Family Migration

           Being Italian means you always strive to make your mother happy. For Carmine, that meant attend college, and be a part of the American Dream. The closest collegiate institution to his family’s apartment complex was Steven’s Institute of Technology. The Dean at the time was a nice fellow, and did not understand why Carmine would want to become an engineer. He knew that Italians, and Catholics were often discriminated against and that the Dean could not get Carmine a job pumping gas with a Stevens Institute of Technology degree. Although always assuming post-college that he would return to working on the docks just as his other relatives were doing, Carmine had no true interest to become an engineer. One and a quarter terms into his college career, Carmine was called up for induction of World War II on the eve of his eighteenth birthday.            On March 15, 1946, Carmine was in route to San Antonio’s Air Force Base where he would complete six weeks of basic training, six weeks of Military Occupation Specialty, and then fifteen weeks on the Transfer Barracks. While on the Air Force Base, Carmine tested at the top of the charts on the comprehensive tests given to all entering inductees---along with the physical test in which Carmine failed the vision section. While at the base in San Antonio, Carmine would spend his days working in his Military Occupation Specialty of 275- Coding and Classifying, and in his free time, pool jumping in the barracks. He would soon rise through the ranks whilst moving from San Antonio, to Nebraska, and finally to the Strategic Air Command at Andrews Field in Washington, D.C.           Post-war, Carmine returned back to Union City whilst betrothed to Dolores LaPorta, Carmine would attend Stevens Institute of Technology and work on the docks. Upon Carmine’s graduation, Dolores and Carmine would wed on June third in 1951 and that same week Carmine would begin graduate school for his Masters in Electrical Engineering and his first engineering employment with Curtis Wright. Carmine’s Nonna went to visit relatives in Italy, so for the first few months of their married life, the newlyweds lived on their own in apartment number four. Upon the return of Nonna, Dolores and Carmine moved back in with his family in the same apartment that he was born for two more years. 

          Upon his graduation from Stevens Institute of Technology, Carmine elected to take a job with Kearfott, an engineering company that was presently growing in worth. However, the company plateaued with increasing regulatory control and restrictions. As the years went on, Carmine received a raise from sixty-six to sixty-seven cents an hour. And with more financial stability, Dolores and Carmine was looking to have a place of their own. They liked the water, but a lot of places within the area did not allow anyone who was not Anglican to reside in their community. Luckily, they settled on a corner lot in Pine Lake, New Jersey. Carmine, Dolores, and various family member from both sides helped lay the foundation, the structure, the design, and all elements of the house. Upon completion, Dolores and Carmine had the home of their dreams with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room, a dry basement to make into a family room, and a workshop. The beautiful home saw the birth of their eldest Sharon in 1956 and Linda in 1957.            Pines Lake remained the home for the growing family for four years until Carmine received a request to transfer to Pennsylvania and work for the engineering firm called Transicoil. After two years of cleaning up and increasing the productivity of a declining engineering firm, Carmine was asked to go back to take charge of over 400 engineers and become the Director of Engineering at Kearfott. Carmine remained at Kearfott for two more years while Dolores became pregnant with their third child, Barbara.           The growing family would continue to migrate across the county as Carmine received an opportunity in Chicago for a troubled Engineering firm in which both the aerospace and consumer operations were failing. Having been promised a piece of equity, not only a salary, but an ownership at seven percent, resulted in the family packing their bags and moving to Chicago. Right after the move, their third child, Barbara was born---completing their family. The family remained in Chicago for seventeen years until in 1980, Carmine was informed of a troubled engineering company, Astro Instrument Corporation that was on a fast spiral decline in purchasing, selling, manufacturing, and personnel.  The company at the time had an environment harsher than the bad side town of Union City. In over thirty years, with the support of Dolores,        Carmine was able to transform the company to one that was ranked one of the top firms in the world. CDA Intercorp created an integral piece for the Hubble Space Craft, Major Oil Riggs, and commercial bought motors. After spending most of his life working (and migrating from city to city, and state to state), Carmine and Dolores have happily found their fairy-tale retiring in sunny Florida amongst three generations of family members. On a cold, dark morning in February, no one had any idea that the child within their hands, as it took in its first breath of life, would be involved in a great journey of life.

 A note from the artist:         I elected to create a digital collage of the all of the images that my grandparents have collected over the past nine decades. The pictures range from analog images that they had developed themselves to report cards to medals and awards received. The pictures range from June of 1930 to present July of 2018. I elected to burn in the phrase “Let Love Bloom” onto the wood because my grandparents are the backbone of the family that have planted, maintained, and helping harvest the family to what we are today. I cute small hearts and burned in the world love onto each one to keep a similar earthy, feel to the image. Finally, I elected to surround the image with sixteen green succulent candles. Just like the wick is to the candles, my grandparents have been to my family and remain the light ever burning so brightly. Alike everything, with time, things will fade, but just like the wax that melts onto the wood becomes ingrained, so do the teachings of my grandparents onto multiple generations