Anthony
Genovese
A
Genuine Story (Not a Fairy Tale)
Told
to Bob Casale
"It
was September of 1960 when I pulled up in front of the high school," says
Anthony Genovese.
"I
hadn't been back since my departure in 1956," he continues. "That was when
I quit high school and joined the
Anthony
told me that he wanted to make something of himself and decided the best way to
accomplish this goal was to get out of town. He did just that. He went way away.
"I
was on leave from the military and in
Anthony
walked the halls all decked out in his Air Force uniform.
"I
just wanted to show off a little," he said, with the hint of a smile starting
to show.
"You
know, the girls looked at me kinda differently," he said.
Off
in the distance, he spotted a gray haired gentlemen walking toward him and
recognized the figure as Mr. Leon J. Galloway.
Mr.
"I
always had a great deal of respect for this man," he said to me.
"In
conversation, I learned that Mr. Galloway was a retired full bird Colonel. He
really wanted to talk with my CO."
When
Anthony returned to his base, his captain approached him and said, "You have a
good friend in your home town, Mr. Galloway!"
"He
wants you to finish your last year of high school so you can get a diploma. If
you're really interested," the captain said, "I can arrange an early
discharge. Then you should be able to graduate with the class of 1961."
This
was a no brainer for Anthony. He got his early out, went back to school and did
graduate with the class of 1961.
Congratulations,
Anthony. We, your classmates, are proud of your accomplishments and we salute
you.
Anthony
met Rosaria Marchese who was a senior at the time. They dated for several years,
even beyond graduation and were eventually married in May of 1963.
This
special couple have three beautiful daughters and three grand children.
Both
are successful business entrepreneurs and are happy living the country club life
on the Gulf of Mexico in
They
still make it a point to have a weekly date night.
That's
why they're still married after 48 years...