Dr. Tony’s father was born in Francavilla, a small town in the Abruzzi region of Italy. When he was just 13 years old, Gisberto Evangelista and his family immigrated to the United States of America. During processing at Ellis Island, Gisberto’s surname was changed, and the last vowel went from an A to an O (Evangelisto).
“My mom, Frances Capelli, was born here in Philadelphia soon after her parents immigrated from Sicily. My grandfather Biagio was very upset about my dad marrying a Sicilian woman, so the couple had to elope to Elkton, Md.” Biagio settled his family in South Philadelphia and opened a candy and grocery store on Snyder Avenue near 10th Street and eventually brought over the rest of his family.
