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by Julie Besonen   The Italian heritage of Brooklyn's Homecrest is evinced by the Virgin Mary statuettes on the block that is home to the Enrico Caruso Museum of America. A tidy house at 1942 East 19th Street, owned by Aldo Mancusi since 1956, doubles as a shrine to the opera icon. "A hobby gone crazy," Mr. Mancusi said, his silver mustache...

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A torrential raconteur, Aldo Mancusi traces what he calls his magnificent obsession to his father, Everisto, who in 1920 emigrated from Campania, Italy, to this, New York's most populous borough, while still in his teens.   "He had about 70 Caruso records that he would crank up when I was 4, 3, 2, 1," Aldo said one recent morning. As curator...

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Imagine years of discrimination, without hope of being recognized of being worthy of any respect, possibly far from your family left in your homeland, working two or even three jobs, living in very poor conditions. Then, imagine a moment of pride, a glimpse of revenge, a situation where not only your people are respected, but one of them is hero, a...

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