Michael was on leave from the Marines when I graduated from Derby High School. The whole family was glad to have him home. Before the ceremony, Michael asked me how many awards I would be getting. He knew I was one of the Top Ten students. I told him that I probably would only be getting the Italian Award. There were limited tickets, so he could not attend. So when I got home he asked me if I got the Italian Award. Well, I had received several awards for Math and Science. I even got a scholarship. But no Italian Award. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to me. He sad, "Here is your Italian Award." This meant so much to me that I still remember it today.

I have so many memories of him as I was growing up. My father had a shift car and I was having a hard time learning how to shift and use the clutch and drive at the same time. He and Johnny Mamora took me out in the Green Latreen. I think it was a '49 Ford. It was rusting out and had holes in the floor where you could see the ground moving as you drove. All I remember was laughing the whole time as the three of us drove down River Road and Lakeview Terrace. Michael even let me drive his brand new Pontiac to the movies one day. That is until I rounded a corner way too fast and he screamed to slow down and to stop. I scared him and Cathy too much. Although he never gave me another lesson in the Ponitiac, he told the story to everyone over and over again and made it seem like the funniest thing. He was thebeststoy teller.