Retired judge James J. Di Cesare said he grew up wanting to be of service.
"My father was born in Italy... and my mother's also Italian," Di Cesare said. "They brought with them a great sense of civility, kindness, appreciation, faith, and commitment to serve other people. And that, obviously, is everything when you're a young person growing up."
A 1973 Pepperdine University School of Law graduate, Di Cesare grew up in Whittier and a... (continued)