Richmond Hill Native Reflects on Childhood, Life Now

Written By: Alana Ambrosecchia

Dominic Forte, a business owner, sits in his kitchen Contentedly as he reminisces about his life. "I'm extremely happy with my life now", he states, "Even if it always wasn't that way.”

Dominic grew up in Richmond Hill, a neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York. He was born to parents Marianne and, coincidentally, Dominic Forte, whom he was named after. His mother often gambled, while his father struggled with alcoholism. As a result, Dominic and his 16 siblings were left in the care of other family members for much of their childhood. "What do I remember most about my life… well, I remember my aunts and uncles always came to live with us, he says.” He recalls his family being very poor, mentioning they survived on Welfare benefits regularly. To pass the time at home, he points out that he loved playing Basketball, Baseball and Football with his brothers.

When asked whether he attended school, Dominic responded that he did. He first attended P.S. 90, a public school in his hometown for kindergarten. In first grade, he transferred to Holy Child, a Catholic school, where he remained until the conclusion of second grade. "I was always late when I went to the catholic school. It got so bad that one of my teachers hit my knuckles with a ruler, you know, they did that in those days and broke a couple of them. So the principal spoke to my parents, and they agreed I should go back to P.S. 90.”

Another aspect of his childhood Dominic remembers vividly is his first job. He started working at age 10, bagging sawdust for A.A.A. Sawdust Company, a family owned business mainly run by his uncles. While he learned a lot there, Dominic mentions that he worked for many hours, and that it was difficult to breathe because of the sawdust.

A few years later, when his uncle sold the business, Dominic got a job at Key Food while attending Richmond Hill High School. He stated that he did not graduate High School. "The only thing I was missing was a credit for Jim, but I had everything else I needed, and I just wanted to work full-time. My family started another business, A&L Cesspool. I started working there as soon as I turned 18”, he states. Upon Working full-time, Dominic obtained a Commercial Drivers License, as his new job required him to drive a truck. He spent much of his time cleaning sewage, which, as anyone can imagine, was not the most pleasant. However, being a family oriented individual, he did everything he could to help those he loved. Around this time, he also obtained his GED. "I didn't really wanna get it, my GED, but one of my uncle's kind of made me. I was really stubborn, but it honestly worked out well because then I could use it if I needed to.”

Today, Dominic still works in the family business. In fact, he is considered one of the owners, so he generally works in an office every day. He says this is more enjoyable given the fact that he does not have to worry about cleaning sewage all the time. "Owning a business has its ups and downs", he says. "You kinda get to pick your schedule, but you still have to work a lot. My dad and my uncle showed me how everything works, you  know, how to run a business, hiring workers, all that.”

Dominic has two children, a son and a daughter, though he would like for them to remain anonymous. Reminiscing on when they were born, however, made him tear up. "When my kids were born? Oh my gosh, I was uh, I was amazed. I thought, how am I gonna be able to afford to support them? Am I gonna be a good father? Am I gonna be able to give them a better life than I had," he said.

Dominic had a lot to say when it came to technology when he was young versus what we have today. He states that the phones are very different, since back then one generally had to use a Payphone, whereas now everyone has Cell phones. He also discusses the rise in Generative AI, which he struggles to understand. "This AI stuff is crazy. We didn't have that two years ago really, now that's all you hear about everywhere. It's starting to do work for people too, and that's scary. People aren't really gonna have jobs in 20 years", he says. Another form of technology today that Dominic says he is still getting used to are Smart Speakers. He owns an Amazon echo and uses this device daily. He says it assists him significantly, especially when setting alarms and timers. Upon hearing that its virtual assistant, Alexa, would be getting an upgrade with new generative AI capabilities, Dominic was a bit skeptical, but is interested to see if his device will become even more helpful in the future.

At this point in his life, Dominic lives with his new fiancé and stepchildren. He enjoys spending time with all of them when he isn't working and loves to spend time with friends as well. A grandson was born into Dominic's family a few years ago, who visits him often. "I love my Grandson. Every time he comes over to my house, the kid runs into my arms, screaming my name. It's the best feeling in the world, well, other than having my own kids.”

If Dominic could give any advice to his younger self, he would first say to finish school. He would also reassure himself that life for him will get better. "When my parents would leave us, you know, like me and my brothers and sisters, it was really hard. I mean, not that I had the worst childhood in the world, but it definitely wasn't the best. I guess I would just say that it's gonna pass. I'm gonna get through it.”