Mariano, or "Yano," Rubino might have counted himself lucky to survive, let alone achieve. Born on a Central California prune ranch in the midst of the Great Depression, Yano was the child of Sicilian immigrants who spoke no English-and who thus could teach him none. But his parents could instill in him a faith in God and in his own abilities, and an appreciation for family, community, the rewards of hard work, and the good that life has to offer. Armed with these tools, Yano knew that only the sky was the limit

Beginning in the 1930s and culminating in the present, this motivational...