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Some of our Distinguished Guests and Speakers visiting
with us during the past several months include:
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Pam Dubov
Chief
Deputy Pinellas County Property Appraiser
"she will run
for the seat her retiring boss has held since 1988."
Click
on this Link to:
Amendment
1 - How it Works
by Pam Dubov
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Jim Coats
Pinellas County Sheriff
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Frances Rice
Chairman
of the National Black Republican Association, an organization that is
committed to returning African Americans to their Republican Party roots
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Dr. Susan McManus
Distinguished Professor
& foremost expert in Political Science & Foreign Affairs from
USF.
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Our Board of Directors has extended
an invitation to the HERALDS OF HARMONY
to provide the entertainment at our Christmas Party on December 17.
Last year the group, The Flexible Four Barbershop Quartet, affiliated
with the Herald of Harmony, really set the holiday mood harmonizing
on our favorite Christmas songs. What a treat for our departed member,
Rusty Runyon, that night when they serenaded her. The group performing
this year will be just as entertaining and we look forward to enjoying
their repertoire of our favorite holiday songs.
Please invite your family members,
friends and neighbors to attend this wonderful program.
For reservations, call Evelyn Leonhardt
at 524-3048. Your shopping is done, your cards are mailed [maybe?],
so come and enjoy a delicious dinner, great entertainment, and the
camaraderie of your fellow RCOGL members.
We look forwarding to seeing you on December 17.
Interesting
Facts About The Heralds of Harmony
The Heralds of Harmony chorus has
been entertaining Florida audiences in the barbershop style since
1945 and currently rank among the nation's best male vocal ensembles.
The Tampa Bay Heralds of Harmony is a semi-professional chorus affiliated
with the Barbershop Harmony Society. The chorus performs throughout
Florida and regularly represents the state in the society's annual
international chorus competition where they have place as high as
ninth in the world. The Heralds range in ages from middle school through
retired seniors and membership is open to men and boys from all walks
of life. There are also father-son members and one family spanning
three generations in the Heralds. They are featured as guest performers
in various concert series and at numerous events throughout the Tampa
Bay area during the year. They conduct benefit performances for different
organizations in the Tampa Bay area including the Spring of Tampa
Bay in Hillsborough County and The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast
in Pinellas County. In addition, the Heralds annually produce their
own shows in June and at Christmas time, all performed in the beautiful
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
The Heralds are recognized for their active youth outreach program
offering in-service training to the vocal music educators of Pinellas
and Hillsborough Counties and by participating as a clinic chorus
in the Florida Music Educators Association Annual Convention.
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A GREAT PROGRAM IN NOVEMBER!
RESERVE YOUR SEAT ASAP!
Our First Vice President and Program Chairman, Dennis Logue, has confirmed
a very interesting program for our November meeting. We will welcome Mr.
Tom Wright, former Executive Director of Americans for Fair Taxation.
Accompanying Mr. Wright will be Mr. David Nelson-VanDette from the Tampa
Bay Fair Tax Advocates (www.tampabayfairtax.org), a group established
in 2006 as part of a national grass roots mobilization effect by the Americans
for Fair Taxation to enact fair and meaningful federal tax reform.
This program will give you a wonderful opportunity to
learn about the Fair Tax movement, which is picking up momentum around
the country. This is one program that you want to bring family and friends.
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December Meeting – Heralds of Harmony – back
by popular demand – bring your family & friends!
February Meeting – Dr. Susan McManus – CONFIRMED!
Spread the word!
Great job, Dennis!!!!
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| Program for September
Meeting
Our scheduled speaker for the September
meeting is Tillie Blocker, Deputy of Licensing and Services for Diane
Nelson, Pinellas County Tax Collector, who will be addressing identity
fraud and the Real ID Act. She oversees Diane’s eight offices that
process driver’s license, tags, registration, hunting and fishing
licenses, and the collection of taxes. Mrs. Blocker may have a conflict
and Sam McClelland has assured us that he has a great back-up program.
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ELECTION OF NEW
OFFICERS
IN JUNE!
The following
members will be sworn in as officers on our new Board of Directors at
our June meeting:
Dennis
Logue (1st VP & Program Chairman)
Janice
Hill (2nd VP & Membership Chairman)
Kathleen
McNeil (Treasurer)
Karen
Donovan (Recording Secretary)
Lee
Hooper (Corresponding Secretary)
Board
of Directors:
Ruby Brooks
Faye Wyatt
Charlie Harper
Carla Monroe
Jean Halvorsen
We appreciate these members and their
commitment to serve the Club as officers and directors. It looks like
the Club will have an exciting year with these folks at the helm. Please
support the new Board with your time and efforts when possible. To them
we say, “Congratulations” and “Thank You”.
RESERVATIONS FOR GENERAL
MEETING – JUNE 18, 2007 RSVP:
Evelyn Leonhardt 524-3048
ALFANO’S RESTAURANT
1702 Clearwater-Largo Road
Belleair (33756)
PLEASE NOTE: $18.00 per
person |
 GENERAL
MEETING – MAY 21
PRESENTATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN-
MAC NORCROSS MEMORIAL SERVICE AWARD The annual presentation of the Abraham Lincoln –
Mac Norcross Memorial Service Award will be made at our May 21 general
meeting by one of our prominent Appointing Authorities. The recipient
for this award must meet certain requirements and criteria for consideration
and receive the largest number of nomination forms received by the Award
Committee. The first recipient of this was award was the Honorable Jim
Miles. Other recipients have included O. Sanford Jasper, the Honorable
Mary Grizzle, Rusty Runyan, Joanne Kavanagh, Rita Friess, Evelyn Bartoszek,
Ruby Brooks, Janice Hill and Keith Bailey.
This award is named after two prominent Americans, one
recognized around the world as one of the greatest Republican Presidents
in American History, and the other who was a highly respected and recognized
Republican and civic activist in Pinellas County.
Abraham Lincoln will be remembered as the Great Emancipator,
who led our country through a civil war between the North and South, and
stood firm on the restoration and preservation of the Union that followed.
During his tenure in office he built the Republican Party into a strong
national organization.
And who is Mac Norcross?
MAC NORCROSS, 71, of Largo, former chairman of Pinellas
County's Republican Party, worker in various local campaigns, Largo Chamber
of Commerce president in 1985 and its Citizen of the Year in 1988, was
killed in an auto accident Sept. 18.
Copyright Times Publishing Co. Sep 20, 1996
(ran SS edition of METRO & STATE)
Mac Norcross, a former
Pinellas Republican chairman, Largo Chamber of Commerce president and
businessman, died in an auto accident near Douglas, Ga., on Wednesday.
He was 71.
"In what usually is an ocean full of sharks, in this political
arena, Mac Norcross always managed to be a consummate gentleman,"
said political consultant Mary Repper. Former Pinellas Democratic Chairman
Gabe Cazares called Mr. Norcross "a perfect gentleman."
His wife, Louise, who
was also in the car, was listed in fair condition at a Savannah hospital
Thursday.
"It's just a terrible,
terrible shock," Pinellas Republican Chairman Paul Bedinghaus
said.
The Norcrosses were returning
home from Maggie Valley, N.C., on Wednesday, and were driving on U.S.
441 a few miles south of Pearson, Ga.
According to the Georgia
State Patrol, a witness said Mr. Norcross swerved in his 1990 Plymouth
Voyager to avoid hitting a dog in the road. His vehicle ran into a
1989 Nissan 240SX driven by Scott William
Taylor, 33, of Alma, Ga. Taylor was seriously injured, troopers said.
Mrs. Norcross was taken
to Coffee Regional Medical Center near Douglas and later to Savannah
Memorial Medical Center, where relatives were at her side Thursday.
In Pinellas political circles,
Mr. Norcross was remembered as a man who was hardworking and businesslike,
not flamboyant or self-promoting.
"I would never even
have considered running a race if Mac Norcross had not been on board,"
said Florida Secretary of State Sandra Mortham, a former state representative
and Largo commissioner.
"I would consider
Mac probably one of a handful of the closest friends I've got in the
world," she said. "I truly love the guy."
"In what usually is
an ocean full of sharks, in this political arena, Mac Norcross always
managed to be a consummate gentleman," said political consultant
Mary Repper. Former Pinellas Democratic Chairman
Gabe Cazares called Mr. Norcross "a perfect gentleman."
Bedinghaus said, "Mac
was one of those people that I sometimes called for advice or perspective.
. . . He gave me a lot of aid and comfort and criticism when I needed
it. I just hope that the good Lord provides
for Louise as well as Mac was able to provide comfort to me."
Mr. Norcross was born in
Torrington, Conn., in 1925 and grew up in northern Vermont. An Army
veteran of World War II, he attended George Washington University in
Washington and married Louise in 1947.
Mr. Norcross worked for
an automobile appraisal company in Washington, and from 1965 to 1970
owned his own appraisal service there.
Mr. Norcross survived a
commuter airplane crash in the early 1970s and moved to Florida in
1973.
He owned service stations
in the Largo area, including Midway Exxon, and was a co-owner of Sanford
Norcross Realty.
His business involvement
led him to participate in the Largo Chamber of Commerce, heading its
government committee in the late 1980s. In that role, he pushed for
the chamber to keep better tabs on City Hall, arguing that the scrutiny
would be better for both the city and the chamber.
"There are times when
we are adversaries, and that is good," he said in 1988. "It
means we are both performing our roles more effectively."
He became chamber president
in 1985 and was named the chamber's citizen of the year in 1988.
He went on to volunteer
in politics and ran Mortham's first House campaign in 1986. Largo Mayor
Thomas "Thom" Feaster said Mr. Norcross worked on all his
campaigns. Feaster called him "my mentor."
"Mac was always there
steering you in the right direction," Feaster said.
Mr. Norcross served as
Pinellas Republican chairman for a year, ending just after the 1992
elections. Most recently, Mr. Norcross managed Tax Collector W. Fred
Petty's successful campaign for re-election.
Petty said Mr. Norcross
was adept at strategy and details: He set up 140 campaign meetings
for Petty from January to September. But he also could share a laugh.
Petty said the two were holding up campaign signs
recently inside The Pier in St. Petersburg, until security shooed them
away.
"We should not have
really been there, but we got more attention being chased out,"
Petty said with a chuckle.
Bedinghaus said a previously
scheduled Republican "Unity Dinner," which will be held near
Largo tonight, will be dedicated to Mr. Norcross.
"Tomorrow's for Mac,"
he said Thursday.
Mr. Norcross' survivors
include his son, Douglas, Indian Rocks Beach; three daughters, Barbara
L. Peckham, Largo, Elizabeth J. Norcross, Arlington, Va., and Susan
L. Fixico, Choctaw, Okla.; a sister, Jean Norcross, Washington; and
eight grandchildren.
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JIM SMITH- PINELLAS COUNTY PROPERTY APPRAISER
Great April Program
 The
Club welcomes the Honorable Jim Smith, Pinellas County Property Appraiser,
as the guest speaker at our general meeting on April 16. Jim, a Certified
Florida Appraiser, was elected to this position in 1988, and reelected
in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004.
He served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives prior to his
election in 1988.
Jim was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
and grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. He served four years in the U. S. Navy’s
submarine service on board the USS Triton where he received several awards,
including the Presidential Unit Citation for sub-circumnavigating the
world under water in 85 days. Following Naval service, Jim was
educated at Ball State and Indiana Universities.
For 20 years Jim owned and operated his
own Clearwater business, Technical Components and Instrumentation, a process
control and analytical instrumentation company. Jim is also an accomplished
sculptor and a number of his beautiful works can be found on display at
the Belleview Biltmore Hotel from time to time.
Jim is a resident
of Clearwater.
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MIKE BILIRAKIS –
GREAT PROGRAM IN MARCH
What a pleasure to have retired Congressman Mike
Bilirakis as our guest speaker last month. Mike’s lovely wife, Evelyn,
came with him and it great to see them looking rested and, judging from
Mike’s comments, enjoying retirement.
Mike discussed his decision to run for office, against
Democrat opponent George Sheldon; the highlights of his career, serving
under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George P. Bush (#41); being a member
of Congress building up our country’s military, tearing down the
Berlin Wall, and observing the break up of the Soviet Union. He touched
upon his accomplishments working for veterans and for health care. He
complimented our club for our support of the troops and told us that he
corresponds on a regular basis to different members of the military and
family members of individual soldiers. He told us it is not easy to write
to family members who have lost a loved one in combat. He bought along
two letters, which he read – one from a father, addressed to the
President, who lost his son in Iraq, and the other was a letter received
by the father from his son who asked that the letter be read if he should
be killed in action.
He did say that he misses a number of his colleagues
and some of the action in Washington but, surprisingly, retirement is
keeping him busier than expected. He goes to his law office, the Bilirakis
Law Group in Holiday, a couple hours each day and is busy developing a
course to teach at St. Petersburg College. Mike is a long-standing Shriner
and plans to do volunteer work for Shriners Hospitals, and he and his
family are active in their church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
in Tarpon Springs.
He complimented Evelyn for being a loving and supportive
wife and for doing a great job raising their two sons, Gus and Emanuel
(who is a practicing physician in North Pinellas). Mike and Evelyn have
six grandchildren now and looking forward to spending more time with them.
The Club presented the Bilirakis’s with a
pewter photo tree engraved with the following: “BILIRAKIS FAMILY
TREE”/”RCOGL 2007”. Sam McClelland really had a surprise
for Mike – he presented him with a POW flag, which Mike did not
have. The wording on the flag is: “POW – BE NOT FORGOTTEN”.
It was great to have Mike and Evelyn visit with
us and we hope retirement will be everything they want it to be and more.
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THANK
YOU, DIANE!
 Diane
Nelson, the Pinellas County Tax Collector, gave a very informative presentation
covering a number of important issues. She started her presentation commending
her management team and employees for the excellent job they do serving
the public. On this particular day, her office held its first in-service
training day where all of her employees were together under the same roof
for the first time. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to meet their
peers, putting a face to a name. During the day Diane and her Deputies
made individual presentations discussing the different functions of the
office, employee ethics, pursuit of the Governor’s Sterling Award,
and the presentations of awards to employees for different categories
of excellence in leadership, teamwork, customer service and community
work. The number of nominations forms submitted on their behalf determined
the winners in each category. Toni Wolff, Training Coordinator, won the
“Sunshine Award” which recognized the employee who gave world-class
service to internal and external customers.
What is the Sterling Award (“GSA”)? The GSA is the state of
Florida’s most prestigious award for performance excellence. Governor
Lawton Chile established this award in 1991. The GSA assessment process
leads to the recognition and designation of "Role Model for Organizational
Performance Excellence." The award is not given for specific products
or services. It is given to organizations for their achievements in quality
and business performance and to raise awareness about the importance of
quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge. Any for-profit,
not-for-profit, education, manufacturing, health care, public, or service
organization located in Florida may apply for the GSA with some restrictions.
This Award is a three-year process and we look forward to the announcement
from the Governor’s office in 2010 that our Tax Collector achieved
this award. (Does this mean that Diane will run for a third term?)
Diane did touch upon property tax issues in our State and the positive
and negative effects and how the different solutions being pondered by
the legislature will affect large counties and small counties.
She also discussed Driver License services and the State’s decision
to turn this service over to the Tax Collectors vs. private enterprise.
Pinellas County has taken over three DL offices since 2002, which has
enabled Diane to offer “one stop” service to the residents
of Pinellas County.
Did you know that the Tax Collector’s office offers classes to the
motor vehicle, mobile home and vessel dealers, and the towing and storage
companies, in our county? Diane’s Training Departments offers 13
classes each year covering the transactions, which these companies process
in her Dealer Sections, including the applicable rules and procedures.
During her presentation she handed out information regarding the motor
vehicle dealers in our County.
It is always a pleasure to have Diane as a speaker and we congratulate
her for the wonderful job she has done as Tax Collector. Thank you, Diane.
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January
Program – George Cretekos
The Honorable George Cretekos, the newest member
on the Clearwater City Commission, gave an interesting and stimulating
presentation to RCOGL at its general meeting on January 15, 2007. George’s
remarks were based upon his life after retiring last May from Congressman
Bill Young’s staff as District Coordinator.
For the last six months George has been learning
to “play” and seeing ways to “give back”. He is
truly enjoying doing those things that he had no time to do while he was
working. He has been spending quality time with his godson (a serious
undertaking) learning to ride a bike, among other things. The bicycle
lesson came with a price as he took a few falls during the learning process.
Remember when you were learning to ride a bike? (I never mastered the
skill!) George worked as a volunteer at the polls in both the September
2006 and November 2006 elections. He spoke very positively about the training
he received from Deborah Clark’s staff. He suggested that all of
us should volunteer to work at the polls, at least in one election; especially
those who plan to become a candidate for public office. What a great lead
in to what George has accomplished in politics since retirement, replacing
Hoyt Hamilton on the Clearwater City Commission with no opposition and
no campaign!
George spoke passionately of his month-long mission
trip to Indonesia last fall sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Church. (He
is a member of the Church.) Life there is primitive and the people have
few material things, but they find great joy in life, and are very generous
with whatever they have. There were few amenities or conveniences –
no running water, no indoor toilet facilities and limited food choices.
With all of this, the limitations and lack of things became unimportant
keeping in mind why he was there. (We are so spoiled and fortunate.) George
taught English to the neighborhood children. School supplies, even books,
were limited, but taken care of and used with great care. The students
were eager to learn, kind, loving and affectionate. They had great consideration
for “Mr. George”. George and his students were special to
each other. George cried when he realized that he would be there for a
month. How could he live with so little? The experience was so special
and fulfilling that he cried when he left.
George, we invite you back when you return from
your next trip, or after your first year in office, whichever comes first.
Thank you, “Mr. George”.
(Contributing Journalist: Ruby
Brooks)
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President
Recording
