Bonpensiero, Joseph

Joseph "Joe" Bonpensiero was born into a Sicilian family in the heart of San Diego's Little Italy. Working aboard the family fishing boat, he was a seasoned fisherman by his late teens. But with his father's encouragement, he chose to forgo the laborious and dangerous fishing life and instead pursued a USAF commission and a San Diego State College degree, later, earning a master's degree from Golden Gate University as well.

After his career in the air force, which included serving in Vietnam as well as nearly ten years of living and working abroad, Bonpensiero retired from the military and