Waldo E. Bertoni is the youngest sibling of five, all born and raised in  
Mt. Pulaski.  Their parents were Italian immigrants from northern Italy. 
Waldo, like his older brothers and sister, worked in the family Bertoni  
Restaurant business in Mt. Pulaski, graduated with honors from Mt.  
Pulaski  High School (also excelled in athletics - baseball and basketball), 
attended one year at U of I and then received an appointment to West Point  
Military Academy, where we graduated in 1948. 

He married his hometown sweetheart (Rosalie Smith of Chestnut) in 1948 and spent the next 30 years 
in the USAF. 

During his military years, he received graduated degrees from the U of I 
(Electrical Engineering) and the University of Chicago (Business Administration). 
He also attended several military institutes for officers. He served tours at 
the Pentagon and the National Security Agency. He also served a tour in 
Germany. 

As a Colonel, his last assignment was Vice-Commander of the Electronic 
Systems Division at Hanscom Air Force Base, Ma.  

His list of medals, awards and citations are numerous. 

He and Rosalie lived in Falls Church Va., where he worked on Defense  
Satellite Communication Systems. After retiring, he became a consultant on  
Satellite Communication Systems. They moved back to Mt. Pulaski in 2005.  
He serves on the Lincoln College Board of Trustees, is a member of Lincoln Elks, 
Mount Pulaski Rotary and Mount Pulaski American Legion.  He turned 84 on Jan. 1st.   
His lone surviving sibling, a sister (Marie Benedict), is 95 and lives near her son  
and family in Boca Raton, Fl.