“He was an encyclopedia of the real world. He taught me everything there is to know.”
My father was the strongest influence in my life about what it means to be a man – to protect women, to believe in something and live that way. And to absolutely never lie… to friends or enemies. A wounded World War II vet, my dad inspired me to stand up for myself and what is right. After my father’s military service, 1942 to 1945, he never caught the brass ring on his return to America. Working together on many business ventures, he was my lieutenant, for most of my life. A fearless man beset by misfortunes, we were constant companions, more than friends. He taught me about human nature; reading people’s faces to better understand them. I learned from him how to survive in corrupt Chicago.