke like a street kid, which is what I was!

Miss Durkey visited our home to talk to my parents about my speech. Then she discovered that Dad still spoke Italian street-talk at home. Miss Durkey then knew the source of the problem. She told my dad to speak English only and that it was time to drop the street talk. Mom and I worried about the reaction Dad would have. Mom told me later that he was so shocked that he said nothing but just complied!

Soon after that we moved again, this time to The Flats. Today we would call them slums, but my dad was still not able to afford much more. The rent was $20 a month, and that was difficult for us. It was a grim place to live and we were eager to move on. We finally found an apartment on Main Street above a barbershop and my uncle's shoe repair shop. It was a much happier place to live. And I was getting older and it gave me a whole new area to explore and new friends to meet.

Shortly after our move to Main Street, I discovered a special weekend Halloween event at the Peekskill Theater. I decided it would be great fun to sneak in and enjoy the films. It took place all day lasting till nearly 12 midnight. There were hours of horror films to sit and squirm through and thoroughly enjoy! The last film was the classic Frankenstein! It was great fun for a young boy.

The film ended late, and I started home with a group of friends. My friends lived closer to the theater than I did. Each one left the group as he reached home, and I soon found myself alone in the dark. I hurried past the stores, which were closed. Suddenly, a man came out of a dark doorway and tried to grab me. I ran as fast as I could as the man chased me for half a mile uphill on Main Street, cursing and yelling for me to stop. At the top of Main Street, I saw the home of a good friend. The house was dark, but I ran between the hedges and under the porch where my friend and I often played hide and seek. I crawled around to the back of the house where I curled up under the back porch steps. I had hidden under the steps playing hide and seek many times before.

The man was thrashing around in the bushes yelling for me to show myself. Suddenly, all the lights on the back and front porches came on. The boy's father came out and shouted to the man to get out of the yard or get shot! Then I knew I would soon be safe!

I was still shaking...