By MICHAEL GOFORTH
Sunday, December 6, 2009
It is that time of year when I present my annual list of the “beautiful people” of St. Lucie County, those talented, generous and caring people who daily put their hearts and talents into making this a better community in which to live.
This 13th-annual unscientific, totally biased and incomplete list seeks, in a small way, to recognize some of the people among us who work in front of and behind the scenes, who are role models in their passion and commitment. We would not be the community we are without their dedication.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: The “beautiful people” in the area of arts and entertainment inspire us, challenge us and allow us to see the world in new and exciting ways.
This year my list includes Michele Anastasio, John Wilkes, John Enyart, Jernie Talles, Kathleen Fredrick, R.L. Freeman Davenport, Ginger King, Ron “Doc” Grober, Michael Horowitz, James Gibson and other Highwaymen, Anita Prentice, Pat Cochran, David Moberg, Josephine Lawson, Colleen Nash Becht, Juan Dale Brown, Patty McGee, Ginny Piech Street, the Avenue D Boys Choir, and Bob “Laff” and Leslie Lafferandre.
EDUCATION: St. Lucie County is extremely fortunate to have so many “beautiful people” in education. My list represents a broad range of unique talents in a variety of educational achievements.
The list of “beautiful people” in education includes Robin Dannahower, Jon Bell, Jill Roberts, Lisa Stewart, Erick Gill, Dawn Jones, Dr. Gerald Pierone, Amy Dahan, Daryl Bey, Christine Epps, Samuel Patterson, Pamela Houghton, Joe Crankshaw, Sam Gaines, Keith Andersen, Al Bernetti, Anthony Westbury, Gundula Hargraves, Carol Hilson, Tyler Treadway, Michelle Abaldo, George L. Jones, Paul Hiott, Susan Kilmer, Wendy Dwyer, Joe Lenartiene. and Edie Widder.
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM: There are visionaries within the community who lead us into the best of our potential. They take personally the challenges of the community and use their positions and talents to make this a better place.
My “beautiful people” in the area of community activism include Doug Coward, Sandi and Dick Hellstrom, Doug Anderson, Sean Baldwin, Carol and Greg Wyatt, Barbara and Dave Miller, Christine Coke, Chris Dzadovsky, Elise Rollins, Bob Hood, Larry Pelton, Pete Hegener, Doris Tillman, Suzanne Dannahower, Gene Sereg, Katherine McClure, Pam and Gary Gillette, Eileen Emery, Cliff Barnes, Larry Clancy, Chris Cooper, Bob Davis, Steve Patterson, Karen Knapp, Richard Houghton, Joe Smith, Jon Ward, Arden Peck, Jack Kelly, Pam and Mike Cully, Gloria Grimyser, Veronica Tempone, Carole Mushier, Maria Creel, T.A. Wyner, Britt Reynolds, Margaret Benton, Terri Palumbo and R. “Duke” Nelson.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: The community could not reach its full potential without those who represent the best of us in their generosity.
My choices this year for the “beautiful people” in the area of community service are Bonny Dunn, James McKenzie, Scott Van Duzer, Dr. Shamsher Singh, Larry Lee Jr., Wyn Burns, Audrey Knapp, Darrell Drummond, John Pierson, the family of Parag Patel, Sydney and Mel Liebman, and Cris Adams.
HALL OF FAME: This will be the seventh year that I’ve named individuals to my “beautiful people” Hall of Fame for a lifetime of service to the community.
Joining the Hall of Fame this year are educator extraordinaire Gerri McPherson, and Ossie Wright, the soul of the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society.
I congratulate these inductees to the Hall of Fame where they join previous inductees Zanobia Jefferson, Carlos Barrena, Helen Terry, Vern Melvin, Judi Miller, Bud Adams, Anne Wilder, Dorothy Brennan, Pat Alley, Strelsa Schrieber, Anne Abood, Ada Coats Williams, Betty Lou Wells, Carl Junker, Zora Neale Hurston, A.E. “Bean” Backus, Gertrude Walker, Gloria Moore, Ed Massey, Kathryn Hensley, Jim Holmes, Havert “Coach” Fenn, “Corky” Behncke, Bob Betcher, Olive Dame Peterson, and Doug Anderson.
My lists, as I say each year, are very incomplete. There are many, many more “beautiful people” in this community. They are at work in schools, in churches and in civic organizations. They are the police officer who organizes a charity benefit, the teenager who plays piano in a nursing home, the businessman who coaches soccer. They take part in committees, visit the sick, volunteer at thrift stores, mentor children, open their homes and their hearts to foster and adopted children. There are real heroes among us.
It is my hope that those who know such people will tell them that they, too, are appreciated. And, take time today to thank the “beautiful people” in your own lives.