DEAR EDITOR:
On Tuesday, I felt privileged to see and hear another one of our valley's success stories. It was from the Tribune's "It all started here." The successful man is Michael Capellas.
What I find so wonderful about this man was where he came from and who his parents were. I knew them personally - from the standpoint of Republic Steel. Michael's mother was a teacher and George, his father, came to Republic Steel and entered the TOT (Technical Operators Training) program. The entrance qualifications were difficult and consisted of hours of batteries of testing. No one could enter due to nepotism because the testing was not a given.
Background was perused so that just not anyone could enter without being cleared in this complex and multifaceted conditional checkup. Michael's father was of Greek descent and migrated with his wife from the "Old Country." The mother was from Italy, and that's where they met. George Capellas spoke broken English, but with his ability to communicate otherwise, he became a student of management for the steel mill. To know the family was through my father, Joseph Liste, who was a foreman at the Galvanize lines in the finishing end of the plant. My father helped train George Capellas and then, due to his intelligence and great ability, he became the superintendent. Therefore the student became the leader and my father proudly worked for George.
With this background I want to point out that the fellow, Michael, did not come from the so-called elite in our area. He did not act like he took without giving. His lifestyle was not forged by illegal immigrants who did not want to become naturalized Americans.
The story is with grand merit and I am proud that Michael Capellas came back to his roots and he is an all-star within Warren, Ohio and also in the world.
What more proof can we ask for than a hard-working individual can achieve success? And success is as what we make it to be. Not all flourishing persons need to be college graduates as Michael was. Put yourself out in the workplace with the intention of wanting to do the best in what you do. Prove first to yourself that you are the best, then even better than that. Work to your top level of competence in whatever you do. Earn what you are worth and then try even harder. No leader in any field lives off of the handouts which now are called entitlements. Entitlements are worked for, earned and paid for by inspiration and a lot of perspiration.
Patrick M. Liste
Girard