Fusco enlisted in the Navy at the height of World War II at the age of seventeen. Stationed on Guam in the South Pacific, he put his classical music training to work, entertaining war weary troops by playing the flute as a member of a small Navy band. Throughout his tour of duty, he continued to sketch and draw, often illustrating letters sent home to family and friends.
Following the war, Fusco returned to the Cleveland area and enrolled at Kent State University. In defining his studies, he gave up a promising music career in favor of pursuing training in the visual arts, declaring himself an art major. It was at Kent where he met his wife of 60 years, Mavis, also an art major. Immediately following graduation, Fusco pursued a career teaching middle school art.
After several years of teaching, Fusco chose to change course and enter the corporate world, working in sales management for a large pharmaceutical company, then in advertising and promotion. In the early 1960s, Fusco returned to the classroom teaching middle and high school art. Within a decade, he moved into school administration, serving as a school principal and district assistant superintendent before his retirement.
