Satisfied citizen sends police dept. $25

Accepting grants is a routine part of just about any city council agenda, but tonight, St. Paul's elected leaders will take action on an unusual gift.

An 85-year-old St. Paul resident named Berc Parsegyan recently sent the city's Police Department this handwritten note.

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According to public records, the officers were summoned to Parsegyan's apartment on the morning of Aug. 26. The call was logged as "check welfare," meaning someone asked the police to swing by and make sure Parsegyan was alright.

The City Council is required to formally accept any donation worth more than $5. Unsolicited contributions like Parsegyan's come to the city at most once or twice a year, said St. Paul Legislative Aide Ellen Biales.

I tried unsuccessfully to get in touch with Parsegyan. But an internet search shows he has several patents to his name, including one for this:

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U.S. Patent 3,119,011 was issued in 1964 to the Sperry Rand Corporation for "digital data analyzing devices." Parsegyan is listed as one of the inventors.

So now we know two things about Berc Parsegyan. Given the inventions, he's a smart fellow, and given the thank you note, he's also a class act.

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