Tuesday, November 12, 2019
During My freshmen yr of college,in Philosophy class- we were told to write an essay on the topic “honor”, so I filled my blue booklet with stories about my dad. When my work was returned My professor had penned a note next to my grade that said “I would love to meet your father”
The details of my essay spanned my father, Vincent DeLuca’s honored life.
Raised as one of 4 children in the Bronx from parents who came from Italy in their youth. When dad wasn’t in school he was working at his Father’s fruit stand in Harlem from a young age through high school years.
Drafted from HS to WW2 he earned radio skills and the chance to attend college pursuing this new radio interest graduating with a business degree. In his later years he loved to talk in morse code.
He entered into the field of advertising through the mailroom. Fell deeply in love my mother Ann Harnaga and married within a year.
The Ad business tested my parents young marriage as my dad seemed to get fired at each new milestone in their life- wedding, pregnancy- births...all led to announcements of job loss.
But eventually they got their bearings & life in Yonkers, NY in a new neighborhood with 4 small children & connected community, they settled, but life was never routine.
I learned at a very young age that dad was a m
an of faith, principals & unconditional love. He worshiped our mother & if she was upset with any of her children his disappointment was in the fact that his beloved wife was distraught more than any naughty actions of his children. I have to say I marveled at that level of devotion. Rarely did he say “you did such & such wrong”, rather it was “you upset your mother”. This was an integral part of the way we were raised.
Dad’s moral character took form in his actions more than his words. He became devoted to the mission of peace as shared by our Lady in Medjugori, Yugoslavia and shouted that devotion out to all that would listen, he even did a feature story on his TV station in Rochester.
I was so inspired as a teen by his actions In our community to choose not to join a local club in Albany due to their biased restrictions. However as soon as those rules were abolished- he joined the club & sponsored a whole new group of members. He did this quietly following his own moral convictions.
As the head of the NY Broadcasters association he led the charge in keeping tobacco ads off the air & limiting alcohol ads to late evening. When hearing impaired students from RIT came to see him in Rochester to share a new tech called “closed caption “ that would enable them to understand the news & weather forecasts- he immediately contacted his 2 largest advertisers to help sponsor this new tech at his tv station WOKR. Dad was honored on Capitol hill & at Galluduet Univ for being one of the first TV stations in the U.S. to offer Closed Captioning. Whenever he later told that story he would choke up at the thought that these young people were not able to comprehend the news ...and weather (in blizzard prone Rochester)
There are so many stories I could share, so many memories of the way that dad lived his beautiful life with gratitude...but all of you here are all part of those stories as you all made his life happier & therefore made him more grateful.
But the greatest joy for our dad right now is that he is once again with his beloved Ann holding hands & certainly dancing with her in heaven.
I earned an easy A on that essay in college...sharing the noble, kind & inspiring life of Vincent DeLuca...truly a man of great honor.
