American Destiny — A story 75+ years in the making

 American Destiny — A story 75+ years in the making

This project started as a dream my 91-year-old Aunt Marcie held for decades — a screenplay she wrote in NYU night school in 2003 about our family’s journey between two worlds. From boarding a ship on July 3, 1948 to the hundreds of photos in her NYC apartment overlooking the East River — her past lives beautifully in the present.

I always wanted to help Aunt Marcie to make her dream a reality. In 2012, Aunt Marcie commissioned me to paint her a movie poster for American Destiny. She directed me to have a fashionable young lady, representing her, with the Empire State Building, and many American Flags. We now used that painting on the cover of the book, American Destiny. But life pulled me in different directions — raising three sons, teaching Spanish, coaching tennis, taking students to Costa Rica — but American Destiny stayed in my heart. Finally in 2023, when I retired, I had time, we copyrighted the screenplay and now in 2026 wrote the book to go with it. And now… it’s all moving forward! One day we hope to see this on the screen, worldwide!

Aunt Marcie’s mom, Angela, (my grandmother) would take photos of Marcie and Lilly, (my mom) about four times a year to send back to Italy. Each image was precious — like this one from 1937, with the girls in their rabbit-fur coats and tiny purses.

Today photos are instant. Back then they were treasures.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl song Debí Tirar Más Fotos (“I should’ve taken more photos”) hit me deeply — a reminder to cherish every moment.  That’s Aunt Marcie every day — surrounded by the faces that made her life rich and full.

This project has been the most meaningful way to honor her, our family history, and a story that belongs to all of us.

#AmericanDestiny #DebiTirarMasFotos #BadBunny #FamilyHistory #Legacy #ImmigrantStory #CherishTheMoments #ItalianHistory #Apulia