I never met either of my biological grandfathers, and I know very little about my dad’s dad. His name was Pasquale Peter Marotta, ‘Patsy’ to his friends. He worked for General Electric for many years, and raised four boys with my grandmother, Mary Virginia Marotta, who died in December 2008. The family lived in upstate New York. In 1984, Patsy died of lung cancer. If he were here, we would celebrate his 99th birthday today, April 6th. One consolation: during his lifetime, Patsy, a Yankee fan, never had to watch the Red Sox win a World Series. I’m grateful on his behalf.
Speaking of sports, I checked in with three beloved Chicago athletes for the April issue of Chicago magazine:
Before she was a nun, Andrea Jaeger was the second-ranked women’s tennis player in the world.
Luc Longley won three rings with the Bulls, and once killed a scorpion with an Eagles CD.
Fifth degree black belt Arlene Limas was the first American gold medalist in tae kwon do.