Bob Sappio's forebears, starting with his immigrant grandfather, all served in the U.S. Navy or Merchant Marine. Hoping to follow them, Sappio aspired to attend the Naval or Merchant Marine Academy. But family obstacles got in the way. "I wound up going to Wagner College on Staten Island because they gave me a little money to play football," Sappio says. At least that college afforded a view of ships sailing in and out of New York Harbor. After graduation, with the sea still on his mind, Sappio crossed the water to Manhattan for an entry-level job with American President Lines (APL). "I stayed with that company for 30 years," he says.
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