Joseph T. Brusca

Joseph T. Brusca, Hall of Fame Inductee
Joseph Tavaglione Brusca was born in 1944 to Italian parents who both came from large families and whose greatest pride and joy were their children. Joe graduated from Riverside Polytechnic where he excelled in many sports. After graduation, he joined the Ernie Derho Boxing Club, losing only 2 out of 50 amateur fights.

Joe began a career in the title industry in 1963 when he joined First American Title Insurance Company as a courier. Thirty-four years later, Joe is now the Santa Barbara County Manager of First American Title, a position he has held since 1975.

Joe is especially interested in promoting the youth of the community and has sponsored every youth activity imaginable. Because he enjoys sports, youth athletics has been a special interest. Many sponsorships have come from First American Title at Joe’s direction. During lean periods, Joe has personally sponsored both individuals and organizations. The scoreboards at San Marcos High School, the chartered buses for Bishop’s championship games, the sponsorship of the annual tennis classic at City College are among his favorites.

There are innumerable occasions when Joe’s kindness and generosity have left an indelible mark. Joe saw the news feature about Ina Kristiansen, a UCSB soccer player suffering from leukemia. He called Ina at Cottage Hospital to tell her how touched he was by her courage and asked her what what was going to do after she “beat this thing.” Without hesitation, Ina said she wanted nothing more than a vacation. Joe immediately sent her enough money to take the dream vacation of a lifetime. Sadly, Ina lost her battle with leukemia before she could take her vacation. Since Joe refused to take the money back, Ina’s family used the funds to establish the Ina Kristiansen Trust Fund at UCSB for gifted athletes.