Art history professor battles for veterans

David Quattrociocchi has found joy in art history for most of his life, but said he found true happiness in the field he least expected: social work with veterans.

Quattrociocchi went to school where the 1980 film “Fame” was set, Harlem’s High School of Performing Arts. Before he could begin any kind of career he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. He said the experience profoundly influenced the social work he would go into later in life. After the war, he attended both SDSU and UCSD, graduating from SDSU with a major in graphic design. He made a living as a freelancer. He was hired at Southwestern College in 1991 to teach graphic design. Due to a shortage of instructors because of budget cuts, he soon found himself also teaching Art History and Art Appreciation. Those ended up being his favorite subjects to teach, he said.

Quattrociocchi said during this time he thought about what to do during his next sabbatical, and ultimately decided on going back to school to earn a Ph.D. from SDSU.

“With teaching, most of us think of our next step in development,” Quattrociocchi said. “What are you gonna do? How are you gonna develop? How are you gonna stay alive?”

His first inclination was to study for a Ph.D. in Art History, he said, but decided against it because he did not want to study in isolation. He said he yearned for something more collaborative.

“When I went on sabbatical, I snooped around in the veterans’ world and I wound up finding out there was a job to work with homeless vets,” Quattrociocchi said. “I’m a teacher. I like people. I’m social, gregarious and so I took this job working with homeless vets which sort of fit me.” Quattrociocchi worked with homeless veterans for more than two years and said he found great satisfaction in it.

“I liked the complexity of it,” he said. “You gotta get them off the street, you gotta get them to the VA (Veteran Affairs) for healthcare, you gotta get them clean and sober, you gotta get them to the court if they have legal problems and then you gotta help them get a job.”

Quattrociocchi said he found working with veterans very fulfilling.

“I really liked connecting them to the social fabric, to try and bring them back.”

The sabbatical led him to apply for a social work program at SDSU, while still working full-time at SWC. He completed the program in two years, despite his hectic schedule. Sleeping three hours per night, working 16 to 20 hours at two different hospitals, writing voraciously, getting home at 10 p.m. to study until midnight and sleeping until 3 a.m. Mornings, red-eyed and weary, he said he would study for a couple of hours, get cleaned up and start all over again. Maintaining this outrageous schedule for two years affected him physically, as he said he was sick often and tired all the time. Because of this, he said he was pleased to finally return to a normal routine after he completed the program.

Quattrociocchi first met Clarence “Butch” Amaral at the SWC Personal Wellness Center shortly after completing the social work program. After learning that Quattrociocchi was a veteran, Amaral invited him to be a counselor at the Veterans’ Center.

Amaral said he greatly admired Quattrociocchi.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Amaral said. “He’s not just a good clinician, but also honest and loyal.”
Quattrociocchi said he plans to continue to teach until his retirement in the next couple of years and then work as a therapist in a private practice. He said he only plans on working half-time, just to keep his brain working. His key to happiness is doing meaningful work that helps people, he said.

“A lot of people retire and fall apart,” he said. “I want to continue to develop and be challenged professionally. I want to continue to work.”