The Palm Breeze cruises past the Boca Raton Resort & Club
toward Boca Raton Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean during a recent
cruise. Photos by Tim Stepien

Cruise director Olena Markel unfurls the
sails of the Palm Breeze as the catamaran heads
into the Atlantic Ocean during a recent excursion cruise.

By Mary Thurwachter

Capt. Charlie says the ocean is in his blood. Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, he learned to sail at 13 (from his father) and he has been at it ever since.

He started on a Hobie Cat, moved up to high-performance boats and even raced Olympic-class boats for a few years. 

These days, you can often find Capt. Charlie (aka Charles A. Mount, president of Palm Beach Charters Inc.) at the helm of 55-foot catamaran yacht sailing guests into the Atlantic Ocean and up and down the Intracoastal Waterway to see huge mansions, historic lighthouses, and sometimes schools of bottlenose dolphins splashing alongside the boat.

Nestled between the hulls of the Palm Breeze, guests find ample room to sunbathe or sip a cool drink while listening to steel drum music. Behind the bar is cruise director Olena Markel, whose wide smile and cheery demeanor help ensure everyone has a good time.

“I grew up in the Ukraine,”  Markel says. “I dreamed of living by the ocean. Then one day I was in Jacksonville and I realized my dream had come true.”

Markel, who lives in Boca Raton, even makes the safety talk fun. “There are life jackets. If you see me wearing one, you should, too,” she advises before she cranks up the island music to put everyone in a “don’t worry, be happy” state of mind.

While Markel chit-chats with the folks on board, in this case a mix of European tourists and locals, mate Greg Steck scurries about helping to raise the sails and occasionally relieves Capt. Charlie at the wheel.

On this day, the Palm Breeze departs from the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Capt. Charlie cranks up the engine to get out of the inlet and then raises the sails full speed ahead into the Atlantic.

It’s a very green operation. Solar panels charge the batteries and wind powers the boat through the open waters. 

Cruisers discover how quietly and quickly the catamaran glides across the waves.

“We broke our speed record recently,” Capt. Charlie reveals. “After a Coast Guard inspection in Fort Pierce, Olena and I came back at 20 knots (about 25 miles per hour). That’s high performance for a charter boat. We went 100 miles in five hours with no engine.”

Even on a regular sightseeing cruise like the one we took recently, the catamaran moved along at 10-15 miles per hour as it sailed south by the Hillsboro Inlet.

From there, the sailing yacht cruised by the historic Hillsboro lighthouse, which opened in 1907.

Once inside the inlet, the Palm Breeze sailed back to the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the crew pointing out some of the mansions along the way.

Perhaps because the catamaran is so wide and Capt. Charlie is such an accomplished sailor, or maybe because the winds weren’t brutal, no one appears to have a problem with seasickness. 

While you might not think about sailing boats as fishing vessels, Capt. Charlie says the Palm Breeze has an impressive fishing history. Large sailfish, wahoo and mahi mahi are reeled in fairly frequently, he says, much to the delight of guests.

The day we sailed, a 10- to 15-pound mahi mahi took the bait and jumped out of the water three times before escaping with a chunk of ballyhoo in its mouth.  

While sailing may be in his blood, Capt. Charlie says he likes the people side of the business as much as anything. “I enjoying meeting people with diverse personalities and being outdoors,” he says.

Capt. Charlie and his partner, Holly Sauer, established Palm Breeze Charters in 1987 with a sailing yacht. They currently have two 55-foot catamarans, a 48-foot motor yacht for Intracoastal cruises and a racing boat.

The boats, which depart from various locations, including the Boca Raton Resort & Club and Deck 84 in Delray Beach, are available for charters but individuals can board as well. 

Debra Acquilano, who worked for the Boca Raton Historical Society where she set up the historical trolley tours and currently works in sales and marketing for the charter company, said history cruises are popular outings. 

Volunteers from the Historical Society board to share their knowledge and talk about Boca Raton’s history and how Addison Mizner influenced the city’s architecture.

Charters are tailored to the clients who might want to see sights, learn about local history, go on snorkeling trips or watch the sun set. 

Sunday Fun Day
cruises are geared toward locals.     Ú

For reservations or details including prices ($55 for adults, $35 for kids), call Sauer at (561) 368-3566, email holly@airandsea.com or  visit www.airandsea.com. Group pricing, Florida resident and senior discounts are available. 

 In Coasting Along, our writers occasionally stop to reflect on life along the shore.

By Steve Plunkett

More than 10 weeks after Town Clerk Beverly Brown appealed an unpaid one-month suspension for forwarding racist and off-color emails at work on her official computer, town commissioners told their attorney to hire someone to review the case.

Town Attorney Tom Sliney said he had spoken several times since the election with new Mayor Bernard Featherman about who should hear the appeal.

“Probably a retired judge, many of whom are in mediation, probably would be an ideal person to handle that,” Sliney said at the Town Commission’s March 29 workshop.

“I think that’s the right thing to do, and we should get it done promptly rather than leaving people hanging,” Featherman added.

Under Highland Beach’s personnel rules, any employee suspended without pay for more than one day may request a hearing by an impartial hearing officer and receive “a prompt, public, evidentiary hearing.”

Sliney said he and Featherman also discussed the town’s contract with Dale Sugerman, the town manager who proposed suspending Brown and ended up being suspended himself, though with pay, for five months.

“We would like to have authorization to hire a labor attorney to give us a look at various aspects of the contract,” Sliney said. “While I don’t want to get specific on that, we’re going to ask you to approve an authorization next week to allow us to go out and hire an attorney and then report back to the commission.”

Beyond that, the theme of the workshop session was resurrecting the town’s volunteer boards. Featherman, who made the topic a campaign issue, had a proposed ordinance to revive the Code Enforcement Board put on the agenda. 

That board was dissolved in 2009 in favor of having a special magistrate hear code disputes, but the language was left intact in case town officials decided to reestablish it, Sliney said.

“Likewise, if this ordinance passes, the language would basically remain the same in case the town decides to go back to a special magistrate at some time in the future,” Sliney said.

“We have a lot of great people in our own community, experienced, who are willing to serve. And I think it depends on who we have on that board to make it work,” Featherman said. “It is something that is important to our people here, and I would like to see it given back to the people too.”

Sliney said a survey done when the code enforcement ordinance was changed showed the trend is to have magistrates.  “But it’s really a policy matter,” he said.

During the mayor and commissioner reports, Featherman repeated his call for citizen boards.

 Several town boards that have been closed down, including the Financial Advisory Board and the Cultural Advisory Board.

“We don’t want people from the outside being paid that are not in our community that are going to make decisions for us because it has to be flexible,” Featherman said at the end of the workshop. “We have an unbelievable group of people that are our residents, in our community, both in the houses and the condominiums. We want to reach out to everybody.”

Featherman, who beat incumbent Jim Newill 440-419 for the mayor’s post, was sworn in March 11, as was new Commissioner Dennis Sheridan, who had no opponent. Commissioner John Sorrelli chose not to run.

The mayor’s first ‘’Coffee With Mayor Featherman’’ will be at 9:30 a.m. April 11 at Town Hall.

The emails in Brown’s computer archive include one alluding to President Obama and using the N-word and another that praises Canadians for not being politically correct atop a collection of non-PC billboards.  

Sugerman planned to suspend Brown without pay, but town commissioners ordered him to put a reprimand in her personnel file instead. When he said he had to wait until Brown’s appeal of the suspension was heard, commissioners suspended Sugerman, though with pay, until his contract ends June 30.                      

 Two weeks later they sent a registered letter telling Sugerman they would not extend his contract. The next week they sent Sugerman his annual evaluation, as  required by his contract.   

The big moon was gone, but plenty of strata shone brightly the night of March 25 at the Palm Beach International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Splash, poolside at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Filmmakers mingled with fans and festival supporters. Soap star Tristan Rogers emceed. Local boy Dennis Lambert, himself the subject of a festival documentary, sang a few of the many hits he wrote, including Rhinestone Cowboy and Ain’t No Woman. (He’s going out on tour!) And Richard Jenkins, modern cinema’s “everyman,” accepted the festival’s Golden Palm award.
In the past decade, the veteran actor has appeared in more than 50 films. Most don’t see that many roles in a lifetime.
“He’s good because he’s so real, so down to earth, festival Executive Director Randi Emerman said, “even when he plays a bad guy.”
Perhaps that’s because Jenkins, who was accompanied by his wife, Sharon, isn’t the typical Hollywood type. Far from it: They have homes in Rhode Island and in Naples —Florida, not Italy.
“If it wasn’t for festivals like this,” he said, “independent films wouldn’t exist, it’s an honor for me to say thank you.”

Tristan Rogers

Seems like everywhere you turn these days, you’ll find a film festival. No sooner does the Palm Beach International Festival wrap than two others hit the silver screen.

The first Palm Beach Women’s International Festival opens April 7 for a four-day run at Muvico Parisian in West Palm Beach and the Lake Worth Playhouse. Opening film is The Whistleblower, best picture winner at the Palm Springs Festival. Hannah Free, the producer, and star Sharon Gless will be honored at the film’s screening at 7 p.m. ,Saturday, April 8, at the Compass Community Center in Lake Worth. A party in Gless’ honor will follow at The Cottage in Lake Worth.

The festival boasts 10 world premieres, seven U.S. premieres and films from 15 nations. Details at  www.pbwiff.com. 

From April 9-17, we get the Sixth Annual Downtown Boca Film Festival. Wait a minute! A festival in Boca? Well, the festival’s the same, just the name and the location have changed. For five years it was the Delray Beach Film Festival and, in fact, many of the films will be screened at the Movies of Delray.

The Boca festival opens with “Casino Night in Old Hollywood” at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center. Michael Stone, one of the forces behind Pineapple Groove in Delray, will host the party with sister Kelly Stone-Singer. No confirmation yet that their sister Sharon will make an appearance. 

“She’s making a film right now, so we don’t know if she can get away or not,” Michael said. 

The event will benefit Planet Hope, founded by the Stones to help homeless children and their mothers. The black-tie-optional party will include food from local restaurants, silent and live auction, a casino and entertainment by 44th Street. Tickets are $50 in advance, $65 after April 4.

Several additional events are planned, including Reel to Runway fashion show on April 11 at Mizner Park ($35), filmmaker workshops, and parties every night. The screening schedule, however, was not available at press time. Check out  www.dbff.us for details. 

Golden Palm recipient Richard Jenkins (center) with wife,
Sharon, talks with filmmaker Larry Marshall at the Palm Beach
International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Splash
at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. Photo by Thom Smith

A day for legends. Two of football’s greatest coaches, enjoying a little breakfast at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, then taking a few friendly jabs at each other and offering some insight. The occasion was the Boca YMCA’s annual Prayer Breakfast. The legends: Howard Schnellenberger and Bobby Bowden. 

Schnellenberger helped guide the Miami Dolphins to NFL titles and led the University of Miami to a national collegiate championship. Bowden won two titles at Florida State University.

Now Schnellenberger is working his magic at Florida Atlantic University, building the program and a stadium from scratch. “It’ll be ready next fall,” he says of the stadium, its towers easily visible from I-95. “Even better, it’s ahead of schedule and under budget.”

Bowden, who retired, not exactly willingly, last year, said he’s on the road three or four days a week, but instead of recruiting, he’s making speeches. “I do get a chance to play golf a little more,” he confessed between bites, “but I’m not beating anybody.”

He turned a little more serious during his address, stressing the need for opportunity and responsibility. 

“We need help for our young people; we need help for our families,” he said, asking rhetorically if young college players have changed in the half century since he started coaching. 

“No, boys haven’t changed … but where the heck are their daddies? Who’s gonna raise these boys? Boys haven’t changed; parents have changed.

“Put a ball in their hands, and I don’t care if it’s a football, a baseball, a basketball or what, it’ll keep ’em occupied.”

A website known as foursquare.com has declared Boca Raton the rudest city in Florida and one of the rudest in the world.  The site based its conclusion on the number of curse words used in 400 million reports from 6.5 million subscribers worldwide. The more swear words used, the analysts concluded, the ruder the city. Manchester, England, came out on top, followed by El Paso, Texas, and Pittsburgh. Boca ranked 12th, Miami 18th and Jacksonville 20th. Seven of the top 20 were in California, led by Riverside (No. 4). Boston came in 19th, but surprisingly New York state was represented only by Staten Island (No. 17). Foursquare, by the way, has headquarters in Manhattan. $#$%&$@!@.

Another wine event — maybe it should be called “Hair of the Dog” — is the Second Annual Fine Wine & Canines from 5:30 to 7:30  Thursday, April 14, at Monument Plaza in downtown Boca. Dogs will compete in best-dressed and owner-look-alike contests, and humans will enjoy libations from 15 wineries and appetizers from area restaurants. Benefits PROPEL — People Reaching Out to Provide Education and Leadership — which offers opportunities to underprivileged residents to complete core education, gain vocational or technical training or go on to college.

Board President Andrew Scott has vowed to top the inaugural crowd of 400. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the door. Call (561) 955-8553 or see www.propel
yourfuture.com.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. He can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.

 Georges Banet  and his mother, Thérèse, in
May 1942.  Two months later, the French police
came for them in the Vel D’Hiv round-up.
His mother died in Auschwitz.

Staff Report

Journalist Marlene Roberts will read a memoir and an interview concerning the Shoah, both of which were published in Hadassah magazine, during Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Highland Beach Library. 

The program begins at 5 p.m. on May 2.  

The memoir, The Presence of Absence, is about a 12-year old Jewish boy caught in the web of France’s infamous Vel D’Hiv roundup. He escapes, but his mother is caught and perishes in Auschwitz.  The memoir starts during the same period of history as Sarah’s Key, a work of fiction.  There are two differences in the fiction and nonfiction stories: One boy dies, the other lives. One story is resolved in 1942; the other is resolved in 2000. 

The boy who escapes is George Banet, who lives in Highland Beach. Although Banet will not speak about what happened to his parents before they perished in Auschwitz — or of own his life during the Holocaust — he allows his writer/wife to accompany him on journeys into the past. He also allows her access to documents taken from his Paris apartment and saved by his Aunt Edmee.

George Banet came to the United States in 1948 to live with an uncle in Philadelphia.  After a career with a financial investment company, in 1994 he moved to Highland Beach. In 1996 Banet began volunteering at Florida Atlantic University’s Yiskah book collection. Arthur Jaffe at the time was setting up the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Center for the Book Arts and hired George away.

Today Banet selects and sets up art exhibits as a volunteer at the Highland Beach Library.

The second reading will be an interview with Dr. Vera King Farris, the first woman president of a New Jersey college, who in 1990 created a Holocaust Chair at Stockton College. 

George Banet

The person holding the Ida E. King Chair would be limited to a one-year term and be Christian. Farris did this to show multiple sides of the Holocaust. She believed a Christian would focus on the Holocaust as a Christian failing, while she felt a Jew would focus on the Holocaust as a historical accounting.  By changing who sat in the chair yearly, Farris hoped each scholar would bring his/her unique view of the Holocaust to students. 

The Highland Beach library is at 3618 S. Ocean Blvd. Call 278-5455.

By Steve Plunkett

The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District expects to have a master plan for some kind of park at its controversial Ocean Strand parcel within six months.

Curtis + Rogers Design Studio Inc., the firm hired to gather public input and develop a design, began work on March 21 and should be finished in September, said Art Koski, the beach and park district’s attorney.

But that may be too late to avoid a city ordinance targeting the coastal site.

The Boca Raton City Council told its attorney to open settlement talks with Keep Your Boca Beaches Public, a grassroots group that wants the city to outlaw  “development for private uses (including members-only beach clubs)” at Ocean Strand and other public land east of the Intracoastal.

“You can put a rental for your kayaks there, you can sell hot dogs from a stand like you do over at the end of Palmetto Park Road — this is nothing that we’re against,”  said Martin Siml, a member of the group. “We’re just against putting a big restaurant there or a beach club. Whether it’s public or private we don’t want that there.”

City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser had told the city not to count 1,522 signatures the group collected because the petition cited both Boca Raton and the beach and park district, an independent body. But a judge sided with the petitioners. The ruling does not become official until it is signed, however.

Grub Frieser said the petitioners’ attorney told her the group would agree to clarifications that the ordinance would not, for example, prevent renting a pavilion for a private party “as long as private, members-only beach clubs are prohibited.”  He said the group would drop its petition once the ordinance is enacted.

Grub Frieser also said the beach and park district wants to intervene in the court case because its side has not been presented to the judge.

“I can’t think of anybody better than the greater beach and park district that has a greater interest in the outcome of the hearing,” Mayor Susan Whelchel said before the council voted unanimously to have Grub Frieser ask the judge to reconsider.

The city attorney said she would not seek an expedited hearing once the order is signed.

“Neither party in this action has sought an expedited hearing,” she said. “In fact, if the judge should set it, we could also seek some delay to ensure that some settlement discussion can occur.”

Under its contract, Curtis + Rogers will analyze “opportunities and constraints” at Ocean Strand and attend four beach and park district meetings to evaluate and consider public input. 

The firm will be paid just over $80,000 for the master plan, more if extra meetings are necessary.

The Boca Raton City Council in late January ordered its city manager to begin changing Ocean Strand’s land-use designation from residential to recreational, rather than wait for the beach and park district to request it. That process could be completed by August.

The Beach and Park District bought the Ocean Strand property in 1994 for $11.9 million but let it sit idle. 

In late 2009, Penn-Florida Companies proposed a private cabana club there to complement a luxury hotel in Via Mizner, a $1 billion redevelopment project planned for downtown Boca Raton. 

Neighbors were surprised to discover the city’s comprehensive plan labels the parcel residential instead of
recreational.                       

                                       Ú

Ricotta and sour cream make this cheesecake smooth and creamy.  

Photo by Gianna Miles, Palm Beach Pastry

By Jan Norris

The spring holidays signal a switch to lighter meals. Just as chefs lighten up their menus to incorporate fresh vegetables, salads and such, pastry chefs move from heavy bread puddings and rich dark chocolates to fruity and lighter desserts — soufflés, panna cottas and meringues.

Gianna Miles, owner of Palm Beach Pastry, a dessert and pastry catering company, makes a lighter version of a traditional cheesecake for customers this time of year.

“I use part ricotta cheese along with the cream cheese. The all-cream cheese type is too heavy for my tastes.” 

Her brother, Marcello Fiorentino of Marcello’s La Sirena restaurant in West Palm Beach, makes his cheesecakes using all ricotta cheese.

“It’s a preference of mine to change things up a bit,” she said. “I’ve made them both ways — with part cream cheese and ricotta or all ricotta. But this one is my favorite.’’ 

The ricotta, she said, along with sour cream, gives the cake its creaminess and adds another layer of flavor.

To make it kosher for a Passover dairy meal, Miles substituted matzo crackers for graham crackers in the crust. An all-nut crust could be used, she said. 

The cake bakes slowly in a water bath, a technique that keeps it from cracking and ensures that it bakes evenly. Miles warns cooks to add the boiling water carefully after the pan is in the oven, and to use care when removing it as well.

It’s not difficult to tackle and the cake, once cool, freezes well. She used blueberries and lemon for a topping, but any berries could be substituted.

Springtime Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake

For the crust: ¾ cup finely ground pecans 4 matzo crackers, unsalted (see note) ¼ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 8 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 16 ounces (2 cups) sour cream, at room temperature Zest of 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional

Equipment: 8-inch springform pan Roasting pan to hold springform for water bath Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.  Place pan in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty foil and wrap it up the sides,  creating a seal for the water bath. (Do not wrap foil into interior of pan; fold it down or trim as needed to reach just the top of the rim.) Set aside.

In a food processor, combine pecans and matzo crackers, pulsing until fine crumbs result. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. With processor running, drizzle in melted butter. Spoon mixture into prepared springform pan and press crumbs into its base. Chill pan in the refrigerator while making the filling. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and ricotta together on low or medium-low speed for 1 minute until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly add sugar while mixing, and blend until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sour cream, lemon zest and optional vanilla. Scrape bowl sides as needed. Do not overbeat the mixture. Pour into prepared springform pan. Place pan into a roasting pan and add boiling water until it is about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. When done, the cake will still “jiggle” in the center. Cool undisturbed on a cooling rack for 30 to 45 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Unmold cake and transfer to serving plate. Top with blueberry topping. Makes 10 servings.

Blueberry topping: 1 pint blueberries Zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons sugar

In a medium sauce pan, mix berries, lemon zest and sugar. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring. If a thicker sauce is desired, stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water. Cook, stirring until thickened. Cool before spreading on cake with spatula.

Cake freezes well; wrap in plastic wrap and cover in foil. Serve slightly frozen or well chilled.

Recipe provided by Gianna Miles, of Palm Beach Pastry. For information on her desserts or dessert parties, contact her at 315-6111 or at palmbeachpastry@comcast.net. Miles sells her pastries from a booth Saturdays through May at Lake Worth’s Oceanside Farmer’s Market.

By Rich Pollack

With gas prices soaring, a lot of drivers are looking for ways to save money at the pump. One answer is to drive more efficiently — avoiding jackrabbit starts and slowing down on the interstate — but for others the answer may be to ditch the gas-guzzler for a more efficient car or SUV. 

That might be a good idea, but before buying a new car, it’s best to do the research and make sure the one you choose meets your driving needs and is one you’re comfortable driving. 

The good news is that fuel efficiency has become a priority for manufacturers, resulting in greater choices for consumers. Here are some of our favorite fuel-efficient vehicles, based on performance and value.

BEST SMALL TWO-SEATER 

Smart ForTwo 

EPA RATING: 33 MPG city, 41 highway 

PRICE: MSRP starting at $12,490

WHERE YOU CAN GET ONE: Smart Center Palm Beach, 4002 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach 

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The Smart ForTwo is a great car for just driving around town or around the neighborhood. Built and engineered by Mercedes-Benz, the Smart car features a racecar-like safety cage that protects its passengers in the event of an accident. The Smart ForTwo is also surprisingly spacious and versatile. Yes, you can take it on Interstate 95 and still feel safe and you can still squeeze into smaller parking spots. An electric Smart car is now available.

BEST FAMILY SEDAN

Toyota Camry Hybrid

EPA Rating: 31 MPG city, 35 highway

Price: MSRP from $26,400

Where You Can Get One: The Camry Hybrid is available at Toyota dealers everywhere.

What Makes it Great: Think of dependable and solid vehicles with smooth rides, and the Camry will almost always come to mind. True, this car isn’t flashy, although it has a sporty little edge, and it isn’t the most fuel-efficient hybrid on the road, by far. But when it comes to carting kids or grandparents, the Camry hybrid excels thanks to its spaciousness for passengers and the ease of getting in and out of the back seat. 

BEST OVERALL 

Ford Fusion Hybrid/Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 

EPA RATING: 41 MPG city, 36 highway 

PRICE: MSRP $28,340 for the Fusion/MSRP $34,605 for the MKZ

WHERE YOU CAN GET ONE: Available at Ford and Lincoln dealers throughout South Florida

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Ford is taking a leadership role among domestic automakers in producing alternative-fuel vehicles and the Fusion and the more luxurious MKZ, are setting a standard for attractive designs, smooth rides and lots of room for passengers in the front and back. Unlike other vehicles in its class, the Fusion and the MKZ don’t look much like hybrids — which for some drivers may be a plus. 

BEST LUXURY SEDAN

Lexus HS250h Hybrid

EPA Rating: 35 MPG city, 35 highway

Price: MSRP from $35,600

Where You Can Get One: Available at Lexus dealerships throughout South Florida.

What Makes it Great: One of the first Lexus hybrids designed primarily for fuel efficiency, the HS250h is first and foremost a Lexus with Lexus styling and Lexus luxury. You’ll find many of the options you’d expect from Lexus — a navigation system with backup camera, and park assist — as well as an interior that is comfortable for four. A big plus for those who are cost-conscious is that the HS250h uses regular grade gasoline, not premium.

BEST SUV

Ford Escape Hybrid

EPA RATING: 34 MPG city, 31 highway

PRICE: MSRP from $30,000

WHERE YOU CAN GET ONE: Available at all South Florida Ford dealerships.

What Makes it Great: The Escape was one of the first hybrid SUVs, debuting long before many others in the rapidly growing class, and it still remains one of the most efficient out there. Getting 34 miles per gallon in the city, the Escape is a practical vehicle, especially for stop-and-go driving. It is a little pricey for the class, but it makes up for that in available technology options, versatility and safety ratings.

BEST SMALL SEDAN

Hyundai Elantra

EPA RATING: 29 MPG city, 40 highway

PRICE: MSRP from $14,800-$19,980

WHERE YOU CAN GET ONE: Available through all local Hyundai dealerships.

What Makes it Great: Look quick and you might think that the Elantra is a Hyundai Sonata that got shrunk in the wash. Like its big sister, the Elantra is a car with an outstanding exterior design and a smooth ride. It also offers a spacious interior that makes it feel a little bigger than it actually is. The Elantra comes with a bucket full of technological options including a full navigation system with backup camera. And best of all, it’s fun to drive.

BEST SPORTS CAR

Tesla Roadster

EPA Rating: Fully Electric

Price: $109,000 to $128,000

Where You Can Get One: Tesla South Florida, 1949 Tigertail Blvd., Dania

What Makes it Great: Yes, the Tesla Roadster never needs gas. But that’s not what makes it great. And sure, no matter where you go in this car, heads will turn. But that’s not what makes it great either. Nope, what makes it great is 0 to 60 in 4 seconds. Being in a Tesla when the accelerator is floored is like being in a jet that’s taking off. You’re pushed back in your seat and loving every minute of it. 

BEST SUBCOMPACT

Chevrolet Cruze Eco

EPA RATING: 28 MPG city, 42 highway

PRICE: MSRP from $16,995

WHERE YOU CAN GET ONE: Available at Chevrolet dealerships throughout South Florida.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: For those who want a small, dependable and efficient car for their highway commute, the Cruze Eco is the perfect vehicle. With an EPA rating of 42 miles per gallon on the highway, the Cruze Eco, with a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, is among the most efficient cars in the class for distance. Though relatively inexpensive, the Cruze is solidly built and has a surprisingly well-appointed interior designed with the driver in mind.

BEST STATION WAGON

Audi A3 TDI Diesel

EPA Rating: 30 MPG city, 42 highway

Price: MSRP from $27,270

Where You Can Get One: Available at all South Florida Audi dealerships.

What Makes it Great: Once upon a time, a car or truck running on diesel fuel was guaranteed to be noisy and smelly. Well, those days are over thanks to the invention of clean diesel. The Audi A3 TDI is a luxury hatchback that may help bring diesel into fashion. The car is roomy and versatile, and has quite a bit of power for a little car. And the best part? That durable diesel engine will probably be running long after the batteries on electric cars need to be replaced.   

By Paula Detwiller

In an age when the word “hero” is used to describe sports figures, celebrities and various unremarkable achievers, the stories of real heroes — people who put themselves at risk to save others — become more meaningful. 

Consider the stories of Boca Raton Police Officer Jimmy Jalil, Police Sgt. Shannon Wendlick and park maintenance supervisor David Hill. Their acts of spontaneous bravery in the face of personal risk won them Heroism Awards from the Safety Council of Palm Beach County. The council honored the trio and other heroes at its 14th Annual Safety Awards luncheon March 10.

Pulled to safety

When Boca Raton police officer Jimmy Jalil arrived at the scene of an accident on I-95 last December, two men were trying to extricate a woman from a crushed car. The woman was trapped in the front seat, pinned by wreckage, and the front of the car was on fire.

After trying in vain to break a rear window with his police baton, Jalil grabbed his weapon and fired two rounds into the window at a downward angle away from the passenger. With flames climbing higher, he cleared the broken glass away with his baton, and then pulled the woman up over the front seat and out the rear window to safety.

“I tried to work as fast as possible. It only took a minute, but it seemed like forever,” Jalil said.

He credits the SWAT team training he received last year for enabling him to take quick, decisive action. 

Jimmy Jalil and Shannon Wendlick

A close call

Police Sergeant Shannon Wendlick was on routine patrol in the Boca Riviera neighborhood one night last July. She watched as a suspicious car pulled into a home’s driveway.

“I was thinking, ‘I might have a group of kids breaking into cars here,’ ” Wendlick said. “But for everything to break loose as quickly as it did, I wasn’t expecting that.”

What “broke loose” was an attempt on Wendlick’s life. As she approached the vehicle on foot, the driver threw the car into reverse and tried to run her over. A passenger aimed a handgun at her. She fired at the vehicle. The driver crashed into a tree and fled on foot. 

Wendlick took the car’s two other occupants into custody while advising police dispatchers about the incident and the fugitive driver.

“That was the closest call I’ve ever had,” said Wendlick, a 17-year veteran of the Boca police force. “Afterward, when I thought about the severity of what could have happened, it was pretty frightening.”

Her two captives later confessed they were planning a home invasion robbery. 

But that’s not the end of the story. 

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s investigators subsequently tied the weapons, ammunition and masks found inside the car to a double murder at a West Palm Beach Circle K and to the murder of a 17-year-old girl outside a nightclub in Lake Worth.

Wendlick’s police work ultimately helped Sheriff’s investigators arrest an eight-man crime ring (including the three she encountered) in early January in connection with a violent South Florida rampage that included other attempted killings and home invasion robberies.

Horrific crash

Boca Raton park maintenance supervisor David Hill was walking toward a Boca Raton wildlife preserve he oversees just north of Dixie Highway last May when he was jolted by the horrifying sight and sound of a triple-rollover car crash. He’d never used the emergency button on his two-way radio before, but he did then, informing the 911 dispatcher of the accident as he raced to the scene.

“I thought for sure when I got over there, I’d see dead bodies,” Hill said.

Instead, he found a hysterical grandmother and her 2-year-old granddaughter, still strapped into their seats and dangling sideways in a damaged, overturned van. Assisted by another bystander, Hill crawled through the back of the van over broken glass and debris to un-trap the toddler from her car seat. Then he cut the woman’s seat belt and got her out, too. He comforted the pair until police and fire-rescue personnel arrived. 

Does Hill consider himself a hero? “Not at all,” he said. “There were two other people who helped out. Besides, I hope anybody would do the same for me in a similar situation.                                 

Bethesda Ball, ‘Evening at the Oscars’

At The Breakers, Palm Beach

Bethesda Hospital Foundation Executive Director Kay
Harvey (left) with Lady Sheila Germain and Foundation Board
Chairman Mary Morrell at the Bethesda Ball, which raised more
than $400,000. Lady Sheila, of Highland Beach, was a major sponsor of the ball. Photo provided

East Boca Comerica Grand Opening

Comerica Florida, Boca Raton

Comerica Florida President Randy Nobles celebrated
the recent grand opening of a new East Boca banking
center with Sarah Flynn (left) and Mary Csar
of the Boca Raton Historical Society.  The bank made a donation on
behalf of each guest to the Boca Raton Historical Society and
presented a check to the charity as part of the festivities. Photo provided

The Heart Truth Red Dress Tour

At Town Center, Boca Raton

Robert Primeau (left), charity namesake Christine
Lynn, John Gallo, Annie Green and Lou Green at
The Red Stiletto Stroll and South Florida debut of
The Heart Truth Red Dress Tour. Presented by Town
Center at Boca Raton, the event raised about $3,000
for the Christine E. Lynn Heart & Vascular Institute at
Boca Raton Regional Hospital. 

JWF’s 2011 grant awards reception

At Boca Rio Country Club

Nearly 175 women celebrated as the Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County announced that a total of $135,000 was granted to projects that benefit women and girls in the local community, Israel and central Russia. Pictured are Rose Singer, event co-chair; Marlene Silver, JWF co-chair; Naomi Wolf, featured speaker; Linda Melcer, Oppenheimer, JWF sponsor; Cindy White, event co-chair; and Ann Kelman, JWF co-chair. Photo provided

Savor the Avenue

On Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach

Jim Sclafani of Boca Raton toasts family members
and co-workers while his group from
Multi Image Group enjoys the fare at the annual dining event. 

Photo by Jerry Lower

Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s annual ingathering

At The Polo Club, Boca Raton

Four hundred people attended the Jewish Federation’s
annual ingathering. Nancy Lublin, CEO of DoSomething.com
and founder of Dress for Success, was the keynote speaker.
Pictured are Meryl Gallatin, Women’s Philanthropy
chair (left); deputy consul general from Israel Paul Hirschson; Toby
Weinman Palchik; Irv Geffen, federation CEO; Marleen Forkas;
Cindy Orbach Nimhauser, federation chair; Ellen R. Sarnoff. Photo provided

Judi Getch Brodman is an engineer who
took up painting about 20 years ago. There
is an exhibition of her watercolors at
the Highland Beach Library. Photo by Tim Stepien

An engineer by trade, Judi Getch Brodman has become an accomplished watercolor artist and writer. No wonder her husband, Steve, also an engineer, calls his wife a renaissance woman.

“I paint like an oil painter I’m told — vivid and colorful,” says Brodman, who is retired from her computer software consulting business. “My passion is bright sunshine, dark contrasts from the shadows, the feel of warm summer sunshine, long winter shadows, the vivid purples and blues of late winter days and cold winter water.”  

She tries to include a building or structure in her paintings. “I attribute this quirk to my math background. I love the perspective that comes with buildings, adding a 3-D feel to the painting.” Brodman explains. “I paint in watercolors because they are unpredictable, a quality that scares a lot of artists but makes me love them. The paint takes on a life of its own causing bleeds, drops, streams, all attainable only in watercolors.”

An exhibition of her watercolors continues until April 27 at the Highland Beach Library.

Brodman coaches a painting group on Wednesdays at the Coronado, the condominium where she and her husband spend their winters. She also is a regular at a writers group at the library on Saturdays.

What prompted her to write?

“I felt that I had more creativity in me than just being able to paint,” she says.  “One day, I sat down and wrote about eight pages of fiction. I handed them to my sisters and girlfriends to read; they loved them, were amazed that I had written them, and wanted to read more of the story.”

Knowing she needed guidance, training and skills, she joined the writers group in Highland Beach. “It forces me to write shorter publishable pieces — like my three-part series about Ireland  (which has been published in Ocean magazine). I also learn from the other writers in the group as I read and comment on their work as well as from Marlene Roberts Banet, our fearless leader.”

Brodman, 67, grew up Randolph, Mass. The house she lived in there remained in the family until she sold it two years ago, after her mother died.  

“We had chickens in the backyard and a large farm across the street where we could buy delicious fresh corn,” Brodman recalls. “Every once in awhile, a few of the cows escaped and could be found chomping on our hedges in front of the house.”

The Brodmans’ primary residence is in Needham, Mass. They have a place in Stowe, Vt., where they spend time in the summer and they also spend time in her childhood summer place, Wellfleet on Cape Cod — the town she writes about in her novel.

She and her husband bought their Highland Beach condo nine years ago at the recommendation of Steve’s mother, who tipped them off to “a gorgeous condo for sale facing the ocean.” The Bodmans bought the condo without having seen it, based on Steve’s mother’s glowing report, and have wintered there ever since.

The couple takes three-mile walks every day in addition to regular beach strolls. She hunts for seashells and they chat with passers-by. 

— Mary Thurwachter

Q. Where did you go to school? 

A. I attended a private Catholic high school, Archbishop Williams, graduated from a Catholic women’s college on the Fens in Boston, Emmanuel College, with a degree in Mathematics. I received a master’s in computer engineering from Boston University College of Engineering.

Q. What are some highlights of your professional life? 

A. Early in my career, I worked in the space program. As a mathematician, I analyzed the performance of the GE fuel cells powering the Gemini spacecrafts. After that, I worked for a number of companies as a software programmer, a corporate software divisional manager, and in new business acquisition. When I reached the top of the corporate hierarchy, I started my own consulting company and co-founded another, specializing in software process improvement. I traveled extensively, speaking at conferences all over the U.S. and abroad. My most memorable work place was in the Marshall Islands. To make my way there, I flew to Hawaii, then on to the ultra-secure Johnston Island for a refueling stop. I flew from Kwajalein every day in a retrofitted DC-3 to my office on Roi-Namur, a secure U.S. radar installation, at the other end of the atoll.  It’s a place and time I’ll never forget. I wouldn’t change one thing in my corporate life — no regrets there. 

Q. Were you always a good painter or writer? 

A. I wrote for my college newspaper. The nuns asked me to be an English major. I declined — math was my field. I wrote and published constantly in my professional life: papers, presentations, articles and a book. During the years, my personal writing consisted only in keeping journals when I traveled. My only early art memory is standing in a storefront with classmates, drawing in charcoal. I tried my hand at oils when I was in college. My mother and older sister commented that my rocks looked like eggs. That finished my painting career until about 20 years ago, when I took watercolor lessons.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?

A. Highland Beach has a small town feel about it. I found it easy to involve myself in different activities to meet people. I wrote the newsletters for the cultural committee; I joined the writers group at the library; I have a painting group at our complex. Little by little, it begins to feel like home. My absolute favorite part, being on the ocean, walking the beach every day; watching the changes in the ocean, the clouds, and the light on the water — hour by hour and minute by minute.  Some days we see fish, sharks, and other strange creatures.  

Q. What is your new book about about? 

A. My novel, Secrets of Lemon Pie Cottage — the Gift, is a mystery romance about a young woman, Suzanne James, whose inheritance, a cottage at the outer reaches of Cape Cod, thrusts her into threatening situations she isn’t prepared to handle. As she sorts through her Aunt Patrice’s life in Wellfleet, Suzanne finds herself face to face with the town’s handsome police chief, Jack Hereford, unraveling unsolved mysteries, investigating local murders, running from an unknown stalker and uncovering family secrets maybe best left buried. 

Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?  

A. I needed a little help with answering this so I took a poll.  The results: for my early years, Doris Day — sweet and lively; later years, Lauren Bacall — independent, strong opinions, tall and stately, lived a long, distinguished life; Linda Evans — similar looks, soft-spoken. My thought was maybe I could be played by Meryl Streep — a woman who loves life and lives it to the fullest. 

Q. What do people not know about you that you wish they would?

A. I’m really a shy person — uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations — but very good at camouflaging it. I also work very hard at everything I do, be it writing or painting; I’m not satisfied until I’m the best that I can be. I’m dogged, I guess. 

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 

A. I always seem to return to the quotes of my father:

“Don’t sleep your life away; you will sleep a long time when you’re dead.”

“There are no pockets in the shroud.”  Keeps me on the straight and narrow about what is meaningful in life.

“Don’t wish your life away.”  This one was always said when I wished it was Friday and it was only Monday.

   “Have no regrets — no ‘I should have’, no ‘I could have.’ ”  I think this one taught me to go for it, make conscious decisions in life, have fun along the way … and most importantly, don’t look back at missed opportunities because there are no do-overs or second chances.

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? 

A. I learned most of my life lessons from my parents. They worked hard as first generation Americans, providing a secure safe environment for their children. They moved over the Blue Hills, out of the city where they grew up, to the country hoping to give their three “girls” more than they had. They encouraged us to do and be anything we wanted. They valued education. My sisters and I were the first in the family to attend college. My uncles kidded my father about sending his daughters to college: “They will only get married and the education will be wasted.”  But my father needed to know that we could take care of ourselves, and wouldn’t be dependent on anyone or anything. He and my mother taught us to work hard to obtain what we want, never take anything we didn’t earn. My mother was our fashion adviser, cook, canner of my father’s garden and shopper extraordinaire for us.

Q. Who or what makes you laugh?

A. Physical comedy makes me laugh: Abbott and Costello, Jerry Lewis and Lucille Ball reruns; old SNL skits with Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner — they were a cast to be reckoned with.  Weddings, babies … happy occasions, good jokes bring a smile or laugh.

Elise Moore speaks to an audience member after
one of her talks on texting God. Photo by C.B. Hanif

By C.B. Hanif

On its surface, “Texting God: Effective Short Prayers,” might sound like the latest high-tech way of connecting with the Creator.

Instead, the March 7 workshop at the Spanish River Library in Boca Raton was a detailed primer for one and all on prayer, sprinkled with vignettes illustrating the healing power of such devotionals, however brief.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boca Raton, sponsored the hourlong program. The capacity audience of more than 150 on a Monday evening included several recognized healers from the congregation.

Guest speaker Elise Moore followed her prayerful intro with a short lesson on — what else? — how to text. She explained for the few novices in the room that, “Instead of talking, you type these teenie little keys and magically your phone delivers the message.”

Moore’s real message was well-received and much more substantive as she proceeded to examine prayer every which way. “If you really like long prayers, that’s OK,” she said. 

“But we’re going to talk about how to make your short prayers more effective.”

Prayers said aloud, vs. said silently? “When you’re praying out loud, for it really to be effective, keep it humble,” she said. “God knows what you need, and as long as you’re humble about it, out-loud prayers can be very effective.” As for the silent prayers that she called “your private communion with God,” she said, “Remember that God is speaking to you, so remember to be still, and listen.”

Of some oft-used short prayers that can be effective, Moore cited three:

“Help!” — The key to the “Help!” prayer, she said, “is to establish in one’s thoughts the conviction and confidence that God is good and there to help you,” per Genesis 1:27 and 31.

“Thanks.” — Moore said: “Don’t wait until the evidence is there. Don’t wait until the situation has changed. Give gratitude to God first. Jesus did that. Jesus thanked God — and fed 4,000 people.”

“No.” — The key here, she said, “is when you know that God is all-powerful, then what you’re doing is you’re saying ‘No’ to anything else.”

Moore also made frequent references to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, the book by Mary Baker Eddy. Founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston in 1879, Eddy is noted for her groundbreaking ideas on spirituality and health.

Moore’s family came into Christian Science when her great-grandmother was healed of tuberculosis in Biloxi, Miss. Moore now lives in Nashville, Tenn., has been in Christian healing ministry for more than 25 years and has an international ministry (see  elise@elisemoore.com).

Moore made excellent use of biblical verses, interspersed with cases of remarkable, prayerful healing, to underscore her program’s premise. Some favorite short prayers exchanged during an exercise with her audience included God is love; Trust God in everything; Fear not, pray only; Peace, be still; and “There is no spot where God is not.”

Concluding her talk as she began it, Moore encouraged everyone to know “that God is with them. God is loving them. God is caring for them. There is no one beyond God’s help. God is able to lift each one up.”

Frankly, this workshop wasn’t what this technophile and regular prayer was expecting. But I’m praying for more. 

C.B. Hanif is a writer and inter-religious affairs consultant. Find him at www.interfaith21.com.

A gate kept Arden Moore’s dogs Chipper (left)
and Cleo from possibly hurtling through the windshield when
she was rear-ended in traffic. Photo by Arden Moore

By Arden Moore

My dogs, Chipper and Cleo, love to ride in the back of my Saturn SUV for long road trips and even for short errands. I created a “canine condo” in the back that includes a floor-to-ceiling metal gate to keep them from accessing the middle seats or, worse, trying to grab my steering wheel. I’ve equipped my vehicle with battery-operated fans, extra leashes and collars, a pet first-aid kit, collapsible water bowls, a small bag of food and more canine amenities.

With them in the back, I am free from doggy distractions and able to focus on driving.

Recently, we were in line waiting for the light to change from red to green. I looked into my rearview mirror and spotted a white Toyota Tundra 4-by-4 truck barreling our way. Bam! This giant white truck collided with the rear of my SUV, propelling it forward. Fortunately, there was enough of a gap that I did not hit the vehicle in front of me.

My first thought: my dogs. As I opened my door, I fell onto the pavement, picked myself up and hurried to the passenger side to open the door leading into the middle row of seats. “Chipper! Cleo! Are you OK?” I cried out.

As I opened the door, I saw my two dogs shaking violently, cowering and lip licking. I then went to the back hatch that was miraculously able to open despite the more than $3,500 in damage done to the vehicle. 

Chipper and Cleo know the “stay” command — which they heeded as I quickly put their leashes on and assessed them. They were clearly scared, but uninjured. Whew. The gate kept them from propelling forward in my car and, possibly, through the windshield. 

I was not so lucky. A three-hour visit to urgent care later revealed I had whiplash, soft tissue damage to my neck and shoulders and a swollen left shin — not to mention a rattled state of mind.

As the driver of the truck and I began to exchange information at the scene, we spotted a police squad car. Naturally, the officer was a K-9 officer with his trained German shepherd, Ranger, in his squad car. Call it pet karma.

The driver readily took full responsibility for the collision. Chipper and Cleo were able to walk on leashes with no signs of injury. Each wears collars with their names and my phone number embroidered on them. They also have microchip IDs. My cell phone identifies three people on my “in case of emergency” list and all three know my pets, my veterinarian’s information and have access to my house. 

Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. I share this as a reminder of keeping our pets as safe as possible when they ride with us in our vehicles. It saddens — and frustrates — me when I see little dogs riding on the laps of drivers with their heads and sometimes, front legs dangling out the car window. Or big dogs pacing loose in the back of truck beds. Or dogs racing back and forth in the middle seats with no harnesses or restraints.

Seriously, folks — show how much you really love your dogs — and other traveling pets — by keeping them safe when you drive. 

Christina Selter, known as the “Pet Safety Lady,” is waging the Bark Buckle Up campaign. She shares these facts:

• A 60-pound pet becomes a 2,700-pound projectile, at just 35 miles per hour.

• Pet travel has increased 300 percent since 2005.

• Unrestrained pets delay emergency workers’ access to human occupants. Injured pets may bite first responders and rescue workers. 

• Pets escaping post-accident pose many dangers, including catching the loose pet. They may escape through a window or open door and cause a second accident.

• Driver distraction is common when unrestrained pets are rambunctious.

I encourage you to get size-appropriate harnesses for pets who travel in the middle seats and to never allow your pet to ride in the front passenger seat due to driver distraction and airbag deployment injuries. 

I learned a valuable lesson, too. Chipper and Cleo are now wearing harnesses with zip lines tethered to hooks in the back of my SUV so if an accident occurs and the back of my vehicle opens, they will not be able to panic, leap out and be struck by oncoming traffic. 

I hope you check out the Bark Buckle Up site (www.barkbuckleup.com) for more helpful info, including how to obtain a pet safety kit you can keep in your vehicle.

As I type this, I am wearing a neck brace and taking medication to relieve the pain in my neck and back muscles. I am extremely grateful that Chipper and Cleo escaped physical harm and are cuddled up next to me. 

Let’s be safe on the roads — for the sake of ourselves, others and our pets.

Arden Moore, founder of Four Legged Life.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author and professional speaker. She happily shares her home with two dogs, two cats and one overworked vacuum cleaner. Tune in to her Oh Behave show on Pet Life Radio.com and learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

By Emily J. Minor

HIGHLAND BEACH — Lydia Theurer Mikell Pfund, a popular docent at the Norton Museum of Art whose tours were always lively and informative, died March 8. She had just finished up a recent exhibit of her own paintings at the Delray Beach Club, where she also exercised nearly every day until just before her death.

Mrs. Pfund was 91.

Born in Manhattan on June 2, 1919, Mrs. Pfund attended Stetson University and taught there after earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees. Mrs. Pfund’s husband, Ledyard Hale Pfund, preceded her in death.

Those who knew Mrs. Pfund, especially in her later years, said she was a talented artist who loved to paint. 

As a collector, she sought out the American modernists, notably Arthur Dove and John Marin. A limited edition Red Grooms Picasso held a prized place in her foyer.

At the beach club, Mrs. Pfund attended water aerobics classes, like clockwork, and also took advantage of pilates, yoga and stretching classes. Since 2000, Mrs. Pfund had been a popular docent at the Norton, capturing the hearts not only of patrons, but also of staff members and other volunteers.

Jerry Dobrick, special assistant to the museum director, said Mrs. Pfund enjoyed working the busy weekend shifts, and was also fond of volunteering for special evening events.

“Lydia was fortunate to possess, in abundance, the twin catalysts of a knowledge and passion for art, which she happily shared with the museum’s visitors,” Dobrick said.

In 1957, after moving to Miami, Mrs. Pfund was the founding president of a group called the Vizcayans, created to raise money for the maintenance and restoration of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The group is still instrumental today in museum operations and upkeep.

Mrs. Pfund is survived by a stepson, Ledyard Bruce Pfund, and many nieces and nephews.

Diane Roberts, the membership director at the Delray Beach Club, said she loved seeing Mrs. Pfund heading for the swimming pool three times a week.

“It’s hard to lose a member as lovely as Mrs. Pfund,” Roberts said. A celebration of her life was held March 19 at the Presbyterian Church in Tenafly, NJ. 

By Liz Best

BOCA RATON — A longtime friend describes Joseph J. Redington III as being “outrageously handsome, caring, interested and engaging.” Mr. Redington, of Boca Raton, died March 15. He was 69.

“Joe and I first met in September 1955, when we were assigned to the same classroom as freshman at Brooklyn Prep. Even back then I found Joe enjoyable to be around,” said his childhood friend Charlie Buchta of New London, N.C.

Mr. Redington was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec.  19, 1941, and attended Brooklyn Prep High School and Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. 

He served in the Navy where he advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander. He spent 29 years with Citibank in New York, serving as vice-president of operations. He and his wife, Dolores, were married for 42 years and raised two children, Joseph and Denise. Following retirement, the couple moved to Boca Raton, where Dolores died in 2006. 

Mr. Redington married his wife, Monica, in 2009.

He will be remembered for his winning smile and his winning way with people, said Buchta, who worked with Mr. Redington to organize reunions and fundraising efforts for their alma mater, Holy Cross College.

“I began to look forward to the to the major and mini-reunions where I could spend some time with Joe. He was always smiling and enjoying life. He was straightforward and unpretentious. He was truly one of the good guys in my life,” Buchta said. 

“We have all lost someone truly special.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Redington is survived by a sister, three grandchildren, and a stepdaughter.

A wake was held March 18, followed the next day by a funeral Mass at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in Highland Beach. He was interred at Boca Raton Mausoleum. The family asks that donations be made in his memory to the American Cancer Society.

By Tim O’Meilia

BOCA RATON — Ray Osborne, Florida’s first lieutenant governor in 80 years and an influential attorney in Boca Raton for nearly four decades, died March 3. He was 77.

Mr. Osborne, a former legislator, was appointed lieutenant governor by Gov. Claude Kirk in 1969, after a change in the Florida Constitution re-instated the position for the first time since 1889.

“He had all the qualities we needed — talent, bearing and respect,” Kirk said. “He was a bright, shining Republican for St. Petersburg and everyone — even the Democrats — admired him.”

Mr. Osborne had served two terms in the state House of Representatives, representing Pinellas County. First elected in 1964, he was one of a small minority of  Republicans in a Democratic-dominated legislature. 

Although Mr. Osborne made an unsuccessful run for a seat on the Public Service Commission in 1968, his ability to work with both sides of the political aisle made him an ideal choice for Kirk. 

“If anything happened to me, I saw no reason to turn (the lieutenant governor post) to whomever was next in line, and that certainly wasn’t a Republican,” Kirk said in 2002.

Kirk and others gave Mr. Osborne credit for helping push landmark environmental laws through the Legislature. The Florida Clear Air and the Florida Clear Water acts, both largely in effect today, were passed during his tenure. 

He also acted as a liaison between the often acerbic and always flamboyant Kirk and Democratic legislators.

In 1970, Mr. Osborne decided to seek the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate but bowed out when the GOP asked him to be Kirk’s running mate in the 1970 gubernatorial race.

When the Republican ticket lost to Reubin Askew and Tom Adams, Mr. Osborne settled in then-sleepy Boca Raton, opening his own law firm.

During his nearly 40 years in Boca Raton, he was chairman of the board of trustees of the Boca Raton Community Hospital for eight years and served on the boards of Lynn University and several banks. He helped develop the Via Mizner Financial Plaza in the 1980s.

The nonprofit hospital began exploring ways of remaining viable in the 1990s and Mr. Osborne advocated selling the hospital and using the proceeds to create a $400 million foundation to support health care in southern Palm Beach County. 

The sale to an alliance of Catholic hospitals including Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s medical centers fell through and sentiment against the sale arose. Mr. Osborne resigned in 1997.

Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., the sixth of seven children, Mr. Osborne grew up in tiny Elkin, N.C. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1955 and served two years as an Army officer in Germany.

He graduated from the University of North Carolina Law School in 1961 and married UNC student Mary Thomas White the same year. The couple moved to
St. Petersburg, where Mr. Osborne began his law and political career, quickly becoming a rising star in Republican circles.

He is survived by Mary Thomas Osborne, his wife of nearly 50 years; their daughter, Molly Payne Osborne; their grandson, Nicholas Payne and his brother, R. Brady Osborne. 

A funeral service was held March 7 at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton. Donations may be made in Mr. Osborne’s memory to the Osborne White Foundation, P.O. Drawer 40, Boca Raton, FL 33429; the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, c/o Dr. Sagar Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Suite 4004, 1365 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322 or Hospice by the Sea of Boca Raton.

By Liz Best

BOCA RATON — Joseph G. Spangenberger will be remembered for all the right reasons: kindness, intelligence and his good-natured, fun-loving personality. Mr. Spangenberger, 77, of Boca Raton, died Feb. 22. 

Born in Newark, N.J., Mr. Spangenberger served in the Army, and then earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from New York University. He went on to work for Shell Oil Co.  In 1968, he started his own real estate brokerage business in Creskill, N.J.

He was married to his college sweetheart, Mary, for 50 years, and the couple had four children. When they retired to Boca Raton, Mr. Spangenberger continued his work in real estate and served on the Boca Raton Community Relations Board.

His daughter, Kathryn Spangenberger-Bleckman of Allendale, N.J., remembers her dad’s love of family, church and community, and for the courage he showed when he started his real estate business.

“He was a very thoughtful and loving man, full of humor, warmth and intelligence. My father had a wonderful personality,” she said. “I think that he would say that his family and his business brought him the greatest joy in his life. We miss him dearly.”

Mr. Spangenberger also got a kick out of going to the local movie theater.

“His favorite film was Gone With The Wind,” she said.

Bleckman said that her parents were best friends from the time they met at Rutgers, until her mother died in 2007. Another daughter, Elizabeth, also died the same year.

In addition to his daughter Kathryn, Mr. Spangenberger’s survivors include a daughter Susan Spangenberger of Hobe Sound; son Joseph Spangenberger of Florida; a son-in-law, David Bleckman, and a grandson, Joseph Bleck-man, both of Allendale, N.J.

A funeral Mass was held on Feb. 26 at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in Highland Beach. The family asks that donations be made in his memory to St. Lucy’s Catholic Church, 3510 South Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, FL 33487.

If you go

The Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 392-2500, www.bocamuseum.org.

Docent Tours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. as well as 1, 3, 6  and 7:30 p.m.;  Saturday and Sunday, 1 and 3 p.m.

Group Tours: Can be arranged by calling the museum. Ext. 111 for adult tours; Ext. 106 for school tours. 

Docent Program: Those interested in applying to the program should contact Ari Martz at 392-2500, Ext. 136.

Museum Hours: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; closed Monday.

Current Exhibits (Special Exhibition Admission applies):

“California Impressionism: Paintings from The Irvine Museum” through April 17.

“Cut! Costume and the Cinema” through April 17.

“Latin American Art from the Museum’s Collection” (in the Auditorium) through May 1.

“Romanticism to Modernism: Graphic Masterpieces from Piranesi to Picasso” (in the Education Gallery) through June 19. 

Regular Admission: Adults, $8; seniors $6; students, $4; children under 12, free.

 Special Exhibition Admission: Adults, $14; seniors, $12; students, $6; children under 12, free.

Tickets can be purchased at www.bocamuseum.org.

Docent Phyllis Heller takes a group from Huntington Point
condominium in Delray Beach on a tour of the exhibition
‘Cut! Costume and the Cinema’ at the Boca Raton Museum of Art,
which is marking its 60th anniversary. Photo by Tim Stepien

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Becoming a docent at the Boca Raton Museum of Art is a little like getting a graduate degree in fine art.  Just ask any of the 55 volunteers who have been through the six-month training program to be a museum guide.

“Being here and going through this program is like being back in Carnegie-Mellon University art school,” says docent Linda Schottland, who has an art background.

On this afternoon, a group of 30 people from the Huntington Place condominium in Delray Beach are about an hour late for their scheduled tour of the museum’s two newest exhibits: “California Impressionism: Paintings from The Irvine Museum” and “Cut! Costume and the Cinema.” 

The latter is “a show based on the exactitude and research that goes into period costumes for the movies,” explains curator of education Claire Clum. These shows kick off the museum’s 60th anniversary year.

Clum is much in evidence this afternoon as she organizes the docents whom she oversees.

When another group of visitors shows up early for their scheduled tour on this Friday afternoon, Clum shuffles her docents to get the people on their way through the exhibits. She doesn’t want too many people in the same areas of the museum at the same time or it can get crowded and noisy.

This makes crowd control difficult for the docents, but they are trained to handle problems.

The docent training program is offered every other year to 15 to 20 people. The trainees meet two times a week for course work to become immersed in the museum’s permanent collection, as well as to learn tour techniques, strategies and planning and the logistics of guiding groups through the exhibitions.

“We don’t focus our training on reciting facts,” says curator Clum. “Our goal is to help our docents be facilitators who can cause a discussion and engage our visitors with questions.”

To graduate, the docents have to give a one-hour tour to staff and other volunteers without using notes. 

After graduation, there’s continuing education, previews and briefings for new exhibits and additional workshops on topics such as how to work with students. The docents also must commit to working at least three hours a week.

“Being a docent is a wonderful opportunity to learn and get to share what you’ve learned,” says Phyllis Heller as she takes off with the first 15 people to straggle in from the condo group. The others will be under the supervision of Schottland.

Different styles

Going along, we discover these two women’s presentation styles are very different, but each uses her own personality to keep the people engaged.

For example, Heller was an accountant before she retired in November. She’s been a docent for eight years. “I’ve always been interested in art. I’m drawn to the sheer beauty of it. It lets me use the other side of my brain,” she says.

Although she enjoys pointing out the period costumes on display in the “Cut” exhibit, she comes alive when we come to the room filled with California Impressionist paintings.

A group from Huntington Point condominium in Delray Beach
listens as docent Phyllis Heller explains the

intricacies of an exhibition at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Photos by Tim Stepien

She is taken with the way the artists apply paint and their use of light, which she points out in four or five paintings she finds particularly noteworthy. “We are only together for an hour so we can’t talk about everything. But you are welcome to look around after the tour or to come back to find ones you especially like,” she says.

For those being led by Schottland, they can’t help but feel her passion for the costume exhibit. She was a fashion editor for Glamour magazine, and her background in the field makes her enthusiasm contagious. 

A wine-colored waistcoat covered with gold embroidery and studded with gold buttons is on display. 

“This was the beginning of the three-piece suit,” Schottland says, pointing out the coat, vest, lace-edged shirt and knee britches. This particular outfit was worn by Heath Ledger playing Giacomo Casanova  in the 2005 movie Casanova. 

Schottland nearly hugs the mannequin as she explores the delicate stitching. Then she sweeps around to the rear of the figure with her group in tow to point out the many useless buttons in the back of its costume. 

“The buttons are how they wore their wealth,” she says as she moves on to the next opulently dressed mannequin.

Visitors also share

Being a docent isn’t a one-way street. Heller remembers a tour group she had whose members were MIT alumnae. They all remembered studying M.C. Escher in school. So when they came to some works by him, she let them talk.

“Sometimes if you listen, you learn a lot,” she says.

Schottland had a different experience. She was giving a tour awhile back when a distinguished man with a European accent came into the museum. She asked if he’d like to join her group. “But he said he knew more than me and had no need of a tour,” she says. 

Even so, she invited him to follow along. And at the end of the tour, he said she’d done such a good job that he wanted to give some of his artworks to the museum. She thought he was joking.

That’s until he arranged to have 23 Théophile Alexandre Steinlen prints from his collection donated on his demise, noting they are in honor of the work the docents do at the museum. 

Ruth Stevens plays viola and is the co-founder
of the Lyric Chamber Orchestera.  Photo by Tim Stepien

By Steve Plunkett

The Lyric Chamber Orchestra has a new conductor, a new soprano and a new focus: After nine seasons, it’s going pops.

But it still feels largely unappreciated.

Clark McAlister is the Lyric’s new conductor.
  McAlister also is a music publisher.

“Here you have a gem in Highland Beach that so many people don’t know about,’’ said Ruth Stevens of Boynton Beach, one of the orchestra’s co-founders and its principal violist.

It’s not easy getting the word out, Stevens said. None of Highland Beach’s many condo buildings will let them put up posters, she said, and the town won’t air an announcement on cable TV ’s government channel.

The Lyric Chamber Orchestra’s 22 members
practice each Thursday. Their next concert is April 1.

Town resident Seymour Strauss, whose wife, Dorothy, is also a Lyric co-founder, uses the public comment portion of Town Commission meetings to put in a good word for the all-strings orchestra.

“Please come, we need the attendance,’’ the retired dentist said at one meeting. “Some of our musicians spend as much as a hundred, a hundred and fifty dollars a year of their own money paying for gasoline to get to the rehearsals.’’

The Lyric’s first of two concerts this season drew about 150 patrons to St. Lucy Catholic Church. The parish hall can hold 100 more people, and orchestra members hope to pack the place for their April 1 season finale.

Chet Olson plays bass during during a rehearsal
of the Lyric Chamber Orchestra at St. Lucy Catholic
Church in Highland Beach. Photos by Tim Stepien

The orchestra’s 22 musicians practice every Thursday at the church. At a recent rehearsal they went over Franz Schubert’s Eight German Dances, from 1823-25, and Irving Berlin’s A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody, from 1919. 

April’s performance will also include the Britten arrangement of Purcell’s  Chacony and Juventino Rosas’ Over the Waves, said McAlister, a composer, music publisher and former assistant conductor with the now-disbanded Florida Philharmonic.

Also joining the orchestra this year is soprano Josephine Dolce, who sings for Opera Night at the restaurant Josephine’s of Boca as well as concerts sponsored by the Friends of the Highland Beach Library. Dolce recently became St. Lucy’s music director, Stevens said.

Despite this year’s changes and a sense of optimism for the coming performance, the musicians chafe over not receiving any money from town government.  The current season would not have been possible, Strauss said, without “generous” contributions from Stevens and the Lyric’s principal violinist, Vera Rosen of Coral Springs.

Highland Beach gave the orchestra $5,000 in its first year and again in 2005 but nothing since.

“I don’t think we can stay there much longer,” Stevens said. “It would be a pity to leave, but there comes a
point where you say,
‘So long.’ ”                            Ú

The April 1 performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at St. Lucy’s, 3510 S. Ocean Blvd. Tickets are $15 and $20. For information, call Ruth Stevens at 733-3245 or see http://lcohb.org.

“You’re struggling, aren’t you?” the caller asks. 

The words are not music to Ruth Stevens’ ears.

“Financially, but not musically,” she retorts.

Stevens is one of the co-founders and principal violist of the Lyric Chamber Orchestra. The Boynton Beach woman does her darnedest to get the word out about the orchestra, which has concerts in the parish hall at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church and is gearing up for its April 1 season finale. (See Steve Plunkett’s story on Page 1).

Musicians such as Stevens remain upbeat about performances, but when it comes to financing, it’s hard to put on a happy face. Highland Beach gave the Lyric $5,000 in its debut year and again in 2005. Since then, nada. 

Were it not for charitable contributions from Stevens and Vera Rosen, the Lyric’s principal violinist, this season wouldn’t have been possible.

Besides that, some of the musicians spend as much as $150 a year of their own money, paying for gasoline to get to the rehearsals. 

It would be a shame if the orchestra had to leave Highland Beach. If you haven’t ordered tickets yet for the April 1 performance at St. Lucy’s, now’s the time to plunk down $15-$20 for a ticket. Better yet, call Stevens  (733-3245) about other opportunities to keep the Lyric playing beautiful music in Highland Beach. 

 — Mary Thurwachter, managing editor