During the early months of 1942, while men over the age 18 were either drafted or enlisting in the military, my grandfather Romeo had to stay at home as he was only 14 years old. While his siblings and cousins went overseas to fight he was upset that at his age he couldn’t fight. During this summer, my grandfather decided that it would be a productive idea to get a job. As a first generation immigrant it was difficult to find work due to discrimination or language barriers. He went to a local summer camp and asked if they were in need of workers. Upon hearing that the pay was only a couple cents for a few hours of work, he exclaimed, “That’s basically slave labor!!!” and immediately looked elsewhere for work. 

My grandfather is remarkably intelligent, and realized that because all resources, metals, and technology were in demand for the war, being a repair mechanic would be a very lucrative career. He studied up on how to fix up different radios and taught himself how to solder. After a couple weeks he began to market himself as a repair mechanic, with each fix only costing a few dollars. There was such a demand for radio repairs that he was making upwards of 15 dollars a week! While that may not seem like a lot of money nowadays, calculating inflation would be the equivalent of making around 300 dollars a week at 14 years old! His business was so successful that he decided to purchase high end tools to enhance his repairs. That is when he purchased these small green pliers.

Over the course of the next few years he would use these pliers for radio repairs or projects around the house. After marrying and starting a family, these pliers played a very important role in the family. Romeo would teach his sons how to solder and repair radios and other technology. This led to his sons gaining a fascination in science and engineering. With one son going into chemical engineering and the other son (who is also known as my dad) going into computer science, these pliers served as the catapult that launched his kids into STEM related education! After these kids moved out the pliers remained dormant in a tool shed. Never forgotten but laid to rest for a while as the pliers waited for the next opportunity to be used. Only after my dad brought up my passion for jewelry making to Romeo did the pliers find another use. Once my grandfather discovered that I was cutting wire for jewelry making, he rushed towards the garage to give me these pliers. 

These pliers now serve once again for a small business! I constantly find myself using these pliers for cutting wire for creating chainmail jewelry. Despite the age of the pliers and the wear on them, they cut beautifully and better then most modern pliers! As I type this assignment I even have a cut from where I accidentally clipped my skin while working with these pliers! These pliers really tell a beautiful story about my grandfather’s values in life. They were used to construct the best life for him and his family, and are still used to this day to support the family he created.