Title: The Family Bank — Life and Times of Americco L Lagomarsino
Author: JL Foster
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 978-1-9822-1269-8
Pages: 112
Genre: Biography
Reviewed by: Susan Brown

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The wonderful gift of a biography, particularly one written by a loving family member, is that it opens a door to a life; in this case, the life of a beloved grandfather, Americco Lagomarsino. The measure of this man is beautifully detailed through a recounting by the author of the lives he affected in his community and family throughout his 69 years.

His granddaughter writes, “Americco treated everyone the way he would want other people to handle himself” and “I felt nothing but love from my grandfather, and that is why he is my HERO!”

What a life he lived. A descendent of immigrants, his parents left Italy for California in the late 1800s and settled in Colma, near San Francisco. Early in life, he and his three brothers learned the value of hard work. None of them had more than an 8th grade education, but all of them grew into responsible and community-minded business men. But Americco was the visionary. His accomplishments included a successful insurance company, “a one-stop shop that would meet all their customers’ business needs in real estate, property management, tax return, and accounting services, life, auto, and home insurance and an on-site attorney.” As a developer, contractor and real estate salesman, he was “known as the man to do business with in Daly City.”

Perhaps his most long-lasting professional achievement, however, was founding the First National Bank of Daly City which became the First National Bank of Northern California. It has the distinction of being the only bank to survive out of 60 others that were launched in the Bay Area in the 1960s. The bank’s success is a tribute to Americco’s insistence on treating all in his professional world like family. Thus, the bank became known as “The Family Bank.”

This is a delightful narrative about both a larger-than-life businessman and a kind, gentle and loving grandfather. The author’s account of her family history clearly comes from a place of deep affection for her ancestors. The details of their emigration from their homeland paint a picture of the enormous undertaking it was at the turn of the 20th century to get to America. And though life was not easy, Ms. Foster showcases the power and support that comes from family. She has included family photographs, a charming way for the reader to put names with faces. There is also a selection of her grandmother Noni Marie’s Italian recipes. And finally, there is a list of reference links for those who want to know more about this very accomplished and well-respected family.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this loving tribute written in admiration for a man the author held in high esteem. It will touch your heart.