In 1951, when Vasilios Patsios was 18 years old, he came to America on a steamship. At this time, everyone needed to have a sponsor already located in the US to vouch for and financially support him. Vasilios' uncle was already in the US and sponsored him. Vasilios only brought one metal suitcase with him to begin his life in the US. Since he was arriving on the Northeast coast, he went through Ellis Island like so many others.

At Ellis Island, Vasilios was checked for diseases and the immigration officials made sure his paperwork was in order. Once the long and arduous process was finished, Vasilios and many others began waiting to be picked up. As more and more people left the immigration station, he started to worry that his uncle had forgotten about him. Eventually, as the early morning rolled around, Vasilios was the only person left. It was around this time when his cousin arrived to take him to Massachusetts. His family had not forgotten him--they were just late.

On his first day in the US, Vasilios accompanied his relatives on a venture into Boston. While there, he noticed a certain red-haired gentleman that seemed to be incredibly popular. He had tons of people mobbing around him, greeting him and shaking his hand. Since Vasilios couldn't speak English yet and had very little knowledge of American celebrities, he had no idea who this person was. Nevertheless, he went up to him and shook his hand. Years later, Vasilios found out who this man was--then-senator John F Kennedy.