Mary Francesca Giacalone was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Mary Francesca Giacalone was born on August 6, 1922, in San Pedro, California, into a family with deep ties to the local fishing industry. The interview begins with Mary describing her father’s journey from Italy to the United States in 1906, where he initially worked as a crab fisherman in San Francisco and Alaska. She recounts a harrowing story of her father’s boat being trapped in an iceberg for forty days while fishing in Alaska. Seeking better opportunities and a climate similar to Sicily, her family moved to San Pedro around 1916, where her father continued fishing and eventually became his own boss with a jig boat. Mary shares her early memories of growing up in San Pedro, including the duplex her father built with money earned from his fishing ventures. She recalls a childhood filled with community activities at the Anderson playground, which offered tennis, swimming, drama, and dancing lessons. Mary’s narrative also includes anecdotes about downtown San Pedro, where her family frequented local shops and tailors, and her experiences at Cabrillo Beach and Cabrillo Avenue School. She also talks about the strict upbringing her mother enforced, especially during World War II, when the family hosted servicemen and adhered to a disciplined lifestyle. The interview concludes with Mary recounting how she met her husband through his brother, who stayed with her family during the war.