Sister and brother Theresa (Betty) Sonson Powers and Frank Leo Sonson Jr. (pictured here in 2017) grew up in a large, extended Italian immigrant family Washington. The Sonson surname was so ubiquitous in Washington, PA, during the early-to-late 20th century that every class at Immaculate Conception School had a least one Sonson – and often as many of three, said Betty.

Frank Sonson Sr. was one of the first Italian Americans to run for public office in Washington.