My father, Daniel (Adelmo) Donati, departed Genoa, Italy, with my grandmother aboard the SS Caserta and arrived at Ellis Island on Dec. 5, 1914. My grandfather was already in the U.S., and he sent for his family once he was established in an area outside Monongahela, Pennsylvania. When my father reached his teens, he was sent to Chicago for employment, where he lived with his cousin’s family.

Like many Italian immigrants, my father worked hard, starting out as a baker. He eventually transitioned to cooking, working at several Chicago restaurants. Some years later, he met my mother and they became engaged, but their marriage was postponed by the start of World War II.