Author Archives: Eddie L. Bolden, Jr.

About Eddie L. Bolden, Jr.

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A Passion Without Borders (Gilberto Vazquez)

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We are each born with a unique set of gifts, predestined upon us before our birth. It is up to us to identify, develop and nurture them appropriately.  However, there are some instances when the dreams and passions of some remain unfulfilled.
 For Gilberto Vazquez, 33, it was during his time as a Field Artillery Officer, in the United States Army, that his constant, “quest for knowledge,” became apparent.  Vazquez’s creative roots trace back to his childhood years growing up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York.
 “I used to write short stories and really wanted to be a video game designer when I was a kid,” said Vazquez. “Growing up, I also wanted to be an archaeologist because I wanted to unravel ancient bones.”
 Vazquez’s innate humanism followed him through his childhood and into his teenage years. In 2004, partly inspired by the terrorist attacks on September 11th, Vazquez enlisted and was deployed to Iraq to fight in the war against terror.  It was here that Vazquez’s underlying spark for journalism was lit.
 “I like information so I started to learn a little bit of Arabic, about 100 conversational words to help me tell the people in Iraq what I needed to,” said Vazquez.  “Once I came back home, I took up German.  It’s all about my desire to gain more knowledge.”  To date, Vazquez can speak English, Spanish, German, French and Arabic, although he admits to not have used Arabic in the past ten years.
Documenting and protesting during Occupy Wall Street

Vazquez showing support of Army Veterans while documenting and protesting during Occupy Wall Street

Instead of following the route of most returning Veterans, Vazquez did not look to become a cop or security officer.  He chose to remain committed to his dreams and pursue a career in journalism.

 “The military was a stepping stone for me. It helped me pay for 90 percent of my education and it opened up a lot of my passions,” said Vazquez.  “I feel as if I always had the passion, but it definitely helped.”
 Vazquez attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College where he eventually earned his Associate’s Degree.  He is now nearing the end of his third semester in Baruch College as a journalism and creative writing major. Other than his educational responsibilities, Vazquez is a father to a two-year-old daughter and works full time at Costco Wholesale in the Rego Park section of Queens, New York.
 “I believe that it is more important to work towards your career than it is to just work to pay the bills,” said Vazquez.  “I don’t want to just end up at the same job for five years either.  I want to focus on my career as a journalist.” 
 Vazquez views his character development and maturation as his unyielding desire to constantly do better for himself.  Vazquez prides himself on his education and his goals.  An activist at heart, Vazquez plans to start his own website and surround himself with a talented team of reporters to assist him write articles and make documentaries on the the ever-changing state of the world.
 “I am a jack-of-all-trades with so many different passions and with things that I have excelled at, so it is hard for me to focus on just one goal for myself,” said Vazquez.  Journalism allows me to utilize my diverse skill-set to branch out to all of the different passions that I have and incorporate those into my life.”

 

All Aboard The Midnight Train

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The next stop is…

In the wee hours of 2:00 AM at the 149th Street-Grand Concourse station located in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, a Wakefield – 241 St bound No. 2 train crept and screeched its way into the station.  The tired feet of weary travelers bounced down the staircase, from the upper level Woodlawn bound No. 4 train, and stepped through the doors just as they were closing.  By the high level of pedestrian foot traffic exiting and boarding the train throughout the station, you would think that it is 8:00 AM on a Monday morning.

Due to the lack of a No. 5 Lexington Ave Express train operating in Brooklyn, Manhattan and some parts of the Bronx after midnight for the past 58 years, crowded subway platforms and train cars are a common sight for straphangers throughout New York City. The late night service disruption affects more than hundreds of thousands of Bronxites traveling to Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Gun Hill Road, Baychester Ave and Eastchester-Dyre Ave during late night hours.

“The No. 5 train running local after a certain hour for sure isn’t that bad of an idea,” said Cotter, a student at Bronx Community College. “It’s not just for those heading to the stops along the Dyre Avenue line, but for the heavily used stops in the South Bronx between Grand Concourse-149th St and East 180th St too.

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All you need is a Metrocard to ride.

The only solution for Bronxites commuting after hours is a shuttle train that operates between East 180th St and Eastchester-Dyre Ave. According to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) the last train to pull out of the Bowling Green station in Manhattan is at 11:08 PM ending direct service for those traveling to the Bronx.  It takes passengers a minimum of three subway transfers to travel through Manhattan to the Bronx.  Shuttle train service begins at East 180th in the Bronx at 10:13 PM and lasts until 5:10 AM on weeknights. On the weekends, service begins almost a half hour earlier at 9:32 PM and ends at 5:46 AM on Saturdays and at 7:42 AM on Sundays.

“I really dislike the fact that the No. 5 train doesn’t run in Brooklyn late at night,” said Sebastian, a resident of Brooklyn.  “This makes me have to take the No. 2 train and then transfer on the No. 4 train sometimes adding an extra half hour to my commute.”

During the day and into the early evening hours, the No. 5 train travels beneath the streets of New York City alongside the No. 4 on the Lexington Avenue Express line.  The No. 6 train also travels on the Lexington Avenue line, but it makes local stops along the East Side of Manhattan.  As these trains divert at the 125th St station located in the Harlem section of Manhattan, the No. 5 continues uptown and merges with the No. 2 train at the 149th St – Grand Concourse Station.  The No. 2 and 5 train cover the same stops until arriving at the East 180th St station.

The biggest difference between the No. 2 and 5 train is that the 2 train covers a larger section of the Bronx compared to the 5 train.  Once the No. 2 train pulls out from the East 180th St station, the train continues uptown for ten more stops before reaching its destination at the Wakefield-241 St station.  The total travel time between the two stations is estimated at 16 minutes.  On the other hand,  the No. 5 train makes five stops after East 180th St at an estimated time of 11 minutes.

Earlier in 2014, and for the second time in three years, the Straphangers Campaign, an advocacy group founded in 1979 by the New York Public Interest Research Group, voted the No. 2 train to be one of the worst subway lines in the city in their annual State of the Subways Report.  The No. 5 train finished as the fifth worse subway line in New York City.  According to the Straphangers Campaign, they graded each line based on their cleanliness, seat availability for commuters, frequency of service and mechanical malfunctions.

According to the MTA, in 2013, an average of 84,409 Bronxites made up the stops between 149th St – Grand Concourse and East 180th St.  Approximately 34, 808 commuters rode along the Dyre Avenue No. 5 line on a daily basis.  Heavy delays and overcrowded trains are a just a few of the reasons why many would like to see a restoration in 24 hour service along the No. 5 line.

“Sometimes the No. 5 train skips certain stops and you have to either go on an alternate route through the Bronx or transfer,” said, Ali, a long time New Yorker who now resides in Boston.  “There have been some nights that my commute was seriously messed up and it took me nearly two hours to get home!”

In order to successfully operate a 24 hour transit line such as the No. 5 Lexington Ave Express, the MTA would have to provide the necessary manpower such as conductors, motormen, transit electrical maintainers, and station booth agents, They would then have to compensate them accordingly.  According to the Empire Center for New York State Policy, “One out of every seven, MTA employees were paid at least $100,000 back in 2013.”  Hourly employees earned their six-figure salaries by cashing in on overtime earnings and various bonuses.

“When New Yorkers hear talk about a fare increase, they can check the MTA payroll database to see what they’re paying for,” said Empire Center President E.J. McMahon in a recent article in the New York Daily News.

In the age of a struggling economy, the MTA often responds by issuing a number of fare hikes in 2011 and 2013. The MTA plans to unload two more hikes – the first in the spring of 2015, followed by another increase two years later in 2017.  According to two New York city tabloid’s, the New York Daily News and the New York Post, in the impending fare hike, the MTA may plan to increase the price of a monthly Metrocard from $112.00 to as much as $116.50 as well as the bare fare for a single ride Metrocard from $2.50 to $2.75

According to recent budget data provided by the MTA, “These increases are estimated to net annualized fare and toll revenues of approximately $268 million for the 2015 increase and an additional $283 million for the 2017 increase.”

Subway fares made up 40 percent of the MTA’s total revenue back in 2012.  According to data obtained from the MTA’s Adopted Budget for the years 2014 through 2017, expenses obtained through fares and other sources of revenue were used to pay for employee expenses such as payroll, overtime, pensions, health and welfare which totaled well over $7 million dollars.

The MTA has the tough task of providing 24 hour service in the so called, “city that never sleeps.” On nearly every street corner in New York City you will find the entrance leading to the subway, either above or underground.  The subway can take you wherever that you may want to go with one simple swipe of a Metrocard.

Battle in Black and White Commentary

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Amy Fox’s article Battle in Black and White is unique in its nature because Fox writes the story from a personal perspective. The arc of her story covers her grandparents participation in the battle to integrate the Stuyvesant Town housing complex in 1952. Her grandparents were in danger of being evicted from their apartments because of fighting their landlord, Metropolitan Life Insurance, over their policy of rejecting the applications of black veterans.

Fox’s article included a lot of background history on her grandparents, but she was still able to tell the story without sounding biased. She included facts  on both sides of the argument backed by historical evidence and eyewitness testimony. For her article, Fox interviewed her mother, who was 5 years old at the time of the events, Dr. Lee Lorch, who was dismissed from the housincomplex and various jobs for his participation in the civil rights act, and current African Americans who currently live in the area. Fox also used the resources of the New York Public Library to fill in the missing pieces.

I appreciate how Fox was able to spin the age old battle of black and white in a narrative way. The article read more like a novel than a conflict piece. Fox also shed light on the racial tensions that still exist in Stuyvesant Town today.

 

 

Morris Park’s National Night Out

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Another day at the office

Another day at the office

As Halloween night transitioned into the first morning of November, Jazmine Johnson stood in front of the Morris Park subway station in the Bronx feverishly googling and dialing various cab service numbers.  For almost 45 minutes, she was repeatedly told by dispatchers that their companies did not have any drivers in the immediate area. The suburban streets that were once filled with excited children in costumes just hours before were now bare and the sound of silence was only interrupted momentarily by trees whipping in the autumn breeze.

“I bet it was so hard for you to get a cab to come over here because of where you are,” one cab driver admitted to her. “This is literally in the middle of nowhere and we have to be extra careful when driving into new neighborhoods,” he added.

The notion that Morris Park and its surrounding areas, such as the local subway station, are a dangerous place is what drives the Morris Park Community Association (MPCA) to raise the level of safety awareness throughout the neighborhood. For the last 28 years, members of the non-profit community organization have demonstrated in the annual National Night Out alongside their local police department, the 49th precinct, to highlight the importance of crime prevention and drug awareness in and the throughout Bronx.

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The eyes and ears of the Morris Park neighborhood

On an average night throughout Morris Park, you will see the community association’s blue Grand Marquis patrol car cruising along the streets serving as the eyes and ears of the neighborhood.  A siren sits atop of the car’s roof and the association’s logo, two hands shaking within a yellow shield, is affixed onto the door of the driver’s side. The civilian patrol is made up Al D’Angelo, Robert LaPietra and Duane Spearman.  D’Angelo, principal of Holy Name of Jesus School in New Rochelle, also operates as the president of the MPCA.

One of the volunteer patrol’s most frequent destinations is the Morris Park subway station located between Esplanade and Paulding Ave.  At night, some residents exit the station to awaiting vehicles while others walk towards their homes. The area is quiet and deserted, which makes it a prime target for crime.  The closest bus stop is along Pelham Parkway, which is three blocks east of the subway station.  The patrol members main responsibility is to ensure that their fellow residents arrive safely to their destinations.  If a situation is deemed to be too dangerous, they are required to contact the local authorities and not to take action into their own hands.

“You can never be too sure these days,” said Lois Lindo, a resident of Morris Park.  “Just because my building is directly next to the subway station, I still use extreme caution when I am walking.”

“The area is the area, but I don’t necessarily think that the train station itself is shady,” said Jazmine, a student at City College who frequently visits the neighborhood. “No one comes to Morris Park and says, ‘Lets mug someone tonight!’ People get mugged everywhere, it’s random.”

Back in 2011, five victims were attacked and robbed in the middle of night exiting the station. Earlier in the year, a 15-year-old high school student was slashed after a fight between two neighboring high schools broke out on the platform of the subway station.  A spokesperson for the 49th precinct insisted that, “violence in the Morris Park subway station is rare,” and that it is safe to travel on local transit.  According to the NYPD’s most recent Compstat report, the 49th precinct has seen a steady decrease in crime dating as far back to 1990.

During the National Night Out demonstration, members of the MPCA joined their fellow neighbors and gathered on the greenways of Pelham Parkway and Wallace Ave.  The night was filled with pitched tents and information tables for curious adults. Nearby, there were various activities and games for children. Food, beverages, and musical entertainment were also made available for the event.

According to 49th precinct community council member, Hazel Miura, the borough-wide event began in 1984 as a campaign for residents to take a stand against crime across the Bronx.  This past year, about 4,000 Bronxites attended the demonstration, a far cry from the demonstration’s early beginnings.

“When we first started this event almost 30 years ago, all we had was about 35 people that actually showed up,” said Joe Thompson, president of the 49th  Precinct Community Council.

The safety patrol of the MPCA takes great pride in the role that they serve in the community.  “There’s a reason that Morris Park is considered to be one of the safest neighborhoods in the Bronx, better yet, in the five boroughs,” said D’Angelo.  “We don’t need to get paid to do what we do, it just makes us feel good to do things for other people.”

Morris Park Community Association (Pitch)

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For my community service story, I would like to feature the Morris Park Community Association located on 1824 Bronxdale Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. The MPCA is non-profit organization that has been in the neighborhood for more than 30 years.  Their members make up a variety of committees such as sanitation, senior citizens, and economic developments.  They ensure that the quality of life of all residents in the neighborhood are fulfilled.  In the past, the MPCA helped a young neighborhood resident who was in need of a kidney transplant.  They accepted donations at meetings and placed donation buckets inside of local businesses.  The MPCA also holds their annual “National Night Out” which is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness.

The MPCA usually conducts weekly meetings every Wednesday.  It is my plan to go to one of these meetings and focus on a particular issue that they are attempting to overcome.  I would prefer that the angle is something humanistic, uplifting and neighborhood oriented. I am assuming that there will be a president or a director present that I would be able to speak with and gain more background information on the community association. However, I would like it to read more as a team story and not as a single profile piece,  I am sure that will all be based on how I decide to write the story.

All in all I believe that my idea is solid for my community service story.  Once I attend one of their community meetings I will be able to focus on a particular angle and it will not be as broad.

Barnes & Noble Store Will Stay in the Bronx

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Thought I would share this with everyone since we just read the initial story as a class. In the continuing story, it looks as if the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Bronx will remain open for a few more years. Great news for the borough.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/barnes-noble-will-stay-in-the-bronx.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=0

The Right Type (E.S. Business Machines Company)

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The plugged-in generation haphazardly taps away with headphones in their ears. The unique sounds of clacking, clunking, zinging, and the occasional pinging that used to be commonly associated with the art of prose have now fallen on deaf ears.

Inside of his quiet work-space, an elderly man stands behind a brown counter. For the last thirty years, he has been in the midst of an everyday battle against technology and its rapid and ever-changing world.

“It is not easy, but this is what I love to do,” said Sam Vasquez.

Vasquez is the owner and shopkeeper of E.S. Business Machines Company, a repair shop located in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. The shop specializes in the repair of classic typewriters.  It also services antique cash registers and adding machines used in various pubs and restaurants.  For almost three decades, E.S. Business Machines Company has operated in the heart of the northeast Bronx.  However, its roots trace back to another part of New York City.

“I used to be down in lower Manhattan, back when it was big,” said Vasquez. “I got tired of it because I am a Bronx guy. I lived all of my life in the Bronx.”

Born in 1937, Vasquez moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx when he was 17.  As a high school student, Vasquez was drawn to the science of typewriters and eventually began to work as a mechanic.

“I went to school to learn to fix typewriters at that time,” said Vasquez. “It is a challenge to

A shopkeeper and his tool.

A shopkeeper and his tool (DAILY NEWS)

repair them, but I love to repair typewriters.” Vasquez has repaired typewriters for the past 58 years, a passion of his that he has yet to lose.

The price of a repair was determined by the amount of service required on a typewriter. In some instances, service was priced at $10 for a ribbon repair or $30 for a cleaning.  Other times, typewriters were dropped and broken beyond repair. These typewriters could not be replaced because of their rarity.

“I always offer a free estimate to anyone that brings a machine in,” said Vasquez. “It is up to the customer to decide if they want the work to be done here or not.”

Before the advent of computers, smart-phones and tablets, typewriters were a writer’s chief tool that allowed them to share their stories with all of the outside world to read. Just like the writers that sat in front of them, these old machines were unique and full of their own sense of character.  Some were bulky and loud, while others were shiny with large protruding buttons.  Tom Robbins, author of Wild Ducks Flying Backward, once said,”At the typewriter, you find out who you are.”  

Alone in the store, Vasquez often sat behind a cluttered workbench.  Pictures of family members took up permanent space on the walls above him. Vintage typewriters, cash registers and adding machines displayed in the window like exhibits in a museum. Stationary supplies and other machinery were scattered throughout the shop.  From time to time, a curious set of eyes peered from the other side of the storefront’s window.

“People are intrigued by the old machines, especially all of the young kids,” said Vasquez. “It’s like something new to them since they are used to the keyboard and all of that.”

Those same curious individuals and the countless other beneficiaries of the technological era are the shop’s biggest competitors. They are the new generation of people who have reaped the benefits of technology’s exuberant gifts.  As personal computers became more accessible, the demand for typewriters steadily decreased.

“Downtown, there were hundreds of repair shops because there was so much work there,” said Vasquez.  “Now in the Bronx, there is hardly anybody, maybe two guys, that are actually doing this.”

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VIEWS FROM THE STOREFRONT

Along Morris Park Avenue, E.S. Business Machines Company stands out as the only business of its kind. Intimate cafes, restaurants, and convenience stores line the strip, but none have their own particular niche such as E.S. Business Machines Company.

As the years passed, E.S. Business Machines Company began to feel the effects of advancing technology.  However, Vasquez did not view the change in technology as a bad thing.  “It’s amazing what all of these computers can do,” said Vasquez  He cited smart-phones, tablets, and personal computers as all incredible innovations through time.

There was a pause and Vasquez once again began to stare outside of the storefront window.  Presumably, his mind focused on the future of both himself and the repair shop.

“I’m 77 years old,” Vasquez said with a smile. “If I can continue to pay the rent in Morris Park, which is a little expensive, then I will try to keep the business running.”

Today, the rent for businesses along Morris Park varies from $1500, $2000, and $2500. The price of rent is based on the location and size of the store.  E.S. Business Machines Company’s location is in the shopping district of White Plains Road & Morris Park Avenue, an extremely busy intersection with a lot of pedestrian foot traffic.

E.S. Business Machines Company remains a premier destination in the Bronx for young and upcoming writers who wanted to experience writing on a different tool such as a typewriter.

“There are not really a lot of people coming in, but there are still some people that use typewriters and need them repaired,” said Vasquez. “There are some things that you can’t do on the computer.  It is more practical to do it on a typewriter.”

And, of course, there are loyal fans. As Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, once said,  “I do not have a computer. A computers a typewriter.  I already have a typewriter.”

Beginning With the Undertaker

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Liebling introduces us to his profile “Beginning with the Undertaker,” by introducing us to the cast of characters in a particular neighborhood and how they all revolve around the undertaker.  Students, policemen, and housewives all interact with the undertaker to help make him, “the biggest man in the neighborhood.”

However, Liebling only uses the undertaker in context to frame the subject of his article, his friend, Angelo Rizzo of Mulberry Street.  Liebling refers to him as the Mayor of the Mulberry Street because he is a popular face in the neighborhood within in the residents.  Similar to the undertaker, the neighborhood is drawn to ‘Mayor’ Rizzo and they engage in light and comical conversation.  The subject of their particular conversation was how many baths does one take.

I enjoyed how Liebling’s language is easy to read even though it is dated.  He also provided us with a sense of ‘Mayor’ Rizzo’s personality through his quotes.

Hard Times Along Gasoline Alley

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How does the writer document hard times?

The writer documents hard times by explicitly referencing the drug addictions of both Mr. B & Flip.  During their 30-minute-breaks, they both retreated to secret locations to use crack cocaine.  It was fully detailed and harrowing to read because it shows they are working only to sustain their habit. Some of these men also live in poor conditions $10 night rooms and make-shift cots.  The men also compete for customers to earn better tips.

How and where does the writer bring money into his story?

The writer brings money into the story midway through the article to highlight the hustling nature of the men. The men who pump gas work eight hour days and may end up with $50 or more, depending on tips. The automotive skills of Mr. Joseph earned him $150 a day to help pay for his $950 rent.  Broadway also sold mattresses for $15 a day.

Do you think the lead is effective? If so, why?

The lead is an effective one because it poetically describes the“urban foragers” of Atlantic Avenue and provides an adequate backdrop for their hustling nature. Not much is given, but we are made aware of what the article is going to be about.

 

Prez of the Northeast Bronx Association

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In the days before the intimate cafes and mom-and-pop stores that presently line the avenues of the Morris Park section in the Bronx, there was a streetcar that operated from 3rd Avenue, through to Boston Road, before finally reaching its destination at Williamsbridge Road and Morris Park Avenue. The Boston Road “B” Line was officially abandoned in 1948, but one longtime Bronxite fondly remembers the days when the trolley car rolled along the bare blocks, knee-deep in the country-swamp.

“I’ve been living in this neighborhood since the January of 1940,” said Vincent Prezioso. “There was nothing here; there were only woods and places to play. Where I lived, there were no streets to run through,” he added.

Comfortably seated behind a table inside of the Community Board 11 headquarters, Prezioso spoke like a historian, providing anecdotal backgrounds of Morris Park’s forgotten history. He was quick to mention, “Mostly everyone calls me, Vinny.”

For Prezioso, retiring from his job as a contractor at the age of 60 was not enough for him. “I knew I was not going to sit home and watch television all day,” he said.

Prezioso is the director of the Northeast Bronx Association, a non-profit community organization that serves as a liaison between elected officials and the residents in the neighborhood. He has also served as a member of the Community Board 11 since 1996. As the neighborhood that raised him began to change before his very eyes, Vinny felt compelled to do something about it.

“Big companies started to build here,” said Prezioso. “They all came in and tried to buy up all the land, and they would do whatever they wanted to do without even talking to you.”

The luncheonette with a jukebox that helped keep him warm during the frigid winters was gone, as was the butcher shop where his family spent their stamps to buy meat. Horse wagons, troubadours who played the violin, and icemen existed only as memories of simpler times.

Although he had no prior knowledge of the board, the passion of his roots in the neighborhood ran deep and he was able to get successfully appointed by the then-Bronx borough president, Fernando Ferrer.

“Morris Park is no where near the community that it was when I was brought up in the community,” said Prezioso. “To me, I’m a little biased I guess, the society was much stronger, people were much kinder, much gentler.

Morris Park is located in the northeast section of the Bronx. It bears its named after John Albert Morris, a businessman, who built the Morris Park Racecourse. The 300-acre thoroughbred racecourse officially opened on August 20, 1889 and operated until 1904. During its tenure, it was home to both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes operated until 1904.

Prezioso’s peppered thin hair was styled straight towards the back. He wore a turquoise collared-shirt and his eyes sat behind large framed glasses. His voice was hoarse, but still resonated throughout the room.

Born in 1934 to Italian immigrants, Vinny was raised in the midst of The Great Depression. He recalled his father, Aldo, Sr., and his efforts to continually provide for their big family even as times were tough.

The neighborhood has historically been known for its large Italian population. “The society has changed immensely; it was basically Italian when I lived here, about 99 percent Italian,” said Prezioso.

Most Italian immigrants came to Morris Park because it was close-knit and family oriented. Manners were important in a neighborhood where everyone knew one another. Heavy grocery bags were carried up flights of stairs for women, dinners were shared among friends and seniors were addressed as, “Mister,” or “Miss.” Presently, Morris Park is a mix of all races including African Americans, Asian, and Hispanic.

He spent his childhood and the majority of his teenage years living on the top floor of 1855 Bogart Ave in apartment 6D. The apartment building, which is located on the corner of Rhinelander Avenue, still stands today. There were no telephones in the complex, only party lines.

“You ever see those funny movies, you pick up the phone and somebody is on the line talking? You had to share the line with two or three different people,” said Prezioso. He laughed at the memory, “So, if you were an eavesdropper, you use, to listen to what they had to say; girlfriends with boyfriends and people talking, who was enemies and who wasn’t… You had to be careful of what you said.”

As an adolescent, Prezioso, his brother, Aldo, Jr., and friends enjoyed their time outside by playing tackle football on concrete, stoop-ball, and stickball. He was dubbed, “Two-Sewer,” for his ability to hit the ball hard and beyond two sewer caps.

He attended Public School 83 on Rhinelander Avenue, known today as The Donald Hertz School, and then graduated from Christopher Columbus High School located in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx.

In the early 1950s, Prezioso served as a member of the United States Armed Services during the Korean War. He bears a tattoo on his left arm, a remembrance of the many friends he lost during battle.

“I wouldn’t even take any of the honors,” admitted Prezioso. “I don’t want anything, I don’t deserve it. They deserve it, the guys that got killed.” Vinny said proudly.

After returning home from the war, Prezioso remained in the apartment house located on Bogart Avenue until 1965. He briefly moved a few blocks up to Neil Avenue as a newlywed before finally moving to Pelham Gardens in 1971 with his wife and son.

Prezioso takes great pride having served as an activist both in Morris Park and in Pelham Gardens. His organization holds monthly meetings in King’s Harbor Multicare Center where members are able to voice their opinions on happenings in the neighborhood.

“I believe in helping people,” said Prezioso “I don’t want credit,I just want to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.”

Prezioso has never left the Bronx and he does not plan on leaving anytime soon. “I’m the oldest, standing, living guy around here!”

A Moment With Vincent Prezioso