Tomorrow‘s Yesterday

I

TENO RONCALIO—U. S. CONGRESSMAN

FROM WYOMING

Mabel E. Brown

The story of Teno Roncalio, Wyoming’s lone

Representative in Congress, reads like a Horatio Al-

ger, Jr. “Story For Boys”.

Teno was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming,

March 23, 1916. His parents were Italian immi-

grants. His father, Frank Roncaglio was a coal

miner. In order to provide his family with more

of the good things of life, Frank Roncaglio also sal-

vaged and sold junk. Teno was one of a family of

nine children.

Mrs. Frank (Ernesta) Roncalio, mother of Teno. Only

four of the nine children of Frank and Ernesta Roncalio

are now living; Teno, his brother Adolph of Richmond, Cali-

fornia. and his sister, Mrs. Reed (Julia) Smith of Chicago, Ill.

An invalid, Elvira, is a patient at the Wyoming State Train-

ing School at Lander.

Teno Roncalio was christened Celeste Domenico

Roncaglio. The nickname “Teno” was given him

by his schoolmates in Rock Springs. Roncaglio was

changed to Roncalio because it is so much easier

to say upon first sight. The pronunciation is the

same. Ron-call-io.

Teno and some of his little friends playing down by the

tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad in Rock Springs, Wyo-

ming.

Legend has it (and the story of Teno is a legend

in his home town) that Teno obtained his first job,

operating a push cart at the age of five years. The

next year he took over a shoe shine stand in a local

barber shop. By the time he was sixteen years

old, Teno had passed the Wyoming Barber Board

of Examiners and was the holder of a Journeyman

Barber’s Union card.

Teno worked in the barber shop throughout his

high school years but after graduation went to work

on the Rock Springs Rocket as a combination re-

porter and advertising salesman. For six years Teno

worked for the newspaper, gaining much valuable

experience. In 1938 he entered the University of

Wyoming as a Journalism and Pre-Law student. To

help out with expenses, Teno and a Rock Springs

buddy, Frank Larrabaster, made stencil duplicates

of basketball schedules and sold advertising to go

with them.

During his years at the University, Teno ran

a snack bar in a dormitory, waited tables and

washed dishes at Annie Moore’s boarding house,

tended furnace, shoveled snow and scrubbed “acres”

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