My Memoirs - Citizen of the World

I am annoyed and saddened when I travel overseas and hear people
criticizing America. I have traveled to many democracies,
dictatorships, and communist countries around the world, and I
truly believe that the United State (although not perfect) possesses
the best system in the world. I like to quote our President Barack
Obama when he says, "YES, WE CAN!”
My Involvement with the Bristol Schools
My wife and I continued to build our business, and we were doing
very well. My wife was happy and the children loved their school.
As my wife and I were educated, we were always in touch with our
children’s teachers. I was invited by Anthony Iasiello, the high
school principal in 1978, to be a part of the High School Parents'
Advisory Board. It was formed by the late June Mack and several
other school administrators, including Leo Contente, Kelly Silvia
and Betty Brito. It was very rewarding to be part of such a select
group. The main purpose of the committee was to help facilitate
communication between the school and the parents, many of whom
did not speak English. We also advised the Principal in all matters
with regard to counseling parents and students. I also served as the
judge for many Oratory Contests and Homecoming Queen
Elections at the Bristol and Warren High Schools. I was also a
guest instructor for Career Day, each year since 1977, which I
enjoyed very much.
Involvement in Cultural and Civic Activities
I became very involved with my good friend Dr. da Silva who was
always promoting the Portuguese culture and language. His
second love, as most of the Portuguese population in the U.S.
already knows, was Dighton Rock. He asked me to work with him
to build a museum to house the historic rock after it was removed
from the Taunton River in 1963 and placed on a cofferdam. In
1974, the pavilion was built, and in 1977 the museum was
completed. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts paid three
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