Journey through the life
and career of Father Pietro Bandini, leader
of the Italian immigrants who founded Tontitown, Arkansas, with historian Emily Pianalto-Beshears. From his birth in Forli, Italy, in
1852 to his ill-fated career as a Jesuit in the
American West, to New York City and his fight
for Italian immigrant rights and welfare, and
finally his work in Tontitown.
Learn about the intricate history of a man who
became a legend, with his steadfast nature to
work for the good of those he served, to his
questionable character traits that put him at
risk within his various missions. This complicated figure will be peeled back to the man
who lived among his flock and stood ready to
fight off the wolves