Pomilia, Gino: - Gino Pomilia was born in San Francisco, and all 4 of his grandparents were Italian immigrants. He was the first of his generation of 36 first cousins to graduate from college, and he did so without any financial help from his parents. This, however, created quite a barrier between his father and himself, who wanted him to work in the family business, so things between them were either awkward or silent. No longer allowed to work in his father's restaurant, Gino did many things, including cleaning toilets, to achieve a college degree. Once successful as both a teacher and a baseball coach, setting various winning records, his father finally, publicly, claimed Gino as his son. Gino has been a teacher and a coach for over 35 years, on both the high school and collegiate levels, and he runs yearly baseball camps in Marin County, California. He also invented and patented the Easton Thunderstick, a hand-eye coordination training bat, used in batting practice. He has competed over 25 times in the World Championship Ride & Tie, a cross-country endurance running and horseback riding event, and he has finished in the "Top Ten" 12 times. He has also performed as Elvis Presley, on various occasions, stating that he was not really sure how good he was, but in his mind, he was amazing. Gino currently lives in the Lake Tahoe Basin with his wife, Julie, who is a granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She has written two books of her own: Your Heroes My Grandparents and Roy and Dale On Stage and In Between. Together, they have two Palomino horses, a pony, a miniature donkey, and four Border Collies. Their blended family has 4 children and 5 grandchildren.Lastly, Gino believes that whatever determination and strength he possesses today has come from his mother, Gloria.