When he was 21, Taubenberger discovered that his father, like many other German and Japanese immigrants, had been interned during World War II.
Alfred Sr., who came to America in 1930, was detained in 1941 for almost 18 months at Army bases in New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and North Dakota.
Taubenberger made the discovery while applying for visas for a family trip to Germany. His father hadn't told him "because he never wanted me to have a bad feeling about this country, which he loved so much."
Five weeks before he died from cancer in 1983, Alfred Sr. became a U.S. citizen. "His journey was complete," Taubenberger says, fighting back tears.
Few believe that Taubenberger will complete his journey to City Hall, and that liberating absence of expectation, in itself, may explain why he's having so much fun along the way.
"He's almost like a great musician," says Katz. "He doesn't really care if the audience likes the music or not, he enjoys playing it. There's a lot to be said for that."
