Manhattan Beach Police and Firefighters arrived with sirens blaring at the home of Joe Arrigo last Thursday to present him with a City commendation on his 100th birthday.
Arrigo raised six children, and countless racing pigeons at the 26th Street home he bought in 1952. The children attended American Martyrs Elementary School and Bishop Montgomery High School.
Arrigo grew up as the second of seven children in Los Angeles. His oldest sister Eloise lives in Oregon, and is 102. His parents were from Luca, Italy.
Arrigo served as a navigator aboard an Army Air Corp B24 bomber during World War II. He flew 10 combat missions over the Japanese island of Deshima, a six hour flight from his carrier.
Following the war, Arrigo worked as a civil engineer for Metropolitan Water District, where he retired five decades ago.
Though he no longer plays tennis, he plays bridge weekly at Hesse Park in Palos Verdes. ER
