My name is Algis Ratnikas and I was born in a refugee camp in Munich, Germany, in 1947 to Lithuanian parents. Our family emigrated to the United States in 1950. I remember waking up to the sound of an engine and looking out an airplane window. Below me I distinctly remember seeing the statue of a large woman. I had just turned 3 years old. My father had a arranged for a job picking tobacco in North Carolina. The job did not wait, but he was quickly able to contact a school friend, already settled in Detroit, to act as a sponsor. I grew up on the West side of Detroit and attended McCarrow public grade school through the 3rd grade and then transferred to St. Cecilia's through the 6th grade, where I also took piano lessons for 3 years.