independent truck co.

FAUSTO VITELLO - R.I.P. 8/23/1946-4/22/2006My father came to this country as a youngster, his family escaping the political terror in their native Argentina. He didn’t speak a lick of English. Some of you understand what it’s like to be the "new kid" in town, thus understanding that his assimilation was not easy. Nevertheless, he taught himself to speak our language by listening to the radio broadcasts of the San Francisco Giants. I’m assuming that once he got a firm grip of the American tongue, he began his rapid development, becoming the brilliant, passionate, and popular person many of you came to love and hate.At home in The City, he juggled a rocky relationship with his own father. Though they both deeply loved each other, they often fought, and would painfully sustain periods of time without speaking to one another. It was during one of these disputes that his father died of a heart attack. Fausto was 24 years old.Fausto had to step up and take care of the family. It was also around this time that he would meet the love of his life, my mother, while they both attended classes at San Francisco State University. He worked at a bar, he was a florist, a mechanic, and owned his own bicycle store. None of you probably knew that, because Fausto became “The Don” the day he discovered skateboarding. He loved sports, but skateboarding loved him. No rules, no uniforms, no censorship. He could say “Fuck you”, smoke a joint, and crack a brew. Pops could party.He was skateboarding’s saving grace. When the industry was in the gutter, he gave it mouth to mouth. When corporate types tried to step, he remained independent. He did it all- publish, promote, market, and to top it off, he was a manufacturer. No made in china crap, he and his partner Eric did it all here in the ghetto of Hunter’s Point, USA. This legacy will never be broken. Made in America motherfuckers!Yesterday, April 22nd, 2006, I received a phone call from my mom while I was out skating with the homies. My father, my one and only hero, had died of a heart attack. He was riding his bicycle with his best friend, Lin Ho, when his heart stopped beating. I sped to the hospital to say my final goodbye. Entering the Emergency Room, I still grasped some ignorant fraction of hope that he could be brought back. However, that would be shattered as I entered his room, struck by the sight of my poor mother, kissing his lifeless face, running her fingers through his hair, and whispering into his ear, “My baby, my baby. Fausto, I love you so much. I’ll always love you.” I rushed to my mom’s side, kissing her, then throwing myself onto my father. I’d been robbed of my greatest source of happiness.As I sit here today, the morning after, struggling to put pen to the paper, I realize that I may live for myself, but I lived for him. All I ever wanted in life was his approval, that Fausto stamp. Hearing him tell me he was proud of me gave me the greatest feeling of child-like bliss. I love you dad. Forever. I still have so much to prove to you. I’m in it until the wheels fall off… SKATE AND DESTROYFrom a broken heart, Tony Vitello April 23, 2006FAUSTO'S MEMORY WILL CARRY ON IN ALL OF US! BE INDEPENDENT, MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED TO ANYONE!OUR PRO TEAM IS: roberto aleman adam alfaro jon allie brian anderson kenny anderson brent atchley steve bailey donny barley kyle berard ronnie bertino ryan bobbier ryan bobier chico brenes jake brown morgan campbell john cardiel alex chalmers chet childress tony cox andrew currie carlos de andrade dustin dollin dan drehobl josh falk tony farmer johnny fonseca resse forbes fred gall rob gonzalez shiloh greathouse jim greco emmanuel guzman bennett harada josh harmony chris haslam omar hassan peter hewitt sam hitz rick howard scott johnston todd jordan lizard king heath kirchart chad knight eric koston phil ladjanski bucky lasek jeff lenoce kevin long stacy lowery greg lutzka paul machnau jimmy marcus marcus mcbride colin mckay javier mendizabal matt moffett matt mumford chad muska darren navarrette steve nesser nilton neves jake nunn matt pailes al partanen chris pastras joey pepper clint peterson mike peterson lucas puig tino razo andrew reynolds matt rodriguez geoff rowley jake rupp mike rusczyk omar salazar max schaaf ryan sheckler corey sheppard ryan smith julian stranger brian sumner danny supa aaron suski braydon szafranski nikhil thayer tosh townend tony trujillo karma tsocheff anthony van engelen van wastell danny way rob welsh brian wenning ryan wilburn cooper wilt and jeremy wrayOUR LEGENDS TEAM IS: steve alba tony alva frank atwater ray barbee sal barbier cara beth burnside rick blackhart steve caballero randy colvin eric dressen dave duncan grant fukuda mark gonzales jeff grosso tommy guerrero dave hackett howard hood christian hosoi jason jessee craig johnson bryce kanights james kelch andy kessler tom knox shogo kubo jason lee john lucero brewce martin jesse martinez jim murphy aaron murray pat ngoho steve olson stacy peralta duane peters eddie reategui billy ruff doug saladino jay smith remy strattonOUR AM TEAM: andrew allen robin baker lee bender graham bickerstaff taylor bingaman levi browne duardo craig ted degros brian dela torre dennis durrant rick eusey steve fauser stu graham david gravette erik hamamoto brian "slash" hansen alex horn bas janssen jared lee tony manfre matt miller tony miorana greg myers jon newport alex olson paul otvos josh perkins chaz pineda jon ponts andy powers angel ramirez casey rigney chris roberts jose rojo jack sabback keegan sauder brett stobart marius syvanen grant taylor chris troy weiger van wageningen