By Bob Shryock

Retired Assignment Judge Samuel G. DeSimone may have been honored more times than anyone in Gloucester County history. But the award he receives Oct. 22 at Auletto's from the Gloucester County Italian Heritage Commission - 2015 Italian-American Citizen of the Year - may mean the most to him.

Because "Gentle Sam" feels his father, Sam, who immigrated from Penne, Italy with his wife, Mary, shares the honor. "He'd be very proud of this award," DeSimone says. "He was a great role model. He had only two years of education, but he was much smarter than I was. I always wanted to be like him. My father always supported the things I did. He emphasized diversity. He was a good man who loved America."

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Source: http://www.nj.com/