Just found this board today, have found it quite entertaining and informative. A lot of members seem quite learned in the realm of organized crime, and can perhaps shed light upon something I've long been curious about.
I heard a rumor many years ago that my father had at one time been involved in OC...I don't remember who I heard this from, nor do I recall any elaboration aside from that he had some involvement. I never thought much of it, although it is plausible, as he was a commercial contractor from the 1950's through about 1990, and OC ties to construction are well known; he also loved to gamble, and often placed bets through an Italian friend of his who ran bookmaking out of his liquor store in Covington, KY. Then something I saw last Christmas caught my attention. Looking through old family photographs, I came across pictures from my parents' 1956 wedding. I'd seen them before, but had previously failed to notice that my father was wearing a pinkie ring on his right hand. I know this is not a big deal anymore, maybe never was, but I and my oldest sister found it odd.
I was born and raised in Cincinnati, have since gone west, to Arizona. Both my parents were from northern Kentucky. I know Newport, KY had a history of mafia run liquor and gambling operations that was ended in the 1960's. My father used to talk about the gambling halls some, and I've heard my mother talk about how they used to go to the famous Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, KY. Being of Irish descent, my father couldn't have had too much involvement in the mafia proper, obviously...but probably had some dealings, at some level, with them. Any thoughts or insight?