By Jay Mason After 36 years in Gallup and inspired by the tireless efforts of Nate and Chuck to have a positive effect on Gallup and the surrounding area, Jay Mason has written some vignettes about his life in Gallup and beyond.
. . . and sometimes entire families leaving this small village in the mountains of Italy and making their way to Gallup, New Mexico.
surname attached to it; it was an uncanny experience to imagine these fathers, grandfathers and sometimes entire families leaving this small village in the mountains of Italy and making their way to Gallup, New Mexico. When we came to the local church, we saw the pulpit donated by miners from Gallup who gave back to their hometown even though they now lived so very far away. Some would never return to Cansano and yet many still visit it even today. Many of the Cansanese who came to Gallup were miners, but not all. There was a 14-year-old boy who spoke no English who left Cansano and found his way to Gallup in the 1940s. He name was Modesto DeSantis. His cousin in Brooklyn gave him a $20 bill and put him on the train to Gallup. When he arrived in Chicago, he waited patiently in the huge Union Station. He was hungry, so he walked up to a newsstand, which rose high above him and held up a Hershey candy bar to woman clerk. It cost a nickel, and he handed her the only American money he had – the $20 bill. With a look of disdain, she disappeared, and he thought she was satisfied. He sat down to enjoy the chocolate, and twenty minutes later, she returned with nineteen one-dollar bills and 95 cents in change. He looked at the money in disbelief and thought to himself, “America, what a country.” He made it to Gallup, served his country in the armed services, got married and raised a family. He was a successful businessman and cooked delicious Italian food all his life.
Most people know the story of the DiGregorio brothers who came to Gallup in the 1920s and worked loading coal in Gamerco. In 1938 Basilio DiGregorio moved his bride Oliva to Gallup and began a family. He left the coalmines and started a small grocery story on West Coal, which he called California Market. He continued to expand and partnered with Dan DiPomazio. Later his business grew into a multi-million-dollar operation. Not bad for a migrant worker who used to win coal shoveling contests with his brother in Gamerco for the grand prize of ten dollars. Similar stories of hard work and sacrifice are cherished by the many Italian families of Gallup – Rollie, Zecca, Brentari, Cattaneo, Caretto, DePauli, Masci, Porcario, Vidal, Marra, Piano, Pintarelli, Rainaldi, Ferrari, Nechero, Bernabe, Balocca, Menini, Bonaguidi, Martinelli, Boggio, Bertinetti and many more. When I came to Gallup over 35 years ago, the Italian families that I met showed gracious hospitality to a stranger. As usual the best Italian food is Gallup is made at home, and I have done my best to sample the food in the kitchens of the many Italian cooks in our town. America offered these immigrants a new beginning and sometimes a great opportunity. Many left the coalmines of Gamerco and Gibson and started successful businesses of their own. With hard work they have contributed greatly to our community. Grazie mille per le famiglie Italiane di Gallup.
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