Back to Table of Contents
Next: Descendant Tree of Robert (Bob) S. Paterno & Spouses
Page 153: Robert (Bob) S. Paterno Biography [1940-] Dated March 31, 2004 as told to wife and this book creator Kelley Paterno
Bob’s first memory in life was the day the family moved into the four-bedroom apartment on the sixth floor of 75 Fort Washington Avenue in New York City. They had just moved from 85 Ridge Road in Yonkers, New York. The radiators hissing and the sun coming in through the uncovered windows made an impression on the small boy. Sleeping on the roof on a brown Army blanket (and also on the fire escape outside the living room window) when it was too hot to sleep inside were vivid memories. He grew up playing curb ball at the intersection of 162nd Street and Fort Washington Avenue. Bob enjoyed playing “King” (a game played with a Spalding ball and hit with your hand) against the building they lived in. He played potsey, jump rope, tops, marbles, and poker for matchbook covers. Other activities he enjoyed were shooting homemade guns (made with linoleum and matches) and riding scooters. The scooters were made from old skates, a length of 2 x 4 lumber and a crate with handles attached to it. Bob skated on the streets with his friends and was hit by a car at least three times, but he was never seriously hurt. When riding their bikes, Bob and his brother, Thom, would grab the back of a passing truck and coast along the road behind the truck for several blocks. They must have led a charmed life as neither of them was injured or caught.
While Bob used the streets of his neighborhood for most of his recreational activities, he used the park down by Riverside Drive for his winter sports. There he would sleigh ride down toward the ongoing traffic and pull up short just before going off into the road. He would sometimes slide down the hill on a piece of cardboard or a trash can top with the handle removed. This was done with no control whatsoever, as there was no steering device or brakes. Bob had to bale out when he got to the bottom of the hill so as not to go into the traffic. The boys supplemented their diet with candy and soda from a candy store called the PX.
Sometimes, Bob and his friends would go to the playground down by the Hudson River and use the swings, monkey bars, seesaws and sandboxes. It took quite a while to get there, as they had to go down a steep set of stairs that were about three feet long. Often, Bob would ride his bike straight down the stairs. It was not good for the bike but it was much faster. Coming up those stairs was a real challenge.
He attended St. Rose of Lima grade school and although beaten severely about the head and shoulders by the nuns for displaying his wit and sense of humor, he managed to graduate from the eight grade. Believe it or not, he wanted to go into the seminary. However, the nuns told him he was too mischievous, so he went to Bishop DuBois High School with his brother, Thom. He was a freshman and Thom was a senior. They had moved from 75 Fort Washington Avenue into his grandmother’s apartment at 690 Fort Washington Avenue up by Mother Cabrini High School. Their grandmother, Angela, was a friend of Mother Cabrini and had had tea with her often. Angela and Mother Cabrini would walk around the grounds and talk for hours.
Bob and Thom traveled to school together by subway. Thom would occasionally fake these…
Page 154: …headaches when he didn’t want to go to school or stay in class. Since Thom was the oldest boy, his mother believed every word he told her. As a result, they got away with missing a lot of school.
Bob went to George Washington High School for a while and then moved to Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine where he lived with his sister Annette, her husband Eddie, his father Ed “Pop” Murphy, and their two children, Joanne and Skip. Bob attended Limestone High School for the rest of his sophomore year and then moved to Plattsburgh, New York, where he attended St. John’s Academy for his junior year. After he finished his junior year, he moved to East Northport, Long Island, and lived with his oldest sister Charlotte, her husband Jose, and their children Pat, Toni Lynn and Joey. Bob fondly remembers the heart-to-heart talks with Joe. He has said on more than one occasion that Joe was the closest thing to a father he ever had. Joe was a butcher at the Acme Supermarket and was training Bob, as an apprentice, until management found out that Bob was only seventeen. So much for a career as a butcher! Bob stayed with the Arcuni family until January 1958 when he joined the Air Force.
After basic training, the Air Force utilized Bob’s organizational skills as an Administrative Specialist, and sent him to the Osani Air Force Base in Korea. Bob lived and worked in a Quonset hut. It was bitterly cold in Korea. When working, he would warm his hands by the heater, run to his desk and type a few words, then run back to the heater to warm his hands again. When he and the men in his unit left the hut, they would run as fast as they could to get to the next shelter. Bob remembers playing Nat King Cole and Joni James records to remind him of home and alleviate his homesickness.
When he returned to the States, he was stationed at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. It was there that he met and married Joan St. Pierre. In November 1959, Bob applied for off-duty employment as a short order cook at Snow’s Dairy Bar in Springfield, Massachusetts. Airman First Class Robert Paterno was discharged January 19, 1961. He was hired at Hamilton Standard as a Shipping Clerk and when an opening came up he was transferred to the sheet metal department and became an apprentice Sheet Metal Worker. As luck would have it, there was an opening in the blue-collar section for Catalogers. He was promoted upstairs into the shirt and tie section. The couple had four boys in rapid succession: Robert (Bobby), Michael (Mike), William, and Thomas (Tom) Paterno. Their third son, William only lived six weeks. After the birth of Tom, their fourth son, Bob & Joan divorced.
Bob stayed in Springfield, Massachusetts and obtained a real estate license. On June 1, 1966, License Number 52462 was issued and he began to sell recreational property in New Hampshire. He learned to play golf while working at Hamilton Standard and as a direct result of that was promoted to Technical Writer. Since he had the ability to leave the premises whenever he wanted, his golf game improved decidedly. He did well as a Tech Writer and stayed there until there was a layoff and pay cuts for those who remained. His boss wanted to cut his pay so Bob decided that would be a good time to go to college. The company kept him on at full pay until school started in September.
In 1964, Bob began a career as a part-time Fred Astaire Dance instructor in Springfield.
Page 155: Elaine Gagne, a trainee he was instructing, caught his eye. They danced to the altar and were soon bouncing a wonderful baby boy, Tony, to the music. After he got his degree from the University of MA, he and Elaine moved to the Albany area in New York. He started selling insurance with the Paul Revere Life Insurance Company. Bob and Elaine bought a huge eleven-room house in Mechanicville, New York from an older, wonderful Italian woman, Mrs. DeCasperis. Bob remodeled the old house while pursing his career in the insurance field. During this time, he made a one hundred eighty-five-yard hole-in-one on May 21, 1974. It happened on the second hole at Saratoga Spa in Saratoga Springs, New York. Elaine obtained her Doctorate Degree from the University of Massachusetts.
In 1975, they moved to Houston, Texas. Bob was a very successful insurance agent. He specialized in payroll deducted Disability Income Insurance sales. Soon he was one of the top ten Mass Marketers in the United States. The marriage to Elaine ended in July 1977. Elaine received custody of Tony, but he came to live with Bob for a while before going back with Elaine.
In April 1978, he and a friend, Milt Dooley, went skiing in Alta, Utah. Since then, he has organized an annual ski trip to Alta. The size of the group on this trip ranged from two to fourteen, but Bob and Milt were there, year after year.
After the divorce, Bob developed an affinity for Neil Diamond records. He also took up flying as a hobby and obtained his pilot’s license. In November 1997, Bob and two friends purchased a Cessna 172 Aircraft, FAA Registration #N6297D, Serial #17272702 for $30,715.93. The Cessna was used on some business trips but was mainly a source of pleasure for Bob.
For two years, he worked as a Sales Representative for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. This job allowed him the freedom to play golf in the afternoons and sell ads mornings and evenings. Golf was beginning to take up too much time, so Bob switched to tennis. His social life quickly became intertwined with his tennis-playing friends. Tennis became a major component in his life as he played or practiced five to seven times a week.
He left the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1987 to start up a private postal center with a fried, Kelley Rummell. They formed a partnership and opened the business under the name Postal Etc. The shop was located in southwest Houston at 6688 South Gessner. The first two years were rough, Bob ran and managed the shop and Kelley worked full time at a bank and handled the bookkeeping responsibilities in the evening. The business took a great deal of time, energy, and money but finally began to pay off. Bob was offered an opportunity to buy another postal center southeast of Houston near the NASA Space Center. He took advantage of the offer and was soon shuffling back and forth between the two shops. In 1990, the two partners received a lucrative offer for Postal Etc. and sold it in December of 1990.
Shortly after the sale of the business, Bob realized that meeting and knowing Kelley had made a difference in his life. He realized that she was the partner that he had been looking for all of his life and decided to ask her to marry him. One of Kelley’s friends had proposed marriage by placing the diamond engagement ring in a glass of champagne poured for his lady. Since Kelley thought this was very romantic. Bob used a similar tactic. However, Kelley could not drink champagne since she had recently recovered from a bleeding ulcer. Bob prepared a cup of hot…
Page 156: …chocolate for her and slipped the ring in the drink. It was New Year’s Eve and Kelley was in the process of preparing the year-end reports and bank deposits at the time. She drank half the hot chocolate and proceeded to the sink to throw out the rest so she could go to the bank. Bob insisted that she drink all the hot chocolate. When she did, the ring was discovered and they became engaged.
They had a small, but lovely wedding on April 20, 1991. Kelley’s friend, Bonnie Maglitto, catered a large reception at the Elk’s Lodge. Bonnie did a marvelous job with the decorations and the food was delicious. An extremely talented singer and friend, Dixie Eubanks, sang at the wedding and provided the music for the reception as a wedding gift. Tony, as the best man provided an eloquent toast to the newlyweds. Bob & Kelley’s first dance as a married couple was a waltz to the song “Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life.” After a couple of slow dances, the ballroom dance music began. Several guests were excellent ballroom dancers, and they displayed their talents as they danced with Bob and Kelley and each other. Bob’s tennis playing friends were quite impressed with his dancing ability. He and a friend, Phil King, performed a skit to the song “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a duet sang by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson. Bob was disguised as Julio with the aid of a black wig, while Phil really looked the part of Willie with his trademark pigtails and headband. Everyone laughed until their sides hurt. The reception was a tremendous success as everyone had a great time.
In December of 1992, Bob & Kelley purchased a 3,270 square foot home in southwest Houston. The house had a beautiful interior that was designed for entertaining. It had some wonderful unique features. The previous owners had invested over $50,000 in draperies and wall coverings, so it was quite attractive. One of the many benefits of the home was ample storage space. Fifty-five cabinets and one hundred five drawers provided a place for everything.
Bob and Kelley hosted two annual events in their home. During the Christmas holiday season, they hosted an “open house” for friends and family to join them for wassail, food, and desserts. The event began at two o’clock in the afternoon and continued until ten or eleven. Often, forty or fifty friends were there at one time. Ut was always a festive occasion with a great deal of laughter and fun.
The other annual event was “Breakfast at Wimbledon.” After their marriage, Bob taught Kelley to play tennis. They joined the Houston City Club where they played several times a week. Six years after joining the club, they switched their allegiance to the University Club. bob was there almost every day of the week. They acquired a lot of new friends at the two clubs. All their tennis-playing friends were invited to come to breakfast and watch the Wimbledon finals on television. Mimosas (orange juice and champagne), coffee, strawberries and cream egg casseroles, bacon, sausage, bagels, and assorted pastries were served. All seven of the television sets in their home were tuned in to the finals. Guests gathered around the television sets, socialized and ate as they watched the professionals play. Afterward, they went to the Houston City Club to play tennis. The number of guests varied from fifty to over a hundred.
Ballroom dancing provided variety to the social lives of Bob and Kelley. They joined the River Oaks Dance Club. Shortly after joining, they recruited their friend, George and Beverly…
Page 157: …Yeiter as members. The Yeiters recruited them to join the Mainland Dance Club. Then both couples joined the Thalia Dance Club. Each club held three formal dinner dances a year. The four dancers also belonged to the United States Amateur Ballroom Dance Association (USBDA). This organization held a dance each month, so their dance calendars were filled. Bob expanded his wardrobe to include five tuxedos and Kelley had dozens of formal dance dresses. They accepted the role of President of the River Oaks Dance Club and drafter their friend, George and Beverly as Vice Presidents. It became a traidition to go to the “House of Pies” after each dance. In formal attire, they attracted a lot of attention from the casual crowd at the restaurant. The two couples became best friends and planned many activities together. Among the activities they shared, were annual vacations. They went to Las Vegan in 1997, took a cruise to the Bahamas in 1998, New England in 1998, flew to Italy in March of 1999, and Australia in November of 1999. The trip to Australia was a gift of the Yeiters to Kelley for her 56th birthday as it was Kelley’s greatest dram to see the “Land-Down-Under.” Bob’s 59th birthday gift from the Yeiters was to pay for all the food on the trip to Australia. Kelley and Beverly went on a seventeen day Trans-Atlantic crossing on the Holand American Ship, ms.Maasdam and enjoyed the music of the Glenn Miller band on the cruise.
Kelley was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. in February 1996. It was believed that she contracted the virus from a blood transfusion in 1975. George and Beverly provided support for both Bob and Kelley. During the two years she was undergoing chemotherapy, they helped Bob push her in a wheel chair in Las Vegas, the Bahamas, and New England. Bob had many friends that would go the “extra mile” for him, but George and Beverly Yeiter were the greatest and most loving friends of all.
Due to his entrepreneurial skills, Bob gained recognition as a shred businessman and local guru in the private mailbox business arena. As President of Paterno Enterprises, his four postal centers became successful. He developed a training program for new and potential owners of private postal centers. Individuals who completed his program were very successful in their business endeavors, so the word quickly spread. He receive frequent calls from all over the United States for advice on buying, selling, and setting up postal centers.
His creative mind was always active. In 1997, he applied for a patent for one of his innovative ideas. After making several trips back home to see if the garage door had been closed (and worrying when he did not return home to check), Bob invented a device for the car that would allow one to determine if the garage door had closed. Frequently, garage doors were accidentally left open or were re-opened when an obstacle (such as an animal, child, or item carried by the wind) blocked the electric eye. His son Tony, made the prototype of this invention and Bob was very proud of him for doing so. A mechanical engineer had quoted a price over $35,000 with a six to nine month waiting period for the prototype. Tony completed the project in six weeks for less than $300! This device was patented on June 6, 2000, Patent Number 6,070, 361.
His two grandchildren, Jake and Maria, were the apples of his eye. Soon after Jake was born,…
Page 158: …Bob started to look forward to the time that he and Jake would be playing tennis together. Bob could hardly wait until Jake was finally old enough (age four) to learn to play tennis. Another candidate for the tennis court, Maria came along eighteen months later. A potential mixed doubles team for Wimbledon was now possible! In November 1999, Bob was blessed with the discovery of three grandchildren from his son, Michael Joseph Paterno St. Amand. The agreement allowing Joan’s husband, David St. Amand to adopt Robert, Michael, and Thomas prohibited Bob’s contact with the boys. Michael decided that he wanted to know his biological father. After a few emails, phone calls and personal visits, Bob and Mike established a terrific relationship. Mike, Lisa, and the boys, Chris, Bryan, and Ben, quickly found their places in Bob’s heart and life. When Bob met several of Mike’s friends, they were amazed at the resemblance between Mike and Bob as they had similar looks, mannerisms, speech patterns and personalities.
Bob became a certified scuba diver in September 1999. His first real dive was at the Great Barrier Reef. The two dives he made there were part of a wonderful vacation in Australia and New Zealand. The foursome (George and Beverly Yeiter, Bob and Kelley), rode and Army duck (a World War II amphibious vehicle that can travel on land or in water; so it was called a duck instead of a truck) through the rain forest, walked the beaches in Cairns, explored Sydney while staying in a mansion owned by one of George’s clients, and went to a ballroom dance in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was such a marvelous vacation that Bob started talking about a return visit while he was at the Sydney Airport preparing to return home.
The coveted title of USPTA Adult Tennis League Texas State Champion was won by Bob and his team at the University Club in 2000 and again in 2001.
In May of 2002, Bob was reunited with his son, Tom (Paterno) St. Amand and met his wife, Naomi and grandson, David Jeremy (D.J.). After a brief visit in their home, Bob went to visit his sisters in Cape Coral, Florida. Tom, Naomi, and D.J. picked Kelley up from Miami when she returned to Miami and drove her to Cape Coral, Florida where Tom met his aunts and uncles. The trio was warmly welcomed into the family.
Bob & Kelley enjoyed a brief visit with the Tom St. Amand family in Boynton Beach, Florida in September 2002 the day before they left Miami for a cruise to the Caribbean.
The long awaited trip to Castelmezzano began on October 17, 2002 when Bob and Kelley flew to Rome and then to Catanzaro, Italy where they would visit Ralph Ciluzzi. They were met at the airport by Ralph and Luciana. After a great deal of confusion it was determined that their luggage would not arrive until the next day but would be delivered to Villa Ciluzzi. The couple had seen photos of the Villa but photographs could not do justice to the wonderful villa and the breath taking view of the Ionian coast from its balcony.
[Note: Ralph Ciluzzi was the ex-husband of Bob’s great aunt Theresa Paterno.]
Ralph and Luciana were charming hosts and delightful people. After a tour of the villa and grounds, they placed Bob and Kelley in the “Cabana Sophia Loren.” The cottage was renamed in honor of the famous movie star after she stayed in it in 1999. While the cottage was amply stocked with food, Bob and Kelley shared delicious meals with Ralph and Luciana. Each meal was prepared by Luciana, who was a marvelous cook! She cooked wonderful pasta dishes, which were served with dandelion greens and various meats and vegetables. One afternoon, Ralph and…
Page 159:…Luciana took Bob and Kelley to gather chestnuts. That evening, chestnuts were boiled and served with cream for dessert.
Ralph shared his memories about the family and graciously made phone calls to gather genealogy information for the book. He also made telephone calls to Castelmezzano so that Bob would have access to the cemetery and a tour of the town.
On Monday, October 21, the foursome left Villa Ciluzzi at 6:00 am for the five-hour automobile trip to Castelmezzano. They were casually attired in sweat shirts, slacks, and sneakers. Ralph and Luciana provided extra heavy jackets for Bob and Kelley in anticipation of a cold wind day in the Dolomiti Lucane Mountains. The sun arose and brought a clear mild day for the travelers.
When they arrived at Castlemezzano, Egidio Padula, who flagged them down as they drove into town, greeted them. After Ralph had parked the car, introductions were made. Egidio informed the foursome of the itinerary for the day. First they were to have coffee, then tour the church, cemetery, and town hall. He informed them that a reporter for a local newspaper would be interviewing them and that a television reporter would also conduct an interview when the mayor arrived. Since the family had been benefactors of the small town for decades and Saverio Paterno had been a powerful mayor, the return of Paterno relatives was an event. The casually dressed group was dismayed to find out that they were to be on television.
The tour began and the group first walked to the Al Becco Della Civetta hotel and bar where we had coffee When Ralph asked for the bill, he was informed that the coffee was complimentary. The next stop was a visit to the La Chiesa Madre, (The Major Church) to see an altar donated by Maria Paterno Campagna and another donated by the Abbate family. A short drive to the cemetery was next where Egidio escorted them to the Famila Paterno mausoleum that contains the remained of several Paterno ancestors. The two marble statues flanking the entrance represent Hope and Faith. After leaving the cemetery, the group was escorted back to the piazza or town square where they were introduced to Mayor Nicola Rocco Valluzzi. He was a tall, attractive man with an engaging smile who was dressed in a black suit of the latest style and black leather shoes. As introductions were made, some of the townspeople gathered in the square while others looked on from balconies and windows. Ralph and Luciana were kept busy interpreting as the news reporter asked Bob various questions regarding the Paterno family. Luckily, Kelley had a draft of the Paterno Family Genealogy book and was able to provide dates for specific events such as the immigration of Giovanni Paterno to America. Egidio presented Kelley with four books, which contain a compilation of articles written about Italians from Castelmezzano and surrounding regions. The books covered 1924-1927 events and contained several articles and photos of family members.
A short walk led back to the Town Hall where Saverio Paterno had served as mayor. The building had originally been the Abbate home and was the birthplace of Al Abbate. Bob and Ralph were photographed in between the marble columns at the entrance of the Paterno home. The current owners were out of town so the descendants were unable to see the interior.
Mayor Valluzzi then led the visitors up rocky terrain to the site of the original castle, which…
Page 160: …was built by the Normans and was a twenty-minute hike up the mountain. Once there, steep steps the led straight up the mountainside to the very top of the mountain amazed the visitors. A tremendous amount of effort and skill was involved in cutting the stone steps. After explaining that the steps were used to approach the lookout so that villagers could watch for approaching invaders, Mayor Valluzzi posed with various members of the group while Kelley and the reporter took photographs.
On the way back down the mountain, the television reporter joined the procession that went back to the piazza. While the television reporter set up his camera and microphone, various still photos were taken. Ralph interpreted s Bob was asked questions such as how it felt to be in his ancestral town, what would he tell relatives in America about Castelmezzano and if he would come back. After Bob relayed his impressions of the town, Ralph was interviewed. The group then toured the school donated to the town by Anthony Campagna. Next to the school was the Mayor’s office where they were shown a typewriter which was owned by Saverio Paterno and used during his administration. Mayor Valluzzi presented both Ralph and Bob a miniature version of the flag of Castelmezzano as well as a packet called Viaggio Nelle Terre dei Lucani containing a video cassette, compact disk, and a tourist guide of town events which the progressive mayor had commissioned to promote tourism. The group then went back to the hotel where Mayor Valluzzi treated them to a leisurely lunch. The first course consisted of thick slices of homemade bread served with assorted chooses, cold meats, and two other thin sliced breads. Our congenial host, Mayor Valluzzi, arose from his seat and walked about the table to pour wine for his guests. The second course consisted of sausage, potatoes, friend red peppers, tiny pickled purple onion, and a grain soup. Pasta was to be the next course but but was delined as everyone had overindulged. Dessert was crostole, a delicate fried batter smothered with honey and podered sugar which was formed in decorative shapes. MayValluzzi promised to send a videotape of the television interview as well as a copy of the newspaper article, and a copy of Saverio Paterno’s birth certificate to the Texas guests. He then invited the visitors to organize a family reunion in Castelmezzano on August 19, 2003 during the festival of San Rocco. He requested that no more than sixty people attend.
Antoinette Santore, a grandniece of Al Abbott, met the group as they were leaving the hotel and asked them to go to the home of her grandfather, Francesco Abbate who is called Cecilio. The ninety two year old man had requested to meet the visitors. Antoinette escorted them to their home where Mr. Abbate was lying on a sofa. He was a tiny, frail man who could barely speak. The entire family graciously welcomed us to their home and offered coffee, which was declined due to time constraints.
The exciting visit to Castelmezzano ended at 4:30 pm as an exhausted, elated group left Castelmezzano for the trip back to Villa Ciluzzi. Bob exclaimed that the opportunity to visit Castelmezzano and the experience of the day were among the most exhilarating of his life.
The charming and gracious Ralph and Luciana, the beautiful Villa Ciluzzi, and rustic Castelmezzano provided Bob and Kelley with wonderful memories and a unique vacation of cherish forever….
Page 161: …On January 1, 2004, Bob and Kelley downsized to a smaller home in a retirement community in Pearland, Texas, a suburb of Houston. The move was very traumatic as they gave up most of their antiques and collectibles as well as the spaciousness and storage areas of their Houston home. The transition was made easier when their best friends, George and Beverly Yeiter, bought the home next door. The foursome was welcomed to the community by a host of friendly people, mostly in their age group. One of the advantages of the community was that the homeowners association maintained the exterior of the home so they had time to enjoy the clubhouse facilities of a heated pool, large hot tub, ballroom, craft room and game room. Bob taught ballroom dance at the club while Kelley took art lessons and attended Bible study classes. They enjoyed the potluck dinners, talent shows, card and domino games as well as socializing with their friends and neighbors.
Back to Table of Contents
Next: Descendant Tree of Robert (Bob) S. Paterno & Spouses
