Priscilla Richardson

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"Education saved me from a life of crime, absolutely," Buchanan's Louis "Lou" Defendini, 50, said.

First-generation American born of an Italian father and Spanish mother, Defendini was taken to Italy as an infant until school age.

"My first two languages were Spanish and Italian," he said. Back in this country, he said, "I still remember the fear I had when I went to school and didn't understand my classmates. Born in America but could not speak the language." As "third from the bottom" of 11 siblings, he eventually learned English from his older brothers and sisters.

After the death of his father, Defendini's mother moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan for a new job. But the move didn't put the Defendini family far enough away from the crime his older siblings engaged in.

"The numbers racket, illegal lotteries and betting, money laundering: You name it, they did it. My older brother was a soldier in the loan sharking business," he said. Those who worked in crime for the Genovese family organization eventually either died or went to prison.

"My family made me realize that crime was not the way I wanted to go," he said. One time, "my brother and brother-in-law and I were at a money exchange apartment, with cash from various illegal enterprises. I was about 11 years old, sitting there eating lunch. Then a group of men from another [crime] family were going to steal from us, with their guns and yelling. They saw me, thought I was the weak link. They'd ask my brothers questions. When they didn't answer, they'd ask me.

"When I didn't answer, they broke my fingers, broke my nose, pistol-whipped me. Finally, one put a gun in my mouth and told my brothers to tell them where the money is or 'I'll blow his head off.' I asked them not to shoot me. My brother thought I had disgraced the Defendini family name by asking for my life. He wanted to know 'How can you expect to be a [crime] soldier if you can't prove yourself?' " The brothers finally handed over a small cash stash to protect their larger one, he said.

"My mother decided, after several similar episodes, to send me out to San Francisco to live with my sister, to get me away from this lifestyle." There, he dropped out of high school and joined the military at age 17. But thanks to a supportive superior, he restarted his education. First the General Educational Development test, then college. After 21 years in the Navy, he held a degree in history and political science.

Toward the end of his service career, he met a diesel mechanic, in charge of a crew of eight men, by the name of Amy Lester. They married after he became a civilian. She is finishing her higher education, too.

Once out of the service, in Portsmouth, Defendini started an internship with an engineering company. "They were working at the naval yard, dismantling our base, and I was the military liaison. One of the chief engineers there saw I had a head for numbers and design." This started him on his second career. He now holds a degree and certification in construction engineering.

Various jobs around Virginia eventually led Defendini to work for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Today he works as plant manager for the Claytor Dam for American Electric Power. He also runs his own consulting business on highway construction. In the course of different jobs, he and Amy, who have three daughters, decided to move to Botetourt because "we really liked this area and wanted to live here."

Defendini now takes his girls to the ballet and museums, as well as church activities. "My mom had strong faith," he said, and from her he got "strong values." Once an adult, he felt there was no turning back. "Either educate myself and give myself a chance or go back to what was available to me." And now corporate life is opening another new area to him. "I'm looking to further my education in business or business management," he said.

His education means his children won't suffer as he did, he said. "I want to hand on the education lifestyle to them." After all, education saved him from a life of crime. Absolutely.

Priscilla Richardson's "The Front Porch" column appears regularly in the Botetourt edition of Neighbors.