By Tim O’Meilia

The South Palm Beach Town Council is going green. Not environmentally speaking, but experience-wise.

Two new council members, Stella Jordan and Susan Lillybeck, were sworn at the March 23 Town Council meeting by U. S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley, giving the council four members in their first two-year term.

Councilmen Brian Merbler and Donald Clayman completed their first elected year in office (although Clayman was appointed three months before he ran). Only Mayor Martin Millar has much time behind the council table. He served four years as a councilman before he was elected mayor in 2009.

But that didn’t stop the council from making two immediate, if minor, changes in town procedures. At Jordan’s suggestion, the council moved to change its monthly meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. And, at the mayor’s urging, the council will be called “council members” individually instead of the more formal and seldom-used “councilors.” Both changes were approved unanimously.

“The honeymoon begins tonight and ends tonight,” Merbler jokingly told his two new colleagues.

The March 9 election was a clear-cut win for those who opposed a 10-story condominium hotel on the site of the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, the only commercial property in town.

Jordan and Lillybeck handily defeated four other first-time candidates, Iris Lieberman, Isabella Ralston-Charnley, Richard Akin and Clare Semer. Lieberman and Ralston-Charnley favored changing the town’s comprehensive plan to allow the hotel.

The Town Council turned down the proposal by a 3-2 vote in September but two of the council members opposing the change — Charles McCrosson and Joseph Flagello — did not seek re-election. McCrosson recently moved to the Florida Keys.

Jordan and Lillybeck each attracted more than 30 percent of the votes. No other candidate reached 15 percent. Almost 37 percent of the town’s 1,303 registered voters cast ballots.

“You spoke loudly, clearly and decisively on election day,” Jordan told the meeting of about 75 residents. “The election confirms what the town’s comprehensive plan states.”

Jordan, a retired banker, said she would follow the voices of the town’s residents. “The residents of South Palm Beach are at the top of the organizational chart. The mayor and the council report to you.”

Lillybeck, who owns a doughnut shop in a Chicago suburb, thanked the residents who worked for her election. “I can’t tell you how honored I am to be sitting here, that you chose me for this job. I will make you proud that you put me here,” she said.

In other business, the council accepted the annual audit performed by the accounting firm of MarcumRachlin. Accountant Andrew Fierman said the town’s books showed no deficiencies and the $1.95 million in reserves “is indicative of the good financial health of the town.”

By Margie Plunkett and Mary Kate Leming

McKinley Park on Hypoluxo Island has been a meeting ground, a community “piazza” that’s brought parents and children together over the years to bond and play. A main
draw for families, the playground equipment is now gone, removed without notice
or hope of replacement after town inspectors deemed it a safety hazard.

Lantana doesn’t have the money budgeted for the estimated replacement cost of the $50,000 play units, Town Manager Mike Bornstein said at a council meeting in
March. But is hoping to find a six-swing set for McKinley Park that has a
pricetag of about $5,000.

The equipment, up to an estimated 12 to 15 years old, deteriorated in the harsh environment of salt air and sand and was beyond saving, said Lantana Director
of Operations Mike Greenstein.

The attachments as well as the framework were cracked, rusted and dissolving, he said. “It couldn’t be repaired. It
was not an option.”

Parents and neighbors, caught by surprise when the equipment was scrapped, protested at a Town Council meeting in March, unhappy that they weren’t notified the equipment was unsafe or would
be removed and not replaced.

“It was there one day, gone the next,” said neighbor Diana Reed during a later interview. “It was just done so haphazardly, never giving us the opportunity to
do anything about it until it was too late. I think the decision was a
mistake.”

Reed spoke passionately during the meeting about just how important the playground was for the children — including her now-11-year-old son — and in fostering a
sense of community and camaraderie among young parents. Some of her son’s best
friendships were formed at play in the park and her family made close friends,
Reed said.

The real estate agent added that amenities like playground equipment bolster property values as well.

Bornstein apologized at the meeting for not notifying the neighborhood and Mayor David Stewart suggested grant money or other financial aid might be more easily found
if the residents initiated a grassroots effort to raise part of the funds.

Judy Black, president of the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association, planned to bring up the possibility of fundraising for new equipment during her
organization’s subsequent meeting. She knew at least some residents would think
it unfair for the town to fund its $25,000 July Fourth fireworks display, but
not replace McKinley Park’s playground equipment.

“The town will put in the swing set and we will maybe, hopefully, work together to put in some of the other equipment,” Black said following the homeowner group’s
meeting that was attended by some town officials as well. “It wouldn’t be the
homeowners association; it would be some money privately raised.”

Reed said the next step is “to decide what direction we want to take to put something back … to find money to put it back.”

Meanwhile, the lack of communication on the issue was unfortunate, Black added. “We were unaware of the situation altogether. These things happen. We usually have very
good communication and are on good terms.”

Incumbent Robert Evans (left), who ran unopposed, is joined by new commissioners Howard Roder and Louis DeStefano. In Manalapan, 209 voters of a total of 353 registered voters, or 59.2 percent turned out for the March elections. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Margie Plunkett

Manalapan commissioners agreed to pay a company about $13,000 to locate and map utilities throughout the town, paving the way for a plan that guides residents in landscaping swales while protecting utilities.

With the utility mapping progressing, commissioners will also trek to Lighthouse Point to view the work of a landscape consultant whom they are considering contracting to provide expertise on plantings.

Tomas Fernandez of High Tech Locating was contracted after the town struggled for nearly two months in its internal attempt to locate and map water pipes alone, devoting about $5,300 in salaries to the task. Fernandez’s work may take up to 60 days.

The commission also generally agreed it was interested in hiring landscape consultant Roy Rogers of Southeastern Consulting Group for up to $1,000 to provide expertise on plantings. The panel thought it premature, however, pending completion of utility mapping and their tour of Lighthouse Point in Broward County.

In separate action, commissioners passed on first reading an ordinance that gives them hometown rule on turtle protection in the face of increasingly strict county restrictions, according to Mayor Tom Gerrard. The ordinance still restricts lighting that can be seen from the beach, because it interferes with turtle nesting. But the ordinance focuses on lighting that can be seen from a height of 36 inches, rather than from the six feet the county requires.

Commissioners sent a sign ordinance to the zoning board to review after residents and the real estate community complained that it forced them to place real estate sale signs behind hedges and walls where they couldn’t be seen from the street. The commissioners suspended enforcement concerning those signs pending the review.

The process of hiring a town manager was progressing: Commissioner William Bernstein was authorized to negotiate a contract in a pay range of $80,000 to $120,000 with the No. 1 candidate for the job, who was interviewed along with two other candidates in March. Commissioners ranked the candidates at the regular March 23 meeting and plan a discussion during an April 6 special meeting.

Finance Director Linda Stumpf updated commissioners on the progress of a fundraising drive to refurbish the town’s library. By March 23, resident contributions had reached $47,769.67. The library committee is working on bids to replace the ceiling.

“It’s very heartening that the community has responded as it has,” Mayor Gerrard said. “I commend everyone who’s helped.”

The Beach Property Owners Association is taking the next step toward a long-term plan for the beachfront, after meeting March 24 with city leaders, city employees and residents.

At its April 1 board meeting, the association intended to set a date to present its report and renderings to the City Commission.

The association wants to create a master plan for the beachfront to tackle residents’ concerns in the future. Planning began in November, with a successful, standing-room-only charrette where people said they were concerned about, among other things, parking, people on the beach after dark, and smoking.

Since then, organizers have compiled a report and created artist renderings to show the City Commission what they envision as the beachfront in Delray Beach.

No changes are expected in the near future, except the possibility of new garbage cans. But the association said it is important to have a guide for the future.

“Everyone is behind us,” said Mary Renaud, president of the BPOA.

— Kelly Wolfe

By Tim O’Meilia

South Florida whistled past the hurricane graveyard last summer and nary a storm howled in return. Only three hurricanes formed last year and none sent anyone scurrying to Home Depot for plywood.

Don’t expect to sneak by again this year, said National Hurricane Center forecaster Chris Landsea, who said the eastern Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are in the midst of a 25- to 30-year uptick in storms that began in 1995.

“Do not expect things to stay quiet for the next five years,” he said.

But Landsea isn’t ready to make those fashionable predictions of how many storms we will worry over or where the cone of destruction, er, probability, will take aim.

“It’s too early. Those predictions aren’t worth the ink on the paper,” said Landsea, who spoke in March at the annual lecture series sponsored by the Community Affairs Advisory Board of the town of South Palm Beach. Wait until May, or better yet, August for more accurate assessments, he said.

It mostly depends on how fast el Niño weakens in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Landsea says it’s too soon to say. El Niño is a warming of the waters off Ecuador and Peru. The warmer the Pacific, the stronger the wind shear to chop off the heads of developing storms, as happened in 2009. It’s a climatic domino effect.

El Niño made 2009 a one-year wonder. The increase of storms in the past decade is part of a multi-decade cycle last seen in the late 1920s through the early 1950s and not the result of global warming, as some scientists have suggested.

Landsea, a research meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration until last year, is one of the authors of a study published in February that included scientists who said global warming was the cause of the increase in hurricanes.

“Hurricanes are the poster child of global warming, as Al Gore sees it,” Landsea said. “But our computer models show that there will be fewer tropical storms and hurricanes by the end of the century because of global warming — fewer but slightly stronger.”

By the numbers, the number of storms will drop by 6 percent to 34 percent by 2100. But the intensity of those that survive will increase by 2 percent to 11 percent, and there may be twice as many Category 4 and 5 storms as now.

The reason: Global warming will increase the ocean temperature, making stronger storms, but it also will cause more wind shear, decapitating all but the most beefy hurricanes.

“The trouble is, there are lots more people in hurricanes’ way than there used to be,” Landsea said. “Society is making storm damage higher, not global warming.”

Hurricane Katrina, a strong Category 3 storm when it struck New Orleans in 2005, caused $81 billion in damage. In contrast, the 1926 Category 4/5 storm that struck South Florida would cause $140 billion to $157 billion in damage if it hit today, adjusted for inflation and for the influx of population.

What’s that mean for today’s South Palm Beach condo dwellers? “You’re on a barrier island. The first floor of condos could easily get flooded. Power could be out for five days. If you get the word to evacuate, do it,” Landsea said.

“We’re fortunate we can see them coming.”

By Margie Plunkett

Herons, cranes, spoonbills, terns, pelicans and even red hawks make Ocean Ridge their home. Now, the town is moving toward becoming a bird sanctuary to protect them.

The town was exploring and preparing an ordinance it expects to present at its April 5 meeting, after resident Jeff Lee proposed the designation in March.

“The bird sanctuary prevents people from killing birds or their eggs,” Lee said. “It’s not Audubon certified, it’s just for community awareness. If you raise the awareness of birds, people will participate. It will bring out a different aspect of the town.”

The effort can be done with little or no cost to the town, without sanction from the National Audubon Society, Lee said. “We don’t have to go through anyone to do that, we just have to declare ourselves a sanctuary,” Town Manager Ken Schenck said.

“It might bring some recognition to Ocean Ridge,” Commissioner Betty Bingham said. ”We’re beginning to get more and more birds, although many people don’t see them.”

The parks and mangroves provide the beginnings of a sanctuary, Bingham said, forming a habitat for a host of birds, including storks, cranes and owls. Bingham noted “two red-tailed hawks most people don’t see.”

Commissioners asked for more research to determine what becoming a bird sanctuary entails. Schenck said late in March he was aiming to have the ordinance ready for first reading at the April meeting.

“There are so many different varieties of birds in Ocean Ridge because we have so much different parkland,” Lee said. The town’s parks areas include the 12-acre Ocean Ridge Nature Area.

The town in Ohio Lee previously lived in had “bird sanctuary” on every sign, he said. Groups formed to watch the birds and people’s involvement grew, with residents leading bird walks and spearheading other activities, he recalled. “It’s a community thing.”

By Margie Plunkett

Burying Gulf Stream’s overhead power lines would cost roughly $4.6 million and entail six months of pre-construction work and six to eight months of construction, according to a consultant hired to study the feasibility of the project.

Town commissioners took the next step toward burying electric lines when they directed Danny Brannon, the Brannon & Gillespie LLC consultant who presented the study results in March, to provide a more detailed report on the project.

“There’s still some questions that need to be answered, but I think we should move ahead, obtain these answers, look at the total picture and let the people decide what they want to do,” said Mayor William Koch Jr. during the March town meeting.

“It’s been a long time in coming,” Vice Mayor Joan Orthwein said.

Brannon studied the area of Gulf Stream that’s east of the Intracoastal Waterway, including about 200 homes and 15 multifamily residences. The area encompasses 29,500 feet of overhead power lines and 115 Florida Power & Light Co. transformers, according to the study.

The Wellington consultant recommended that the town hire construction contractors to complete the work rather than FPL to keep control of costs, time and other factors.

Gulf Stream commissioners would need to consider how to finance the project, including options of taxation and sale of municipal bonds. Another community Brannon worked with on burying power lines, Jupiter Island, took a referendum to the voters, borrowed money for the project and planned to pay the loan by taxing residents, the consultant said.

“We’d probably have to go for a bond issue,” Koch said. “Gulf Stream has only had one bond issue that I could remember. It was very successful — especially for the people who bought the bonds.”

Bob Ganger, president of the Civic Association — which paid for half the cost of the feasibility study — said he planned to relay the information from the commission meeting to residents at the association’s next meeting. Most people are aware that Gulf Stream will see a return on the money in terms of safety and way of life, he said.

“The people I’ve talked to are very much in favor,” Ganger said. “They’re saying, ‘In concept I’m for it. Give me the details.’ ”

By Margie Plunkett

Imagine stopping by an automated stand to rent a bicycle and being able to drop it off at a station in another part of town. The board formerly known as the Green Task Force has this on the roster of projects it wants to make reality.

The Green Task Force presented icon projects including the public bicycle system as part of its status update to Delray Beach commissioners during a special meeting/workshop in March, as well as noting it would like to use Earth Day on April 22 as a springboard event.

The panel first, however, sought to change its name to the Delray Beach Green Implementation Advancement Board because it had progressed from its initial purpose of reviewing the city’s sustainability practices to implementing proposed changes.

To date, 70 of 122 of the board’s recommendations have been completed or are ongoing, everything from using green cleaning supplies to securing a green grant worth $638,500, the board’s chairman, Yalmaz Siddiqui, said. The list also includes an aggressive pilot recycling program, a tiered water rate structure, support of organic community gardens and work toward an electronic police citation system, he said.

The chairman, who proposed building awareness of the board’s achievements among Delray Beach residents, said the role of the board is now to advance green initiatives by engaging key stakeholders and working together to put proposals into practice.

Part of the communication plans includes collecting measurements to illustrate progress made by various programs. Metrics could include annual reclaimed water usage, average daily water usage per capita, annual kilowatts of electricity used in city facilities and the carbon footprint from city facilities and operations. The latter is already in the works: Florida Atlantic University is working on Delray Beach’s carbon footprint for free at the Green board’s request, he said.

“Having metrics publicly aggregated and disclosed will help the city save money and potential energy wastes,” Siddiqui said.

Commissioner Gary Eliopoulos agreed. “Measurements are going to be the key for us.”

The green board was seeking overall comments from commissioners on five proposals, including the public bike system, to get support or guidance on what’s next, Siddiqui said.

The public bike system improves the use of energy-saving, pollution-free transportation for both tourists and residents, according to Siddiqui. The board proposal would investigate a pilot program for Delray Beach and move forward if it is deemed “fiscally responsible,” he said. The bike system could help alleviate traffic congestion as well as provide a revenue stream to the city, according to the presentation.

Other short-term projects include community gardens, a trolley system with eco features and environmental training opportunities. Request for bids on the trolley project were due March 15.

One longer-term project was to create an Eco District, an overlay district in Delray Beach designated in an attempt to attract green business, Siddiqui said. The city could provide incentives and adjust zoning to attract business in an innovative way and differentiate the region.

By Kelly Wolfe

it’s the best way to find the guy running things.

collaborating with Delray Beach, bringing hundreds of firefighters from around
the world here to march on Atlantic Avenue during city’s the 42nd Annual St.
Patrick’s Day Parade.

“It’s important to show unity. We’re all here on one street, on one day.”

“Absolutely,” Fischer said, when asked if he’ll be back next year.

dogs, strollers and emerald balloons. Women wore shamrock-shaped freckles, men
donned oversized green hats.

“It’s a nice group of people,” John Connolly said.

“In New York it’s always snowing,” said Barbara Connolly.

day circling the airport in West Palm Beach, the day before. But now that he’s
standing in the sunshine, he’s not disappointed.

He said he’s enjoying the hospitality, and has made a lot of friends. But he isn’t quite sure he’ll remember them once he gets back to Dublin.

“To me, it’s giving back,” said Sands. “It’s showing the community we’re there for them.”

He likes to take the truck around the state, riding in parades and showing it off.

“The kids get on it, women get behind the wheel,” he said. “Everybody loves a firetruck.”

By Christine Davis

Sandra Morrison of Ocean Ridge found a treasure trove of watercolors in Norman Scofield’s garage. Landscapes of all descriptions delightfully alive with
dynamic lines and beautiful colors: tropical island scenes, snow and old barn
paintings, northern vistas and local views, sunny to sad.

joyful. If his skies have squalls, you feel that, too, and become
apprehensive.”

friend. When she saw his vast beautiful collection, she knew she had to keep
his vision alive.

in Delray Beach.”

When going through his work, she realized that he had been an artist all his life. “I found sketch books from when he was in grammar school. He won his first art
competition when he was 7 or 8 years old,” she said.

commercial art as an illustrator, graphic designer and art director.

Center. He was a member of the Delray Art League, Palm Beach Watercolor Society,
and a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society.

scholarship fund, so it is fitting that sales of his work will benefit that
fund.

buried away,” Morrison said.

If you go:

Veterans Park is at 802 NE First Street, Delray Beach. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday until April 15. The contact number at the park is
(561) 243-7350. To buy a painting or to see his unframed works, call Sandra
Morrison at (561) 736-6671.

By Jan Norris

Greenmarket cookbook is out ($14.95, available at the Community Redevelopment
offices), with recipes that use the products at the market.

people here,” said Sherry Johnson, Community Caring Center director, who
shepherded the project that gives a leg up to locals wanting to start a small
food business or begin a culinary career. “Phillip Herman is our amazing Sunday
brunch chef. Allison Zimmer does the best gourmet cookies … Athena Holmes is
our resident vegan chef, Cherl Anderson has just started her juice bar and is
squeezing fresh wheatgrass and others,” Johnson said. There’s Italian foods
from Patty and Larry Korn, Marcia and Jim Tong are behind “Mia Cosina” — a
Peruvian and Brazilian cuisine served in the café.

“We have organic tomatoes, bok choy, green peppers — a number of other
vegetables right now,” she said.

At Lake Worth's Oceanside Farmer's Market, vendors sell everything from cookies to cucumbers, honey to honeybells — all produced locally. A focus on "artisan" foods is here, with local bakers, growers and florists selling their products. The Saturday market continues through May in the parking lot behind John G's in Lake Worth at A1A.

They’ve made it convenient and family friendly — the beds are raised and
everyone’s given a pail and pair of scissors to clip berries neatly. The paths
are lined with clean gravel, a bench-filled area is available for those who
don’t want to pick and there’s plenty to see in the small park surrounding the
rows of edibles.

It’s a Community Supported Agriculture project run by Nancy Roe. Residents who want fresh produce delivered buy a share of the farm in August. For 34 weeks, they benefit from her harvests at the west Boynton farm. Boxes of mixed vegetables are delivered to your home or office. The popular program sells out every season, however, so you must reserve a subscription in August before the farm is planted. There’s no guarantee; you are partnering with Roe and whatever happens at her farm happens to your subscription (i.e., a hurricane). It’s a unique way to participate in local farming.

group, says teens from the Boys and Girls Club help run it, with adult support.
“Our goal is to give a hand up — not a hand out,” she said.

Jan Norris is a freelance writer and editor. For more recipes for seasonal produce, log on to JanNorris.com

Here's a recipe for Very Berry Strawberry Syrup

If You Go

Delray Beach Greenmarket: Along Southeast Fourth Avenue, south of Atlantic Avenue, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. through May

months to come look at his work and hear about him from people, who study him,
knew him or live in his houses.

A three-month program that runs through May is being presented by the Delray Beach Historical Society and funded by a Florida Humanities Council and
National Endowment of the Humanities grant. The program includes three
one-month-long exhibits as well as three evening discussions.

March 11 discussion was an open discourse, moderated by the historical
society’s archivist, Dottie Patterson, with panelists Roy Simon and Roger Cope,
both local architects. Members of the audience, which included Ogren’s
son-in-law, family friends and owners of Ogren’s homes, were also invited to
share stories and insights.

and a Jacaranda limb near it and I remember thinking about how Sam’s designs
made me feel — and it was perfect satisfaction.’’ She said.

Ogren worked in Delray Beach from 1925 to 1950. Some of his existing designs include the Sandoway House, the Arcade Building designed in 1925, the Gymnasium and the
High School at Old School Square, designed in 1926.

JoAnn Peart, who lives in an Ogren-designed house, shared that Ogren Jr., had worked on her house when he was a teenager. “He told me that his father believed in
learning about building by working in the construction trades,” she said. “I am
honored to live in a home designed by Ogren Sr. His houses have a special
quality and elegance.”

at the site plan — the openness and vistas. The little villas have a nice
feel.”

old. His father was killed and he and his mother went into hiding, according to
Clark.

to be an architect in Florida. He was awarded License No. 024, and his first office was in Delray
Beach,” he said.

in 2007.

she said.

so square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms have become more
important than scale. It’s interesting to think about what we have lost.”

Coming Events

The second exhibit, currently underway, is at Delray Beach City Hall in the Planning and Zoning Lobby, 100 NW First St., and runs through April.

“Ogren Designs of the Past — Planning for the Future,” will be held at Delray Beach City Hall on April 29 at 6:30 p.m.

The May 4 through 29 exhibition is at the Ethel Sterling Williams Learning Center, 111 N. Swinton Ave.

The discussion, “Ogren — Green Themes — What We Can Learn,”
is also at the learning center and is scheduled for May 20 at 6:30 p.m.

10 Questions

sociable black poodle. It is a comfortable and well-appointed abode, but with
his collection of African sculpture and masks on loan for Black History Month
to Tequesta’s Lighthouse Center for the Arts, the place feels empty, he said.

“Can you smell it?” he asked. “The smell of Africa.”

place he knows well. He has visited an estimated 25 times since first setting
foot in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1968.

unfold in Africa since his first visit. They show the effects of misguided aid
policies, he says, “that make systemic problems out of temporary solutions.”

fishing — and returning to Africa.

Africa, why foreigners can’t solve the continent’s problems and why he can’t
stop going back.

— Antigone Barton

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I’ve lived here all my life. I went to Delray Elementary School at Old School Square — 32 East. It was hot then, no
air-conditioning. I went to Seacrest High School, University of Kentucky and
Florida Atlantic University. I
majored in anthropology.

Q: What prompted your first trip to Africa?

A: Majoring in anthropology. You have to see for yourself. Then there’s always something new to see. It’s like skin-diving, it’s different every time.

Q: What is your favorite country in Africa, and why?

A: Zimbabwe. I’ve watched the country go through this terrible metamorphosis over the last 29 years. The unemployment
rate now is 94 percent. The life expectancy for a woman is 37 and for a man is
39. I’m painting a very bleak picture, so you might say what’s so great about
it?

The people have such tremendous resilience. And it’s refreshing to get away from the twittering and Paris Hilton … and political talk shows. It’s refreshing to get back to the basics of
life. It’s like going back in history.

Q: What is the biggest difference between politics in Africa and here?

A: We’ve had a little bump in our history with the Civil War but it involved the same people with different philosophies on two issues — secession and slavery.
How would you like to run the Congo with 70 different languages spoken? It’s
easy to exploit people when they really have a deep-seated hatred for each
other. Africa has 53 countries. They may need 250 countries. Remember we’re the ones who carved that
up, we put those people together.

Q: What are people doing right in Africa that people here don’t know about?

A: We are obsessed with death. They value life. We see death in the abstract. They see it every day. It permeates their society. If someone dies, they clean the
body. They’re not as fearful of death as we are. Another difference, the Shona
people (a tribe from Zimbabwe) revere the elderly. Most Africans do. The Shona
believe the ancestors speak to the elderly and that’s why they take care of
their elders. Why would you put your smartest people in a nursing home? We take
our old people and we put them out.

The San (tribe located primarily in Botswana) are bush people. You’ll never see a crying San baby. Someone will pick it up. It’s a communal society.

Q: Why don’t more people know about what works in Africa?

A: Good news is boring. Lot’s of good things happen there.

Q: When were you last in Africa and when are you going back?

A: I last went two years ago. I’m going in September this year. I don’t know where else I’m going this time, but I have to go to Zimbabwe, because I have friends
there.

Q: When you are here, what do you miss from Africa?

A: The simplicity of it. I miss the people. I really like the people.

Q: What do you miss from the United States when you are there?

A: When I’m there don’t miss anything. If it wasn’t for my grandkids, I would live there four months of the year. The worst months here are the best months there.

Q: What do you like about living in Ocean Ridge?

A: I’m an ocean person, I love living close to the sea.

Antigone Barton is freelance writer and author living in Lantana. She was a 2009-2010 Knight Health Journalism Fellow in Africa, where she worked with reporters at
the Zambia
Daily Mail.

By Emily J. Minor

DELRAY BEACH — Patricia Wade Owen, a Chicago native who joined key social philanthropic causes when she was a young college graduate, died March 15 at age 87. She had been in the care of Hospice of Palm Beach County for about three years.

Mrs. Owen, a lifelong smoker, died from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had been on oxygen a good while before her death, said her daughter, Wendy Zecy.

The daughter of a Chicago ad agency executive, Mrs. Owen left Chicago in 1940 to attend Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., but the political situation brought her home. Her parents, worried about blackouts and bomb scares on the East Coast, insisted she leave Wellesley after two years. Mrs. Owen enrolled in Northwestern University and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in English/journalism. She was also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

In Chicago, she was a member and past president of the Service Club of Chicago, started in 1890 to help women with social, economical and civic needs. It’s still in existence. She also involved herself early on with another agency that is still standing: the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.

After college, she met and married Harry O. “Bunny” Owen, who owned a publishing business — which the couple eventually sold to Rand McNally, said their daughter. The couple bought at the Ocean Club in 1968 and traveled to Florida regularly. They began living in Florida year-round in 1984 after they bought a house on Harbour Drive. She eventually moved to St. Andrews.

Mrs. Owen was always a free spirit who enjoyed golf, travel and bridge. After her husband died in 1987, she continued to travel. She enjoyed an African safari, went to the Galapagos Islands, visited Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia and took a cooking class in Italy.

She also kept up with the changing times.

“She was great on the internet for a gal her age,” said her daughter. “She even took (online) classes.”

She is survived by a son, Jay L. Owen, and two daughters, Zecy and Pam Wrisley. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services were held a few days after her death at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach.

By Emily J. Minor

OCEAN RIDGE — Mary Ellen Cannon, who raised her six children in Michigan and moved to Florida in her later years to golf, garden and give more attention to her love for crafting, died in the care of Hospice of Palm Beach County on March 8 after suffering a stroke.

Until the time of her sudden illness, she remained active with everything she loved, said her daughter, K.T. Cannon-Eger. Mrs. Cannon enjoyed golfing, working in the yard, and she was the consummate craftswoman. “She could stand in front of a store window and sketch the design for a ski sweater and go home and knit it,” K.T. said.

Her daughter said her mother never publicly disclosed her age, always just saying she was “old enough.”

After the couple’s retirement, Mrs. Cannon spent even more time working in the yard — something for which she had an incredible knack.

“My dad called her the Picasso of the garden,” said K.T.

She also loved to travel and would “go anywhere at the drop of the hat,” her daughter said.

Born in Providence, R.I., she graduated from Beverly Hills High School and then attended Stanford University in California. She married George W. Cannon Jr. on St. Patrick’s Day in 1954.

The couple lived in his hometown of Muskegon, Mich., and raised their six children at their home on Mona Lake. After the kids were out of the house, the couple moved to Ocean Ridge in the early 1980s, said Cannon-Eger.

Mrs. Cannon was a member of St. Mark Catholic Church in Boynton Beach and attended Mass several times a week, her daughter said.

Besides her husband, George, survivors include their six children: Cannon-Eger, Christine Cannon Bucher, Kiki Cannon, Carolyn Cannon, George W. Cannon and Timothy James Cannon. She also leaves 12 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Mass was said March 13 at St. Mark’s and there will be a service for family and friends in Muskegon later this summer, said her daughter.

By Ron Hayes

That's how this small, mobile home community reports the death of friends and
neighbors, but this time the message was especially poignant.
For more than a decade, Mr. Gauer had been a tireless volunteer at BBC-8.
“He was there every day for 10 years, at least,” remembers Jack Taylor, who
co-founded the station. “He worked in the control room, making DVD copies of
our programs, and he was a fixture there. Very quiet, very sensitive and very
dedicated.”
Carl Francis Gauer, 80, died March 6 of pneumonia after a long and valiant battle
with Parkinson's disease.
“So many people have come by and said nobody inspired them like my brother,” said
Mr. Gauer's sister-in-law, June Kaiser. “He would go on trips, to Canada or the
Four Corners, and trudge along with his walker.”
Born in Elizabeth, N.J., on Aug. 10, 1929, Mr. Gauer was a graduate of Linden High
School. He served as a Navy corpsman during he Korean War, and attended Union
College in Cranford, N.J.
Mr. Gauer and his wife, Joan, began vacationing in Briny Breezes in 1978 and moved
here permanently in 1998, after his retirement from Exxon Research &
Engineering, where he worked as a photolithographer and production coordinator.
He also served as a head usher at the Briny Breezes Community Church and was
active in the town’s annual charity bazaar.
In addition to Joan Samer Gauer, his wife of 56 years, Mr. Gauer is survived by
two sisters, Nancy Boczon and June Kaiser, both of Briny Breezes; two
sons, Jeffrey, of Somerset, N.J., and Glenn, of Brick, N.J.; a brother-in-law,
Fred Kaiser, of Briny Breezes; a daughter-in-law Vickiemarie Gauer; and a
granddaughter, Crystal Evelyn Gauer.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the South Palm Beach County chapter
of the National Parkinson Foundation, PO Box 880145, Boca Raton, FL 33488-0145.
A memorial service will be scheduled later.

By Emily J. Minor

retirement, has died of complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. She was
82.

Mrs. Simpson is survived by her husband of 58 years, Bernie, who still lives at Crown Colony. The couple moved to Florida permanently from East North Point, N.Y., in 1989 when Bernie Simpson
retired. For many years, Eileen Simpson worked as a secretary for the
Department of Health in Suffolk, N.Y.

Mr. Simpson said his wife died Feb. 23 at Boulevard Manor Nursing Center in Boynton Beach, where she had been living since falling last summer and breaking her elbow. After a short hospital
stay, Eileen Simpson went through rehabilitation and then began living in the
home because she needed so much care, he said.

But before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the couple enjoyed many years of traveling — both in Florida, the continental U.S. and abroad. On several occasions, the Simpsons visited Mrs.
Simpson’s family in Ireland — where her parents were born — and often
entertained her Irish relatives at their home in Crown Colony Club
condominiums, he said.

Several years after they retired here, Mrs. Simpson began working as editor of the Crown Colony Club newspaper — a pastime she loved, said her
husband.

“She would write about people who went on trips, people on vacation, people who were deceased,” he said. “She would go around and if people wanted the information revealed, she would put it
in the paper.”

Mr. Simpson said his wife did this for about 6 years. But in 2002, the newspaper began relying on e-mail for residents to get their news and Mrs. Simpson no longer acted the role of condo
reporter.

Besides her husband, three children survive her: Daughters Laura and Kerry and son, Robert. Her sister, Kitty Higgins, also survives her,
as do two brothers, Emmet and Edward O’Rourke. A daughter, Gail, preceded her
in death.

Mrs. Simpson’s remains were cremated. She will be interred at Calverton National Cemetery in Long Island.

By Linda Haase

She used any material she could find, including her own clothes, but after a few years it was apparent this wasn’t a passing whim and her mom beseeched her to
find other fabric for her creations.

“So I thought, I’ll use toilet paper because it is biodegradable and good for the Earth,” says the precocious 12-year-old Gulf Stream School student, who started
her design career when she was 4.

Using her imagination — and toilet paper by the carload — she creates detailed wedding dresses, beautiful ball gowns, haughty halter dresses, billowing
skirts, striking bikinis and more for Barbies and pants, shirts, tuxedos and
swim trunks for Kens. Then she washes, cuts, dyes, and styles their hair (with
everything from gel to a flat iron) and poses them for photo shoots.

The dolls all have names. There’s Aphrodite, a sexy brunette sporting a revealing dress. And Natalie, who is lounging in a pool (a plastic container with dyed
water). And Jean, named after her creator, who says “she has sparkle, like me.”

“She’s very imaginative and way ahead of her time,” says her mom, Carol, who relies on her daughter for fashion advice.

There are challenges, though. Posing the dolls doesn’t always go smoothly. “When I was posing Ken and Barbie for the wedding series, they kept falling and one of
their heads popped off. It was so frustrating,” says Amanda Jean, a Barbie
lookalike who takes singing and piano lessons. “It took about 100 shots, but it
finally came out great.”

Amanda Jean’s creations caught the eye of Joe Davis, owner of Delray Art & Frame Center, who was hired to enlarge and frame her photos. He offered to exhibit
the photos at a show at his Atlantic Avenue shop. “I believe she is a brilliant
designer. This is someone who has astonishing ideas about how to make designs,”
he said.

Although the March exhibit was Amanda Jean’s first solo show, she was in her element on opening night. Decked out in a beaded pink dress and a sparkling tiara, she
explained her creations to visitors, pausing to take a demure sip of a Shirley
Temple on the rocks.

As for Amanda Jean’s future plans? “I hope to make recyclable dresses out of a fabric that would be good for the environment. When you have a dress and it
doesn’t fit anymore and you throw it away, it is such a waste,” she said.

Oh, and the blue-eyed blonde also wants to be a model, a singer and an actress.

It doesn’t look like there’s much stopping her.

various faith traditions as it gets around these parts. And it just became more
so: For the first time, Hindu is among the myriad faiths to be represented at
the Duncan Center on May 6 at 6 p.m.

Although they are our fellow citizens from all walks of life, most of us know little of those who worship at the roughly 50 Hindu temples and religious centers in
Florida.

Thus we may be surprised to learn that the introductory question at the www.BAPS.org Web site, to which Dhaval Bhagat referred me, is consistent with the sentiments
of most faith traditions and even those of people who claim no particular
faith:

“Many ask, ‘How can you mix spirituality and social service?’ We ask, ‘How can you separate the two?’” One result was the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to
the BAPS Children’s Forum in London last October.

Bhagat is media coordinator for the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, at 541 S.E. 18th Ave. in Boynton Beach — next to the Publix behind Sunshine Square at Woolbright
and Federal. “Mandir,” he explained, “is the word for the temple.”

The congregation is completing a renovation in preparation for its May 9 grand opening that dovetails nicely with the prayer day. That will provide another
opportunity to know those in our community who practice the world’s
third-largest religion (after Christianity and Islam), indigenous to Southern
Asia, with a billion adherents and a broad range of traditions.

Bhagat says congregants here worshipped in halls and homes, just as those of many different faiths got started, before the mandir opened in 2001. An average of
350 people now gather for the main service on Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. He’s
been going for 12 years, he said.

Similarly, for two years Devanathan Mahadevan has been priest of the 1,200-family South Florida Hindu Temple on Griffin Road in Fort Lauderdale. He’s participated in
interfaith activities from there to California to Ohio, and it shows.

“Water’s the same, whether we call it the Indian Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean,” said Mahadevan. “Same with the human being. We are going toward our own destiny. But
we are going on different paths. Trying to understand each other, that is the
only thing we need.”

Here’s applause for the path that makes his ages-old tradition among the enlightening participants in the national prayer observance.

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

By Arden Moore

Museum or catch an outdoor concert at Bryant Park.

She made a beeline to an animal shelter in Boca Raton to volunteer. But if you know Goldsmith, such a choice comes as no surprise. After all, she has championed
pets since her toddler years and dedicates her life to ensure shelter dogs and
cats land permanent, loving homes.

And, this Manalapan resident loves to host parties — especially ones for good causes. Case in point: the 8th annual Doggie Ball unleashed March 21 at the
Boca West Country Club. Attendees donned cowboy boots and Stetsons to round up
donations to benefit the Tri-County Humane Society, a no-kill shelter Goldsmith
co-founded with Jeannette Christos. It serves Palm Beach, Broward and
Miami-Dade counties.

Although the 400-plus guest list was limited to two-leggers, the event did feature Sir Lancelot Encore, a dog belonging to Edgar and Nina Otto, as Grand Marshall
Pooch.

Yes, Goldsmith does enjoy planning fundraising events, but told The Coastal Star that after this Doggie Ball, she intends to focus on lobbying for legislation to better the lives of companion animals all over
the state.

“I want to spend more time with our animal shelter and helping legislation get passed to stop puppy mills,” she said. “At Tri-County, it is all about being
there for the animals, nursing them back to health and finding them forever
homes. There’s a lot of work ahead.”

Goldsmith doesn’t mind the task. In her native state, she was hands-on involved with the Michigan Humane Society. When she and her family relocated to Palm Beach
County, she saw the opportunity in 1997 to obtain a long-term lease with the
city of Boca Raton to convert a kill shelter into a no-kill one.

“When you’re young, you are naïve and feel that you can do anything,” she says. “It really upset us that it was a kill shelter, so when the city of Boca Raton
announced it was putting the shelter up for bid, Jeannette, a couple others and
I rallied. They gave us a 75-year lease.”

Before she can continue the phone conversation, Kati, her newly-adopted golden retriever bounds into the room and displays tail-wagging exuberance, much to Goldsmith’s
delight.

“This dog is about 2 and recently came into our shelter after her owners informed us that they couldn’t find jobs in Florida and were moving to England. They
dropped off Katie at our shelter because they knew we were a no-kill,” recalls
Goldsmith. “Katie was not doing well. She was very depressed and had never been
in a shelter. I adopted her. In no time, her personality blossomed. She is
dynamic, full of life.”

And, has yet to realize that she weighs 60 pounds, not 6.

“It’s hilarious to watch Katie trying to squeeze her large body in the small doggy bed meant for my other dog, Marshmallow, my 7-year-old white toy poodle,” describes
Goldsmith. “Katie thinks she’s a little dog.”

As for daily walks with two dogs, Goldsmith is still trying to master the two-leash routine.

“The little one carries me in one direction and the big dog pulls me in the other direction,” she laughs. “Both are great dogs. I feel blessed to have them in my
life.”

Since childhood, Goldsmith has always shared her life with a dog or two. She feels lucky to have never met a dog she doesn’t like.

And, she acknowledges the influence they’ve played in how she views life and her character development.

“Dogs have brought me humility, understanding and commitment,” she says. “They put smiles on my face. They never give up on happiness. And most importantly, they
are always there, in good times and in bad times.”

Arden Moore, an animal behavior consultant, editor, author and professional speaker, 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 contact her at arden@ardenmoore.com.