Family Histories: De Grazia

November 12, 1995
Author: Frenck S. De Grazia

A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE DE GRAZIA FAMILY AND FRIENDS

My grandfather, Gregorio De Grazia, came from Amantea, a small seaport town on the Mediterranean, Provincia di Cosenza, Calabria in Southern Italy, at the toe of the boot. He was a large landowner. In Spain and Southern Italy these large landowners were given the title of Don. My grandfather was called Don Gregorio. As was the custom, my grandfather used a cane to emphasize his title, not for physical assistance. My grandfather traveled extensively in Europe, was familiar with several languages and was well read.

One day he came home from one of his sojourns and announced to my grandmother to pack as they were going on a long trip to the new world, precisely, to the copper mines of Morenci, Arizona. He influenced some of his workers to join them, even to the extent of funding their trip to seek new fortunes.

Their journey to Arizona began before the turn of the century. After landing in New York they still had 2,388 miles to go to arrive to the Morenci, Arizona copper mines. They were fortunate to be able to take the iron horse (the train) westward. The trip was long and tiresome. They arrived at Lordsburg, New Mexico several days later and finished the last sixty miles of their trip by stage.

My grandfather and his family and friends got jobs at the mines. Some of the family friends, who became relatives through marriage, would make frequent trips to the old country. On one of these trips, my father asked one of his friends to bring his sister, Lucia, back from Italy on his return as he planned to marry her. My father gave him the fare, as was the custom, and Lucia came to the new world on the next trip. They were married in Morenci in 1903.

They started a family with the first born being Gregorio, born April 5, 1905. Rosanna followed on May 27, 1907. Ted Ettore, the artist, was born on what later became known as Flag Day on June 14, 1909. The fourth born was Alice on August 10, 1911. Then came Giselda on October 7, 1913. Frenck followed on October 15, 1916 and the last-born was Virginia on August 17, 1919.

My grandfather retired from the mines as a foreman in 1915 and returned to his land holdings in Italy.

My mother and father decided to go visit the family in Italy in 1920. The trip was to have been a six-month visit. When they got ready to return to America and announced their intention, it became a very emotional shock and trauma to the family, each one saying that they would never live long enough to see them again. Because of their age and because of the great distance of 6,088 miles, our family members strongly felt that this would be the last time they would be together. My mom and dad talked it over and decided to stay longer. My dad built a new home to better accommodate a family of seven children.

We enrolled in the Italian schools and were able to continue our education. Ted and I, particularly, took up the study of music. We made good progress and enjoyed music very much.

In 1925, the family returned to Morenci, Arizona, where we continued our education in American schools.We were fortunate enough to make up some of the schooling we had missed by enrolling in summer school classes and special study classes which allowed us to advance, even to the extent of skipping some grades.

In September of 1932, Ted enrolled at the University of Arizona in Tucson and I enrolled at Tucson High School. We were able to put our music training to use by playing for dances and nightclubs. This enabled us to support ourselves and pay for our education and other expenses.

In 1941, shortly after graduating from the University of Arizona, I went to California and joined general big dance bands of the jazz era in the San Francisco area. I played at the St. Francis Hotel, the Sir Francis Brake Hotel and the St. Francis Yacht Club.

In 1942, 1 was drafted and was inducted into the United States army Air Corps. I had basic training at the Fresno Army Air Base. From there I went to Herbert Smart Air Port in Macon, Georgia to join the Air Force band. I was one of the members of the band selected through tryouts to represent the southeastern command. I was flown to McClelland Air Service Command Base to play with the band that was based there. I was in the Air Service Command show known as "At Your Service". It was to be a two-hour show to represent the Air Service Command. I played lead Saxophone in the orchestra. The main group of actors for our show was the cast that had just finished filming "This is the Army Mr. Jones" in Hollywood. Captain Larry Cotton was the commanding officer and Ezra Stone was the leading actor. Ezra Stone was better known as Henry in the radio show where his mother would call "Henry, Henry Aldridge" and he answered with his "Comin Mother". The Air Service Command show toured the air bases of California. Billboard Magazine gave our show top rating, but because ''Air Force One" was produced in New York by Moss Hart, a first class producer from New York who was closer to the big brass of Washington and could exercise more influence, it became apparent that when it was decided that two air force shows was one too many. Ours had to close down. The Air Service Command show toured all the west coast to March Field at Riverside where we closed a very high-class show.

From there I returned to Herbert Smart Air Port in Macon, Georgia. We were later transferred to Warner Robbins Field, one of the biggest air bases in the southeast command. After several months there, we were sent to Newport News, Virginia where we boarded a ship to Italy. There were four air force bands on the ship. We drew straws when we landed in Naples in order to determine which city we would go to. We were to go to Florence, Italy as our base, with the front line only thirty miles away. It was not comfortable, but it was exciting. While stationed in Florence, I was a Master Sergeant Band Director for three years, quartered at the Da Vinci Technical School. When the war ended we were shipped to Leghorn, Italy to play for the troops being deployed to the United States.

In Leghorn, I met my wife to be, Angiolina, where I attended mass. We corresponded with each other for several months and then decided to get married. We were married April 26, 1947 by Father Emmett L. Walsh, Chaplin AUS who took over at Boy's Town in Nebraska when Father Flanigan passed away. We went to Florence, Italy for our honeymoon. When we returned to Leghorn, I was assigned as Director of the Occupational Air Force Band in Foggia, Italy. On October 25, 1947, I returned to the United States with my new bride.

I played at several nightclubs in Tucson and then decided to go into teaching. I accepted an assignment in July of 1950 as Music Director at the Florence Union High School with one period a day as Director of the Junior High School Band. I also signed up at the Arizona State Prison as part-time Music Director of musical activities in the main yard.

After I completed two years of teaching in Florence, my wife and I decided to build a house, along with a guesthouse for my mother who had agreed to more to Florence. When the house and guesthouse were completed, my mother decided to stay in Tucson. Shortly after the news that mother would not be joining us in Florence, my wife was told by Father Jacques, who had been a resident priest in Morenci, Arizona at the Holy Cross Church where my sister, Virginia, had been his principal organist from the time she was in 7th grade through the 12th grade, that the Malloque family was living in the project housing where we were living. The Malloque family and the De Grazia family were friends of long standing, as they came from the same small town on the Mediterranean in Southern Italy. The Malloque parents baptized several De Grazia children and the De Grazia parents likewise baptized several Malloque children. When my wife met Alice Malloque they immediately became friends and enjoyed each other's company. We informed Alice that my mother had decided not to more to Florence and when the house became ready for occupancy in August of 1952, Alice moved in. She was our neighbor, friend and family member for over thirty seven years.

Alice graduated from nurse's training from St. Joseph's Hospital in September of 1950. She got a job at Pinal General Hospital that lasted for some three months when she was hired by Dr. Tucker as his nurse assistant at the Florence Clinic where she stayed for the rest of her life. Alice had been most dedicated to her profession whereby she offered all assistants possible to her patients, even during her own illness. Lina and I catered to Alice's medical needs for about five years, taking turns taking her to daily radiology treatments in Phoenix. After her treatments, she would come home and change into her nurse's uniform and go to the clinic to administer to the needs of her patients. She was a most cooperative patient and we did everything possible to bolster her spirits and give her all the encouragement we could to make her comfortable and happy. She passed away on December 31, 1988 at the age of 59. Florence, to my knowledge, has never had a more dedicated person to administer to the medical needs of the people. Some day someone will come along to equal Alice's record, but to surpass it ? I very much doubt it. We have missed her so much. Many of her friends have expressed the same feelings about her. Her final resting place is at the De Grazia-Malloque plot of the Florence Cemetery.

In 1975, my wife Angiolina was asked by Ted and Marion if she would be willing to take over management of the Superstition Mountain Gallery because the girl that was managing it had requested to be released from the position, as she had to go back east to assist her mother in the recovery of serious surgery that she had undergone. Ted and Marion knew that it would have to be approved by me because I had always been against my wife working. I agreed because it was somewhat of an emergency that would not last long. Lina was there for two years, commuting to Apache Junction from Florence. She enjoyed it immensely. When Ted was able to get a new manager for the Superstition Gallery, he asked Lina to come to work at the Gallery in Tucson. She accepted and enjoyed her job, but most importantly, she enjoyed Ted's company. Lina and our entire family always felt that Ted's two marriages had not been happy and successful experiences as we had hoped they would be. Lina felt that there was not the caring and feeling that it deserved for such an important man of such great talent and ability. All of this came at a good time because Ted had recently been diagnosed at the University Hospital as having prostrate cancer.

During Ted's illness, Lina and I would take turns daily taking Ted to the hospital for treatment. Ted always felt very comfortable for having me present when he had interviews with the different doctors. I guess that was because I had had some experience in it on account of my bladder cancer, which I had had for about ten years. He also enjoyed Lina's presence because she had so much love and respect for him that other relatives seem to lack, or at best, were unable to express.

One important thing that I became so aware of was that multimillionaires, such as Ted, oftentimes are unable to purchase everything they desire. One good example is your mother's cooking. Here Ted lucked out, Lina had been tutored by mother in the delicate art of Calabrian cuisine. She was a good student and learned quickly. When Ted had his daily routine of chemotherapy, which I might add destroys your taste buds until you have no taste for any food, Lina would tantalize him and ask him what he would like to eat the next day. Ted would give her a preference and say to her, "Do you remember how mother used to prepare that particular chicken dish?" Lina would answer "Yes, I'll have it for you tomorrow." The next day Ted would request a different dish and Lina would always accommodate him. Lina's enthusiasm in preparing these dishes for Ted was quite helpful to him; otherwise, with his lack of interest in eating, Ted would not have had anything to eat. We did everything possible to ease the effect of his illness. He lived about five years with it, but it wasn't a pleasant period for him.

Lina and Ted had quite a rapport with each other. He had always told me how lucky I was to have married such an attractive girl that dressed so well, had so much class and made everybody feel so important. When she spoke, she had a slight accent that everybody thought was French, not Italian. Lina was always thankful for having married into such a loving family where she was so readily accepted with high esteem. She could never quite get over the fact that Ted, with his ability and fame, was so down to earth with her. She always gave thanks to God for having been so fortunate to have become a member of such a caring family. On holidays, Lina's main concern was to have the entire family at our home. We had some great meals that were always enjoyed by everyone. They always raved about her cooking.

We moved to Florence in July of 1950. It took Lina a couple of months to become adjusted to the small town of Florence. After she became adjusted to the town and felt that we were welcome, she fell in love with the town and the friendly people. She felt that we were part of a large family that respected one another. When you get close to people you automatically share their happiness, but also their sorrow in time of need. Lina was so glad to have met such warm and caring people in Florence. We decided to build a home in Florence in 1952 and were quite comfortable. She enjoyed her gardening and people always recognized that she had quite a knack for it.

In July of 1995, she was experiencing some back problems that developed into a very serious illness. With the aid of extensive X-rays and other sophisticated tests during the later part of July, doctors detected breast cancer that had developed to quite an advanced stage. She had not been aware of it physically because it did not have any visible signs. The suffering became quite intense as the cancer went into her spine. I did not want her to suffer and was thankful when she went so fast. She passed away at Northwest Hospital in Tucson on Monday, August 7, 1995 at 7:55 a.m. We had Rosary on Thursday evening, August 10, 1995 at The Assumption Church in Florence, Arizona and Mass on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m., August 11, 1995. She was buried at the De Grazia-Malloque lot at the Florence Cemetery. I am so thankful that the people of Florence have continued their steadfast love and support for me in this time of loss. I will forever remember my friends who supported me in my time of need. I am grateful.

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