Little Mister Victory: Solving an 80-Year Family Mystery

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A baby abandoned on one of America's most historic days. A mystery that lasted nearly eighty years. Could modern DNA finally reveal the truth?

On August 15, 1945, while crowds filled Boston Common celebrating the end of World War II, a young woman handed her infant son to a teenage newsboy, slipped him a few dollars, and disappeared.

That baby grew up to become Tina Drzal's father. For decades, his family knew only fragments of the story. Who was his mother? Why did she leave him? Did she ever try to find him? And what happened after that unforgettable day?

Joining Corey are Tina Drzal and Boston historian David Kruh, co-authors of Little Mister Victory. Together, they combined newspaper archives, historical records, DNA testing, and years of detective work to reconstruct one of the most remarkable adoption stories we've ever featured.

This conversation explores:

•  How one newspaper article restarted a decades-long search 
•  Using DNA to solve an adoption mystery from World War II 
•  The emotional impact of inheriting unanswered questions 
•  Why family secrets continue to echo across generations 
•  The surprising discoveries that completely changed the investigation 
•  How compassion can reshape the way we view difficult decisions from the past 

Whether you're an adoptee, an NPE, a genealogy enthusiast, or simply love an unforgettable true story, this episode is a fascinating reminder that history is never as distant as it seems.

Learn more about Little Mister Victory at littlemistervictory.com.

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