L'Italo-Americano

moreover, he will do the job well. This is what makes Frank so unique. It is what has turned the son of a hard working immi- grant into the man he is today, who by all standards, is at the top of his game. The second eldest of four children, Frank J. De Santis was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. In 1947, they would later uproot to California after his father decid- ed to head westward in search of better opportunities: "We came in 1947. There were plenty of Italians in downtown L.A. and surrounding areas as they had n o t y e t m i g r a t e d t o t h e n e w housing tracks after WW2. As a result, we located to the Silver Lake area and became part of the community." The son of immigrants, Frank is full blooded Italian. His father was born in Calabria while his m o t h e r h a i l s f r o m P u g l i a , Bari. Frank learned first hand about hard work from his father who worked as a master baker seven days a week. "My par- ents taught me to love my fami- ly, to share in the responsibili- t i e s o f f a m i l y l i f e i n c l u d i n g expenses and how to overcome obstacles," Frank told me during our interview. After helping his father open up an Italian deli, De Santis and Sons in the Silver Lake area, Frank was called to duty. He served in the Korean War for two years. Upon his return in 1954, Frank worked nights at Van De Kamps Bakery in Los Angeles while helping out his parents in the deli and attending college classes. While overseas, he corresponded with Eileen B u r g i o , a C a l i f o r n i a b o r n , Sicilian beauty he had met while stationed at Fort Ord. The two married in 1956 and started a family. Frank then graduated from California State University Los Angeles with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano Frank J. De Santis: Orange County's Italian Renaissance Man I knew two things when dri- ving up the 5 Freeway on my w a y t o m e e t M r . F r a n k D e Santis. La prima: I must be on time. ( P r o f es s io n als s u ch as Frank are always on time). La seconda: I must listen carefully as Mr. De Santis would surely h a v e m a n y l i f e l e s s o n s t o expound. Only such a man with both smarts and wisdom could h a v e c r e a t e d s u c h a l i f e o f excellence. When I entered his office-an i m p r e s s i v e c o m p l e x l o c a t e d near the heart of Santa Ana, I found Mr. De Santis waiting for me with a sturdy cane by his side. Wearing a pair of polished l e a t h e r s h o e s , a n d a w o o l sweater, he looked sharp and friendly, possessing an inner spark more vibrant than those half his age. After greeting me, he then did what most men of his statue rarely do-he asked if I wanted coffee while giving me something I had not tasted in years: Italian pizzelles. A triv- ial gesture to some, but in the world where hospitality is all too rare, it was a gesture that was deeply appreciated. But that is what Frank De Santis is a l l a b o u t . H e i s a m a n w h o thinks of others in both small and great detail, and who has worked diligently without pause for the past sixty some years. Most know Frank because of h i s m a n y a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s . From raising his five children with his wife, Eileen, to his c h a r i t a b l e o r g a n i z a t i o n s t o building his successful busi- nesses, Frank has accomplished m u c h . W h a t i s l e s s k n o w n , however, is the man behind the awards, the organizations, and his work—a man who comes f r o m m o d e s t m e a n s , w h o spends his free time with his family and in his garden grow- i n g p r i z e w i n n i n g f i g s a n d Cucuzza, an Italian squash, and w h o c o n t i n u o u s l y p r o m o t e s Italian culture even in his gar- den. This man of both heart and hard work is the man that I met on that Saturday morning. As I drank my warm coffee with my tongue now sweetened by the cookies, I have to admit at the beginning of our visit, I was searching, perhaps for my own life, for that one glorious tip as to what has made him so successful, that one "wax on, wax off" wisdom, that affirma- tion which would ignite an A- Ha moment. Right then, how- ever, I had come to realize that Frank is a person who cares; he cares deeply, whether it be his family or his heritage. And then there is his signature trademark- Frank always gets the job done. And in this world of flaky folks and big talkers, that means a heck of a lot. If Frank says he w i l l b e s o m e w h e r e a n d d o something, trust me, he will and GAYA LYNN Frank J. De Santis with his wife Eileen Burgio De Santis and years later, with a Master's in Business Administration. When Frank was just twenty- seven, his beloved father, Papa Joe, passed away unexpectedly, leaving Frank as the sole person in charge of taking care of his father's business, his three sib- l i n g s a n d h i s m o t h e r . W h i l e m o s t w o u l d h a v e c r u m b l e d u n d e r s u c h p r e s s u r e , F r a n k instead forged ahead and took over; soon, the business, Pizza Pete's in Glendale, flourished under his helm. "I did it for my family," Frank said. "I had just taken a position as Personnel D i r e c t o r a t U C L A ' s H a r b o r General hospital. Within several years, I expanded the family business to ten stores." M a k i n g t h i n g s h a p p e n despite difficult circumstances and odds is what Frank excels in. Not only did Frank expand his business during this time, but he also continued to ascend the corporate ladder with other ventures. In 1962, he became the first CEO of the Research a n d E d u c a t i o n I n s t i t u t e a t Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance. While at the med- ical research facilities, Frank also managed a non-profit orga- nization, the Western Section of t h e A m e r i c a n U r o l o g i c a l Association. "The organization needed management help. I had the know-how, structure, and w i l l i n g n e s s t o w o r k h a r d . " When Frank retired in 1997, the program at the REI institute had expanded to its greatest heights. Under Frank's direction, the R E I i n s t i t u t e w e n t f r o m s i x employees to over 1,000 while a n n u a l r e v e n u e s w e n t f r o m $55,000 to more than $50 mil- lion. No matter what the upturn or downturn of the economy, or whether he was tired or too busy to even blink, Frank always came to work and did whatever it took to ensure the job's suc- cess. "People are always look- i n g f o r p e o p l e w h o c a n d o t h i n g s . " W h e n a s k e d w h a t advice he would give, he said t h e f o l l o w i n g : " W o r k h a r d . There is no such thing as a free lunch. You can do more if you don't waste time. You must take chances in order to succeed." Today, now in his eighties, Frank is busier than ever. In 1965, he founded his own con- s u l t i n g f i r m , t h e M e d i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n M a n a g e m e n t Company which is now run by his three children, Christopher, Kathy and Jeannie. "We devel- oped a management capacity that can handle multiple func- tions and events for physicians, groups, and other associations." The family pizza business is flourishing by his second son, J o s e p h , w h o n o w m a n a g e s a chain of stores including a pre- miere spot at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas while his oldest s o n , F r a n k J r . h a s t a k e n t h e pizza business to major events such as the Rose Bowl and the LA Country fair. Along with his business ven- tures, Frank maintains leader- ship roles in many Italian orga- nizations. "My family roots are in Italy. My love for my family has caused me to become Italian in my life while at the same t i m e , k n o w i n g I a m a n American by birth. Being Italian has made me be a better person, father, worker and citizen," he explained. After traveling to Italy in 1969 with his family, Frank was inspired to take on a more active role in promoting his culture. He soon joined the local lodge of The Sons of Italy in Orange County and eventual- ly became State and National President. "I made many new friends of Italian ancestry which felt like family." He hopes that these organizations such as the O r a n g e C o u n t y A m e r i c a n Italian Renaissance Foundation i n w h i c h h e c o - f o u n d e d t o develop an Italian cultural cen- t e r w o u l d n o t o n l y p r o m o t e Italian culture but also attract a new, younger generation: "The younger generation needs expo- sure, be it in school, community or home to Italian traditions and life." Within the last thirty years, Frank has continued other phil- anthropic endeavors. He raised $250,000 for the new wing at the Bowers Museum of Cultural A r t i n S a n t a A n a a n d w a s instrumental in the development of California State universities Italian programs and Chapman U n i v e r s i t y ' s I t a l i a n S t u d i e s Center along with its Italian H e r i t a g e L e a t h e r b y L i b r a r y . Recently, President of Chapman University Jim Doti wrote. "I don't know where the Italian American outreach would be were it not for [his] visionary, tireless and inspired leadership. Sometimes, I feel like a free r i d e r o n t h e f a s t m o v i n g D e Santis bandwagon." Because of his many years of service, Frank was honored with the presti- gious Marconi Award in 2011, t h e N a t i o n a l S o n s o f I t a l y ' s highest honor while this past February, he received L'Italo- A m e r i c a n o ' s L i f e t i m e A c h i e v e m e n t A w a r d a t i t s A n n u a l F u n d r a i s i n g G a l a Dinner. B e f o r e l e a v i n g F r a n k ' s office, I looked around at his wall of awards and certificates and the many letters written in h i s h o n o r . O n h i s c a b i n e t , I noticed perhaps what was clos- est to his heart: several photos of his beautiful family. That d a y , h i s s o n h a d c a l l e d a n d Frank made a point to see him after our meeting. One thing I know for sure about Frank-he is never too busy for his family. Once outside in the bright sunshine, we walked towards his car. "Grazie," I said. "It was a pleasure. You have done a lot." He smiled a golden smile. "Gaya, you do what you have to do," he said. "Remember, things happen because you make them happen." My eyes lit up. 'That was it,' I thought to myself. My A-Ha moment. But then I real- i z e d s o m e t h i n g e l s e . I t w a s much more than these quotes, t h o u g h p r o f o u n d , w h i c h h a s taken Frank on such an incredi- ble journey. After trying to sum most of what this man has done, I realized that it was his actions- not just his words-which made all the difference. Indeed, in life, it is not just sitting around, pondering lofty someday-some- how goals, or churning out 140 w o r d t w e e t s , o r c o m p e l l i n g affirmations. Instead, the meat and the potatoes of life, one's true greatness is found in get- ting out there everyday, no mat- ter what, in order to take care of those who need you most, in doing a job well, and in making a hot cup of coffee for someone else on a cold winter's morn.

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