example in the family to suggest where this behavior originated. Jarrod was clearly in a class by himself, both intellectually and psychologically.
Ryan Marshall and Jarrod Conrad were the offspring of the Metatucci family, a highly respected Italian family that immigrated to the United States to pursue the American dream. They were similar to countless European families that passed through Ellis Island in New York City near the turn of the twentieth century. The cousins’ grandfather, Amerigo, first arrived in America at the age of eleven, accompanied by his older brother, Tulio, age thirteen. Their parents sent them abroad in search of a prosperous life. Before boarding the ship, their mother, Louisa, cautioned the boys: “ Voi siete bravi ragazzi, forte ragazzi. Consultare dopo uno un altro. Stick inseime…e Tulio vegliare sul tuo fratello” (“You are good boys, strong boys. Look after one another. Stick together…and, Tulio, watch over your brother”).
With that simple instruction, the youngsters boarded the ocean liner with nothing more than a satchel containing a few handmade clothes and enough bread and cheese to make the two-week-long journey to America. Tulio wore a sign from his neck proclaiming that they were Italians. This was the family’s simple attempt to keep the boys from straying too far from their own kind once they reached the clearing area at Ellis Island. Unfortunately, the sign didn’t last even halfway to their destination. Upon entering the customs area, the boys were hopelessly adrift in a mass of humanity without knowing any English beyond: “Going to America.”
When the emigration officer recognized the size of the boys’ hands and feet, he figured the youngsters would grow to be large-sized men. But unable to discern their intended destination, he sent them to the coal mines in upper New York with the emigrants from Finland. It was only by this happenstance that the boys spent their first five years in America with the Finns. Both brothers became fluent in Finnish while working with these kindhearted people, all the while believing they were learning English.
It was also during this time in the coal mines that each brother grew uncommonly strong. Tulio, especially, was of exceptional strength and took to earning money by wrestling other miners and enlisted men that learned of his unbeatable reputation. No one ever bested the handsome young Italian.
But through it all, the teenagers worked hard and dutifully sent their paltry earnings back to the family, building a stake for the return trip to claim their wives. Both succeeded in the year 1919. The young brothers, who six years earlier had boarded a ship to follow the American dream, now returned to their hometown of Lucca as fully grown men. Their return fulfilled an obligation to collect their wives for marriages previously arranged by the family patriarchs-a custom still prevalent in the Italian culture at that time. Even though neither of the young men had met their future spouses, the family’s honor was at stake. After a brief chaperoned courtship, the brothers were married in grand style and given dowries to start a family. It was only months later that the four newlyweds returned to America to follow their dreams.
Upon their second landing in America, the two couples were, this time, sent by emigration authorities to Michigan. Many Italians were conscripted to work in the burgeoning automobile industry at the height of the Industrial Revolution. The brothers found work with the Ford Motor Company, and because of their extraordinary size, were ordered to work in the foundry. Work in the smelter was terribly hot and dirty, but the brothers thrived and were recognized as men capable of astonishing strength and endurance. They handled huge ingots of molten iron used to forge the steel frames and other miscellaneous components of an automobile. It was in these environs that the young Metatucci brothers excelled.
During this era of the Industrial Revolution, a systemic manufacturing problem developed around casting certain durable parts of the vehicle. The first pressure clutch was an especially thorny problem because the one- piece clutch would crack during manufacture. The prevailing method was to cast the clutch in two pieces and bolt them securely together, but even the two-piece clutch rarely lasted beyond the expiration of the limited warranty offered by Ford. It was costing the company thousands of dollars exchanging deficient clutches throughout its many nationwide dealerships.
It was Amerigo who unlocked the mystery of fabricating a mold to cast the clutch in one piece. Because the men worked close to the molten iron poured into the molds, they learned that the iron could be made into stronger alloys by adding select ingredients at specific temperatures. In this way, Amerigo designed a one-piece mold that resisted cracking as it cooled-the common problem in trying to fabricate a one-piece clutch. He discovered the perfect alloy: a combination of iron with a mixture of molybdenum and tungsten to keep the clutch intact as it cooled. This was a valuable discovery for Ford, which patented the process and claimed it as a proprietary invention.
Throughout this period of history, any new invention developed on the job was automatically the property of the employer. Without unions to protect workers’ rights, a laborer’s discovery might be recognized in the form of a bonus or a promotion, but the patent rights and royalties would remain the domain of the company. Nonetheless, Ford Motor Company did recognize the huge savings Amerigo’s discovery would confer, and offered him a bonus of $3,000-an unimaginable sum in the mind of the young immigrant. The only stipulation for paying the bonus was his signature on a multi-page document granting exclusive rights of his discovery to Ford, something he naively but eagerly signed. Never did he suspect any entitlement from his discovery, completely enamored by the princely sum of money he was offered.
It was near the time of Amerigo’s windfall that his wife, Davina, contracted tuberculosis, a virulent disease prevalent during the Industrial Revolution. TB flourished during this era mostly from the bilge of heavy coal smoke that spewed from factories in the Northeast. Davina’s persistent cough grew worse during the winter of 1921, and despite her reticence to draw from the couples’ limited budget, she was finally convinced to seek medical advice for her cough. Ultimately the doctor made his diagnosis and recommended that Davina be sent to a sanitarium in New Mexico, relocation to a warm, dry climate being the most effective treatment to cure the disease. With this unwelcome news, the brothers pulled up stakes and used Amerigo’s bonus and their scant savings to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Davina’s sickness and the families’ compulsory relocation to New Mexico were later hailed as the best thing that ever happened to the immigrants from Lucca. Within months, Davina showed remarkable improvement and her debilitating cough finally subsided. While she convalesced with the help of her sister-in-law, Theresa, the brothers made a down payment on an oil distribution business and began construction of the first of two houses they would build on property adjacent to the new business.
Davina regained her health after a six-month stay in the sanitarium, but almost relapsed upon discovering she was moving into a brand-new home, freshly furnished and ready for her arrival. How the family managed to keep this a secret from her was a miracle in itself. She finally recovered from her shock and they spent the first of many blissful nights in this little house on the outskirts of the developing town of Albuquerque.
Over the years that followed, the resourceful Metatuccis built their oil distribution business into one of the most successful companies in New Mexico. They entered a contract with Standard Oil (precursor to Chevron Oil) for exclusive distribution rights and developed dozens of service stations throughout the state. Tulio ran the distribution arm of Standard Oil and Amerigo developed the service stations. When the brothers finally retired and transferred their respective interests to their offspring, the value of their oil empire had grown to well over $13 million. The American dream had become fully manifest in this hard-working and determined immigrant family.
Throughout the remainder of his life, when anyone was facing adversity, Amerigo would often advise: “ The hardest steel passes through the hottest fire,” a favorite saying born from his days in the foundry. This metaphor was a poignant reminder of the incredible hardships and wonderful achievements of the brothers from Lucca. They had succeeded against incredible odds on their way to prosperity, and their shared qualities of honor, determination, and persistence were instilled in their offspring.
Amerigo and Davina had three children in the course of their lives together. Their oldest son, Diego, ultimately took over the service station business and continued to build the empire he inherited. Twin daughters, Regina and Gemma, were born into the family next. The twins were two of the most competitive sisters imaginable. Regina’s son was Ryan Marshall; Gemma’s oldest was Jarrod Conrad. It is from these humble beginnings that the intense rivalry between Ryan and Jarrod was born.
TEN
