Today is my grandfathers birthday. Here is a little story I wrote about Papa awhile back. Papa Ravettino (Antonio Alfredo Ravettino) Our family called my mother’s father, “Papa,” Papa Ravettino. He was born on the 2nd of August, 1898 in Moneglia, Genoa, Italy. Their home was in the hills above Moneglia in an area called Villa Crova. I was fortunate to visit the house where he was born. The house is still standing, dark pink or rose colored with lovely pink hydrangeas around the front of the house. This man was incredible and had a heart of gold. The only thing I remember him ever being mad at me was me running around barefoot. At 7 or 8 in the morning if I walked into the kitchen he would say, “Where are your shoes?” Other than that I don’t ever remember him being upset with me. He was a very sensitive man and I remember on Sunday evenings when he watched the TV show, “Lassie”, you could see a little tear roll down his cheek during the sad parts. Alfredo came to the United States in 1923 and first lived in Boston. There he met Armida Grace Ravera, my grandmother, married her and came to San Diego. He was working in a boat yard for the City of San Diego. One day while working, a large engine was being pulled out from a boat by a crane. The crane malfunctioned and it fell on top of Alfredo. He was severely injured. The engine crushed numerous bones and tore through many internal organs. At the hospital the doctor said to my grandmother, “Lady, we can’t touch him. If we do we could kill him immediately. If he lives through the night, we will start to work on him in the morning.” My grandmother prayed nonstop for Papa and he did live through the night. He was hospitalized for nine months. During his stay at the hospital he had a spiritual vision. He saw Jesus working on him like a doctor healing him and putting his body back together. The next day he told my grandmother, “Everything is going to be all right.” He was sure that he would make a full recovery. The doctors wanted to cut off both of his legs. They were sure that he was going to have gangrene and die. Alfredo was so confident that he was going to recover fully that he refused to allow the amputation. The doctors sent in the Bishop and anyone they could change his mind. The doctors did not prevail. Papa kept his legs and recovered pretty well. He lived his life with pain in his knees and walked with a cane but I don’t think he ever regretted keeping his legs. He lived an extremely productive life well to 89 before he died. I know he is in heaven with Mamida (that is our grandmother’s nickname) dancing and having a wonderful time. The story of his accident and recovery didn’t end with his discharge from the hospital. He had to sue to get his medical bill paid. The City of San Diego tried to claim that he was negligent for standing under the boat engine. During the trial, it appeared that Papa was losing the case and his attorney was not making any in roads. Finally Papa spoke up and said, “Looky here you! You’re standing under that light fixture. If it falls down are you to blame!” With that simple logic, Papa won the case. In those days (1940’s) that meant he had enough money to pay for medical bills and attorney fees. He won $45,000. The case is actually documented in legal books and I found a copy at a law library. It apparently set a precedent in proving negligence and has been referred to in numerous other court cases. The case is called Ravettino v. City of San Diego, June 29, 1945. My mother remembers that in the newspapers they called it the “gem of logic” that won the case. Papa died on September 24, 1987. He was 89 years old. God Bless you Papa and Happy Birthday!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 18:13:14 +0000
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