Henrietta de Hoernle listens during ceremonies
at Boca West to mark her 100th birthday.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Thom Smith
While Palm Beach has been throwing over-the-top parties for a century, Boca has been a bit more reserved. But since centennials are rarer than blue moons, Sept. 24 gave the town reason to shine: The Countess was the one hitting a hundred.
More than 500 friends and guests turned out for a black-tie bash at Boca West to honor Henrietta de Hoernle, Boca’s best-known philanthropist and centenarian. No speeches, but lots of pomp and ceremony with pipers, a chorus, a military color guard and the red-robed knights and dames of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller which sponsored the event.
Cindy Krebsbach, The Rev. Andrew Sherman, Anita Sherman, Mayor Susan Whelchel, Michael Diamant and Sylvia Johe.
Mary Jo and Dick Pollock
And the most fitting tribute: The gala raised more than $250,000, which will be distributed to four local nonprofit organizations.
De Hoernle, better known as “The Countess,” still makes the rounds — with help from a little red electric scooter — and her fortune isn’t what it once was, but only because she’s given away so much of it. “Give while you live so you know where it goes,” she urges.
In the three decades since she and her late husband, Adolph, left New York, their generosity has spread an estimated $40 million across the county, Boca especially.
They were picky, doling out the money where they felt it would do the most good. Hospitals, retirement homes, schools, religious organizations of all faiths, children’s aid groups, social clubs, sports programs, migrant worker assistance, drug rehab, choral societies — a colorful and diverse palette. The de Hoernle name hangs on the restored train station that welcomed Boca’s early tourists, the amphitheater at the north end of Mizner Park, the auditorium for the Caldwell Theatre Company and buildings at Lynn and Northwood universities.
Some detractors claimed that she was on an expensive ego trip, but The Countess counters, and those at the party would agree, that by putting the de Hoernle name in lights, so to speak, she inspires others to follow her lead.
Caterers took a lighthearted approach to appetizers during the countess’ fete.
Always hands-on, she challenged recipients to make the best use of her philanthropy. She gave Northwood University $2 million to build a student life center, but only if the school could raise an equal amount, “to prove it was serious about getting it done,” a school official said. It did.
The Friday before the party, she visited the Boca YMCA and spent time with fourth-graders.
“She wants to be involved in every way. How many people her age would do that?” YMCA CEO Richard Pollock said.
As for future milestones, The Countess conceded some limitations.
“I told her we were starting to plan for her 110th,” said Bonnie Kaye, who with husband Jon handled public relations for the gala, “and she said, ‘I don’t know; I’m pretty rusty and there aren’t many old parts around any more.’ ”
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Thanks to the lousy weather, the much anticipated opening of Mulligan’s at Lake Worth Beach has been pushed back two weeks. Owner George Hart now plans an Oct. 18 opening for his new restaurant in the revived Casino. The reason: Unseasonal rains have slowed the paving of the parking lot.
Hart started Mulligan’s in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in 1998. That one is long gone, but Lake Worth’s will be the fifth, joining Stuart, Vero, Sebastian and Jensen Beach locations. Emphasis is on food, not booze, 365 days a year for breakfast, lunch and dinner and extensive community involvement.
Mulligan’s location, of course, conjures memories of its predecessor, John G’s, which now holds forth 3 miles south in Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar. The beach view is gone, but at least guests no longer have to pay to park, and those breakfasts — yes, the French toast, the omelets …
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It’s official. In early September, the Boynton Beach City Commission approved an ordinance that allows dogs at local restaurants — but only in outdoor areas. Leashes are mandatory.
Some weekend diners may look a little dogged at The Little House — and the staff, too! — because on Saturday and Sunday the new eatery serves only a “pajama brunch.” Nothing like a 6-foot-plus host in a terrycloth robe. For owner Chrissy Benoit, the slippers were a nice touch.
Benoit, who previously owned Havana Hideout in Lake Worth, is quickly building a loyal fan base for her teeny bistro and hopes to attract more on Nov. 4 with her first Home Brewers Brew Off. Only 15 brewers will be accepted and only 100 guests ($20 in advance, $25 at the gate).
“We did it at Havana Hideout, and it really went over well,” Benoit said. “Mike Halker is gonna be a judge.”
Halker was so successful at Benoit’s earlier contests that he made the leap to commercial suds with Due South Brewery, also in Boynton, and is selling everything he can brew.
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In Delray, Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Café closed … for a few days … but only to remodel. Gone is the counter service, replaced by a wait staff, new décor and an expanded menu.
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The Falcon House, a.k.a. Triple Eight Lounge, had a neat, funky, aged feel, and lots of locals were bummed when owner Karl Alterman split for new opportunities in Orlando. But do not despair. Canadian businessman and part-time Tampa resident Philip Orsino likes to put his Ceviche Tapas Bars in aged, historic Delray Beach buildings. The Falcon House, one of the city’s early pharmacies, fit the bill. A November opening is anticipated.
If Orsino’s name rings a bell, it may be because he: 1) was named Canadian CEO of the Year in 2003 or 2) in 2004 sold his main business, Masonite International, for $3.1 billion or 3) in 2111 became president of JELD-WEN. (Just check out the door aisle at Home Depot.)
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With Max’s Grille refurbished and reopened in Mizner Park, Dennis Max can now direct his attention a few blocks south to Royal Palm Place, where he’ll open The Mexican in early November. The site, at 133 S.E. Mizner Blvd. in Boca, was most recently occupied by Shamata Lounge and Rivals Sports Bar. A tribute to his Southern California roots, the Mexican will offer border food — tacos, enchiladas and fajitas and more substantial entrees with an upscale twist while incorporating local and sustainable ingredients.
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Those extra tall beer glasses at the Yard House apparently caught the attention of Darden Restaurants Inc. The company that owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Capital Grille, Seasons 52 and Bahama Breeze will pay $585 million for the California-based chain of 39 restaurants in 13 states, including its newest in Mizner Park.
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Bad news for Caldwell Theatre. It’ll be auctioned on the Internet Oct. 16. Mortgage holder Legacy Bank was granted a $6.75 million foreclosure judgment and will try to recoup some of the money it put into the company that was founded way back in 1975. No word on prospective bidders.
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Also in foreclosure trouble is former NFL Pro-Bowler Samari Rolle, who has a home in Stone Creek Ranch west of Delray. On Sept. 6, JPMorgan Chase filed a foreclosure suit against the 13,747-square-foot estate on 2.53 acres. Rolle paid $4.55 million for it in 2005 and refinanced it with a $4 million mortage in 2008. But in 2010, his NFL paycheck disappeared when neck injuries forced him to retire and his expected sure-fire off-the-field income was sacked.
Rolle and other present and former NFL players, including Glades Central star Fred Taylor, reportedly invested more than $40 million in an Alabama casino. In January it filed for bankruptcy. Plus, the IRS wants more than $600,000 in back taxes.
Incidentally, several of the other players have sued lawyers in the West Palm Beach offices of Greenberg Traurig for its role in setting up the casino investments.
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On a more upbeat note, new faces at the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic in Delray Beach Oct. 26-28 include Tom Arnold, TV husband to Roseanne Barr, and Dean McDermott, actor and real-time husband to Tori Spelling. Now in its 23rd year, the event has raised more than $20 million to combat drug abuse and child neglect in South Florida.
Today show’s Hoda Kotb, whose main squeeze is Boca lawyer Jay Blumenkopf, will serve as emcee. Top players returning this year are Martina Navratilova and Murphy Jensen, and starwatchers should be kept busy by Scott Foley, Alan Thicke, Maeva Quinlan, David Cooke, Jill Zarin, Jon Lovitz and Kevin McKidd.
Entertainment at the Anniversary Gala Oct. 27 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club will be provided by the Fab Four, the Beatles tribute group, complete with Ed Sullivan lookalike. Gala tickets are $750; tennis tix range from $20 general admission to $900 for a skybox package for four. (www.chrisevert.org)
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We first met Bill Rancic way back in 2004 as a contestant on the inaugural season of Donald Trump’s Apprentice, which he won. About the same time, Giuliana DePandi was breaking into TV as a co-host on E! News. Not long after, they met, and just before Christmas in 2006, they announced their engagement. Life since has had its ups and downs. Giuliana miscarried; breast cancer was diagnosed, and she elected to have a double mastectomy. Still wanting to have a baby but possibly facing more complications from the cancer, they opted for a surrogate.
Edward Duke Rancic arrived Aug. 29. Chances are good that he’ll join Mom and Pop Oct. 26 when they’re guest speakers at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s annual Go Pink Luncheon at the Boca Resort & Club. Ah, the stories they will tell, especially bringing home the point that life continues despite cancer. For tickets, $150, call 955-4142.
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A frequent subject of Giuliana’s commentary on E! is Modern Family star Sofia Vergara, who dazzled at the recent Emmy awards, despite a wardrobe malfunction — split seam in the derriere that was quickly repaired. Also repaired, according to the tabloids, is her relationship with former Delray businessman Nick Loeb, now her fiancé. Loeb, a Lehman Bros. offspring, popped the question and big ring on Vergara’s 40th birthday at Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins in Mexico.
Vergara, who has a 20-year-old son from her first marriage, told People magazine she wouldn’t mind trying to have another child. Hmmm. On the first show of Modern Family’s new season, her character announces she is pregnant. Could the writers be accommodating reality?
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Spied recently in the Palm Beaches: Gwen Stefani, hubby Gavin Rossdale and the kids enjoying a little R&R before hitting the concert road. Based at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan, they shopped in Delray, hit the beach and checked out the South Florida Science Museum. Rossdale then began a Euro tour with his old band Bush while Stefani and No Doubt are hitting the road to promote their first album in 11 years.
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Despite all the hoopla about the Olympics in London, one athlete with local ties barely attracted attention. Manuel Huerta, 28, ran cross country at FAU before leaving school to concentrate on the triathlon. After a sleepless night before his race that he believes was caused by food allergies, he finished 51st among 54 competitors.
Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, he now trains on Irazu volcano in Costa Rica, aiming for a Rio 2016 redemption. “It was the best experience of my life,” said Huerta, who embodies the Olympic creed: “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part.”
Huerta wasn’t the only Olympian with Palm Beach County ties. After finishing fourth in the women’s triathlon at Beijing, North Palm Beach’s favorite daughter, Laura Reback Bennett, had hoped to medal this year but finished 17th. She and Aussie triathlete husband Greg, who live in Boulder, Colo., are often tabbed the “world’s fittest couple.”
Hoping for a golden three-peat in show jumping, part-time Wellington residents McLain Ward and Beezie Madden settled for a tie for sixth.
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Ay, me mateys, ’tis a fascinating time we live in, and we should make the best of it, which Boynton Beach will do Oct. 27 and 28 with a “Haunted Pirate Fest.”
Admission to the family outing along East Ocean Avenue is free, with food, crafts, acrobats, pirate shows and music from the such appropriately named groups as Celtic Mayhem, For Love or Money, Plunder Dogs and Silent Lion.
Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo had fun in mind when she issued a proclamation to recognize Sept. 19 as International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Her lighthearted challenge to celebrate in “a hearty, fun-loving way” didn’t sit well with former City Commissioner Jo-Ann Golden who pointed out quite correctly that pirates rob and kidnap for ransom. Better to recognize Sept. 17 — Constitution Day, she wrote, when that great document was ratified.
Valid point, but lest we forget, pirates also were crucial to the birth of this nation. The primary difference in a pirate and a privateer was who was doing the hiring. Considered alternately a pirate and a privateer, Jean Lafitte is nevertheless considered a hero of the War of 1812 who helped stanch the British attack on New Orleans.
Capt. William Kidd initially was a privateer operating out of the American Colonies with orders to attack pirates and French shipping. His expeditions were financed by some of the wealthiest and most powerful lords in England. A breach of protocol — instead of the customary salute to a British yacht on the Thames, his crew “mooned” it — was followed by other acts and mishaps that cost him political and financial capital. His backers turned on him to save their hides, and Kidd was tried and hanged in 1701.
Hardly the characters portrayed by Johnny Depp and Burt Lancaster, pirates were typical of the sordid societies that produced them. In many cases, they were ahead of the game politically.
Their ships were models of democracy and equality. Kidd’s quartermaster is believed to have been an African. Crews were international and included freed slaves, runaways, rich, poor.
They had more to say about their work than an NFL player. They elected their captains. They provided pensions for aged pirates.
Pirate life, reports Jason Acosta, a Gainesville teacher who wrote his University of Florida master’s thesis on pirates, was much better than working on a naval vessel or a merchantman.
Pirates helped create new ports, open new shipping lanes, develop commerce with native peoples. In truth, they were much like the revolutionaries who founded the United States.
Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at thomsmith@ymail.com.
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