Need to write a biography on Dad.  Some things to include:

1. Remembrance on day his father died (father was 39 but he was only 5 yrs old);  afterwards his mother told him that he, being the oldest son, was now the “man of the house” and had to leave school and support the family at early age  (when the support $$ stopped).
2. family travels to Elizabeth when father was in hospital – Aunt angelina with mother who could not speak english
3. family travels to cemetery every week – take bus to Woodbridge proper and then walk over 2 miles to cemetery. Walk from end of Main St in Woodbridge to what is now Rt 9 and then to St. James Cemetery.  Uncle Tony said they would stop for Ice Cream sometimes during this walk.
4. Various jobs and training – WPA worked on making Inman Avenue, upholstery, machinist, electrican, boiler operator, construction, etc.  (See Barber post)
5. Marine during WWII (See WWI Marine post)
6. jolted off the electric pole at work
7. walk to school with “holes in his shoes”

Recollections of Joe Ragucci – Mike should add his recollections to this…

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Ricky had his share of childhood injuries. 

The first was when he decided to drink turpentine.  It was scary but no harm done.

Another time, when they were not much older, Mike got angry at Rick and swung the garden hose at him.  The nozzle hit Mike on the top and his head and a stream of blood started shooting straight up out of his head.  I remember putting pressure on it and it stopped.  But it was a strange sight as this fountain of blood shot out of the top of his head.

The third is when he was playing in the playground when they were mowing the “grass” which was more dirt and rock.  The mower picked up a rock and it hit Ricky right in the center of the chest and knocked him down.  He ended up in the hospital but all was ok.

When Ricky was in 3^rd grade, he decide that he had enough of school and wasn’t going back.  The principal of #9 in Port Reading was Mr. Brown.  He knew exactly how to “solve” this problem (I guess it wasn’t the first time).  So he told Ricky that he could stay home but while school was in session he had to stay in his room with no toys, or books, and no TV.  He couldn’t do anything until 3:30pm when school was over.  After 2 or 3 days Ricky had enough and wanted to go back to school but Mr. Brown said no, he had to stay a whole week.  The following week Ricky was glad to get back to school and never dropped out again!

Before Dominic left for the war, he was engaged to a woman named Rose from Elizabeth (not his future wife, Rose Nardi).  He did not want to marry this Rose, so he never told her when he returned from the war.  She assumed that he had died in the war.  About 50 years later, Dominic was having dinner by himself at the Turkey Farm in Chester NJ.  As he waited for his table, a woman ran up to him, threw her arms around him, and said “Dominic!  I thought you were dead!”  It was Rose who recognized him 50 years later!  Although Dominic initially swore that it was not the same woman, she knew a great many details about his life 50 years ago.

Since my grandfather’s 90th birthday is approaching, I feel that this is a good time to write some of my recollections of him throughout the years.  As a child, I remember that grandpa would always have tootsie rolls on his end table and sometimes he’d even have other candy treats in his closet.  I used to like looking at all the fruits and vegetables in his garden.  He still always send every visitor home with zuchinni or tomatoes or other treats.  .