I have always been interested in my grandfather’s heritage, and I would love to learn more about it.  He was born in Cozensa, which is a town in Calabria, Italy.  In 1952 he came to Ellis Island at 18 years old.  He then married my Italian grandmother who was born in Queens, New York, but she was raised in northern Italy.  This is mainly where my strong Italian heritage comes from, and I love learning new things about it. 

On a separate note, my best friend—Kevin Riley—is related to Stonewall Jackson.  His great grandfather’s cousin was Stonewall Jackson.  And now, Kevin is currently in basic training with the Marines.  I guess he got some genes from old Stonewall.