9. "How we Met"

While my grandpa was a junior at St. John Fisher, his friend from Aquinas who also was going to Fisher was dating a woman who worked at Kodak. This woman at Kodak was good friends with my grandma, so the two of them decided to set my grandma and grandpa up on a blind date. They were about 20 years old when they went on their first date. It was February 3, 1961 when my grandpa and his friend from school brought my grandma and her friend from work to a double header basketball game held at the Buffalo Auditorium. St. Bonaventure was playing against St. Joes in the first game. After leaving mid-way through the next game they all decided to make a drive up to Niagara Falls. While walking around in Niagara Falls and watching the falls for a while my grandpa bought my grandma a rose. “Starting then, I started to call her Rosie,” my grandpa said. The night seemed to have gone perfect for the two of them until it came time for my grandpa to drop her off. Not getting back until 4 o’clock in the morning, my grandpa though her dad was gonna come out with a shot gun. After dropping her off, he made sure he got out of there fast. After weeks went by and staying in contact with each other it was time for the two of them to meet each other’s parents. My grandma was very nervous going to my grandpa’s house to meet his parents. She described his Father as an “Archie Bunker kind of man, very intimidating.” My grandpa’s family called my grandma “Frenchy” because they figured since she was French she would hate Italians. When my grandpa went to meet my grandma’s family it was very quiet. Both my grandpa and my grandma’s father were very shy and nervous people. So at dinner there wasn’t much conversation which did not bother my grandpa at all.