Adorable Story #34: Lita and Jack Vietor

One of San Francisco & La Jolla most memorable couples

Mrs John A Vietor (Lita di Grazia Vietor) on the beach near her cliff-top house in La Jolla, San Diego, California, 1960. She is wearing a short evening dress of jaquard cotton, by Pattullo-Jo Copeland — Photo by Slim Aarons © gettyimages

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Lita di Grazia was born in San Francisco on June 15, 1927 to Jennie Campadonico of Genoa, Italy and Mario di Grazia of Lucca, Italy.

After WWII, her brother Loris “Lorry” di Grazia, together with their father Mario, started Alpha Distributing Company, importers and exporters of fine wines and distilled spirits in Northern California.

They later successfully merged their company to become Julliard Alpha Liquor Distributing Co., which quickly became the largest wholesale distilled spirits distributor, importer and exporter in Northern California.

In the 70s, Lorry would later partner with Bing Crosby and Phil Harris to import and distribute Herradura Tequila to North America. Lorry would eventually become the sole agent for Herradura in the United States.

Lita di Grazia was a philanthropist particularly active in San Diego and San Francisco between the 50s and 80s: she also became deputy chief of protocol under then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein in the early ‘80s.

In 1958 Lita married John ‘Jack’ A. Vietor Jr.

Jack Vietor in 1979 — © San Diego Reader

Jack was was born on 21 July 1914, in Sea Bright, Monmouth, New Jersey, United States.

Jack was the heir of the Jell-O fortune (from his mother’s side).