ITHACA, NY -- Growing up on Staten Island in the â60s, Frank Leahy had eight siblings. The Leahy family lived in a small, sparsely populated village surrounded by farmland. âWe lived in a close-knit neighborhood and all the grownups watched out for all the kids as we walked to the park and to each othersâ homes.â Most of the time, Frank had a sister or a brother nearby. Frankâs father worked three jobs to support their family â New York City fireman, occasional dock worker, and truck driver as needed. âAt home we didnât have a lot of family rules, but we all helped with baby care, and generally pitched in to see that chores were doneâ¦Still we had plenty of time to play unsupervised, so we had many adventures.â