A Natural Storyteller
Remembering my father on the centenary of his birth
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of my father, Carl Antonelli, 1922–2005. One of the things I miss most about my father is what a gifted storyteller he was. Nearly all his stories were leavened with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, sure to make his listeners laugh along with him, rather than at him.
One of his best stories involved a comical romantic adventure with a young woman in Oklahoma when my dad, age 16, was there in the CCC camp. Many of you probably already know that the CCC was an excellent program during the years of the Roosevelt administration, meant to to get teenage city kids jobs in the rural parts of America. My father, being a city kid, was made wide-eyed by the vast open spaces, farms and ranches.
One day while eating lunch in the small town’s only diner, he met a girl who invited him to dinner with her family. The family were kind and friendly, although they frankly admitted they had never met an “Eye-talian ” before!
After dinner the girl asked my dad if he liked horses. Promptly, my father, wanting to fit in, said “Sure!” She then asked him to take a ride with her to see the rest of the family ranch.
