JONATHAN N. CAPPELLO: An Open
Invitation
Jonathan N. Cappello always, even as a child, invited
people into his parents' Garden City home, first to mooch
food prepared by his mother and, in later years, to hang
out for pizza, wings and beer. Although Mr. Cappello, 23
and the youngest of three boys, could get away with
anything, older brothers Jamey and Robert say, his
nickname was a result of being told no.
"First it was, `Jonathan, no. Jonathan, no you can't
do that,'" said Mr. Cappello's mother, Claudia. "Then it
got to be, `Jon, no.' Then it got to be `Jono.'"
That was the name used by his friends, many of whom
played basketball with Mr. Cappello at a nearby school.
Tall, lanky and quick, Mr. Cappello would never call a
foul, his brother Jamey said. "He'd pretty much play and
make shots with people, including me, bashing his arms.
He just figured it was a playground."
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