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Our neighborhood is a great, interactive place to live because of our neighbors.
Each month, one NEPNA household will be highlighted so you'll recognize another NEPNA
neighbor while fishing at one of our waterfront parks, riding bikes along our livable streets to a
game at Northeast Little League, or visiting one of our neighborhood businesses. Any household
can be highlighted – just let us know if you'd like to be next and we'll take care of the rest. |
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The Backe Family
There is never an easy way to bring up the topic of college football allegiances with any sense of subjectivity - especially when residing in a state with strong feelings toward respective programs - and more especially when discussing either the University of Florida or (The) Florida State University. So when a family can trace their beginnings back to one of the schools (rather than a split between the two, etc.), it makes writing a profile about them far easier.
John and Dyan Backe met while Dyan was attending Eckerd College here in St. Petersburg. Both continued their education at FSU and are now proud alumni that share their enjoyment of FSU football with their two sons, and (probably also with) their two dogs - Prince and Haley. The Backe family has lived in their house on 39th Avenue for the past four years after testing the waters in three other Pinellas County neighborhoods. Northeast Park has been a perfect fit - it's not too far from Dyan's work for Hillsborough County's Planning and Growth Management Department where she is a senior planner focusing on sustainability issues and code amendments. And John has a short trip to his work as a sales manager for the Hampton Inn and Suites in downtown St. Pete (side note: highly recommended locale for a stay-cation or local ‘grown-ups' weekend). The added bonus of Dyan's mother, a retired educator, living a few blocks away for the past two years has been invaluable.
The exterior appearance of the Backe house is deceiving. No FSU paraphernalia. No Chief Osceola and Renegade statues. No wax sculpture of Bobby Bowden. But the way the family spends a few of their fall weekends is a different story. John's parents now live in Tallahassee, so trips to FSU games provide a welcome opportunity for family get-togethers. John (sometimes with his brothers Matt and Michael) travels up for at least four games each year, bringing Dyan and one of their sons at a time. It's all part of a grooming process to (not so) subtly influence their boys' choices for school while carrying on their appreciation of FSU. |
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But don't think that the Backe family is single-dimensional with a focus just on FSU. The whole family enjoys vacations (mostly to Mid-Atlantic states where Dyan is from) and swimming in their pool; Dyan's free time is spent cooking, recreating outdoors, and practicing yoga; John plays flag football and soccer, and rides bikes. Being together as a family - regardless of what the activity is - takes precedence over anything. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the Backe family likes spending time together - and trips to FSU games is just another opportunity to be together and to share a common interest.
Dyan has great ideas about the NEPNA pedestrian corridors and Crisp Park initiatives, and the whole family enjoyed the inaugural Dog Days of Summer party at Crisp Park. When you see a garnet and gold clad family enjoying Crisp Park or walking along our livable streets, be sure to introduce yourself - and keep the conversation to one of their many other interests and hobbies, unless of course, you too are an FSU fan. |
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©2009 Northeast Park Neighborhood Association, All Rights Reserved. by Grid |
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