Thursday, June 29, 2006

An eager young immigrant, a tough nun, and the rest is history

This story show the determination of immigrants to succeed here. This man came here as a 9 year old Russian Jew who had spent time in concentration camps in Italy. Now he is a successful American history professor. DP

By staff reporter

PensacolaNewsJournal.com: When he was 9 years old, Victor Sapio and his mother came to the United States.

He spoke no English, but thanks to a nun with incredible patience and a good backhand, he soon learned the language of his new country.

And the rest is history -- a Ph.D. in American history and a long, successful career as a college teacher.

"I've come a long way, baby," Sapio said recently from his Scenic Heights home.

His story is especially timely since America's birthday, July 4, is barely a week away, and illegal immigration is a roiling topic.

Sapio spent most of his early years in a concentration camp in Italy. His offense: He and his mother were Russian Jews.

Eventually, thanks to a family friend, they made their way to New York City.

Sapio, an only child who never knew his father, already spoke Italian, French and German, but no English.

He and other immigrants had two priorities: to learn English and to play baseball.

"We all wanted to be Americans," he said.

Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

1 comment:

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