Puccini draws on his own experiences to help others

  One former Wellton Elementary School student said, "I'm just a poor dumb Mexican, and I will just wind up in the fields."

  But Alan Puccini, pastor at Wellton Assembly of God and a teacher at Wellton Elementary School, knew better.

  "I told him I won't let that happen. I made him captain of the basketball team, and now he is talking about going into the Navy. I care about my kids deeply."

  Puccini has experienced challenges and adversity in his own career, which has led him to believe in the basic principles of truth, loyalty and passion for what is right.

  Puccini was born in Winchester, Ind., but raised in Union City, Ind.

  After high school, Puccini entered the Air Force at the age of 19 and spent four years as an inventory management specialist. He made sure the equipment or parts needed to run the operations were available.

  Puccini's career in the Air Force included a tour in Vietnam, where he found a relationship with the Lord because "I was just scared and I just started praying."

  A fellow airman saw Puccini praying one time and asked him to attend a prayer service. "We knelt down and asked the Lord into my life," said Puccini.

  After Vietnam Puccini got married, and for two years went to Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., on the GI Bill. After graduation he went into ministry, and then attended the University of Missouri, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education.

  Now, Puccini teaches social studies, history and geography to seventh- and eighth-graders at Wellton Elementary. He enjoys teaching because he tells the students about history and how individuals can change things for the better.

  "(The students) can make commitments (and) they can overcome the adversities of life," he said.

  Puccini overcame his own adversities after coming back from Vietnam in the 1970s. He recalls the nightmares he used to have and also the incident that damaged his hip.

  There was "a rocket attack (and) I jumped on a truck and landed on my hip wrong," said Puccini. Over the years his hip has begun to deteriorate and seven years ago his hip went out, and it hasn't been the same since.

 "Becoming handicapped has been hard to accept. (It) restricts me from running and bending over."

  However, he acknowledges that the support from his wife, the people at school and the Lord has helped him through.

  Puccini knows that many veterans came back from Vietnam with problems that led them down a dark path, but he wanted a life that fulfilled him. He got this fulfillment through his family, friends and jobs.

  Being both a teacher and a pastor can be a challenge, but there are others who face these same challenges every day, he said.

  As a pastor, Puccini says that you have to give as much as you receive.

 As a teacher he says, "I try not to be just a teacher but a mentor and encourage (the students) to go further than they thought they could."

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STATS AND FACTS

Name: Alan Puccini

Birthplace: Winchester, Ind.

Occupation: Junior high teacher and an ordained pastor

Marital status: Married for 57 years

Children: Seven biological children and two adopted children

Pets: Three dogs

Political affiliation: Republican

Favorite thing to eat: Porterhouse steak from Logan's

Favorite midnight snack: None

Favorite movie: "Sergeant York"

Favorite TV show: "C.S.I."

Biggest pet peeve: People who litter

If the world was ending tomorrow, what I'd do today: Stay home with my
family

Most unusual or interesting skill: Finding a bargain

If my life had a theme song it would be: Don't know

If they make a movie about me I'll be played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Favorite weekend getaway: My daughter's house in Phoenix

Favorite vacation spot so far: Sedona