Severino D’Angelo is a name you might not recognize. But, if you’ve stepped into a car in the United States at any point since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, you’ve encountered a technology patented by this unassuming “Paesan of Interest”.

Leaving what he describes as a “Medieval Italy” Severino D’Angelo went on to discover his natural gifts in the American education system, have his life saved when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and build a career as an engineer that led to dozens of patents and an incredible impact on the U.S. auto industry… all of which, he believes he owes to the American Dream.

In this first half of a two-part episode, you will meet Severino, a humble and humorous Italian American who immigrated from rural Campania to Downton Jersey City, NJ in 1963.  He will describe the Italy of his youth in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, and share the amazing story of how fortuitous timing and a bit of good old-fashioned “Furbizia” helped his father to escape that global conflagration with his life. 

We’ll discuss the world he found in mid-1960s Italian America, a snapshot of the unique point in our American story, and how the differences in the American education system gave him a life he could never have dreamed of in the Italy of his youth.

It’s the beginning of a beautiful tale of hope, hard work, and the best of the Italian American Dream, and a story you won’t want to miss!