South Palm Beach Town Manager Robert Kellogg says his goodbyes to (l-r) Maj. Christopher Keane, Lt. Christopher Caris, Sgt. Mark Garrison and Deputy Donna Korb of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. In 2019, Kellogg and attorney Glen Torcivia negotiated a 10-year merger agreement for the sheriff to police the town. Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Robert Kellogg hadn’t prepared a farewell speech for his last meeting as town manager of South Palm Beach. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he rose to his feet and made his way to the podium.

“As you know it’s my last meeting,” he said near the end of the May 9 gathering. “My shelf life expired. And those of you who know me, know the most important thing in my life is my family. I got an email from my wife Saturday at 6 o’clock in the evening. The message said that Jeremy, my son-in-law, called.

“He and Kelly were in an active shooting at Allen, Texas,” Kellogg said, referring to his daughter. His grandson Britton was also present during the May 6 mass shooting at a Dallas area mall.

“Fortunately, my son-in-law, daughter and my grandchild were not injured,” Kellogg continued. “My daughter and grandson were in the bathroom when the shots were fired. My son-in-law was in a store nearby. A short time later, I got a picture of what my daughter saw when she came out of the bathroom.”

Kellogg showed the photograph on his phone that his son-in-law sent of Mauricio Garcia — the suspect in the shooting — dead on the floor after he was shot by police.

“After all of this, I think I’m out of gas,” Kellogg said, his hands shaking. “It’s time for me to leave. I wish you well.”

Town Council members were moved by his words.

“It’s a crazy world we’re in,” said Vice Mayor Bill LeRoy. “I wish you all to be careful. Avoid crowds. Take care of yourself.”

LeRoy had kind things to say about the retiring manager.

“I want to thank Mr. Kellogg for his 41/2 years with us,” LeRoy said. “You might recall, he was our manager through the pandemic. We all remember what that was like — big, scary and unknown. I was getting a giant Q-tip shoved up my nose here in the parking lot. He’s done a very fine job and I thank you for what you’ve done for us, Bob.”

Kellogg has been the full-time town manager since 2019. His successor is former Loxahatchee Groves and Ocean Ridge manager Jamie Titcomb, who will begin June 5.

In a discussion with The Coastal Star after the meeting, Kellogg said he wants to spend as much time as he can with family in Dallas.

“My wife and I will be doing a lot of traveling and spending time in Europe,” he said. “We will become snowbirds living in Cleveland in the summer and here in the winter.

“We have season tickets to see my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes and can’t wait for football season to start. It will surely beat flying to Ohio every weekend.”

He will miss staff members in South Palm Beach: “They are amazing,” he said.

As a final note, Kellogg said that one of the most frustrating things he has experienced in his 45-year career has been the lack of appreciation people have for those who work for the public.

“On balance, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and dedicated people around, and they all have made me a better manager and person,” he said.  

In other news, Maj. Christopher Keane informed the council of a 3% increase in the cost of the town contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for the next fiscal year.

An additional increase may be necessary if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs into law a bill regarding employers’ contributions to the Florida Retirement System that would require PBSO to increase its contribution.

After more than 60 years with its own police department, the town, in a cost-cutting move, merged with PBSO in 2019.

By Mary Thurwachter

Manalapan doesn’t have pickleball courts — although some tennis courts at the five-star Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa have occasionally been transformed for special events. But that could change if the resort decides to permanently turn one of its three tennis courts into two pickleball courts.

And neighbors at La Coquille community adjacent to the resort have concerns about that.

Noise is a key worry, because anyone who knows anything about the nation’s fastest-growing sport knows pickleball is a boisterous affair.

A hybrid of Ping-Pong, tennis and racquetball, pickleball looks different from tennis, and some claim the continuous pop-pop-pop of the hard-surfaced paddle hitting the plastic ball is disruptive.

One of those people is Beverley Murphy, who lives in La Coquille and had a ringside seat to the pop-pop-popping in February when the Eau hosted a four-day pickleball event.

She counted 30-plus pickleball players on all three tennis courts from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and said that when used for tennis, those courts would have had a maximum of 12 players.

The noise far exceeded what would normally happen on a tennis court, Murphy said. “And there was the customary shouting after every point.”

She used a sound meter app on her phone, and it often registered more than 65 decibels. Police came, after she called them, but by that time there were only eight players and the town’s sound meter registered 57 decibels.

Manalapan’s noise ordinance says you can’t exceed 65 decibels at 50 feet.

Experts say the noise made by hitting a tennis ball is in the low frequencies, below the zone to which humans are most sensitive. A pickleball strike, however, has a higher pitch, meaning our ears catch more of the noise it makes. That higher frequency makes the clamor of pickleball clearer from farther away compared with tennis.

Murphy and many of her neighbors at La Coquille say Manalapan needs to address the issue and put an ordinance in place to mitigate the sound and limit the number of players and people gathering on public or commercial courts.

At their May 23 meeting, town commissioners heard from hotel representatives, including Tim Nardi, the Eau’s general manager, who said the resort had a group of guests this year who wanted pickleball to be part of their experience.

Nardi said that after last year’s flooding, the tennis courts at the Eau were destroyed and have been restored for between $55,000 and $60,000.

“As part of that process, we also had group business that was in the hotel, and one group in February did ask for a temporary pickleball court. We also had another group that took nearly every hotel room and they asked that their executives be allowed a temporary pickleball court. We allowed that.”

The resort, he said, recognizes that pickleball is an up-and-coming sport and wants to be considerate to its tennis players and others as to the noise and what could be done for noise abatement. He brought along Jeff McClure from Fast-Dry Courts, a Pompano Beach firm that builds courts for both tennis and pickleball.

Nardi said he didn’t have a plan or cost estimates on building pickleball courts. “This would be something in the future that we might want to talk about,” he said.

“If we did anything,” Nardi said of the resort’s three tennis courts, “we’d probably take one tennis court, keep it a tennis court, but convert it so it could also be used as two pickleball courts.”

McClure said pickleball bridges the gap of many demographics and ages because it’s so easy to pick up. With pickleball comes more conversation, thus more noise, he said.

“The wear and tear of tennis on the body as you get older can become more harsh, and pickleball will minimize the running and still keep you active,” McClure said.

The noise, which he said is primarily the plastic ball hitting the paddle, from 100 feet away registers at about 70 decibels, the equivalent to traffic on nearby State Road A1A.

“When you add in the mitigation of a soundproof barrier,” McClure said, “it takes it down to 60 decibels, the same decibel level of a common conversation.”

If you add landscaping buffers, that can reduce the level to 50 decibels, the equivalent of white noise, he said.

The mitigation system, McClure said, is a soundproofing screen that affixes to the fence. He suggests that a screen be on the south side to send noise away from the homes and back toward the players and resort. He also recommends a partial wraparound screening which would bounce the sound back toward traffic. Another recommendation is a quilted mat that absorbs noise.

USA Pickleball, the game’s governing association, is working on developing balls and paddles that reduce the noise, McClure said — although changing those things could affect the play.

Town Manager Linda Stumpf said staff had reached out to six municipalities to see what implications pickleball has had and what sound-mitigating strategies are available. Of the six municipalities that responded, only one, Gulf Stream, had sound measures in place. Another three commented on how popular the courts were.

The discussion at the May 23 commission meeting, Stumpf advised, “was just informational.”

Mayor Stewart Satter said the Eau had always been a good neighbor and he thought the town would be able to work out a plan that would be amenable to all parties involved.

Related: When 'The Monster' came over the bridge

By Rich Pollack

Word spread quickly through south Palm Beach County after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for Duane Owen last month.

Owen, who was convicted in the gruesome 1984 murders of 14-year-old Karen Slattery — who was babysitting at a Delray Beach home east of the Intracoastal Waterway — and of Boca Raton mother Georgiana Worden, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on June 15.

DeSantis had issued a pause on the execution in late May, pending a mental health examination of Owen, but revoked the stay after the investigation showed Owen “has the mental capacity to understand the death penalty and the reasons why it is to be imposed on him.” Though Owen has been on death row for 37 years, the news reopened a wound for some whose lives were touched by his crimes.

“It was a horrible time in our lives,” said former Delray Beach detective Marc Woods, who, at Owen’s request, took the killer’s confession, along with other investigators. “We suffered trauma from all of this and you defer that for a later time.”

Woods said he first heard from a former colleague that DeSantis had signed a death warrant. “It took time to process,” he said.

Woods says he takes no joy in hearing that someone will be put to death, but accepts the way the judicial system operates.

“If he had been executed in 1986, it would be different,” he said. “Now, after all this time, it’s just more numbness.”

Woods says that while Owen’s death will provide some closure, it will never heal the scars many still carry.

“This is a book entitled Pain and this is just another chapter,” he said. “The execution won’t close the book because of the pain that everyone carries today. The book never closes, only the chapter does.”

The violence of Owen’s crimes shook Delray Beach and surrounding areas for weeks.

Karen Slattery was stabbed 18 times after Owen broke in through a window of the home where she was babysitting.

Georgiana Worden was beaten to death with a hammer, while her two children slept in another room at their Boca Raton Hills home south of Spanish River Boulevard. Both victims were raped.

A fingerprint that was extracted from a book Worden was reading — Mistral’s Daughter — led to Owen’s arrest for carrying a false military ID, a long two months after Karen Slattery’s death put many in Delray Beach on edge.

It would be a couple of weeks before Woods and detectives from Boca Raton were able to extract a confession from Owen and file murder charges as he sat in the Palm Beach County jail.

Attorneys for Owen have appealed his death sentences several times, bringing him back to Palm Beach County more than once.

In the latest court action, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen in mid-May denied a stay of execution sought by Owen’s attorneys.

Several former Delray Beach police officers are planning to stand outside Florida State Prison in Raiford if and when Owen is executed.

“We’re going to show our support for the Delray Beach Police Department and in support of the law of Florida and in support of the Slattery family,” said retired officer Jeff Messer, who grew up in Delray and joined the department after the murders. “It’s not a celebration, it’s just finally putting this thing to bed.”

By Mary Thurwachter

Residents who have expressed much interest in Lantana’s master plan will be able to get a detailed update during a Town Council workshop set for 5:30 p.m. June 14.

Town Manager Brian Raducci, during the May 22 council meeting, said that Dana Little, urban design director for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, will present a final draft during the workshop. The planning council is a public agency the town is paying $169,800 to assemble the master plan.

Little and his team have been working for the past year with experts on marketing, real estate, and architectural design, as well as with town staff and about 60 residents who took part in a charrette last July.

Although the Town Council is not obligated to do anything with the proposal, Little says that by adopting it the town would send a message to the development community, investors and residents that it has a game plan to move forward.

The workshop will take place in council chambers.

In other news, the Town Council:

• Authorized paying $53,000 to Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing Co. for a July Fourth fireworks display on a tugboat in the Intracoastal Waterway beside Bicentennial Park. As it has done in the past, the town of South Palm Beach is contributing $1,500 to the cost of the celebration. South Palm Beach doesn’t have its own display and officials there say residents enjoy watching Lantana’s fireworks from their balconies.

• Set its first budget workshop for 5:30 p.m. June 12 in the council chambers.

GULF STREAM — Dr. John Roland Westine died May 13 while swimming in the warm Gulf Stream waters in front of his home of 50 years. He was 91.

Although Dr. Westine was born into humble circumstances to two Swedish immigrants on Chicago’s South Side, he quickly proved to be extraordinary. While growing up, his motivation, talents and work ethic secured him a variety of jobs from playing jazz piano in Windy City nightclubs, to serving as captain of the lifeguards on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Despite never reading a book until his college years, Dr. Westine was academically gifted and graduated as salutatorian of his high school. That, along with his swimming talents, earned him a scholarship to North Central College. His motivation to learn expedited his graduation from North Central and subsequently Dental School at the University of Chicago.

He became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force and was one of the first oral surgeons to be trained by the USAF.

Tiring of the cold Chicago winters, Dr. Westine moved to Delray Beach in 1962 and established one of the first oral maxillofacial surgery practices in Palm Beach County.

His meticulous and compassionate work over more than 60 years, covering Bethesda Hospital, Delray Medical Center and JFK Medical Center, earned him admiration and respect from colleagues and patients. His leadership was evident in many ways, such as his writing and advocating for the passage of state laws to protect patients, and in the creation of the American College of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons, where he served as president during its early years and continued as editor of its newsletter.

Through writing and innovative ideas, Dr. Westine influenced and helped develop the future of the surgical subspecialty. His impact reached internationally as a founding member and past president of the International College for Maxillofacial Surgery. Two days before his death, Dr. Westine had returned from the Maldives, where he chaired a panel during the organization’s 50th-anniversary activities.

A kind and giving spirit pervaded all of Dr. Westine’s endeavors, including his philanthropic efforts like the creation of the International Foundation for Children with Cranial-facial Disorders, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Dr. Westine traveled to Asia, Africa and Latin America, collaborating with colleagues to help children in need and providing badly needed supplies and equipment. Last fall, he returned from Nigeria, where IFCCD donated a blood bank and a generator for a hospital and an operating room where electricity was not reliable. Dr. Westine also procured anesthesia equipment, donated last year by Delray Medical Center, for use by the WE CARE organization in Cameroon.

IFCCD also supports CLAYPA, a Mexican not-for-profit organization that performs surgical repairs on children with cleft lip and palate deformities.

After returning from each of his mission trips and adventures to his home on the beach in Gulf Stream, he frequently reaffirmed that he lived in paradise. Nowhere in the world could compare to his backyard, where he enjoyed almost daily swims in the Atlantic Ocean.

Dr. Westine continued to be a voracious reader and lifelong learner and to run his practice and take trauma calls at two hospitals until his death.

Dr. Westine — fondly known as Big Bad Dad, or BBD — boldly lived his life on his own terms with no regrets, and appreciated and loved his family, friends, colleagues and co-workers. 

Dr. Westine was predeceased by his parents, John Emanuel Westine and Greta Margret Westine (Larsson), and his sisters, Lorraine Westine and Mary Jane Westine.

He is survived by his four children, Lynn Valerie Westine (George Fleeson), Lezlee Jean Westine, Lauralee Ganson Westine (Robert Gualtieri), and John Ganson Westine (Tina).

In addition he leaves nine grandchildren, Nicole Leyton Rosser (Jay), Jennifer Leyton Armakan (Eric), Taylor Lynn Cramer (Ben), John Ganson Westine II, Grayson Kim Westine, Marin Elise Westine, Lauren Ganson Westine Gualtieri, Jordanna Linne Gualtieri, and Christina Leigh Gualtieri; and six great-grandchildren, Noelle Rosser, Sam Rosser, Beau Rosser, Eliana Armakan, Valentina Armakan and Camila Armakan. 

He will also be dearly missed by his loyal friends and office staff, Kelley and Lisa; his Tuesday doctors’ lunch group; and Marley, his grand-dog. 

Please join us at a celebration of his life, 4-8 p.m. June 17 at the Seagate Beach Club, 400 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach.

In lieu of flowers, Dr. Westine’s family is requesting consideration of a contribution to IFCCD, 250 Dixie Blvd., Suite 100, Delray Beach, FL 33444, www.ifccd.org, where his family will continue his passion for providing care for children with cranial facial disorders.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Rich Pollack

DELRAY BEACH — For 32 years, until he retired in 2017, Bruce Gimmy’s name was synonymous with the Trouser Shop, a unique business he ran on Atlantic Avenue that evolved with the times, yet never quite changed enough to lose its “old Delray” charm.

Mr. Gimmy, whose personality was at times as colorful as the slacks and sports jackets he showcased in the Trouser Shop, died May 1. He was 80 years old.

“He was a true downtown force,” said Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Laura Simon. “Although he was the owner of a teeny space, his impact on the community was huge. He was larger than life.”

Even as trends moved away from the flashy to the practical, Mr. Gimmy never surrendered the past and continued to offer slacks and shorts with bright prints, patches and plaids.

In a bit of a contrast, for many years the Trouser Shop was one of the few places in the area customers could find tailored tuxedos, with Mr. Gimmy often working the sewing machine.

A fixture in downtown fashion shows during Delray Fashion Week and during January Art and Jazz Fashion Nights before that, Mr. Gimmy was one of the most impressive models on the stage and one of the few men on the runway.

“He wore the craziest things he could find in the shop,” Simon said. “He loved it and he got the biggest applause.”

Often Mr. Gimmy would be accompanied at the fashion shows by his longtime customer and friend, Steve Miskew.

“I have such fond memories of our walking the runways of Delray Fashion Week — intercepting odd gazes in the wings from the ‘other models’ — and Bruce hamming it up at every turn,” Miskew said.

A character who never missed the chance to find the spotlight if it could benefit the Trouser Shop, Mr. Gimmy was also a serious business owner who was an early champion of Delray Beach’s small downtown businesses.

“He was there from the very beginning of the transformation of downtown Delray Beach in the early ’90s,” said Marjorie Ferrer, who held several downtown marketing leadership roles and was a driving force for its revitalization. “He was part of the dream team, dreaming about what downtown could be and did become.”

A member of the Downtown Development Authority board of directors and the city’s parking board for 25 years, Mr. Gimmy was a fierce advocate for local merchants and for making sure that congestion and parking problems didn’t hamper the downtown’s success.

“He was very passionate about the revitalization of downtown,” Simon said.

A champion for his 400 block of East Atlantic Avenue, Mr. Gimmy was a good neighbor to businesses nearby, welcoming them and offering support.

He was also a good neighbor in Ocean Ridge, where he and his wife, Joanne, had found a home in the 1980s that they lived in — while helping to raise two grandsons — until they sold and moved to Boynton Beach in 2021. “He was a nice person and an excellent neighbor,” said former neighbor Betty Bingham. “He was a character, but he was a good man.”

Bingham said that Mr. Gimmy wore many of his collection of slacks at home, not just in the store.

“I always enjoyed the different pants he wore,” she said. “I guess it was quasi-advertising for his store.”

Mr. Gimmy grew up in suburban Reading, Pennsylvania, and Stone Harbor, New Jersey, attended Michigan State University and held several jobs in the hospitality industry before coming to Florida and taking over the Trouser Shop from then-owner Nick Vitale.

Even though he had retired, Mr. Gimmy continued to own the property where the store sat and continued to support the community.

In a 2010 interview with The Coastal Star, Mr. Gimmy — who loved wordplay — said that one of his favorite phases was “press on.”

“He was a kind, colorful — pun intended — character,” Miskew said.

Private services were held last month.

BOYNTON BEACH — Vicki Cody Mack, gardener, avid Dolphins fan and stranger to no one she met, died May 5. She was 67.  

Born Sept. 24, 1955, to Rayden and Ann Cody in Burlington, Vermont, Vicki Cody attended St. Michael’s College in Essex, Vermont, before relocating to Florida, where she graduated from Barry University with a master’s degree in English. 

On June 21, 1980, Vicki married her great love and best friend, Warren Mack. Over the next 42 years, they enjoyed life and family, raising three children, Colleen, Andrea and Cody.

Vicki was an avid reader, active gardener and enthusiastic Miami Dolphins season-ticket holder, but above all, she was a loving mother, wife, grandmother and sister.

For her children, she was Girl Scout troop leader, room mom, pep-talk giver and confidante. With her husband, she turned their house into a home, a joyous space to raise their children, to celebrate successes, and to mourn losses together.

Mrs. Mack lit up every room she walked into and could make you laugh within seconds. Her warmth and welcoming personality left no one a stranger to her.

Mrs. Mack is survived by her husband; children Colleen Mack Rynne (Josh), Andrea Mack Drawas (Jesse) and Cody Mack; grandchildren Madeline, James, Ruby and Hazel; her loving sister, Mary Ann Cody; her beloved aunt and godmother, Mary (Frederick) Bashara; her aunt Janet Dutil; and her 33 first cousins.  

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the Ann Cody Wekiva Youth Camp Scholarship through the Ocean Ridge Garden Club.

— Obituary submitted by the family

Cat Kelly of Ocean Ridge plans to make the 83-mile crossing from Bimini to Lake Worth Beach on her paddleboard this month as part of an annual event. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

For paddleboard enthusiasts along the coastal towns of southern Palm Beach County who consider their sport more than recreation, “The Crossing” is the Holy Grail: an epic 83-mile marathon from Bimini to Lake Worth Beach that demands physical, mental and emotional fortitude.

As the calendar turns over to June 25, roughly 200 such enthusiasts will enter the Atlantic Ocean from the beach in Bimini and head west across what they hope will be relatively calm Gulf Stream waters. They will fight fatigue, dehydration and exposure to the sun in hopes of arriving late that afternoon at the Lake Worth Beach pier.

Among them in this 10th annual event will be Ocean Ridge resident Cat Kelly, who just 15 months ago underwent surgery on a torn labrum and biceps in her right arm.

Kelly is hoping to complete the solo crossing for the first time.

“She’s always been very adventurous, and loves the ocean,” her mother, Elizabeth Kelley-Grace, said of Cat, who spells her last name differently. “I’m very proud of her.”

Kelly, 28, hopes to raise $5,000 toward a nationwide effort aimed at a $1 million goal to fight cystic fibrosis. The organizer of this year’s event, Travis Suit of Palm Beach Gardens, whose daughter Piper was diagnosed with CF at age 4, organized Piper’s Angels in 2017 to raise money for the cause.

“The proceeds go not only to finding a cure but for medications, expenses … one of the medications costs $30,000, so these families need help,” Kelly said.

More than 120 support boats, including 20 to 30 medical boats, will provide food and water, and first aid if necessary. Participants will be leashed to their boards, must remain within 30 feet of their boats at all times and are not allowed to draft off the wake of any boat.

“You have 16-18 hours to complete it, and you burn 400-600 calories every hour, so you have to be replacing those calories,” Kelly said. “You can get dehydrated and not realize it, so the crew will say, ‘You have to drink more water,’ or ‘You have to eat this food.’”

The crew’s basic task is “pretty much making sure they keep the paddler alive,” Kelly said. “During the day you’re in the salt water, in the sun, and at night you’re paddling in pitch blackness.”

Kelly has been training for six months on an almost daily basis, with an extended paddle of 20 to 30 miles once or twice a month. She has participated in the past on relays and finishing what others started, but this will be her first time doing the whole paddle solo.

“If it’s a scary, windy day, and you’re saying, ‘There’s no way I’m putting my board in the water,’ then go for it. Go against the wind, get as many miles as you can,” she said.

As difficult as the crossing is physically, it can be even harder emotionally, Kelly said.

“One year a guy had just broken up with his girlfriend and he cried the whole way,” she said. “But some of the toughest is near the end. You can see the shore about 5 miles out, but by late afternoon the wind can be coming offshore and it seems to take forever to get to the beach.
“It’s not like I go out every day and paddle 83 miles, but I have been paddleboarding my entire life. I have been on the water my entire life. I’m a very athletic person, so I feel

I’m ahead of the curve.”

When Kelly is not on the water she is an entrepreneur in the health care business as founder and owner of CKG Management.

Anyone interested in donating to Kelly’s cause can do so at www.classy.org/fundraiser/4241329.

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born and raised in Boca Raton, but spent almost all of my time in Delray Beach and Dog Beach, surfing and enjoying the ocean. I related to the Delray Beach culture, the surfing community, the arts and the people. The slow, peaceful, local supportive community of Delray set my ideals and morals for life moving forward.
I used to get to class late every morning and quickly change out of my bathing suit in the school bathrooms after I spent my mornings in the ocean. From diving, surfing and fishing, I fell in love with the ocean and the community here. I attended Spanish River High School and Space of Mind in Delray Beach.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I have spent my career working in the mental health and addiction field and am passionate about my work. I work with clients and their families both locally and in other parts of the country.  I am proud to have advanced in this field at a young age and am especially proud to help people who are suffering from mental health issues and addiction. 
Most recently I have been able to venture out on my own and become a fully independent worker. Being able to make my own schedule and have the freedom to work at my own pace with each client has been a big step for me. It was absolutely terrifying making the jump, but I am so grateful that I did.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: There is so much pressure and emphasis placed on kids today to know what they want to do when they grow up. My advice would be to let your life experiences guide you in your career and in your life. If you follow your heart and listen to your intuition, you’ll be guided into a career that matches your personal characteristics and gifts.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Ocean Ridge?
A: It is an unspoiled oasis that has not yet been overdeveloped. I am passionate about the environment, our beaches and ocean and love the footprint of original houses populated by multigenerational Floridians who care about the coastline and the habitat.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge?
A: The people! There is so much camaraderie of like-minded people who love the ocean, love dogs, and legitimately care about their neighbors. Each individual in this community brings something wonderful to it.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: My latest read is: The Everglades: River of Grass, by Marjory Stoneman Douglas. I also reread The Five People You Meet in Heaven, which restored my excitement for reading.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I like traditional country, folk and bluegrass, as well as roots reggae. 

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: I’ve had many people who have inspired and guided me along the way. My parents are both entrepreneurs and I saw firsthand their hard work yet joy in building a business. 
Another mentor is Ali Kaufman of Space of Mind in Delray. I went there after feeling like I was not succeeding in public school. She recognized me as a unique individual and allowed me to learn in a way that best suited me. 
Lastly, Patrick Heaney, the first person who taught me how to surf, dive and guided me in the ocean. He taught me about the importance and impact we as individuals have on this ecosystem. He taught me to face my fears of sharks and certain marine life that naturally people should be afraid of.

Q: If your life story were made into a movie, who would play you?
A: My whole life I’ve been told that I look like a young Katie Holmes. I’ve never seen it, but everyone is always very adamant that I remind them of her.

Q: Is there something people don’t know about you but should?
A: At age 10 I was the captain of an all-boys hockey team. It’s a good metaphor for me making my own path.
For the most part I’m an open book. If I am being honest, though, everyone always thinks I’m tough and can handle anything and everything. I take on a lot and can handle a lot of different personalities.
Deep down though, I am a highly sensitive and empathetic person, which is why I probably put such a strong wall up.

By Steve Plunkett

Six weeks after taking over responsibility for the city’s sea turtle rehabilitation efforts, the nonprofit group formerly known as the Friends of Gumbo Limbo has not applied for a permit to run the program.

“No, Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards has not submitted an FWC Marine Turtle Permit application” as of May 30, Carli Segelson of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said when asked about the progress in reopening Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s popular rehab unit.

Neither John Holloway, president and chief executive of the Stewards, nor his public relations spokeswoman, Melissa Perlman, could be reached immediately for comment.

Segelson said once the state agency receives the application, it will review the document for completeness and satisfaction of all applicable eligibility criteria.

“Additional information may be requested to complete the application package and/or better understand the information submitted,” she said.

Meanwhile, things were looking up for the sea turtles with a Gumbo Limbo Nature Center connection that were taken to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center after Boca Raton’s facility lost its rehabilitation permit in mid-March.

“Everyone’s doing well,” said Dr. Heather Barron, the chief science officer at the turtle hospital in Juno Beach. “We’ve had lots and lots of turtles coming and going.”

Segelson agreed it was a busy month. At least 55 turtles were admitted to FWC-authorized facilities across the state during May, she said. 

Taylor, a juvenile green turtle that had been hit by a boat propeller, was rescued by Gumbo Limbo’s sea turtle conservation team in the Intracoastal Waterway and taken to the Marinelife Center on March 26. Barron performed a fracture repair with screws and wires and then a second surgery to remove necrotic bone and tissue.

Its prognosis wavered from “poor” to “still guarded,” but now the wound is healing.

“Taylor’s doing amazing,” Barron said. “It just takes time.”

Gumbo Limbo’s conservation team, which has a separate permit from the FWC, is busier than usual handling all turtle strandings now that the rehab unit is closed.

“Our 24-hour sea turtle Stranding Hotline is active and we go out on calls once or twice a week,” said David Anderson, Gumbo Limbo’s turtle conservation coordinator. “Our most recent rescue was a pier-hooked turtle in Pompano. It was also taken to LMC.”

Anderson’s team found another juvenile green in the Intracoastal behind Gumbo Limbo, named it Marcel and took it to Juno Beach on April 25. The 10-pound turtle, which had the tumor-producing disease fibropapillomatosis, had a half-pound tumor under its chin and smaller tumors on its body and right eye. Barron removed the tumors the next day and cleared Marcel for release on May 12.

The FWC approved its release soon after. Marcel had gained a pound after his surgery.

Gumbo Limbo’s conservation team also performs Boca Raton’s turtle nesting survey, turtle walks to see mother turtles lay their eggs, and hatchling releases.

The Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards signed an agreement with the city on April 25 letting the nonprofit assume all responsibility, operation and financing of the center’s sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, research and release efforts. It has not announced any hires for a reconstituted rehab operation.

The city owns the nature center and the surrounding Red Reef Park; tax dollars from the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District cover all salaries, operations and improvements except for the turtle rehab costs that the Coastal Stewards will now pay.

The Homing Inn renovation is underway with ownership likely to make it a Marriott brand. Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

Almost every South Florida city has a hotel that has seen better days, but Boynton Beach’s no-tell-motel — the Homing Inn — was so notorious that the city passed a chronic-nuisance ordinance to stem its worst excesses.

“There were murders, suicides, overdoses and prostitution there,” said City Manager Daniel Dugger, who served on the city’s police force for many years and witnessed firsthand some of the hotel’s dark events.

City Commissioner Thomas Turkin agreed. “It was a terrible, terrible place,” he said.

City officials point to the former owner’s recent sale of the Homing Inn as proof that the ordinance’s fines and restrictions were effective.

The new owners — much to the delight of the City Commission and the Police Department — have already begun transforming the 2.89-acre property at 2821 S. Federal Highway into a boutique hotel.

“You’ll see a tremendous difference in about 30 days,” said new General Manager Dominic Monteleone. “We want everything to be clean, and nice, and new.”

Monteleone said he has already asked tenants who had no identification to move out. Others, especially those on welfare or Social Security, have been put on notice that they must find other accommodations once the renovations begin in earnest.

“Two of the four buildings have been closed and we are gutting the rooms and replacing all the furniture, doors and fixtures,” the general manager said.

“We kept two of the buildings open to allow the people still here to find a new place.”

The motel, which has 104 rooms, was built in 1990 and was sold to a Miami developer in 1998 for about $3 million. It went downhill from there.

“Fifteen to 20 years ago there was a lot of prostitution and drug sales along Federal Highway during the crack epidemic,” Dugger said. “And then came the heroin and fentanyl overdoses.”

The result, Dugger said, was that the Homing Inn was ground zero for blight and crime and unsavory tenants who were “using their hotel for other purposes.”
Monteleone agreed and said that at one point terrorists used the Homing Inn as a base of operations.

According to government records and published reports, 9/11 terrorist hijacker Wail al-Shehri rented a room at the hotel for $260 a week beginning in June before the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.

At least two of his associates also stayed at the hotel. Satam Al-Suqami — another of the American Flight 11 hijackers who crashed the plane into the North Tower — listed the hotel’s address on his Florida driver license.

City will try to help

The new owner, Rore Investing, is based in Jacksonville and has more than $300 million in assets, according to the company’s website. It owns and operates several La Quinta hotels in South Florida, including ones in Coral Springs, West Palm Beach, Miami and Plantation.

Rore bought the Homing Inn last August for $8.8 million.

Commissioner Turkin said the new owner seems amenable to working with the city, and the Community Redevelopment Agency is looking into ways it can help facilitate the renovation.

“The hotel has good bones, which is why they’re going to renovate the interior and exterior,” Turkin said. “I think they’re adding a new pool and the rooms will have a few different boutique-style designs. I’m excited to see changes in the perception of that site.”

Dugger said he thinks downtown property owners will be tempted to raze and replace their properties to take advantage of housing incentives included in recently enacted legislation.

The Live Local Act, passed by the Florida Legislature in March and signed by the governor, was designed to spur the creation of more affordable housing. The law, which takes effect July 1, allows developers to add more density and height to buildings than those allowed by local zoning code if at least 40% of the units are workforce housing. Some tax exemptions are also available.

Workforce housing allows working people, such as police officers and firefighters, to purchase homes below market prices. The added height and density allow developers to make more profit.

Dugger said he would not be surprised if Rore decides to build workforce housing as part of its future developments.

Meanwhile, the Homing Inn renovation plan continues apace.

In late May, big red containers behind the dingy, beige buildings were filled with new fixtures and furnishings. Refuse from the gutted rooms in Building A spilled over the top of a graffiti-covered green Dumpster.

The grass and hedges around the buildings were overgrown, and the parking lots were pocked with potholes. Lush greenery — designer palms and flowering trees — added an incongruous element of grace.

Yelp reviews revealed how decrepit the rooms had become.

“When we came in the room, it smelled weird, the restroom reeked so bad,” Issac F. wrote a couple of years ago. “The first few minutes I got super itchy and there were stains in the bedsheets like blood and black mold … the next morning there was a dead wolf spider.”

He gave the room one star.

Dugger said that there were a few hotels and motels along Federal Highway that catered to people’s vices, but the Homing Inn was the worst of them.

The language of the chronic-nuisance ordinance, passed by the city in 2017, does not single out a particular business, but the target, Dugger and Turkin said, was the sprawling campus of the Homing Inn.

“Chronic-nuisance properties require disproportionate police, fire rescue and community standards services,” the ordinance says. It requires the city to identify nuisance activities; hold the property owner or manager responsible; assist the victims of crimes and penalize those who permitted conditions that give rise to excessive police and fire department calls; establish rules, procedures and penalties; and impose penalties such as fines.

The ordinance outlines chronic criminal activities that paint a picture of what went on at the Homing Inn. They include: dealing in stolen property; cruelty to animals; disorderly intoxication; loitering or prowling in proximity to children; criminal gang activity; drug sales; domestic violence; and prostitution.

It’s not clear how far the city went to enforce the ordinance.

But Monteleone said of the previous owner: “You can get away with not putting any money into a property for a little while, but he put no money back into the property for 20 years.” The new hotel will charge $250 to $300 a night, Monteleone said, and will probably be under the Marriott umbrella.

“We are completely renovating the lobby and will offer free breakfast,” he said. “And we will be creating about 30 jobs, offering food services and a new pool.

“We’re here to do good.”

By Rich Pollack

For much of the Boca Raton Airport’s almost 75-year history, its 214 acres in the heart of the city have been owned by the state.

That will soon change if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs off on legislation that would transfer ownership of the property to the Boca Raton Airport Authority and put it on a par with just about every other airport in Florida.

Under legislation introduced by state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman that passed both houses of the Legislature unanimously, the airport authority will no longer need to lease the property from the state.

That, say airport authority leaders, could remove a lot of red tape and make it easier for the board to clear administrative hurdles that would require a sign-off from the property owner.

“The state realized it didn’t need to be involved,” said Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach. “It doesn’t want to interfere.”

Until the governor signs the legislation, the airport authority will be handcuffed by a lease with the state that doesn’t end for another 20 years. As it stands now, any action that requires the approval of the property owner must make its way through Tallahassee, which has the potential to gum up the process.

Under the passed legislation, paperwork can be signed off locally.

“With less involvement by the state, the airport authority can conduct business in a more efficient manner,” Gossett-Seidman said.

Only one other airport in Florida is tethered to the state by a lease.

“This legislation will put the airport on equal footing with every other airport in Florida,” said Clara Bennett, executive director of the Boca Raton Airport Authority.

In addition to transferring ownership, the legislation gives the airport authority the opportunity to operate outside of the boundaries of the airport property — but within limits.

The authority now has the green light to continue installing noise monitoring equipment outside of the actual airport boundaries and can continue using buildings it occupies adjacent to the airport.

With the new legislation, the authority can work more closely with neighboring Florida Atlantic University and with the FAU Research and Development Authority on innovative projects.

At the same time, the legislation prevents the airport authority from expanding aviation activity — essentially that involving planes — outside the airport boundaries.

“It was important to modify the initial bill to meet current needs,” Bennett said.

First opened in 1936, the airport was transformed into the Boca Raton Army Airfield during World War II and was where flight crews learned to master a then-new technology, radar.

After the war, the property was transferred to the city of Boca Raton with a requirement that it be used as an airport. Control of the land was transferred to the state in the 1950s.

Over the years, five different government agencies had oversight, with the Boca Raton Airport Authority created by the state Legislature in 1982. The authority’s board of directors is made up of five members appointed by the city and two members appointed by the Palm Beach County Commission.

Ocean to Intracoastal properties like this one at 1020 S. Ocean Blvd. — which sold for $89.9 million in December 2021 — have boosted the average value of homes in Manalapan to almost $40 million, according to data from November 2022. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Based on estimated home price averages, there’s no more expensive neighborhood in the United States than Manalapan, according to a CashNetUSA study. It used real estate data from Zillow to come up with averages for neighborhoods across the country.

In Manalapan, that average came out to $39.8 million, which was about $12.2 million higher than runner-up Palm Island, sitting next to the Port of Miami, with a $27.6 million average value.

In fact, four of the Top 10 priciest neighborhoods were in Florida, though none was named Palm Beach. Port Royal in Naples came in fifth at $22 million and Golden Beach in Miami-Dade County finished sixth, with an average home value of $18.7 million.

Manalapan Mayor Stewart Satter said he was “delighted but not surprised” by his town’s distinction.

“Manalapan is a very special and small inclusive community of magnificent properties, abundant natural beauty and an enviable location that attracts highly successful individuals, driving our real estate prices higher,” Satter said.

Toney neighborhoods in other states couldn’t come close to Manalapan. Beverly Hills Gateway, California’s priciest, averaged $22.8 million per house, while Southampton Village led New York with a $16.7 million average value. Old Greenwich was tops in Connecticut with only a $4.1 million average home value.

The results, announced in April, were from data collected in November. CashNetUSA is an online lender.

***

Actor and comedian Kevin Knipfing — better known as Kevin James — sold a Delray Beach oceanfront mansion at 344 N. Ocean Blvd. through his family trust for $12.675 million.

When he purchased the property in January 2021 for $14 million, it had been renovated and reimagined by Randall Stofft Architects with Stofft Ikasu interior design.

As of the May sale, the property was not listed in public records as homesteaded.

Amenities included a walk-in pool, a loggia with a summer kitchen and fireplace, entertainment lounge, wine cellar, covered terraces, a primary suite comprising the third floor and a five-car garage.

The new owner is 344 North Ocean LLC, managed by Kishore Mirchandani, a board member and CFO of Rainshine Global, a global entertainment company.

Premier Estate Properties’ Pascal Liguori Estate Group represented both buyer and seller.

***

The new 143-room Delray Beach Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, at 200 NE Fifth Ave., opened with amenities that include a swimming pool, meeting rooms, breakfast hall and underground parking with 110 spaces. And, while it’s nice to have a development project completed, the Hampton’s April opening also reflected a bittersweet ending for developer Harold “Sonny” Van Arnem, of Van Arnem Properties. 

“This is a dream come true for my family and our Van Arnem Properties, Inc. team who worked on this with my boys, Adam and Max,” said Van Arnem, who lives in Ocean Ridge. 

“They grew up in Delray Beach and we worked hard to build out all our Delray design developments,” he said.

Sonny and his son Max collaborated with Delray Beach developer and family friend Steve Kornfeld to create the Adam Hotel, which was a memorial to Adam, who died in 2014 at the age of 26, predeceasing Max, who died in 2021 at the age of 30.

The Adam Hotel is now the newly completed Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton. 

Peachtree Hospitality Management and Peachtree Hotel Group, LLC were developers and investors in the new project.

Van Arnem Properties Inc. is a real estate group that specializes in the acquisition, sales and development of commercial and residential property. During the past two decades, Sonny Van Arnem first developed real estate projects in southwest Florida and then, in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

Max, a real estate agent, began working in his father’s company in 2012. Max’s last project was Deco Delray Townhomes on Northeast Fifth Avenue. Max also planned and designed the Maxwell, at 306 NE Second St., diagonally across from the new Hampton Inn.

The Maxwell is a mixed-use condominium building with 23 residential apartments, a rooftop pool, fitness center, meeting rooms, and three retail suites.

Adam also worked with his father.

“I am so proud of my sons,” Van Arnem said. “Their creative force was undeniable and leaves a lasting impression on the city they grew up in and loved. Interestingly enough, a building we owned is where the new hotel’s pool and lobby are now, and all the boys lived there. It was like a clubhouse. Some people are big-time developers; here, we have roots in the ground.”

***

A Barnes & Noble bookstore will open this November at 1821 S. Federal Highway in Delray Beach in a 10,000-square-foot space at the Delray Place North strip mall, said Janine Flanigan, Barnes & Noble’s director of store planning and design.

“We signed the lease mid-May,” she said. “Business is very strong. We plan on opening 30 to 50 stores this year, so we have a robust opening schedule. We haven’t opened this many stores in a year’s time frame in over 10 years.”

That uptick reflects a number of factors, she said.

“During the pandemic, we saw a renewed interest in reading, and also, Barnes & Noble was bought by Elliott Advisors in 2019,” she said.

“Our CEO, James Daunt, has made significant changes in the way we do business that has really resonated.”

For example, the way book sellers used to display books was corporate driven. “Now the book sellers can put in front of their customers books that are important to their communities, so at different stores, you’ll see different displays. Last year, Barnes & Noble opened 16 stores,” she said. “So far this year, we’ve opened six new stores.”

Also at this mall, Nordstrom Rack opened mid-May in a 25,000-square-foot space at 1801 S. Federal Highway.

***

The Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation, Inc. recently celebrated its 2023 Women in Leadership Award winners. Its Volunteer Awards went to Sophia Eccleston and Charlotte Pelton. Eccleston serves as director of origination with NextEra Energy and is board president of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County. Pelton is president and CEO of Charlotte Pelton and Associates Inc., and is chair of Community Partners of South Florida.

The Private Award went to Barbara Cheives, president and CEO of Converge and Associates Consulting. The Non-Profit Award went to Roberta “Robi” Jurney, CEO of the Quantum House. The Public Sector Award winner was Barbara McQuinn, board member of the School District of Palm Beach County District 1. The Emerging Leader award went to Megan Richards Bob, education and family literacy director of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County.

The Executive Women also spotlighted the 2023 Lois Kwasman Community Impact Grant recipient, Holy Ground, an organization that assists young single women facing homelessness. 

***

The Boca Chamber honored Paul Adkins, chairman & CEO of Florida Peninsula Insurance, as its business leader of the year during the annual Business Awards Luncheon in May at Boca West Country Club. The Business of the Year award recipient was Palm Beach State College. Small Business Leaders of the Year awards went to Bonnie Kaye and Jon Kaye of Kaye Communications PR & Marketing.

“Leaders in their industries, these recipients have created jobs, contributed to our overall economic growth, and have set the bar high for those to follow,” said Troy McLellan, the chamber’s president & CEO.

***

Florida Atlantic University’s public affairs graduate program, in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters School of Public Administration, ranked No. 72 in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” for 2023-24. 

***

Delray Beach resident Ryan Wendler has joined Boca Raton-based Flagler Technologies as customer success manager. He will lead client relations for the company’s clients across the United States.

“I fell in love with the customer success element within the sales structure,” Wendler said. “From startups to corporations, my biggest challenge and point of pride has been successfully navigating a customer success team through the pandemic to enable our company and partners to thrive.

“I truly believe that communication and meaningful business relationships are tantamount to the success of any company, and I am very much looking forward to bringing this knowledge and team-based ethos to Flagler Technologies.”

***

Boca Raton-based Basis Industrial has appointed Max Ducharme as a managing partner of its new initiative, Basis Alternative Investments, which focuses on investment strategies.

These opportunities include car wash development, distressed and value-add retail, and multi-family development projects. Previously, Ducharme was senior vice president of Investment & Develop-ment for the Falcone Group. 

***

The city of Boynton Beach, Palm Beach State College, and CareerSource Palm Beach County created a partnership that aims to develop a pool of talent for local employers by providing college credit certificate programs for city of Boynton Beach residents.

Called the Workforce Readiness Initiative, it will help people who are unemployed, underemployed, or looking for a career change to gain skills that meet the city’s specific employment needs.  

“I have spoken to so many residents who want to get hired in the businesses that are here in the city, and the disconnect is that the companies — for example, Publix — are looking for certain expertise,” Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga said. “It’s time for us to fill that education and skills gap and align what our employers need with the kind of educational opportunities we provide for our residents.”

Initially, Boynton Beach residents will be offered two Palm Beach State College credit certificate programs —  the 12-credit business specialist program and the 18-credit logistics and transportation specialist program, which will be available for enrollment this summer. CareerSource Palm Beach County will offer tuition support for eligible participants. 

Larry Barszewski contributed to this column.

Send business news to Christine Davis, cdavis9797@gmail.com.

With Father’s Day on June 18, we asked a handful of thoughtful dads to tell us what parenthood has taught them — in 150 words or fewer. Boy, did they deliver! Here are their words of wisdom.

Compiled by Mary Thurwachter

‘Being a dad has taught me my meaning of life,’ says Lantana real estate agent Shaun Miller, the father of five boys. Four of them joined Miller at Lantana Beach: (l-r) Lennon, 19, Koah, 3, Morrison, 24, and Macleod, 18. INSET BELOW: Shaun Miller with youngest son, 10-month-old Fynn. Photo provided

Shaun Miller, 49, runs a real estate company, James D. Miller Properties, with his father and brother. Lives in Lantana.

There’s this Bible verse,

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.

It’s one of my favorites because it stirs feelings of strength, humility, joy and honor all at the same time. My five boys. My legacy. My prize. My defenders. My joy.

Being a dad has taught me my meaning of life. The preciousness of an embrace. The adventure of a backyard. The absolute agony of a skinned knee. The intricacies of a Lego build. The importance of manners. The gift of sacrifice. I have learned that my love for my boys represents God’s love for all of us, a fatherly love that is deeper and wider and vaster than I can imagine.

* * *

Dr. Jacob D. Steiger of Highland Beach earned his pilot’s license and celebrated with his sons Ben, 5, and Sam, 2. ‘Embracing their uniqueness has taught me the beauty of diversity, the power of self-expression and the joy of witnessing their authentic selves flourish,’ he says.

Dr. Jacob D. Steiger, 45, owner and surgeon at Steiger Facial Plastic Surgery in Boca Raton. Lives in Highland Beach.

I’ve learned the importance of allowing my kids to be their own unique individuals. I've come to understand that their journey is distinct from mine, and it’s crucial to foster their individuality and let their personalities shine.

My role is not to mold them into mini versions of myself or to impose my own dreams upon them, but rather to support and encourage their passions and aspirations. I've discovered that by providing them with a nurturing and accepting environment, I enable them to explore their interests, make their own choices and grow into the people they are meant to be.

Embracing their uniqueness has taught me the beauty of diversity, the power of self-expression and the joy of witnessing their authentic selves flourish. Through this, I've come to realize that being a dad means celebrating and embracing the individuality of my children and allowing them to carve their own path in life.”

***

Hal Stern, at far left with wife Marjorie, has three children and four grandkids. From left are daughter Rebecca, 35, holding Poppy, 12 weeks; her husband, Brant, holding son Mac, 3; Brant’s mother, Mona Fischer; son-in-law Lee holding Jack, 3, with daughter Rachel, 41, and eldest grandchild Madeline, 4½; son Aaron, 44, and his significant other, Sasha. The dog is Bean.

Hal Stern, 72, retired lawyer, lives in Delray Beach.

What I’ve learned from being a father is that each child is different and that means that I had to modify my behavior and expectations if I was going to have a meaningful relationship with each of them.

This seems simple and obvious, but I have also learned that simple isn’t necessarily easy. In fact, simple is hard.

I have also learned that as a father of adults, I am here to offer my assistance but not advice. That also sounds simple, but it can be, at times, very hard.

***

David Ogman of Boca Raton seeks a cure for the genetic brain disease that afflicts his 7-year-old son, Jordan (shown as a toddler).

David Ogman, 46, senior vice president at Citi Private Bank in Palm Beach. Lives in Boca Raton.

What being a father has taught me is that things will never go as planned, and no one can train you to be ready for what’s coming.

My now 7-year-old son, Jordan, is dying of a rare, fatal, Jewish genetic brain disease. When the neurologist diagnosed Jordan, she told us that “there is no treatment, there is no hope, and there is no cure!”

Today, I’m developing Jordan’s cure in partnership with several university scientists who are collaborating with me to save Jordan. Info: SavingJordan.org

***

Chris Sandleitner with his sons, Grady, 7, and Dane, 6.

Chris Sandleitner, 49, finance executive. Lives in Delray Beach.

Being a father has taught me that the most important thing is to be present. Trying to set a good example makes me focus on what’s important, and for me that is my family.

Fatherhood is a ton of work but worth every second (and is a lot of fun — I get to be a kid again). It brings out the best in me, and that happy responsibility is something I get to pass along to my boys. I am looking forward to what comes as they grow and mature. I hope I can continue to set a good example and become a better person along the way in this amazing journey.

Oh, and I have learned how to manage huge amounts of laundry!

Donations of $1 million each from three couples — (l-r) Hilary and Matthew Rosenthal, Debra and Michael Coslov, and Toni and Martin Sosnoff — have helped the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation meet its fundraising goal for the hospital’s expansion and renovation. Photos provided

By Amy Woods

Keeping the Promise — the Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital has reached its goal of $250 million thanks in part to a trio of $1 million donations in recent weeks.

The donors are Matthew and Hilary Rosenthal, Michael and Debra Coslov, and Martin and Toni Sosnoff.

The largest fundraising initiative in the hospital foundation’s history is supporting Boca Regional’s most ambitious period of growth and expansion.

Although the campaign has hit its goal, the foundation continues to seek pledges from the community to meet the needs of a growing patient population.

• The Rosenthals’ donation will help create the new Matthew and Hilary Rosenthal Epilepsy Unit at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute. Hilary Rosenthal was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager.

“Boca Raton Regional Hospital is incredibly grateful for the remarkable support from the Rosenthals,” CEO Lincoln Mendez said. “As now full-time, year-round residents of Boca Raton, Matthew and Hilary are stellar examples of the committed and generous community members we are so fortunate to be surrounded by in our community.”

Hilary Rosenthal’s great- great-uncle Arthur Vining Davis gifted both the land and the money needed to build Baptist Hospital of Miami. When Davis made the gift, he requested that a pineapple fountain greet guests at the front door — a meaningful symbol that remains an important part of Baptist Health and Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

• The Coslovs’ gift will be acknowledged with the couple’s name on the third-floor reception area in the Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion.

“We are enormously grateful to Michael and Debra for this spectacular gesture of generosity,” Mendez said. “They have become family, and we are always moved by that sort of commitment, participation and embrace of our approach and vision.”

• The Sosnoffs’ $1 million pledge will support the Integrated Behavioral Health Program at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute.

“All of the extraordinary gifts have a significant impact on the future of health care here in Boca Raton and the surrounding area, and this one is certainly no different,” Mendez said.

“The Sosnoffs are interested in supporting our behavioral health services, a growing need and demand in our market and nationally.”
For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit donate.brrh.com.

Junior League initiative shines light on poverty

The Junior League of Boca Raton successfully completed its fourth annual Little Black Dress Initiative.

The campaign, which raises funds to help underserved women and children, involves Junior League members wearing the same black dress or outfit for five consecutive days to illustrate one of the restrictions of poverty.

“By wearing the same black dress or outfit, members experienced the somber situation and struggles that many members of our community face on a daily basis,” the Junior League said in a news release. “Choosing to wear only one black dress or outfit for five consecutive days allowed participants to reflect on the impact of poverty and the lack of choice people who live in poverty experience on a daily basis.”

For more information, call 561-620-2553 or visit www.jlbr.org.

Among the helpers who packed pantry bags with food in the Boca Raton Airport Authority initiative were Craig Nyarumbu (kneeling) with (l-r) Chester Brown, John Gerety, Linda Hernandez, Ron Andring, Joe Sylvester, Brad Stafford, Jenny Mazzurco and Jonathan Euvin. Photo provided

Food collected for local families in need

The Boca Raton Airport Authority celebrated National Volunteer Month in April by organizing its third annual food drive to support Boca Helping Hands.

The 15-day event resulted in the collection of about 820 pounds of food for local families in need. The food drive culminated with a meal-packing effort where more than 150 pantry bags were filled and distributed to clients the following day.

“It is always a great honor to volunteer with Boca Helping Hands,” Boca Raton Airport Authority Executive Director Clara Bennett said. “They are a staple for our community, helping more than 27,000 people annually.”

For more information, call 561-417-0913 or visit www.bocahelpinghands.org.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

The school’s signature event was at capacity with more than 700 friends of the university in attendance. It raised $715,000 to support scholarships for students in the health field. ‘Florida Atlantic was founded on philanthropy, and it’s a tradition that has carried us into modern times with great success,’ interim President Stacy Volnick said. ‘Thank you to our President’s Gala sponsors, attendees and volunteers for being part of this amazing legacy.’

ABOVE: (l-r) Volnick, board of trustees Chairman Brad Levine, philanthropist Eleanor Baldwin and basketball coach Dusty May.

INSET: (l-r) Francesca Daniels, Michael Horswell and Myrna Skurnick. Photos provided

The audience sprang to its feet in applause after a middle schooler described how she helps care for her little sister, who has cerebral palsy. ‘Eva needs extra help showering, and I put her to bed,’ 13-year-old Ali Enlow said at the American Association of Caregiving Youth’s annual event. ‘I love caregiving so much … and I love sharing my story.’ This is Ali’s second year with the Boca Raton-based nonprofit, which serves more than 500 youths who care for family members at home. She and other honorees were presented with trophies and received standing ovations.

ABOVE: (l-r, front) Rosie Inguanzo-Martin, Marta Batmasian, Penny Westbury, Althea Ceasor, (back) Joe Martin, Ron Wichowski, Jeffrey Gordon and event emcee Matt Lincoln. Photo provided by Michael Connor Photography

Nearly 100 players and altruistic supporters came out for a shotgun start to celebrate philanthropic sportsmanship at American Humane’s third annual golf event. The sold-out tournament included breakfast, lunch and an awards ceremony. All proceeds benefit the Pups4Patriots program, which pairs highly trained service dogs with veterans in need.

ABOVE: (l-r) Jim Segredo, Leigh-Anne Kazma, Michelle Kelman and Garry Kraemer. Photo provided by Capehart

American Humane paid tribute to philanthropist Lois Pope during an event for animal lovers and their supporters. Everyone enjoyed lavish hors d’oeuvres, creative desserts and live music. ‘Tonight is a celebration of Lois’ incredible work, and it’s an honor to celebrate her love for animals and beneficent legacy with American Humane these past 13 years,’ President and CEO Robin Ganzert said. ‘She is an inspiration to us all.’

ABOVE: Pope and Ganzert. Photo provided by Capehart

The National Society of Arts and Letters’ Florida chapter honored Arlene Herson with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts. The evening included performances by several scholarship recipients and competition winners and featured an inspiring presentation by Honorary Chairwoman Andrea Virgin. ‘Through this event, we spotlight the local emerging artists who benefit from our fundraising efforts and the community’s generous support,’ NSAL President N’Quavah Velazquez said.

TOP: (l-r) Michael and Kathy Costin, Patsy Copeland, Ray Gerson and Gerry Ehrlich.

MIDDLE: (l-r) Megan Savage, Victoria Bramble, event Chairman Dr. Ron Rubin, Gioia Gedicks and Daniel Guevara.

BOTTOM: Event Chairwoman Kirsten Stephenson and Herson. Photos provided by Amy Pasquantonio

More than 450 Impact 100 Palm Beach County members gathered to award eight local nonprofits $100,000 transformational grants. Three additional nonprofits received a total of $4,000 in merit grants. The luncheon culminated a record-breaking 12th year for the organization, which saw 804 women join its ranks. ‘When women unite, anything is possible,’ President Kelly Fleming said. ‘Impact 100 has proven just how powerful women can be when they collectively pool together funds.’

ABOVE: (l-r, front row) Karen Granger, Buddy Walck, Fleming, Abby Mosher, Micaiah 'MJ' Joseph, Ray 'Quasi' Nelson, (backrow) Kimberly Boldt, Judy Fenney, Sherry Henry, John Holloway, Wilford Romelus, Patrick Livingston, Vivian Dimanche and Jeannine Morris. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography