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Americo “Rick” Finizio, the eighth child of poor Italian immigrants, knew hardship only too well. He grew up in a rough area of South Philadelphia during the Great Depression. He was never able to finish his schooling after losing his mother in the 8th grade, and he went to work to help his family. At 17, he voluntarily joined the U.S. Navy and fought in World War II’s Pacific Theater, where he served on an ammunition ship. In his young life, Rick had seen much pain, suffering and difficulty, which would have crushed the hope out of most men, but Rick Finizio was not most men. He was a man of strong convictions with a positive attitude, a man of great internal strength who looked ahead to a promising future.
