Collector Jerry Reinert shows an etching by artist Winslow Homer.

Dale King/The Coastal Star

By Dale King

    Jerome “Jerry” Reinert loves beauty in all forms: the elegance of fine art, the face of his grandson while sitting on his lap and pulling at his 78-year-old grandfather’s handlebar mustache; the warmth of good friends and the satisfaction of a life well-lived.
    The walls of Reinert’s South Ocean Boulevard condo in Boca Raton offer a museum-like display of Winslow Homer etchings, four 350-year-old pen and ink drawings and two signed Marc Chagall lithographs, among others. The exhibit also includes a framed poster from the 50th year reunion of survivors from the ocean liner Andrea Doria.
    As a 21-year-old Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate, Reinert was aboard the ill-fated ship July 25, 1956. At 11:10 p.m., in dense fog, the Italian liner was struck broadside by the Swedish ship Stockholm, just south of Nantucket Island. Eleven hours later, it sank in 250 feet of water.
    “If I was in my stateroom, I would have been killed,” Reinert said. At the moment of the collision, “I was in the first-class lounge with actress Ruth Roman and two or three women from New Orleans.”
    The ice-breaker-reinforced bow of the Stockholm knifed 30 feet into the starboard side of the Andrea Doria, killing about 50 people as they slept in their cabins. The nearly 1,700 remaining passengers were saved in an epic rescue, with the damaged Stockholm and the Ile de France pitching in.
    Reinert turned potential disaster into a night of heroism. He and three other men spent more than three hours rescuing children, carrying them down precarious rope ladders to waiting lifeboats.
    In 1960, he and his brother founded Reinert and Co. Inc., a stock brokerage company. Eventually, they bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, which Reinert purchased for himself when he and his brother parted company.
    He was married to his wife, Madeleine, for more than 31 years before her death from breast cancer. He lives with longtime companion Lois Friedman.
    The Andrea Doria survivor also spent years as a lecturer and adjunct professor at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., and at the New York Institute of Technology on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton. He has also been involved with many charitable organizations at RPI, in New York and for the Boca Raton Museum of Art and the Centre for the Arts in Boca.
    Collecting, Reinert says, “is an incurable disease.” Initially, he acquired antique American clocks. The family kept about 10 when he moved to Boca Raton in 1993. The other 53 were auctioned off by Sotheby’s.
    His extensive collection of art includes pieces that have increased in value “20 to 25 fold.” He has also collected antique watches and possesses original Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck watches.
    Even today, Reinert says the Andrea Doria disaster “changed my life. I realize you can do nothing about yesterday; the future is uncertain. We must live for today.”

Doris Trinley served Highland Beach for 25 years, including six as a commissioner.

Now she has retired and has time to enjoy the town she loves.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

     Few people understand the inner workings of Highland Beach as well as Doris Trinley.
    A former town commissioner who left public office in March after having been elected to two three-year terms, Trinley first began serving the residents of Highland Beach as a town employee.
    Hired as a secretary in 1988, Trinley quickly moved up the ranks and within a year became deputy town clerk. In early 1995, she was appointed to serve as the town clerk, a job she held until Jan. 5, 2007.
    During those 12 years, Trinley served several mayors and, on at least one occasion, was called on to serve as interim town manager.
    “For me, the best part of being town clerk was the chance to be an integral ‘link’ to the commission, the staff and, most importantly, the Highland Beach residents,” said Trinley, 76. “I always enjoyed the interaction with them and the questions and comments that went with it.”
    Two months after retiring as town clerk, she was elected without opposition to her first term as a town commissioner and three years later was re-elected again, also without opposition.
    “I’m so grateful to have been a part of this town as it grew and progressed,” she said. “There’s a real sense of pride in Highland Beach.”
    Now out of the public eye after 25 years of service to residents of Highland Beach — as the result of term limits — Trinley is taking time to relax and enjoy living in the town she’s called home since 1983.
    “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t appreciate everything about being here in Highland Beach,” she said. “I always say if everyone has to be someplace, I’ll take here.”
    Those who served with Trinley on the Town Commission use words like “compassionate” and “sincere” to describe her style. Others will tell you that she was always fair.
    “Doris was an outstanding town clerk,” says Commissioner Lou Stern, who credits Trinley with helping him get involved in town government. “As a town commissioner she had a total grasp of each and every situation. When she spoke, her words were right on.”
    Mayor Bernard Featherman points out that Trinley’s experience as a member of the town staff helped her serve as a strong commissioner.
    “She called things the way she saw them,” he said.
    Trinley says she is adjusting to not being involved in town government for the first time in more than a quarter century but will stay out of the spotlight.
    “It was exciting,” she said. “You never knew what was going to happen next.”
— Rich Pollack

Ten Questions:

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school?
A. I was born and grew up in the mile-square town of South Amboy, N.J., the gateway to the Jersey Shore in Middlesex County.
Q. What are some of the highlights of your life?
A.The highlight of my life was the birth of my three sons: Jay, who is deceased; Michael, the lead golf pro at Boca Raton Resort & Club; and Paul, a tax attorney in Boca Raton.
Another highlight has been the birth of my grandchildren, Tara and Luke, courtesy of Paul and my delightful daughter-in-law, Alicia.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?
A. When the family moved to west Boca in the 1980s, we had a beach-parking permit and it was agreed that the family wish was to someday live in one of those grand condos. Eventually that wish came true in early 1983.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?
A.The sheer beauty which surrounds us, from the tiniest flower to the tallest palm, the sunrises, sunsets, southern skies … oh, my.
Q. What is your No. 1 takeaway from your two terms as a town commissioner?
A. My No. 1 takeaway is that you can’t please all the people all the time. There is no such thing as perfect.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. Norah Jones, Anne Murray and Andrea Bocelli.
Q. What do people not know about you that you wish they would?
A. Nothing really. With me, what you see is what you get.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?
A. Yes, from American poet Edward Markham. “For all your days prepare, and treat them ever alike. When you are the anvil, bear; when you are the hammer, strike.”
Q. What was the last book you read and would recommend?
A. The last book I re-read was To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. It speaks to me of courage, compassion and human frailty.
Q. Who or what makes you laugh?
A. My brother Tom Ryan, the world’s greatest storyteller.

Necklace of multicolored shell pearls, $195-$225. At Unique Boutique, Delray Beach.

Casta Flore flower ring with green and pink tourmaline, gold and diamonds, $2,900. At Furst, Delray Beach.

Freshwater ‘soufflé’ baroque pearls; strand with 18k gold clasp with diamonds, $4,500. At Jewelry Artisans, Manalapan.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

    In ancient times, Greeks and Romans revered mothers with special feasts honoring mother goddesses.
    But Mother’s Day, as a modern-day holiday, is relatively young.
    In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution setting aside a specific day, the second Sunday in May, to honor the role that mothers play in family life — all because of the efforts of Anna Jarvis.
    At age 12, she was inspired by her mom to celebrate mothers. She heard Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis say a class prayer to end a lesson on mothers of the Bible: “I hope that someone, sometime will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
    The daughter never forgot that prayer, vowing on her mother’s Pennsylvania grave in 1905 to devote her life to dedicating a day to honor all mothers, living and deceased.
    Jarvis never married and had no children. She gave up her job to focus on writing letters to lobby elected leaders, clergy members, women’s clubs and anyone else she thought could influence the creation of a Mother’s Day.  
    Fast-forward 99 years to Sunday, May 12. This Mother’s Day will celebrate traditional mothers, as well as honoring all women who nurture us.
    True, it is more commercial than the day Jarvis conceived. She valued hand-written letters and white carnations, her mom’s favorite flower.
    But spending time contemplating the precise gift to please your mom may ease some of that guilt.
    Many mothers are fond of jewelry, perfume or books. But to come to the right decision about a specific piece of jewelry, youngsters and adult children will need to do some detective work first.
    What type of metal does she prefer: sterling silver, yellow or white gold, or platinum?
    What type of gemstone does she prefer? The American Gem Trade Association lists popular colored gemstones and cultured pearls with lore and background information on its website (www.agta.org).
    What is her personal style – modern, traditional, classic or art deco?
    Armed with that information, consumers then can successfully navigate a jewelry store. Here are a few coastal jewelers to help with your selection:

At Furst jewelry store, owner Flavie Furst recommends:
    • Handmade initial letters in gold or silver with birthstone, $119, suitable for young or older mothers.
    • For gold earrings, semiprecious and precious stones, $500-$600, suitable for young or older mothers.
    • Diamond stud sitting atop of flower, $600, for moms 25-35.
    • Casta flore ring that features green and pink tourmaline on a gold band with diamonds, $2,900, for moms 35-55.
    123 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach; 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Mon.-Sat.; (561) 272-6422.

At Harry’s Designer Jewels, owner Harry Vhagia recommends:
    • One-inch hand-crafted, heart pendants of sterling silver or 14k or 18k yellow or white gold, with diamonds, semi-precious or without stones, hearts in sterling silver or white gold for moms who prefer silver jewelry, from $200 to $5,000.
    300 Esplanade no. 51, Royal Palm Place, Boca Raton; noon-8 p.m. everyday; (561) 393-9899.

    At Jewelry Artisans, store manager Emi Evans recommends:
    • Large freshwater “soufflé” extra-large baroque pearls, natural colors of peach, white and lavender; strand with 18k gold clasp with diamonds about $4,500.
    • 7 carat diamond-encrusted heart pendant, featuring pavé diamonds, in 18k white gold with chain, about $14,700.
    247 S Ocean Blvd., Plaza del Mar, Manalapan; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday; (561) 586-8687.

  

 At Officine Panerai, sales associate Adam Narvez recommends:
    • Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous watch, rendition of timepiece from 1940s, very feminine, not too large and not too small, starts at $14,000 in stainless steel, then $37,000 in 18k gold. The watch features a sun–moon indicator for day and night.
    306 North Plaza Real, Mizner Park, Boca Raton; 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday; (561) 361-2311.

At Private Jewelers, the owner recommends:
    • Beautifully detailed stackable rings, one to represent each child. Exquisitely crafted in platinum, white, and yellow gold set with an array of precious gemstones and diamonds, from $475-$2,500.
    900 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m., every other Saturday; (561) 272-9800.

At Unique Boutique, owner Karen Beaton recommends:
    • Multicolored shell pearls, in single strands, $195-$225, with magnetic clasps.
    • Sterling silver freshwater pearl collars in one-of-a-kind design, $350-$795.
    • Collection of Tahitian pearl jewelry (earrings and strands), starting at $1,700.
    204 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday; (561) 272-6654.

Friends Josepha Peters of Winter Haven, Shake Potoukian of Fort Lauderdale, Cecile Guekjian of Miami

and Rosemary VanWitzenburg of Fort Lauderdale raise a cup at TeaLicious Tea Room

in Delray Beach. The women meet all over the state to try different tea rooms.

Daniella Russo, 8, a second-grader at Morikami Park Elementary School, sips

her decaffeinated cherry vanilla tea at TeaLicious Tearoom.

The Abigail Rose at TeaLicious offers a variety of freshly made canapes,

tea sandwiches, fresh ripe fruits, mini sweets and warm scones served with preserves.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jan Norris

    Those looking to take tea with Mom near her big day this month have a few traditional choices, or they can go mod at the Ritz-Carlton.
    Afternoon tea — the ritual of a pot of tea served with little sandwiches and sweets on silver trays —  has given way to test tubes and whoopie pies at the Ritz in Manalapan.
    Hotel spokeswoman Christine DiRocco explains, “It’s more like a coffee break. Tables are set for couples. We bring a pot of water and you choose your teas — they’re loose leaf — from test tubes. The server presents an assortment and then pops the cork on them and lets you sniff.”
    They’re served with a few sweet tidbits, also contemporary. Red velvet whoopee pies, Temple Orange marmalade with scones, the house-made banana bread and a chocolate-covered strawberry are among the offerings.
    “We’re keeping it more casual,” DiRocco said.
    That’s in contrast to the Victorian-style teahouse set up in Delray’s Tealicious Tea Room.
    Mirjana Matesic, the owner, said her version of the tea is more like a high tea — the afternoon meal for commoners — with more substantial sandwiches and sweets. “We serve high tea any time of day — we embellish it.”
    The terms “afternoon” and “high” tea confuse Americans who eat on a different timetable than most Europeans, she said.         
“Europeans eat a later lunch that stands in for dinner, and they need something in their stomachs to tide them until bed later. High tea is an actual meal, and it was served at home. Afternoon tea was served with the scones and clotted cream, light finger bits, and served in the grand hotels as an afternoon break from shopping or socializing.”
    The term “high tea” refers to the height of the home dining table, versus the lower tables set in most parlors around tufted chairs and sofas.
    Her version is set in a tearoom reminiscent of English parlors, with mismatched chairs, table linens, flowers and the three-tiered trays.
    The prix-fixe meal includes soup and salad, and a variety of canapés like stuffed mushrooms and mini-quiches, which are followed with several hot and cold sandwiches — walnut chicken salad, grilled chicken panini, turkey reuben and a smoked salmon croissant. Crab and shrimp salad, spanikopita, crab cakes and a vegetarian hummus with grilled eggplant, sweet peppers, tomato and fresh mozzarella bring a different flavor to this tea. The classics, egg salad and cucumber sandwiches, also are available.
    More than 60 teas are offered — and Matesic can tell tea-goers about the health benefits of each. “We have green teas and teas for detox. I drink teas for my health.”
    But she appreciates those who want the true experience and offers them to both adults and children — the Princess Tea for is just for youngsters aged 5 to 10.
    “Of course, we serve scones we bake here every day. We fill them up,” Matesic said. “Some leave with a doggie bag.”
    A similar but scaled-back version is at the Chesterfield in Palm Beach, a Brit-owned bed and breakfast. In their cozy library, among stuffed chairs and the low tables, they present a selection of traditional and flavored teas, scones, clotted cream, preserves, pastries and four sandwiches — egg salad, sliced cold chicken with arugula and herb mayonnaise, cucumber with butter, and smoked salmon with a dill cream cheese.
    Also available here is the “cream tea” — the tea service with only scones and cream.
    Chesterfield spokeswoman Joy Groover said groups can arrange the “Victorian tea experience,” with tea-leaf readers and women in Victorian dresses lecturing on the history of tea, and tea etiquette.
    A special afternoon tea luncheon also is presented at the Café des Beaux-Arts at the Flagler Museum for Mother’s Day weekend. In season, the tea lunch is served Tuesdays through Saturdays.
    The Breakers no longer offers afternoon tea.
    For a proper tea, there are rules, of course.
    Greet the host or hostess first, then other guests.
    The hostess always pours if a butler or maid isn’t present, and in her own good time. She may ask if you’d like sugar and how many lumps. Two should be a maximum.
    If using sugar or lemon in the tea, the sugar goes in the cup first, then a thin slice (never a wedge) of lemon, then the water poured over the strainer full of loose teas (never bags — an abomination to traditionalists).
    Milk goes in last, if at all. The superstition is “to put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love” — perhaps leaving you unwed. Lemon and milk (not cream) are never served in the same cup as the milk will curdle.
    The spoon is always placed behind the cup on the saucer and never left in the cup.
    The cup is lifted by holding the cup handle with thumb and all four fingers; the pinky-up move is an affectation. It’s impolite to look over the rim of the cup as you drink.
    If you are not served by a butler, use  fingers to choose one or two small items from the trays. Typically, the savory foods are eaten first, but since scones are baked especially for the teas, you’re encouraged to eat these first while they’re warm. Scones are split with the knife and cream and preserves are placed on the serving plate. Condiments are spread on each bite separately. No proper tea foods should require fork and knife; they’re eaten out of hand.
    Leading up to Mother’s Day, the teas in area tearooms are booked ahead; reserve in advance and for large groups at any day. For the special Tealicious Tea Room Mother’s Day tea, there are two seatings and by reservation only. The Chesterfield and the Ritz-Carlton will offer Mother’s Day brunches instead.

If you go:
TeaLicious Tea Room
4997 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
638-5155; tealicioustearoom.com
Tea served Monday-Saturday, 11:30-4 p.m.

The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach
100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan
533-6000; ritzcarlton.com
Tea served daily, 3-5 p.m.

The Chesterfield
363 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach
659-5800; chesterfieldpb.com
Tea served daily, 3-5 p.m.

Café Beaux-Arts at the Flagler Museum
1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach
655-2833; flaglermuseum.us
Tea served Mother’s Day weekend; the cafe is then closed until November.

Dr. Ken Simmons visits with Zeek Moore, Hannah Banana Marinus and Lexi Panitz

in the Doggie Day Care at the Barkeritaville Lagoon at Simmons Veterinary Hospital in Lake Worth.

Inset below: A special memorial statue will honor retired canine officer Drake,

a former patient of Dr. Ken Simmons, that died of bullet wounds after a burglary at its home.

Libby Volgyes/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore

    When I first came to Palm Beach County to begin my career as a reporter for the Sun-Sentinel, one of my biggest moving challenges was finding the right veterinarian for my cats, Little Guy and Callie. That was 1987 — well before the Internet exploded with business websites, Facebook, phone apps and other social media venues.
    Back then, one had to rely on word of mouth in finding a good veterinarian and other health professionals. I put my reporting skills to use, interviewing dozens of people in my neighborhood and in the newsroom who had cats and dogs. They shared unfiltered feedback on their veterinarians. In the end, the name that came popping up at the top was Ken Simmons, DVM, a veterinarian in Lake Worth. For the nine years that I lived in Lantana, he helped keep my feline twosome healthy.
    At the time, he had a conventional practice with a lobby often filled with dogs, cats and other companion animals. He was a young veterinarian, just five years out of earning his degree from the University of Florida, but was already showing signs of being innovative, progressive and most of all, eager to help pets beyond exams and veterinary procedures.
    Fast forward to today. Simmons is no longer my veterinarian, but that is strictly because of geography. I now share my home in San Diego County with two dogs, Chipper and Cleo (who surf!) and two cats, Zeki and Murphy. My foursome receive twice-a-year wellness examinations by the veterinary team at Melrose Animal Hospital. I learned decades ago from Simmons of the importance of such visits that can often help veterinarians detect and treat health conditions early, before they advance and before they become expensive.
    In researching ideas for this pet column, I stumbled onto Simmons’ website. In addition to conventional veterinary care provided, his clinic also houses the Barkers Hotel, the Purrington Inn and the Bark Park playgrounds. He has evolved from being strictly a veterinarian to creating a one-stop place featuring pet activities and amenities.
   But what caught my attention is his efforts to not only memorialize one of his former canine patients, but to change the law to provide more medical benefits for police dogs throughout Florida. In late November, three people broke into the Greenacres home of Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Boody. He was not home, but his retired K9 patrol dog Drake was. Drake, a muscular, 80-pound German shepherd, was shot five times.
    When he was brought to the Simmons Veterinary Hospital, Simmons went to work to try to save his life.
    “There were two bullet holes in his head, he was shot two times in the neck and a fifth bullet shattered his left leg,” recalls Simmons. “We were able to stabilize him, but he had lost a lot of blood and I was concerned about a bullet that had hit his esophagus. There was also a mass in his abdomen about the size of a watermelon. So, I made arrangements to have Drake flown to the University of Florida in Gainesville where there was a team of surgeons waiting for his arrival.”
    Sadly, Drake’s condition worsened and the decision was made to euthanize him the day after Thanksgiving. His death has motivated Simmons to champion the cause of police dogs, both active and retired. He is proposing the Police K9 Bill of Rights to Florida legislators that would provide lifetime medical benefits to these dogs, reclassify them as canine law enforcement officers — not equipment — and protect them with safety gear such as bulletproof vests.
     In addition, Simmons hired artist Jocelyn Russell to create a life-sized bronze sculpture of Drake at his clinic’s Barkeritaville Dog Park. The base will inscribe the names, dates and departments of service dogs across the country killed in the line of duty or died of natural causes.
     His hope is to unveil Drake’s statue at a special ceremony by Memorial Day.
     “For 25 years, I’ve been putting the names of my patients who have passed on in memorial stones, but I felt compelled to do more for Drake,” says Simmons. “I remembered Drake when he was a healthy, strong police dog and that is the image that comes through in his bronze statute. He protected us and that is why I am pushing hard for a bill of rights for all police dogs. Together, we can do the right thing for these amazing dogs.”
     To learn more about the Drake Memorial Project, visit www.simmonsvet.com.

    Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

CROS Ministries members Carolina Martinez, 27, (left) of West Palm Beach and Tracy Tenore, 28, (right)

of Boynton Beach paint the house of Delray Beach resident Willie Lee Thomas, 89, with the help

of SonCoast Church member Dot Bast (center) of Delray Beach during ‘Curb Appeal by the Block 2013.’

Kurtis Boggs/The Coastal Star

Cafe Esperanza catering student Alex Depas (right) serves hors d’oeuvres to George Taylor

and Noreen Burpee Salah at the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce lunch.

Photo provided

Dr. Allen Bezner of Highland Beach, who later received the Maimonides’ Physicians Award from Chabad

of East Boca, sits next to Marjory Bitson and Alan Bergstein in the front row during

Chabad’s bar mitzvah at Mizner Park.

Photo by Lisa Nalven

By Tim Pallesen

   Boca Helping Hands is getting a helping hand from the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce in its new job-training initiative to fight poverty.
    Café Esperanza — a new catering service that provides training to the unemployed — started by catering a lunch for new Chamber members.
    “Everything was delicious,” Chamber President Troy McLellan proclaimed afterward. He encouraged others to try the catering service, too.
    Boca Helping Hands, an interfaith effort known primarily for its soup kitchen and food pantry, graduated its first 10 catering students on April 10.
    Students go through three phases of training to gain hospitality industry experience and prepare for restaurant jobs.
    “We are taking bold steps to break the crippling cycle of poverty that grips so many families,” Helping Hands executive director James Gavrilos said.
    Gavrilos said he was particularly proud to have the Chamber as Café Esperanza’s first client.
    “Only when the business community and the nonprofit community come together can we effectively wage the war on poverty,” he said. “We hope the business community will consider using Café Esperanza for their staff lunches, business breakfasts and team-building dinners.”
    The Chamber has more than 1,300 businesses as members. McLellan said he hoped being the first client would give “a comfort level” for others.
    “Our message was that we’re using them and you should, too,” he said.
    Mayor Susan Whelchel, a guest at the March 12 luncheon, also applauded the food.
    “I thought it was absolutely outstanding,” the mayor said. “I will use them the next time I need a caterer.”
•
    Roxane Lipton was searching for a purpose 10 years ago when she moved from New York City to Boca Raton.
    “I didn’t play golf. I didn’t play cards. I needed something to do,” she said.
    So Lipton joined the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and met with a small group of women in her home to discuss an idea.
    A decade later, the Jewish Women’s Foundation that Lipton founded has given $560,000 in grants to help Jewish women and children here and around the world.
    “Women loved the idea of being able to give to other women and children,” Lipton said. “We found that women face similar problems all over the world.”
    Sixty women each give $2,000 each year and then decide the most worthy causes that will receive their money.
    “We work collaboratively to fund our commitments and engage in a lively and stimulating evaluation process to allocate our resources,” foundation chair Mara Reuben said.
    “Our understanding of the challenges confronting Jewish women and children, locally and globally, has deepened along with our resolve to impact their lives and future,” Reuben said.
    The foundation received 80 grant proposals this year. Three local programs that received grants were iPads for Autism, the PJ Library and Let’s Get Healthy.
    The iPads library lending program is a cutting edge way to educate women and children with autism to unlock their potential. The PJ Library (see item below) teaches the tenets of Judaism through children’s books. The third program provides nutrition counseling to 20 single women who receive food from the Jacobson Family Food Pantry.
    Women in Israel received grants to complete college, excel in science and technology, and run successful campaigns for elective offices.
•
    Jewish children in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach are getting free books in the mail.
    The books from PJ Library celebrate Jewish culture, values and tradition. Registration is under way for 3,000 families with children ages 6 months to 8 years to receive books in their mailboxes each month.
    To promote the opportunity, nearly 50,000 sample books were mailed out last month. The books come with a resource guide to help parents share the experience.
    PJ stands for pajamas. Joanna Drowos, a physician and mother to two preschoolers, launched the book giveaway in South Palm Beach County with other mothers.
    “PJ Library provides families with the perfect platform to spent time together, combing Jewish values with a love of reading,” Drowos said. “I can’t think of a better way to engage young Jewish families and strengthen our community now and for the future.”
    Parents can contact library director Elana Ostroff at (561) 852-6080 or go to www.pjlibrary.org to register.
    “This extraordinary program will help us embrace and engage the next generation,” library chairwoman Ilene Wohlgemuth said.
•
    Worship by The Avenue Church is now a tradition at the largest annual festivals in downtown Delray Beach, their organizer says.
    Nancy Stewart, who organizes Delray Affair and Garlic Fest, says vendors hesitated to work Sundays when she first expanded the festivals into three-day events. Then she included The Avenue Church worship service on stage at Old School Square on Sunday mornings.
    “A lot of people have told me it was a blessing to them. They had struggled over whether to participate in our events,” Stewart said. “Now it’s become a tradition that The Avenue Church uses the main stage at Old School Square for all the events we do.”
    Church volunteers washed dishes at Garlic Festival this year and participated in other downtown events that Stewart organizes for the Chamber of Commerce.
    Senior pastor Casey Cleveland is delighted by the opportunity.
    “Jesus was always with the people,” he said. “We want to go as Christ went.” 
•   
    More than 1,000 people braved pouring rain to celebrate a bar mitzvah at Mizner Park Amphitheater for the synagogue that’s become a vibrant center of Jewish life in East Boca Raton.
    Chabad of East Boca, the only synagogue east of Federal Highway, drew a March 20 crowd with the first Boca Raton appearance of Mordechai Ben David, a popular Hasidic singer and songwriter.
    “Rather than celebrate our bar mitzvah year with a dinner that limits participation, we wanted to do something that would bring the greater community together,” Rabbi Ruvi New said. “Nothing does it quite like music.”
    Ethan Bortnick, 12, the youngest entertainer to headline a Las Vegas show, also performed. The Freilach Orchestra and Shira Choir flew from New York City to join in.
    The synagogue presented 15 awards for outstanding contributions to the Boca Raton community. Howard Kaye received the Community Service Award. The Kosher Market Place was judged best for kosher quality.
 •
    Jewish music returns to the Mizner Park Amphitheater on May 19 for a 65th anniversary celebration to honor the state of Israel.
    The Maccabeats are young men who perform a cappella, with a fan base of more than 10 million views on YouTube. Israeli folk dancers from the Donna Klein Jewish Academy also will perform.
    Children’s activities at the free event start an hour before the 4 p.m. stage show. Organizers expect thousands to attend.

Tim Pallesen writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Email him at tcpallesen@aol.com.

A full-size pirate ship complete with cannons and a gang plank is shaded by massive oak trees

in the side yard of David Nordhausen’s Boca Raton home.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Botanical highlights of his yard include: (left) the underside of mature bird’s-nest fern, a heliconia bloom (below) and a vivid red bromeliad (bottom).

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    If asked to describe the garden at David Nordhausen’s home in Boca Raton, I’d tell you it’s Tarzan meets Captain Kidd. After all, Nordhausen has created the closest thing he could to a jungle in his front yard and, in his side yard, yes, he has a pirate ship complete with plank.
    “I’ve always thought of myself as a pirate,” says Nordhausen who is an arborist by profession and a buccaneer for amusement.
He fell in love with lush vegetation after traveling to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean islands. When he got home he realized there wasn’t much in his front yard. “So I decided to create a controlled jungle unlike anything I’d found in Florida,” he says.
    This is just one of the homes you can visit as part of the Mounts Connoisseurs Garden Tour on May 11 and 12, sponsored by Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach. In its 10th year, the tour will also feature homes with plenty of bromeliads and tropical fruit trees as well as the “over-the-top” garden of a Palm Beach mansion.
    While these gardens are fun to see, the tour is designed to educate. “Our mission is to show people how they can garden in Palm Beach County and to let them experience different styles of gardens,” says Mounts Botanical Garden Director David Sistrunk.
    In 1990, Nordhausen bought his property because it had four live oak trees on it. “These trees had never been butchered so they spread way out,” he says. Today they also tower 40 feet into the air.
    He added two royal poincianas to create a dense canopy. Then he set his sprinkler system to mist the air. The water trapped under the trees creates the perfect microclimate for his exotic plants.
    It’s also a nice place for humans because, on any day, the temperature under the trees is 15 to 20 degrees cooler than anywhere else, he says.
    As you follow the Chicago brick paths, you’ll find the giant leaves of the philodendron monstera climbing the trunk of an oak as it reaches for the sun. A giant antler fern hangs from a limb.
    The charming fans of the Fiji palm, a banana tree and a spreading travelers palm add to the greenery. And a Japanese maple with delicate orange flowers fills a terra cotta pot.
    Stand quietly for a minute and you’ll recognize the rich resonating tones coming from the hand-tuned wind chime in a poinciana tree. Its music fills the air as does the murmur of water spilling over two fountains. On cool nights, Nordhausen lights the fire pit in this outdoor living room.
    At the end of his property you come to a large gate made from well-aged wood found in Mexico and dating back to the 1850s. It’s edged with copper and sports hand-forged iron hardware. Don’t miss the carved wood sign announcing that The Defiant, Nordhausen’s pirate ship, is “anchored” behind the gate. The skull and cross bones flag on the fence removes any doubt.
    Through the gate you come upon the stern of the ship set under and around a towering oak tree. “At first I thought I’d build a deck that would look like a ship. But when I found a carpenter who loves boats, I decided to build a ship to use as a deck,” he says.
    There’s a pier with pilings and a ramp that leads onto the main deck. Notice the authentic cannons and deck guns. Nordhausen says two of the cannons are 10-pound Dutch armaments from 1610.
    With all this going on you may have questions about the eclectic mix of plants. Two master gardeners will be stationed at each home on the tour to answer your gardening questions.

    Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net when she’s not digging in her yard.

If You Go
The Mounts Connoisseurs Garden Tour, May 11 and 12, includes visits to six private gardens on Saturday; and, on Sunday, a garden in Palm Beach plus Mother’s Day Tea at Mounts Botanical Garden, 532 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, where representatives from local plant societies will answer your gardening questions.
Tour tickets good for both days $25; $20 for Mounts members. At time of purchase, you will receive information about the gardens on the tour and directions. For locations to purchase tickets, visit mounts.org or call 233-1757.

John Cutrone, director of the Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts at Florida Atlantic University and founder of Real Mail Fridays, talks as AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt applies postage to one of her 20 thank-you notes.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Judith Klau of Delray Beach chats with other letter writers while composing a letter to her grandson, Pfc. Joshua Sandage, 21, who is stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.

Diane Schwartz of Delray Beach writes a birthday letter to her cousin in Boca Raton. Schwartz is the author of Girl Friend, a self-published novel of World War II.

Below: A detail of a seagrape leaf AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt was mailing as a thank-you note.

By Ron Hayes

    Hardly anybody sends them anymore. Almost everybody still loves them to get them.
    We telephone. We email. We text.
    Some even tweet.
    But how many people send old-fashioned letters, written with a pen, sealed with a kiss?
    “I got a letter in the mail one day and it was a revelation,” says John Cutrone. “I stood at the mailbox thinking, ‘Look, I got a real letter!’ ”
    A friend in Maine had actually taken the time to write. Imagine that.
    Cutrone, director of the Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts at Florida Atlantic University, was inspired. He would brew a pot of coffee, put out a plate of cookies, provide some nice pens and India ink, fancy paper, and invite the public to stop by and write.
    “Real Mail Fridays” was born.
    On the first Friday of each month between 4 and 6 p.m., a small but dedicated band of correspondents gathers on the fourth floor of the university’s Wimberly Library to make someone near or far stand by a mailbox and exclaim, “Look, I got a real letter!”
    “It’s just about spreading the joy I got from receiving a simple letter,” says Cutrone. “Plus we’re going to save the post office.”
    He’s joking, but the U.S. Postal Service isn’t. It lost almost $16 billion last year. The nation’s love affair with email is only a small factor in the downturn — mandated pension payments bear most of the blame — but the challenge is so great the postal service briefly flirted with an end to Saturday deliveries.
    Every Forever stamp helps.
    At the group’s third meeting, on April 5, a woman named AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt arrived from Lake Worth with a list of 20 names and addresses. Her bicycle had been stolen from her van recently, she explained, and these 20 Facebook friends had chipped in to get her a new one.
    “I’m also a calligrapher,” she said. “The mailman has been my best friend because I not only sent beautiful letters, I received them.”
    As the Cuban rhythms of the Buena Vista Social Club played softly in the background, Windisch-Hunt added ornate decorations to an envelope, the first of 20 thank-you notes to those friends.
    At the next table, Diane Schwartz of Delray Beach sat intently filling a page with the lyrically cursive script kids don’t seem to learn anymore.
    “Dear Coz,” she began — a birthday letter to her cousin in Boca Raton.
    “Instead of buying one of those cards with a manufactured sentiment, I’m telling her why I love her,” said Schwartz. “Letters are very dear to me.”
    So dear, in fact, that Schwartz is the author of Girl Friend, a self-published, epistolary novel of World War II.
    "When I was a kid in World War II,” she said, “I met a Free French sailor whose ship had docked in New York. I saw that cute beret with the pompon …”
    They became friendly, and when he sailed for France, the sailor wrote her.
    “Dear Debra … I prefer much more the short evenings with you than the long Sundays without you …”
    Schwartz is 87, but she still has, and treasures, that letter. It appears verbatim in her novel, with the names changed.
    “The only people who write letters are people in their declining years,” she lamented. “We were taught grammar, and how to write, and how to express ourselves. Nobody does that anymore.”
    Judith Klau of Delray Beach sat beside her, composing a letter to her grandson, Pfc. Joshua Sandage, who is 21 years old and stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.
    Is it true that young people don’t send real mail anymore?
    “To me he does,” Klau said. “He’s written two wonderful letters to me, and I’ve written about 21 to him. At least.”
    Meanwhile, Cutrone, the director who started Real Mail Fridays, was satisfied with a small, unadorned sheet of paper and black ink.
     He was writing to FAU President Mary Jane Saunders, he said, just a simple note to thank her for her support.
    He thought it might make her feel good, Cutrone said, to get a real letter.

If You Go
What: “Real Mail Fridays” — an effort to revive the dying art of snail-mail.
Where: The Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for Books Arts in the Wimberly Library, 777 Glades Road on the Florida Atlantic University campus.
When: 4-6 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.
Cost: A donation of $10 is requested.
For more information: visit www.jaffecollection.org or call (561) 297-0455.

Seasonal West Palm Beach resident Kay Paupore (left) of Canton, Mich., buys shrimp

from Lisa and Eric Finn of Finn-Atic Fish Co. at the Delray Beach Green Market.

Kurtis Boggs/ The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith
    The owner of the Finn-Atic Fish Co. has the perfect last name for his fresh fish business: Finn.
    Eric Finn, who was graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2008 with a degree in marketing and a passion for spearfishing, soon soured on the corporate world. He turned to his love of spearfishing to support himself as a commercial fisherman, selling to restaurants and retailers.
    Then last year, he wanted to sell to consumers without the hassle and cost of a physical location. His Internet site went live in October, and is updated daily with the fresh fish available.
    “Our specialty is hogfish,” he says of his spearfishing prowess. Hogfish sells for $19.99 a pound, making it the most expensive fish sold by Finn-atic. The fish is filleted by hand.
    Lobster, when it is in season, is also popular. “We have a selective way of harvesting that doesn’t involve nets,” Finn, 27, says. “So there’s no waste.”
    Finn-atic fish also is available at the Delray GreenMarket on Saturdays until mid-May and the Carnival Flea Market in west Delray Beach on Thursdays.
    About half of the company’s sales come from the website, the rest from the markets. A sliding scale of delivery fees ($10-$30) is based on ZIP codes in Palm Beach and Broward counties; orders over $100 are delivered for free.
    Wife Lisa, a schoolteacher and co-owner of Finn-atic, helps him at the GreenMarket. His deckhand and all-around mate on the 23-foot Finn-atic fishing boat is Chris Burke. Burke’s girlfriend, Christine Nocastro, works the Thursday market.
    Finn is mulling the start of a subscription service this summer, so that consumers won’t have to log on to his website weekly but still can receive fresh fish each week. He is also interested in putting coupons in monthly local magazines to help grow his business.
    “Eventually, we’d like to get into shipping across the country,” Finn says. “Many of our green market customers are snowbirds who go back north for the summer but still want fresh fish.”

Finn-Atic Fish Co., www.finnaticfishco.com, 789-8316.

Anne Rodgers (left) and Dr. Maureen Whelihan collaborated on the new book Kiss and Tell.

Below: the book's cover.

Photo provided by Lee Hershfield

By Paula Detwiller

    A few years ago, while recuperating from surgery on a broken leg, I visited a naturopathic medicine practitioner who had suffered a similar injury. She gave me a lot of practical advice — including a line I will never forget.
    “You will heal well if you eat nutritious food and get plenty of sleep and sex,” she said.
    Hmm! I’d never had a doctor prescribe sex before. Maybe Marvin Gaye was on to something when he wrote the lyrics to Sexual Healing:
    And when I get that feeling
    I want sexual healing
    Sexual healing is good for me
    Makes me feel so fine, it’s such a rush
    Helps to relieve the mind, and it’s good for us
    At the time, though, I just didn’t have “that feeling.” My libido was stuck in neutral.
    Thanks to a new book, Kiss and Tell: Secrets of Sexual Desire from Women 15 to 97, I have been reassured that “neutral” is a natural state of being for women, especially those who’ve been with the same partner for many years.
    “It’s not because we don’t like sex. It’s because we have about one-tenth the amount of testosterone (the sex-drive-producing hormone) men do,” says Anne Rodgers, a former Palm Beach Post editor who wrote the book along with Wellington gynecologist Dr. Maureen Whelihan. “So our partners need to learn ways to shift us into drive.”
    The book is based on a survey of 1,300 women — all patients of Dr. Whelihan’s — and follow-up interviews with 100 of those patients. The women were asked questions such as what stimulates their desire, what they think about during sex, and what is their quickest route to orgasm.
    Kiss and Tell is part social history (with first-person accounts of the impact of the 1960s sexual revolution) and part Penthouse Forum (it appeals to the voyeur in all of us). We meet Alexa, a self-described bisexual who enjoyed the swinger lifestyle for 16 years; 55-year-old Marie, who says she could go without sex and be fine with it; and Catherine, who had her first orgasm at 82. The survey includes women who are single, married, divorced, widowed, straight, lesbian and bisexual.
    “There are a million things that stimulate women’s desire,” Rodgers says. “One woman wrote, ‘the smell of suntan lotion.’ Another wrote, ‘wearing tight thong underwear.’ But for women of all ages, kissing ranked very high as the No. 1 trigger.”
    I have to agree. A good kiss can launch a very good lovemaking session.
    And as the book makes clear, women who have satisfying sex lives are happier. But I wondered: Are they healthier? Why exactly is sex “good for us,” as Marvin Gaye put it?
    Whelihan, who is a founding partner of the Center for Sexual Health and Education in West Palm Beach, was happy to address my question in an email.
    “Sex is an integral part of both physical and emotional wellness,” she wrote. “There is an innate need to be touched. Human contact stimulates the natural transmitters in the brain like dopamine and norepinephrine that give us drive and energy.
    “Sexual activity burns calories and increases the heart rate and blood pressure,” she continued. “Stimulating the pelvic floor with thrusting and orgasm help maintain pelvic support as well as bladder function well into a woman’s 80s. Regular intercourse keeps the vagina supple and lubricated without the need for estrogen creams.
    “Statistically,” she concluded, “women who have sex three times a week live seven years longer!”
    All the more reason to discover the secrets of desire.

Kiss and Tell is available for sale online at kissandtellbook.com or Amazon.com.

Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Find her at www.pdwrites.com.

Author Harvey Oyer III has been named Florida Distinguished Author for his trilogy of children’s books.

Below, a mugshot of Oyer.

By Ron Hayes

     A fifth-generation Floridian, former chairman of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County and prolific chronicler of this area’s pioneers, Harvey Oyer III knows Florida well.
    But even he had never heard of the Florida Distinguished Author award, until he won it.
    Oyer has been named the Distinguished Florida Author for 2013 by Florida House, a nonprofit, privately funded “embassy” situated across from the U.S. Supreme Court on Washington’s Capitol Hill.
    The education committee, which also honors the visual arts, has named sea life painter Guy Harvey this year’s Distinguished Artist. Both will be honored during a three-day celebration culminating May 16 with a dinner in the Grand Hall of the Library of Congress.
    “I didn’t know anything about it until they notified me,” Oyer said, “There are many great authors associated with Florida — Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings — but if you notice the ones they’ve [Florida House] selected in the past, they tend to be writers who not only lived here, but actually write about Florida. I’m deeply honored.”
    Past recipients include Bob Beatty, Carlton W. Ward Jr. and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas.
    Oyer’s great-great grandparents, Hannibal and Margretta Pierce, arrived in southeast Florida in 1872. Their daughter, Lillie Pierce Voss, was Oyer’s great-grandmother, the first white child born between Jupiter and Miami. A plaque across from the Marriott Hotel in Delray Beach marks the approximate place of her birth in August 1876.
    And Lillie’s brother — Oyer’s great-grand-uncle — stars in The Adventures of Charlie Pierce, a trilogy of children’s books that celebrate his family’s Florida history, and for which Florida House now celebrates him.
    “This is the 40th anniversary of Florida House and the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s landing, so we wanted to honor someone who really celebrated our history,” said Susan Clemons, another fifth-generation Floridian and a board member of Florida House, who nominated Oyer. “We’ve never had a children’s author before, and Harvey’s a wonderful person who’s worked so hard to celebrate our state.”
    About 85,000 students throughout South Florida now read the Charlie Pierce series as part of their fourth-grade history classes.
“A lot people deserve the credit,” Oyer said. “I wrote the books, but the school districts had to want them, and sponsors like Wells Fargo and the Everglades Foundation and others had to pay for them. I feel very fortunate.”

    For more information, visit http://floridaembassy.com and www.the adventuresofcharliepierce.com.

    Most adults have heard of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year, according to the ALS Association. The incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 people, and it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time.
    With no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries, ALS can strike anyone. So, it’s not unlikely that many of us know or have known someone debilitated by this progressive neurodegenerative disease. Sadly, the end result is death — usually at a premature age, and usually within two to five years.
    If you were diagnosed with this disease, how would you choose to live the remainder of your life? That is the theme of the new book Until I Say Goodbye, My Year of Living with Joy, by local journalist and writer Susan Spencer-Wendel. It is a heartfelt look at accepting the inevitable through the unwavering (and often humorous) gaze of a consummate journalist.
    The book is beautifully written — with her last functioning digit, her thumb. Buy it. This is not a sad and depressing book. It is the archetypal hero’s journey intertwined with a passionate love song for her children. This is what explains its rise to No. 3 (at press time) on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold Hollywood on its film potential. It is a testament to Susan’s talent and her capacity for love.
    I worked with Susan for many years at The Palm Beach Post, but it wasn’t until last year when I joined a fledgling writing group that I began to really appreciate her sharp wit and intellect and to see firsthand the depth of her love for her three beautiful children.
    I don’t know that I will ever finish my novel, but her advice and suggestions will follow my writing wherever it does go. I am grateful to have been a part of this small group nestled beneath her chickee hut, reading and laughing — and sometimes crying — all of us struggling to put our passions and experiences into words.
    On March 23, Susan — with family, friends and colleagues — participated in the Walk to Defeat ALS in Jupiter. More than 700 people came out on a bright, warm morning. ALS had touched each team of walkers, so they came in support and memory of dancers and insurance agents, carpenters and business owners, financial planners and surgeons. But even with this support, the ALS Association Florida Chapter fell short of its $200,000 goal.
    That seems like such an insignificant amount, somehow. It is with this knowledge that I ask you to consider making a contribution toward finding a cure for ALS. If not for our generation, then for the next — and for their much-loved children.
    Send checks to: Walk to Defeat ALS, 3242 Parkside Center Circle, Tampa, FL 33019.
    Questions? Call 888-257-1717 or email Tiffany Geiger at tgeiger@alsafl.org.
—Mary Kate Leming, Executive Editor

By Margie Plunkett
    
    The proposed closure of the air traffic control tower at the Boca Raton airport — one of 149 set to be closed nationwide because of sequestration — has been the hot topic in aviation. Local sentiment mirrors that of Lauren Crocker, chief operating officer of South Trac Air Charter: “It really stinks.”
    Airport, city and county authorities have been working the political channels, preparing arguments and rustling up comment against closing the tower, airport Manager Ken A. Day reported at the regular Airport Authority meeting March 20, but the facility remained on the final closing list released by the FAA on March 22. The towers on the list, which was reduced from an initial 189 proposed closures to meet $637 million in federal cuts, are expected to be phased out over four weeks beginning April 7.
    Safety and the economy are potential victims of taking the tower out of operation, Boca Raton authorities claim. The threat has generated discussions about how to keep it open with private funds, including such options as picking up the $650,000 annual tab through the Airport Authority budget and assessing fees on aircraft using the airport.
    After the announcement of the final tower closures, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a press release, “We will work with the airports and the operators to ensure the procedures are in place to maintain the high level of safety at non-towered airports.”
    The FAA also said that some communities will elect to participate in FAA’s non-federal tower program and assume the cost of continued, on-site air traffic control services at their airports. The FAA is committed to facilitating this transition, the release said.
Boca Raton pilot Jack Fox, who has an airplane and hanger at the airport, has been flying in and out of the airfield for 25 years and flew there safely before there was a tower.
“While it is better to have tower with South Florida¹s highly congested air corridors,” Fox said that not having one “would not have much of an impact on light aircraft pilots.” On the other hand, the insurance companies of corporate aircraft often prohibit them from flying into airports without towers, he said. “Some safety margins will be given up” without a tower.
    Closure of Boca Raton Airport’s control tower “is not only a safety issue, but also a development issue,” council member Susan Haynie said at the city’s March 12 meeting, where council, like the Airport Authority, passed a resolution disapproving the tower closure.  “If we’re an uncontrolled airport, a lot of corporate jets would not fly in.”
    Because closing the tower would remove a layer of safety for aircraft flying in and out of the Boca Raton airfield, city and airport officials fear corporate jets as well as companies like Kirland will no longer use the airport.
If corporations gravitate to cities with airport facilities to guide their craft in on landing, Boca Raton could lose corporate headquarters, jobs and tax revenue, they said during March council and Airport Authority meetings.
    In the case of South Trac Air Charter, a division of Kirland Aviation, the company is in the process of certification to operate private charters out of Boca Raton Airport, where it is planning to offer services to groups including Caribbean resorts, corporations and  college sports teams.
    A closed tower would prohibit Kirland — as well as other corporate jets — from flying into Boca Raton, Crocker said. The company has four British Aerospace Jetstream 41 jets — very large former commercial craft that carry up to 29 passengers, Crocker said. “We would rely on the instruments and the tower to come in,” Crocker said.
    Kirland, which is forging ahead with its plan, has been stymied by sequestration in other ways.          Kirland and its crew must work directly with the FAA to achieve certification. There have been “enormous delays” as FAA employees must take furlough days off, can’t work overtime and can’t travel on weekends, Crocker said.  “We just have to wait it out.”
    The charter airline’s initial anticipated May 1 startup date looks a lot more like mid-June now, she said, adding that with every day the airline isn’t operating, more money is lost.
    During the Airport Authority’s March 7 emergency meeting, Airport Manager Day noted additional consequence of tower closure: “The Authority would see decrease in fuel purchases and aircraft operations.” It would lose revenue, because it receives a percentage of fuel sales.
    Since the tower’s inception, jet fuel delivery in gallons has increased 51 percent, Day said.
    The Airport Authority has invested more than $2.4 million in tower improvements in the last 13 years,  Day said, adding that if the authority wants to take over the entire tower operation, it would cost $650,000 annually.
“It would have potential impact on the authority’s future and on operating and capital improvement programs,” he said.
    In making arguments to the federal regulators, Day said he must show how keeping the tower open would affect the national interest. If it were not, Day said, why has the federal government supplied $11.2 million to operate the tower?
    In public comment at the emergency meeting, Vincent Costa, executive director of the Boca Raton Pilots Association, estimated the livelihood of many families would be impacted by the closing, with 150 people making a direct living off the control tower. He also noted that probably 30 percent of the 1,365 registered aircraft in Palm Beach County are corporate.
    Costa suggested implementing a user fee for aircraft coming into the airport, calling it a small price to pay for safety.  
    He suggested a sliding fee for aircraft that would not hurt the general aviation pilot, ranging from $50 fee for corporate jets to $5 for a light single-engine plane and that would raise more than $650,000 to operate the tower.
    “A reasonable user fee would not significantly add to the cost of these corporate turbine aircraft,” Costa said. “A $50 fee to that charter coming in from New York does not create a situation where that executive will not land at the airport. Most likely, it would bring in aircraft from airports that have lost their control tower.”
    The fee is negligible compared to what it costs to operate an aircraft.
Some of the corporate turbine aircraft burn 40 times the price of a $6 gallon of fuel just to take off, he said, and others cost at least $100 an hour to operate.
    “There’s a tremendous safety issue landing and taking off. … That is why we are reluctant to give up the tower,” Costa said.  “If we have an accident, it’s going to take place close to the airport, it might fall into the shopping center … not the Everglades. When you’re coming close to the airport, that’s where you need to be advised — within 5 miles of the field.”
    David Bizantis, who is tower chief and operates the control tower with four others, thanked the Airport Authority for its efforts to keep the tower open. The controllers not only actively avert air traffic incidents, but are also the first to respond when there is a situation.
    “The tower is the first set of eyes that’s going to see it. We’re the first to notify fire-rescue,” Bizantis said. Closing the tower “could delay the response to someone who needs help right now.”
    Bizantis recounted a recent emergency in which a departing aircraft returned to the airport with an engine out, which had initially been reported as an engine fire. “Without a control tower, there would be no way to coordinate for the emergency equipment to be standing by when he returned,” he said.
    “It’s difficult to quantify every day the things that we do to avoid a catastrophe,” Bizantis said. “We don’t report the things that didn’t happen.
    “On a daily basis,” he said, “we give a friendly reminder to check your gear down, because it’s not. It happens — quite often. That’s what we do. That’s our job. Aviation safety is of a vital national interest.”

The path forward
    •  If no resolution is found, the tower will close on May 5, during the third round of airport tower closings.
    • City and community leaders met recently with U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch and U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel to discuss the impact the closure will on the local economy as well as safety.
    • The Boca Raton Airport Authority is continuing to explore the possibility of self-funding tower operations and determining whether other options are available.
    • Lobbying efforts are continuing in Washington in an attempt to restore federal financing for tower operations.
    • The Boca Raton Airport Authority is developing operational plans in preparation for the tower’s closing.

By Cheryl Blackerby
    
    Attendance is up 50 percent at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, which is a good thing, except for a growing parking problem. On busy days, one or two park rangers have to manage parking.
    A big part of the problem is beach-goers who park free at Gumbo Limbo and then go across the street to Red Reef Park East to avoid paying the $18 daily rate on weekends ($16 weekdays) at the beach.
    The solution: Parking meters for Gumbo Limbo and Red Reef Park East.
    At least that’s what Michele Peel, president of Friends of Gumbo Limbo, proposed to the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District.
    If Red Reef Park East had meter hourly parking instead of the expensive daily rate, and Gumbo Limbo also had the same meter parking rate, there would be no benefit for beach-goers to park at Gumbo Limbo, she said.
    Red Reef Park West, between A1A and the Intracoastal on the south side of Gumbo Limbo, has meter parking that is $2 per hour ($3 on weekends) with a maximum of four hours parking. Peel said the proposed meter rates for Gumbo Limbo and Red Reef East would need to be the same as Red Reef Park West.
    “We haven’t looked at the price, so we don’t yet know what the rate would be,” said Peel, adding that the nature center’s members would get lower meter rates.  “We could give our members parking tokens, and the price would depend on the membership level.”
    Another parking problem, she said, is the need for spaces close to the center for volunteers. That’s in addition to the parking spaces they need for visitors.
    The metered parking at Gumbo Limbo would have the added benefit of keeping people bound for the beach from picnicking on Gumbo Limbo land, which doesn’t have picnic facilities.
They leave garbage and food, which attracts the nature center’s wildlife, including foxes, raccoons and skunks, said Peel.
    Friends of Gumbo Limbo is a not-for-profit organization that supports research, education, conservation and preservation efforts through memberships, the gift shop, donations, sponsorships, foundation gifts and annual fundraising events.

By Cheryl Blackerby
    
    Boca Raton’s July Fourth celebration may determine who knows best how to manage Boca Raton’s parks and beaches: the Boca Raton Beach & Park District or the city of Boca Raton.
    The simmering war over management of beaches and parks showed signs of boiling March 28 when a resolute Mayor Susan Whelchel called a halt to debate about where the city should hold its July Fourth fireworks celebration.
    Whelchel said the City Council had decided to move from its traditional venue at Florida Atlantic University, and that decision was a “100 percent done deal.” The show will go on at the district’s pride and joy — the Spanish River Athletic Complex at DeHoernle Park. Discussion closed.
    “It’s done,” she said. “That’s where it’s going to be.”
    This comes as news to the district’s commissioners, who are alarmed by the thoughts of a potential traffic nightmare and thousands of July Fourth revelers trampling and trashing their brand new $14 million park and sports fields, the crown jewel of the Boca park system. District commissioners say they were blindsided by the City Council’s decision to move the July Fourth celebration to the park, hearing about it through a third party.
    “There are so many challenges to moving into this spot, that you may not have given enough consideration to all the opportunities you’ve got,” a worried District Commissioner Earl Starkoff told two city officials during the board’s March 18 meeting.
    Starkoff told Assistant City Manager Mike Woika that the city should reconsider: “Maybe just keep it at FAU, keep your options open and then take a year to decide.”
    Woika said the move already had been contemplated for years and that, as the FAU campus has grown, the venue for fireworks has become less desirable.
    “It wasn’t a change we made lightly. It wasn’t an immediate knee-jerk,” Woika said. “There was a lot of planning.”
    District commissioners ended the meeting saying they wanted to get more information from the city and explore the July Fourth plan further.
    District Chairman Robert Rollins asked Woika to consider having the celebration at the beach or Intracoastal Waterway, as other beach communities do, or having it at the FAU stadium, suggesting maybe it’s time to have a different kind of celebration.
    But Whelchel’s pronouncement seems to have rendered exploration irrelevant.
    The flap over fireworks is the latest in what already has been a year of testy relations between the City Council and park district board.
    District commissioners say that this wasn’t the first time they weren’t consulted on a matter they should have been.
    In February, city officials abruptly reduced two employees’ wages at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, forcing the district commissioners to scramble and cough up $26,000 to supplement the paychecks of two highly regarded workers and keep them from quitting.
    Then in March, the district got a $200,000 bill from the city for dune restoration north of Red Reef Park. Commissioners grumbled that they hadn’t seen surveys or damage reports and weren’t briefed on the plans for trucking in 5,000 tons of sand or consulted on how best to deal with the damage from Hurricane Sandy. Even the amount was perplexing, given that one damage assessment had put the figure at $170,000.
    “I’m relying solely on the city saying that it’s necessary to do this,” said Arthur Koski, the district board’s lawyer and acting director. “I want this district to be actively involved in planning, rather than getting a phone call saying, ‘Send me the check.’ ’’
    Starkoff agreed, saying commissioners should have a voice in how Boca’s beaches are repaired and how the district’s tax dollars are being spent.
    “I’d like to know we’re actively involved and not just a money pit,” he said.
    Koski said the district will seek an inter-local agreement with the city to clarify the relationship between governing bodies for future beach restoration projects. But exactly how to improve the working relations between city officials and commissioners may be more than any inter-local legal document can cover.
    If the July Fourth celebration is a success, Whelchel and the City Council will be vindicated and the district commissioners dismissed as worry warts. If it is a fiasco as the district predicts, the district will look like winners.
    It could all come down to parking. Commissioner Steve Engel questions the math of cars and people. He said he calculates that there are 1,200 parking spots in and around the Spanish River park site and the city is expecting at least 10,000 people to turn out. Woika admitted they would have to use shuttle buses.
    City Manager Leif Ahnell insists that the city has everything under control.
    “I know that the Police Department is very capable of handling these types of events,” he said. “As you know, they do traffic for FAU stadium that holds upwards of 20,000 to 25,000 people, and engineers for traffic have put together parking and traffic flow plans.”
    Whelchel concurs, saying the city has a “fabulous” plan: “We’re looking forward to it. We’re going to be safe and our police are going to do everything they always do, which makes us absolutely comfortable and wonderful.”
    But Councilman Anthony Majhess said he had talked to two park rangers who worried aloud that the facility could not handle the traffic.
    Ahnell bristled at the idea: “I suggest that maybe they don’t know what they’re talking
about.”

The Friends of Gumbo Limbo Board of Trustees members, (L-R) Steve Alley, President Michele Kurucz Peel, Susan Walker, ‘Luna’ The Green Sea Turtle, portrayed by Michele’s daughter Delaney, Treasurer Judy Gire and volunteer Elisabeth Hoffman, cheer on the riders participating in the Grand Fondo Garneau ride at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton on March 23.

Kurtis Boggs/The Coastal Star

By Tim Pallesen

     Boca Raton’s centerpiece for downtown redevelopment, as city leaders call it, starts construction this fall.
    Archstone won City Council approval March 11 to build 378 apartments in the heart of what city leaders hope will become a pedestrian-friendly downtown where young professionals live, work and play.
    “Young professionals want to be in the thick of the action in an urban setting,” Archstone developer Mark Guzzetta said.
    Boca Raton now has given zoning approval to build a total of 1,800 new apartments in the East Palmetto Park Road area between Mizner Park and Royal Palm Plaza.
    Opponents of the 9-story Archstone say that’s too many for the market to support. But the council wants pedestrians on downtown streets.
    “There’s a short supply downtown right now,” council member Constance Scott said. “We need 10,000 people living downtown to be vibrant. We only have 4,000 now.”
    Guzzetta said Archstone will offer high-tech luxury to attract young professionals as renters. A 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment will lease for $2,000 a month.
    The concierge will offer hot and cold storage for pizza and grocery deliveries. The pool area will have marble tile, cabanas, an outdoor kitchen and an adjacent dog park.
    “Many young professionals are not going to be homebuyers for a long time,” Guzzetta said. “They saw their parents’ home go into foreclosure and don’t want that to happen to them. They would rather be footloose and fancy free.”
    A local economist, Ann Witte, disputed that at the March 11 hearing, saying most young professionals know it is cheaper to purchase a home. She said developers are overbuilding rental units.
    “Successful professionals are smart,” Witte said. “They’re going to buy and not rent.”
    But developer attorney Charlie Siemon accused Witte of bias against renters.
    Coastal residents objected to Archstone at the hearing, saying they fear traffic congestion along Palmetto Park Road at the bridge.
    “How are we going to deal with this?” Marie Dupont Roseberg asked. “You’re putting a cork in what’s already bottleneck traffic.”
    “We’re going to have trouble getting off the island for emergencies,” Debra Kusack warned.
    But Siemon described the increased traffic because of Archstone as “almost invisible.”
    Archstone will request a building permit this month and then select up to six restaurants for young professionals to enjoy.
    “We have over 50 parties interested in locating there,” Guzzetta said.
    Councilman Anthony Majhess criticized the developer for not including more retail shops in his project to create a downtown similar to Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
    “We’ve missed a great opportunity to have a thriving retail district,” said Majhess, the lone vote against the project.
    Mayor Susan Whelchel assured Majhess that retail shopping will come next.
    “We have to do this step by step,” she said. “We can’t have a pedestrian-friendly downtown until we have more pedestrians.”
    Archstone promises the pedestrians.
    “We will bring the people to the sidewalks to shop at stores on Palmetto Park Road,” Guzzetta said.

By Rich Pollack
    
    A resident who in February publicly shared neighbors’ concerns about the town manager’s oversight of the library and its director now says he is satisfied that the issues have been resolved.
    “We are very pleased to have been advised by Mari Suarez, our library director, that she and Kathleen Weiser, our town manager, have reconciled their differences and are committed to a mutually respectful and productive relationship,” Mike Stein wrote in a letter to the Town Commission that he read at a meeting last month.
    Stein, who in a previous letter to town commissioners expressed his concerns that Weiser’s management style could negatively affect “our treasured library,” said that he has spoken with several commissioners, as well as Weiser and Suarez, since raising concerns and believes they have been clarified.
    “The feeling I get from the commission is that this has been a positive experience for everyone and a productive one,” Stein said. “I’m optimistic that things are going to go fine in the future.”
    A centerpiece of Stein’s previous letter was a written reprimand Weiser had given to Suarez last year after the library director ordered, without proper authorization, a $500 “drop-in shower” for use by a library custodian. Suarez later ordered the shower be returned.
    While Stein had felt that the reprimand as well as the town manager’s latest performance evaluation of Suarez was an indication that she was not pleased with the overall operation of the library, he said meeting with the manager and commissioners and with representatives of Friends of the Library — a support arm for the library — reassured him that this was not the case.
    “Everyone respects Mari and what she’s done with the library,” he said.
    Weiser added that during a recent meeting with Suarez, the two discussed the proper procedures that need to be followed for purchasing and procurement as well as maintenance of the library. “Mari is a terrific library director and this is not a reflection of the job she does or of the library,” she said. “This is about being sure purchasing processes are followed uniformly throughout the town.”
Weiser said she is planning to implement a town-wide training program for employees on purchasing and procurement procedures.
    In his letter to commissioners, Stein said he is hoping the relationship between Suarez, Weiser and the Town Commission will remain a positive one.
    “The library is a resource that improves our property values and makes Highland Beach special,” he said. “The future of our library depends on the mutually supportive relationship of the commission, the town manager,   Friends of the Library and the library director.”

Outgoing Highland Beach Commissioner Doris Trinley holds up her old name placard as Mayor Bernard Featherman (left) and Town Attorney Glen Torcivia applaud her during a special commission meeting on March 13.

Commissioner Carl Feldman is sworn in by Town Clerk Beverly Brown.

Photos by Kurtis Boggs/The Coastal Star

    Community activist Carl Feldman defeated Ron Clark in the March 12 Highland Beach municipal election to win a three-year term on the Town Commission.
    Feldman, who received 422 votes, 57 percent of the 736 votes cast in the race, replaced Commissioner Doris Trinley, who could not run for re-election because of term limits.
    Voters also approved seven minor changes to the town charter, with 395 voters approving the revisions, including clarifications on term limits for elected officials, 395 to 263.
    After taking his seat on the commission the day after the election, Feldman praised Clark and reiterated what he said is his commitment to being the voice of town residents.
    “Ron Clark is a great guy and I thank him for running a great campaign,” he said. “This was a classic election between two candidates with no mudslinging. It was a campaign with each candidate presenting his platform and the residents making their choice.”
    Feldman praised Trinley for her years of service to the town. In addition to serving on the commission since 2007, Trinley had previously served as a deputy town clerk and later town clerk after joining the town staff in 1988.
    During a brief meeting following Feldman’s swearing-in ceremony, several commissioners expressed concerns about the wording of the charter revisions on the ballot, which they said was unclear and confusing.
    Members of the commission as well as a few residents said they hope there will be improvements in communicating ballot issues in the future.                                
— Rich Pollack

A May 1943 photo of the family that harbored Jojo (front, second from right) during WWII,

including girls named Giselle (far left) and Michou (front, holding stuffed bear).

In 2002 the adult Jojo, now going by the name of George Banet, reunited with Giselle (center) and Michou.

Photos provided

    On July 16 and 17, 1942, in what became known as the Vel D’Hiv roundup, French police arrested 13,152 Jewish men, women and children from around Paris. Initially kept in the Velodrome D’Hiver, they were then taken to internment camps near Paris and ultimately transported to German death camps.
    It took until 1995, in a speech by then President Jacques Chirac, to formally acknowledge France’s collaboration with the Nazis. In 2012, French President Francois Hollande spoke of France’s betrayal of the Jews and its irony: France in 1791 had been the first European country to declare Jews full-fledged citizens.
    This year’s Remembrance Day talk in Highland Beach will be about the French people who saved Jewish lives. It is the story of George Banet, who lives in Highland Beach.
    Banet and his mother were dragged from their apartment during the Vel D’Hiv roundup. His mother, Thérèse, was imprisoned, but the French policeman holding the 12-year-old boy allowed him to run.
    Jojo Flaum, as Banet was then called, managed to get safely to his aunt and uncle’s apartment. As long as Thérèse was interned in Paris, the family stayed, hoping to get her out of Drancy. When she was deported, the entire family had to leave.
    Finding a safe place for Jojo’s aunt, uncle and their three children, would be difficult. A sixth person, Jojo, would make it harder. A neighbor said a cousin living outside of Paris would take Jojo in. Everyone agreed it was best.
    Seventy years after the fact, George Banet’s memory concerning the war goes in and out. Most of the time when asked questions, he says he can’t remember. He had even forgotten what he was called during the war.
    But he remembered a town, L’Hay-les-Roses, and he had two pictures, dated Mai 1943, of the family that hid him. But he couldn’t remember their name.
    Suddenly, in 2001, he could remember.
    In 2002, Jojo was reunited with the people who saved him. During that reunion, and the reunions that would follow, they told Jojo about his time with them. And how they had lost touch.
    Asked why they risked their lives to hide a Jew, the woman named Giselle looked puzzled.  “He had nowhere else to go,” she said. “Of course we took him in. C’est normal.”
    There were many good French people, like this family —  people who aren’t known about and aren’t asked about.
    Banet’s wife, Marlene Roberts, will document the story of a 12-year-old Jewish boy and the Catholic family who saved him.
    Banet still cannot talk about what happened.                       
— Staff report  
    The Holocaust commemoration will begin at 5 p.m. April 8, at the Highland Beach Library, 3618 S. Ocean Blvd. For more information, call 278-5455.