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 United States Air Force."
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 Hicksville . I just wanted to see what the old high school looked like," Anthony confided. "It sure looked the same as it did when I left."
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. Galloway didn't skip a beat when he belted out, "Hey, Genovese, you never finished high school. Give me the name of your commanding officer."
"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 Fort Myers , Florida .
They still make it a point to have a weekly date night.
That's why they're still married after 48 years...
