Seven Siblings

 Dan by Mark Daniel Joseph Piette was born on 6 July 1957, the fifth of Lawrence J. and Claire Marin deGravelles Piette’s seven children. He was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, a solid, white, middle class, manufacturing town on the Fox River at a time when the upper Midwest was still feeling the prosperity of the post world war two economic boom. Both of Daniel’s parents had college degrees but his mother never worked outside the home once she was married and moved from south Louisiana to Appleton. Daniel had two brothers and two sisters, all of them less than 10 years old, when he was born. Within six years there were another sister and brother. The family focused on itself, education, and the Catholic church. Daniel played the violin and most of the family played instruments. Sports and outdoor activities were not an important part of the family culture. Daniel’s older siblings all went to St. Mary’s grade school after public kindergarten, and the first three graduated from Catholi...