Neighborhood Relations

By Sonjie Johnson

That’s the way Tim Prescott enters his 5th grade classroom every morning at Como Park Elementary. He’s been feeling that way for 28 years, but it wasn’t a straight line from college to teaching.

Two weeks after he graduated from Mankato State University, Tim and his wife Mary were married. Tim’s degree was in Management and Marketing; Mary’s in nursing. Mary grew up in St. Paul and the couple initially lived in the Midway and East Side before buying a house in Como Park 20 years ago.

By Sonjie Johnson
“You bought a gas station?” Whether it’s her family, friends, customers, or this writer, Amna Kiran often hears this comment. “D & L is my third one,” she replies, and goes on to tell the story of her somewhat unusual life.

By Sonjie Johnson

“We want it,” Mike Zaccardi said, and pulled out his checkbook. It was 1993, and he was making a down payment on a renovated church without his wife’s pre-approval. “It was perfect.” He was right.

On the market for over a year, the owner of the former Babtist church sent out flyers to local photographers, in the hope that the church could become a home and studio. Serendipity, an ongoing theme in Mike’s life, brought the flyer to Mike’s mailbox at just the right time.