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Anthony DeSantis—known as Tony to his family and friends—grew up in the Italian section of a very ethnic town outside of Boston. Most of his neighbors were immigrant families and many of his friends in school were first- or second-generation Italian Americans just like him. He grew up surrounded by the food, culture, and values of his parents and grandparents. Although they struggled financially, his was a wonderful childhood. His family instilled in him a strong work ethic and great pride that he was an American. However, his Italian roots were strengthened by his father’s stories of life in Italy before he became an American and were cemented into reality when he visited Italy and lived with his father’s family for two months when he was only 12 years old.
His love of country and the dream of becoming a pilot—a dream that was influenced by his father—led him to apply for an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated with honors and went on to serve his country as a military pilot for eight years. Upon leaving active duty with the Air Force, Tony received a fellowship to attend Columbia Graduate School of Business and received an MBA. He then flew for American Airlines for the next 29 years, serving as a Captain for 18 of those years, and retired as an International Captain flying the Boeing 767. He continued to fly as a General Aviation pilot for 17 more years flying his Cirrus SR-22 on Angel Flights to provide free transportation for cancer patients and Young Eagle flights to introduce young people to the joy of flying.
While still flying for the airline, he and his partners developed a financial advisory company to assist other pilots with the financial aspects of planning and investing for retirement. Spending time in the investment business, his commercial flying, and helping to raise two children with his wife Judy, Tony’s limited free time included volunteering for the Civil Air Patrol, training young cadets in aviation disciplines, and helping to coach in the Buddy Werner Youth Ski Racing program in the mountains of Lake Tahoe where they raised their family.
In 2021, Tony was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the FAA for having achieved 50 years of aviation safety. It was not until he suffered a stroke in 2022 that he gave any serious thought—or had the time—to write the story of his father’s fascinating journey to America he had heard so many times as a child. With God’s grace and the help of his family, friends, and health professionals, Tony recovered from that setback and spent two years writing his dad’s story while he went through rehabilitation to get his life back. He and Judy live in Palm City, Florida with their dog Rusty.
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