"I met Dom in 1956 when he returned from Korea but was still in the Marine Corps and I was in the Navy. We were married in 1957. He never spoke much about his time in Korea that I can remember. I don’t even know if he was in combat or not. I do know that he brought back a little jacket (about the size for a 4th or 5th grader) from Korea with Korean symbols on it for his sister Mary Ann. Some way or other we came to have it when Rosalie was the right size and it fit her perfectly. She wore it to school all the time and for a while all her friends called her “Korea”. Ironic since now she has a lovely Korean daughter and has since visited the country.
After Dom was discharged from the Marine Corps he worked on the railroad in Hornell, NY like your grandfather before him. At that time employers made sure that returning veterans got their jobs back and he was given the job of machinist apprentice. He hated it but he was a hard worker and stuck to it.
He also worked as a stock boy at a super market at the same time to support his fast growing family and his “habit” (His clothes buying habit, that is). He loved to dress up and bought at least two expensive suits a year with all the trimmings; fancy shirts, shoes and ties to go with them, in spite of the fact that we couldn’t afford to go anywhere. He had an entire closet dedicated to his suits. He loved dressing up and especially didn’t like how dirty he got on the job. In fact his goal was always to find a job where he could wear a suit.
He tried to get a job selling insurance but that didn’t work out. I remember Grandma discouraging him from getting that job saying, ”Everyone already has their insurance.” Fortunately he heard about pharmaceutical sales and decided that was the job for him. However, because he didn’t have any sales experience, he was refused employment by A.H. Robbins. But at the interview he was told that if he could get one successful year of selling experience, they would hire him.
Hearing that he quit the railroad after about 5 ½ years during which Dianna, Rosalie, Joe and Laurie were born. He got a job with Brown and Bigelow selling calendars, knick-knacks and odds and ends. I think the kids will remember all the interesting samples he brought home, like glasses that had very fat naked ladies on them and other “tasteful items.” The job was on straight commission but he didn’t have to worry about work clothes-- he could wear all those wonderful suits he had hanging in the closet.
Because of the straight commission if he couldn’t sell anything, sometimes we went for a month without a paycheck…We ate lots of oatmeal, Jello, powdered milk, free cheese, potatoes and any other cheap food I could find (No credit cards in those days). Finally when the awful year was over, A. H. Robbins kept their word and hired him. It was a wonderful victory for Dom and the company packed all our stuff and paid for our move to Southport, a little town outside of Elmira, where his new territory was. To top it off, after the poverty of that year, we won $500 at the A&P where Dom’s part-time job was, which helped pay bills and all the kids got new bikes to start off our new life in Southport.
Dom and I both used our GI Bill money for college at night school. He felt that a college education would increase his chance for promotion in the company. Because his work kept him so busy, I don’t think he finished his degree but he completed quite a few courses and participated in seminars and other courses to learn more about the pharmaceuticals and how to sell them. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in1975 after 10 years of night school. Good thing because we were divorced that year and I had to find a job.
Dad and Joanne had 4 kids:
Dianna-May 6, 1958
Rosalie-April 14, 1959
Joseph (Joe)-November 4, 1960
Laurie-August 17, 1963
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