By Victoria Floyd
I met Vincent Pascoe on a beautiful, balmy Saturday afternoon to conduct an interview about his life; his warm smile and calm demeanor is a testament to how he has overcome adversity and moved forward in life. It is a story of a young Black boy who willed himself to a better life and has persevered through the storm to become the man he is today. This is Vincent’s Pascoe’s story.
Vincent Pascoe and his four siblings were born in Dixie Court under challenging circumstances. His mother struggled with addiction and alcoholism, and while his father was present, the father-son bond he yearned for never developed. “I saw my mom’s addiction as an embarrassment, not realizing it was an illness,” he said. We were too young to understand addiction and why we struggled financially. There were missed field trips and on occasion, there was never enough money to purchase lunch at school. In was during Pascoe’s moments of solitude and shedding of tears, he vowed to break the cycle of despair.
Despite the constant turmoil at home, Pascoe excelled academically, and sports became an outlet. He also joined the Nan Knox Boys and Girls Club andbegan to find his voice. While he had numerous mentors who served as father figures, he credits Vernon Dooling and Coach Paul Fields from the Boys and Girls Club with molding him into a young man with encouraging words of wisdom. The structured environment allowed Pascoe to exert his strong leadership skills, and he was named Youth of the Year. He was also hired as a youth aide, and the small income helped to support the family. Even though the family struggled, Pascoe never showed defeat to the outside world and began to set the stage for the future. He began to focus on long-term goals and how to change the family dynamics. As his mother’s addiction weighed heavily on his shoulders, and financial resources were meager, Pascoe continued to thrive in the classroom and excel in sports, still determined to move the needle forward.
Pascoe’s hard work through middle and high schools finally paid off and it’s time to graduate from high school, but there was a problem, a big one. The money he hid in the mattress to pay for the cap and gown and to keep away from his mom was gone, and he couldn’t march with the class. The disappointment and anger from not walking with his class didn’t last long. His daughter’s mom told him she was pregnant. It was time to make serious life decisions with a child on the way. Pascoe chose to join the United States Marine Corp and fulfilled his contract of four years, rising through the ranks to become a sergeant. Pascoe credits the experience with shaping him into the man he is today.
Upon being discharged from the Marine Corps, Pascoe returned to Broward County and began a career with the Broward Sheriff’s office as a detention deputy and is now a Sergeant-Detention and has been with the department for 20 years. He has used his life’ as an example for the young men detained and offers words of wisdom and encouragement to anyone willing to listen. He believes this is his mission and if only one hears the message, then he has done his job.
Pascoe has been married for 20 years and is a proud father. Ironically, the boys followed in dad’s footsteps, and joined the military, with one of the sons still an active member of The National Guard. His daughters are thriving, and they work for the Broward Clerk of Courts Office and the Broward Sheriff’s Office. The other two are honor roll students and thriving as well. He is present, an active father showering them with time, attention, discipline, and most importantly, love. He is the first one in his family to graduate from high school, the first to have a child and the first one to get married.
Pascoe’s mom has been clean and sober for over 15 years now, and he has come to terms with her addiction and the disappointments. They now have a strong relationship, and she is active in their lives. In many ways, Pascoe’s life story is like a parallel as he looks in the rearview mirror at the past, but glares into the future with joy and resolve. Yes, Pascoe has fulfilled the promise he made to himself as a young kid growing up in Dixie Court, and for him now, life is good.
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