Dr. Gerald M. Santoro

My great grandfather Gerardo Santoro and my Great Grandmother Pasquilina Santoro.

Grandmother Sylvia Santoro in her kitchen.

My Grandparents house in Fox Chapel, it was close to the high school so sometimes I would go there for dinner or after school to help with chores.

This is me and my Grandmom Hattie Neuman Morse. She was the kindest person and would live with us 2 weeks out of the year. When my folks would travel she would stay with me.

I am not sure but i think this was my great, great Grandfather back in Italy. He does have the classic Santoro eyebrows. :-)

This is Grandma Sylvia with her Mom and Pop. Their names were Cicco. I never met them.

This is my Grandfather, Howard Odelle Morse. He died when I was 2 so I never got to meet him. But he was an interesting character (I am told). He played clairanet in JPSousa's band when he was younger. When he got older he became a Private Investigator in Pittsburgh, mainly locating missing persons. Dad said they got along although Grandpap was a bit of a tough guy. LOL

Grandma and Grandpap Santoro in their home

I believe this is Grandma and Grandpap Morse with baby Billy. Not sure who the other person is, does not look like Mom.

Me and our German Shepard Satan. He was really Billy's dog but i grew into boyhood with him. I was SOOO angry when my Dad rehomed him and bought Mom a poodle! I have had German Shepards ever since.

Grandma and Grandpap Morse with Billy

Grandma Morse and me. I was probably in 11th grade

Mom and Dad.Best I could have ever hoped for. Mom was a beauty queen and Dad was the all-American boy. They both worked hard and achieved the American dream - which they passed onto me and Billy.

My grandfather with 2 of his siblings.

Mom was a model, singer and actress

Mom

Dad

Grandpap Felice (Felix) Santoro

Grandmother Sylvia Cicco Santoro

Grandma Santoro with baby Chi

Mom was a waitress at Dinty Moore's when she met Dad. Neither one of them drank at all. Maybe one drink at New Years and that was it.

Dad with Satan

Uncle Frank. He was 2 years younger than Dad and was like a second father to me. He was a world class skeet/trap shooter and would take me to Rosedale Gun Club every Thursday and Sunday, where I learned to shoot pistol and rifle. I have a geat collection which I am hoping to give to my kids.

Gramma Santoro in her kitchen. On Sunday mornings She would make Italian meatballs with 3 different kinds of meat. I still remember the smell.

Dad in WW2

This is Grandpap Santoro's house in Fox Chapel. It was one block from my High Shool, so I would often either go there before school or after school. I had my own key and once Dad dropped me off before going to his work and everyone was still asleep and I almost gave Uncle Frank a heart attack. :-) They had a boxer, sammy, but he would never bark when I came. I dream about this house all the time.

Grandma Morse was the sweetest lady. I understand My grandfather did not treat her well, and left her penniless. So Dad and Uncle Howard would take her in each half of the month. She would take a bus from Blawnox to Brentwood or back. So for many years as a kid and a teen i had her living with us much of the time and she was my main babysitter. although when I was in HS I would kind of babysit her! I love her and miss her. When i went to college she told be to be good but if not be careful.

Grandma and Grandpap Santoro. They were very much blue collar people. Grandma was born in the US but Grandpap came here at 6. They were one of the first Italian families to move into their neighborhood. Grandpap did not care but Grandma was a social climber (or tried to be).

Mom and aunt Ruthie. Two beautiful women who could not have been more unlike each other personality-wise. Ruthie was a social climber who married a TWA captain (then a big deal). He was Harry Gaines, nice guy when i met him. They had a daughter Dana, who I remember as being very kind (i was a kid) but I kinda lost track of her and she passed away from cancer. Mom was dedicated to her family and pets. She was a strong, smart, beautiful, little German girl. She was the BEST Mom ever, and was my goto when Dad got on my back for my hair.

Mom and Billy.

Grandma and Grandpap Morse with little Billy. I never knew Grandpap Morse, he died when I was a baby. He was a smart man, having been a musician and later a detective. Dad liked him, and said he was a 'tough guy,' which iguess you have to be to be a detective. I suspect we would have our disagreements if we were to meet today, but i like to think he would still be proud of me.

I believe this is Dana, Harry and Ruthie. Since Harry was a TWA captain hey had free flights to everywhere, back when the times were good to go there. (for an American at least)

Dad and me at one of our fishing trips to Canada

Uncle Frank and me. Like I say, he was like my second Dad. He would often watch me, he lived at Grandpaps house. Never married. World class skeet and trap yet never hunted! (That influenced me a lot.) But when I went to College sadness came. He did a massive weight loss under hypnotism and started blaming Grandma for all his problems. That may have been true, but Grandpap had passed away and was not there to referree things, so he moved out and Grandma moved to Blawnox, a few doors from Mom and Dad. Unfortunately Franks new found weight loss and new confidence resulted in him dying of a heart attack at age 50. I blame the asshole he married for leading him to death, and a nurse no less.

Not sure of this. I believe it is Gramma and Grandpap morse (holding baby billy). Not sure if that is Mom in the middle. I know they lived in Ft Myers Beach (near us) for a couple of years. That looks like a Banyan tree behind them.

Grandma Santoro and baby Chi

Dad and Grandma Santoro at her apartment.

Aunt Aggie, Mom's sister in law. I think that may be her daughter GiGi on the right.

Aunt Ruthie and me. Alas, as I became 'woke' she and I would argue about civil rights and such. What really put the nail in the coffin was When her daughter Dana got married. Mom and Dad went. Billy (now a successful businessman) went. I was not invited. (who cares) But Grandma was not invited!!! WHAT!!! She would not invite her own mother because she felt her mother was too much lower class and would embarass her. I never talked with her after and she died many Years ago.

We would always spend Christmas Eve and Chrismas day at Grandpap Santoro's house. They always had a BIG Christmas tree! No, the presents are not all for me.

Grandpap Santoro sitting in living room. He and I were really close, esp as I became a teenager. He knew I smoked pot and didn't care as long as I syated out of trouble. He would let me drive his car before I had a license. He, my Dad, and I all had that rebel streak.

Mom and Dad in Florida

Mom and dad sometime in the 80s

Cousin Butch. Uncle Howards son. He had 2 siblings, Aggie (jr) and Gigi.

Dad and the Pontiac Convertible he had for a short whlie when I was a kid. Mom had a beauty salon in the garage. That is the front porch of our Blawnox duplex.

Dad in the Navy!

Mom and Dad ae interred here. Mom wanted to be cremated and was OK with her ashes being in the coffin with Dad, who did not want to be cremated. Mom and I would talk about this when she was younger and her attitude was 'who cares.' Then she would get this wry smile she always used on me when she said something important.

This is Billy standing at the Outlook over Coburn, PA.

Cassandra and me at the Outlook above Pine Grove Mills.

Dad at my house in PA

Dad watching 2001 at my house

Amber sitting in the back yard. Amber is Cassandra's daughter which makes her Billy's granddaughter. She has a baby now (Skylar) and one on the way, I will try to get pix.

Cassandra and the other kids picking berries from My blueberry, raspberry and blackberry groves. I would get 4-5 gal of blueberries to freeze and would leave the rest for the birds.

Dad, Cassandra, Travis, me, Amber, Chi and Max

Billy with JoePa. Billy graduated PSU, i think 62 or 63, with a BS in EE. Good choice.

When Dad was in Elmcroft, I occasionally took a laptop to him, and a cell-phone based modem, to let him SKYPE with his grandkids and great grandkids in Texas and Denver. He is talking with Melissa in texas.

Dad cried, he said he did not think he would live to see this.

Dads shop on Harts Run Road

Dads shop.

Inside Dad's shop.

Inside Dad's shop. Machinery for cutting mirrors and aluminum frames for sliding doors or batroom tub/shower doors. They worked closely with the North Suburban Homebuilders Association, which Frank was President of for many years. They tried their hand at homebuilding, made a bunch of money, then got out of the game before the housing crunch of the 80s.