William Vincent D'Antonio is an Italian-American sociologist and educator. His contributions, to these fields include 12 book publications and numerous articles published in professional journals and newspapers. He was the Executive Officer of the American Sociological Association for 9 years and the author of the first mass-selling Introductory Sociology textbook in the 1970s. He is known most recently for his research studying religion & family in the United States, with a focus on American Catholics, and is currently a senior fellow in the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies (IPR)(formerly the Life Cycle Institute) at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Early life and education William Vincent D'Antonio was born on February 7, 1926, in New Haven, Connecticut, the second son of Albert D'Antonio and Marie Nuzzo. Albert worked for the U.S. Post Office and became postmaster of Yale Station. His mother worked in factories since age 12 and became a licensed practical nurse. Bill D'Antonio's childhood years were influenced by his immigrant family experience. His neighborhood was Irish but by the process of succession became Italian. They were surrounded by Jewish families who immigrated to New Haven in the early 1900s. Growing up in a multi-cultural neighborhood, Bill gained an awareness of cultural identity which led to his interest in Sociology. D'Antonio attended New Haven's Hillhouse High School and then went to Yale University in 1943. In 1944, he was drafted and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After serving for two years he returned to Yale and received his B.A. in Latin American Studies in 1948. In January, 1949 he began teaching Spanish at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, where he would continue teaching for over 5 years. On June 15, 1950, he married A. Lorraine Giorgio, also from New Haven. D'Antonio received his Master's Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Hispanic Studies in 1953. In 1958 he completed his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Sociology & Anthropology. In the fall of 1959, after two years on the faculty of MSU, he became an Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. There, he served as Professor and Chairman of the Sociology Department from 1966-1971. Career The University of Notre Dame From 1959-71, D'Antonio conducted research on the U.S.-Mexican border supported by funding from the Carnegie Corporation, the U.S. Public Health Service, and The Social Science Research Council.