Family from NYC

Bill Adorno (center) with brother Bernard and mother Gorgina c1950-1955

Bill was born in NYC -- the wee baby of three siblings -- to a German father and Canadian mother. Bill's dad was an engineer that had emigrated first to Canada and then to the US.   Bill's two older siblings were born in Canada.   

Bill and his father Gebhard

   

Bill showed up 12 years after his brother.  Bill was always editorializing...so one never knew the exact truth.  However, Bill often claimed his mother was one who decided he should attend Catholic school.   When Bill was in his 80's with dementia -- he couldn't remember most of the countries he lived in, but could still recall the names of his Catholic nun teachers and being an alter boy.

Bill did not graduate from high school...but after serving in the Army he managed to get an high school equivalency diploma.  Bill was extremely disciplined with self-study.  Long after his university studies, Bill was teaching himself everything from Arabic and Spanish to English grammar and ceramics.  

Bill's HS diploma -- received at age 22

Bill listed self-employed "cement mason" as his main civilian occupation prior to joining the army. This was probably just one of several temporary jobs -- others included working in a piano factory. His first entrepreneurial endeavor was carving sling shots for other neighborhood kids.