“His Love Affair With Lady Liberty”

JULY 1, 1990

“I’m nobody special. How did I get so lucky?” That’s Vietnam veteran Charlie DeLeo, 42, the son of Greek and Italian immigrants talking about his place of employment. The job? Since 1972, DeLeo has been the sole “keeper of the flame” of the 305-foot Statue of Liberty, keeping every inch of the 29-foot, 2,500-pound torch clean and burning bright (that’s him in the torch on the cover). “Most men don’t ever discover their calling,” he told Parade. “I’ve found mine.”