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