Page 48: CHAPTER XVI • MY BROTHER JOHN
My eldest brother John celebrated his tenth birthday on a steamer named Cincinnati, coming to America accompanied by a townsman named Domenic Martoccia. On his arrival, December 23, 1910, he was greeted at Ellis Island by our Uncle Charles, who had his chauffeur Homer drive him to Grandma’s house. Uncle Joseph and Aunt Jule, who had sponsored the voyage, were visiting in Europe and Egypt at that time.
After a few months of public schooling at P.S. 165 John was placed in a small country boarding school where he remained during the year 1911. Then he was placed in St. Joseph’s Convent Station, New Jersey, under the supervision and direction of the Order of the Sisters of Charity, where he was joined in 1912 by our brothers Charles and Joseph. The learning process, particularly English, was being accomplished rapidly under the guidance of the strict nuns. The many stories and comments related to me by my brothers gave a picture of very difficult times for them. It was hard enough for boys of seven, nine and 12 to be shut away in a convent without the love and counsel fo parents. Certainly it was distressing and heart-rending to be rejected by the American family, including Grandma and our aunts and uncles.
In 1913 the nuns decided John was too old to remain at the convent, and Uncle Joseph arranged for his transfer to Seton Hall College, which also operated a high school and two grades of grammar school. This latter, known as Bailey Hall, was where brothers John, Charles and Joseph completed their elementary courses.
Upon completing two years of high school John was sent, in 1916-17, to Eastman Business School in Poughkeepsie, New York, to study typing, stenotyping and the rudiments of bookkeeping.
In 1918 his first job was in an office, with Portland Cement Co. in New York City. In the same year he worked as a typist and timekeeper for our uncle, Dr. Charles Paterno, at 270 Park Avenue.
In 1919 he started to work for Uncle Joseph and other members of the family in construction work, as timekeeper and assistant construction superintendent.
In 1920 he worked at 710 Riverside Drive. Having started from the bottom, and with the experience acquired the prior years in all facets of construction, he was assured of a steady job with Uncle Joseph.
Because I was just over one year of age when he left home, the comments I am about to express are my personal views gathered from observations and listening to praise and high regard from many of John’s personal friends and associates. The first time I really met John and Charles was on their visit to Castelmezzano with Uncle Joseph in 1923.
Brother John, even though he had not been afforded the choice of higher education, being very intelligent and ambitious kept up his self-education, and by selective association highly raised his social status.
He has always been the guiding guardian of his younger brothers, at all times setting the proper example.
He was a great help to me, being instrumental in getting me to America, and providing the means to prepare me for a better future.
As a young man he acquired the respect and confidence of all the subcontractors. He thoroughly mastered the knowledge of supervising construction, the technique of properly and fairly contracting for labor and material, the knowledge of purchasing the best available sites, and planning the projects. He had overwhelming ambition, help from and association with Uncle Joseph. He has always been a diplomat, an outstanding toastmaster, and well-respected by his family and his peers.
The Casa Italiana was built in 1926, with money mostly donated by Uncle Joseph and Uncle Michael. The doctor donated and equipped the library. Brother John’s contribution was closing contracts and supervising the work, worth at least $50,000. He was highly praised for his share, by the then-President of Columbia University, Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler.
Page 49: In 1927 and 1928, working with Uncle Joseph, he took sole charge in acquiring the site, planning and building a co-operative high-rise at 825 Fifth Avenue.
He became known as the youngest wealthy builder in New York City. At this time he was elected Vice President of the Fifth Avenue Association, a prestigious organization. This was indeed quite an honor.
As his younger brother in America, I like to express a few words of praise for the one I have always proudly looked up to; a wise counselor, sincere and good brother and friend.
In 1924 John married Gladys Shales, with whom he was madly in love. While John was deeply occupied with the 825 Fifth Avenue and 30 Sutton Place projects, Gladys, in a pretense of becoming a Roman Catholic convert, was unfaithful to her marriage vows. This eventually led to a divorce.
This affair was the beginning of the crumbling of John’s exalted state. Many other factors contributed to his financial downfall. The continual bickering and disagreements of the wives of our uncles, particularly Aunt Jule and Aunt Dorothy, created situation wherein John was compromised, eventually culminating in a total disagreement with our Uncle Joseph, who discharged John from the company, wholly-owned by Uncle Joseph.
John was left destitute even losing the luxurious apartment he owned at 825 Fifth Avenue.
With the financial depression John, degraded and depressed, was forced to do all sorts of menial jobs, setting up pins in bowling alleys, working as a bell-hop in Florida, to keep body and soul together. Eventually, he volunteered for service in the Army Air Force during World War II, even though he was too old for the military draft. Upon discharge he slowly and gradually rehabilitated the course of his life.
In 1946 John married Isabella (Bella) Barr, and through the years of his marriage he worked diligently and constantly, finally retiring in 1979 at the approaching age of 79.
Dear Bella, who had been very ill for some time, passed away April 17, 1983, in Redington Beach, Florida. Her body was flown to New York that same day.
John prearranged appointments at his home in Bronxville, New York, with persons to take care of the funeral and church services.
John, Louise and I flew to LaGuardia the next day. On the way to John’s home from the airport he complained of severe back pains. On arriving home he began feeling worse. I called his doctor, who suggested taking him to the hospital. John, preoccupied with the appointments he had made, repeatedly refused to go. Finally the pains became unbearable, he was in a cold sweat and his face was ashen. We rushed him to the Emergency Room.
After the initial examination, Surgeon Gomez was called in. He asked me to sign a release for an immediate operation for a ruptured aneurysm. He also told me that if John had come in a half-hour later he would have died.
Louise and I arranged for Bella’s funeral service, and the burial at the Fern Cliff Cemetery.
John fortunately survived and recuperated after several weeks in the hospital. When he was released, a very sad and impressive funeral service was held at their Church, with all the relatives and friends attending.
As of this writing John, somewhat lonesome, continues to keep himself occupied and has arranged for our widowed sister Celeste from Italy to join him as his companion.
I am grateful for his aid in compiling and editing this story.
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