CHAPTER ONE

Ellwood City

1933–1947

James Wendell Ottobre was born on March 8, 1933 in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, to an Italian immigrant father, Vincenzo Giacomo Ottobre, who worked as a manager at the local steel mill, and his mother, Mary Elizabeth (Busby) Ottobre, a homemaker who was born and raised in a small farming town in Ohio and had Scottish roots.

James was the youngest of five children. By the time he was born, his sisters were already married and had families of their own. He was nicknamed Jimmy by the family, although James and Jim were frequently used interchangeably.

Long before Jimmy was born, his father Vincenzo, seeking to sound less like an immigrant, adopted the name Jim Ottober by taking an American first name and altering the spelling of the family surname. This letter switch was informal and not legally changed in court. For his draft registration however, Vincenzo had to use the correct spelling. The family's religious affiliation was also changed to Methodist. With so much prejudice against Italians and Catholics at the time, this seemed the best way to assimilate.

Vincenzo arrived from Italy at the age of nineteen and worked as a shoemaker. After being hired at the steel mill, he kept his shoemaking tools in the basement, where he quietly crafted the shoes he wore for work.

Vincenzo (“Jim”) passed away from pneumonia in 1943 when James was just ten years old. The family home became a somber place, with only James and his mother remaining there. James's mother, a large and imposing woman, had always been very strict and now Jim was her only company. She gave him a daily list of chores to complete, including preparing dinner before she returned from the mid-week church socials, afternoon quilting bees, or her hair salon day. The only acceptable book in the house was the Bible, which was part of his daily reading. Fortunately, Vincenzo’s death benefits covered the simple household needs for both of them.

Jimmy became a master at completing his chore list quickly. He would often pinch change from his mother's drawer to buy comic books and candy, which he kept well hidden. On weekends, if time allowed, he went to the movies. Jim would make sure dinner was always ready on time, and homework was diligently completed before bedtime. Nothing less than an A+ report card was accepted. Any mistakes, no matter how small, were dealt with very harshly.

Sometimes mother and son would visit his aunts. One aunt, Kah, (pronounced Kay) was especially glamorous, with her deep red hair. She was always very kind to Jimmy and he looked forward to their visits. Kah owned a boutique in Philadelphia that carried designer dresses. Notably, American fashion designer Charles James was one of her favorites. Naturally, the designer's name resonated with Jimmy even at a young age. He continued to follow and admire Charles James gown and dress designs throughout his life.

Kah had a unique penchant for collecting husbands—six, to be exact, all died while married to her, five of whom she received military pensions. The military reportedly found this continual succession of losses suspicious. Kah, in turn, decided it was best to close her shop and move to Europe, distancing herself from any further investigation. Unfortunately, the mother and son visits to Kah ended with her move abroad.