By: A.J. ZakoI have a very unique Zako family background as our ancestors were from Canada and Syria. There are 4 people in family. My

mom, named Rhea, Dad, Dan and my younger brother Jackson. We are Caucasian. My mother is mostly French

Canadian, while my father is mostly Syrian.

My father was born in 1961 and raised in Livonia Michigan until be was about 8 years old. At that time, his family

moved to Valhalla, New York in search of a better living. His father was a creative person within an advertising

agency downtown Detroit. They moved to New York just before all the Detroit race riots in 1968.

Historian My mom grew up in a

farm town called Southbury Connecticut and lived in NYC for work.

But how did we all seem to come together in the United States? It all

started back with my great-grandparents coming from Syria, and my grandfather

coming from Canada.

My great-grandparents (on my dad’s side), came over from Syria in the 1930’s. They spoke Syrian and learned English when they came to the

States. I never had a chance to meet them as they had died prior to my birth. I really wished I had met them. They came to the United States in the 1930’s by boat in search of a better life. In Syria, they

owned and operated a small convenience store. When they arrived to the States, they opened up another one in Downtown Michigan close

to the manufacturing plants. They sold many items such as food, cigarettes, and household items. My great-grandmother was quite a

lady. She was one of the first women to sit on the Detroit Liquor Board. When the store started to do really well, they moved from the back of

store to a beautiful home in Roseville, Michigan. Their neighbor was Diana Ross. Today, boxing coach legend, Emanuel Stewart lives in my great-grandmothers home. My grandfather Jido (my dad’s Father) was

the youngest boy. My Uncle Louis is a Doctor and both boys went to Michigan University. My Grandfather is since retired from the

advertising business and lives in Florida.

My grandfather (my mother’s father) was born and raised in Baker Lake, New Brunswick Canada. His first language is French, but he also learned English in school. He came over to the United States in 1947 to join many of his family members who had moved here for a better life. As a boy, he lived and worked on their large farm. My grandfather, Pepe was one of 18 children. Four of his siblings died very young, but 14 of them grew up to be adults. There were 7 boys and 7 girls. Among the girls, there was one set of identical twins. Some still live in Canada, but most of them live in New

England.

Pepe moved to Connecticut to be closer to his siblings. He joined the Army and served in Korea during peace time. After

the service, he joined his 3 other brothers in a dry wall construction business. He did that his whole life until he retired

about 15 years ago. He currently lives in Vermont. He has a beautiful home overlooking the Ski Resort Mount Pico.

Both my great-grandparents and grandfather from two different countries worked very hard when they came to the United States. They both had to learn

English to succeed. I am thankful to know and spend time with Pepe.

Hope you liked my slide