A birthday and an anniversary

Published in The Day, July 6

It’s 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It also happens to be the 25th anniversary of my father’s passing. This coincidence prompted me to reflect on what our nation meant to my dad.

An immigrant to America, my father was 13 when he arrived from a small town near Rome, Italy. My grandfather, a mason, emigrated with the family over the course of several years and settled in Rhode Island, where my dad’s siblings worked as tailors and seamstresses. My father attended high school and college, earning his degree in engineering.

Like all Americans of their generation, the family endured the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. My dad enjoyed a long and successful career as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy. He always valued the many freedoms and opportunity America provided, not just for himself, but for others as well. Most remarkable to me was how he helped countless neighbors, friends and family navigate challenges and better themselves in their lives and careers. Perhaps on a mission to keep freedom and opportunity alive for the next generations, I believe he fully understood and lived “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Anne Santoro

East Lyme