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MacDill Air Force Base

Veterans honored in surprise drive-by parade

November 17, 2020 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

As the 50-vehicle red, white and blue parade of cars, trucks, minivans and campers wound its way — twice — around a circular drive at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, the sight that stood out most was the group of surprised and delighted spectators.

Forty residents from the 120-bed facility — who served in American wars dating back to the Korean Conflict —had been wheeled outside for their most significant fresh-air time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.

Linn Rexroat, Pam Smith and Harry Provan, of the Santa Drill Team, prepare for the drive-by parade. (Joey Johnston)

They were socially distanced and wore masks.

They also waved American flags. They smiled. They cheered and applauded. Some teared up a bit.

It was a Veterans Day celebration — two days late — that was appreciated and treasured.

The event was conceived by Honor Flight of West Central Florida, a nonprofit agency that flies military veterans to Washington and honors their service.

Many elderly veterans can’t make that trip, so an “Honor Flight at Home’’ was planned, complete with a speaker from MacDill Air Force Base, shirts, hats, a clap-out parade and a redistribution of the medals earned during military service.

Those plans were canceled by the virus. The nursing-home lockdown lasted through the summer and still remains strict for safety purposes.

Veterans Day brought another opportunity — and some creativity.

The drive-by parade, which was staged and organized about a mile away at the First United Methodist Church, included the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco County Fire Department, Mission Barbecue, the Rough Riders, the Santa Drill Team, Operation Patriot and private citizens.

A variety of signs were displayed to honor the veterans.

“It was wonderful,’’ said Johanna Snee, activities director at the Baldomero Lopez facility. “It’s definitely a boost. It gave our residents a little bit of normalcy.’’

Or, as one of the drive-by banners read: “You Are Not Forgotten!’’

April Currie, Honor Flight president, said her group has taken 40 flights to Washington with approximately 3,000 veterans. The “Honor Flight at Home’’ program has honored nearly 600 more veterans.

Given the virus and safety stipulations, Currie said she was delighted to see great participation in the drive-by ceremony for the Baldomero Lopez facility veterans.

“We tried to make it a big surprise and everyone was told, ‘Let’s go outside and enjoy the weather,’ ‘’ Currie said. “We really cannot do enough for our veterans. We want them to know we love them, we respect them and we appreciate them. We feel like we got those messages across, even though the health circumstances dictated us doing things a little differently than we originally planned.’’

Spectators wave, as a parade passed by the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home.

It was just fine for Sharon Richmond, a member of Operation Patriot, a nonprofit group of former and current employees with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our purpose is to help the veterans and if they have a need that the VA can’t pay for, they often turn to us,’’ Richmond said. “Honoring the veterans with this parade was awesome. It was beyond my imagination. I’m so grateful because I was up here two or three times a week before the lockdown and I’m so happy they get recognized like this.’’

Richmond said she visited one of her veteran friends during the lockdown, but she could only come up to his window.

“He’s legally blind and hard of hearing and I couldn’t hear what he was saying either,’’ Richmond said. “He put his hand up to the glass and he wanted me to put my hand up to the glass. Then I cried all the way home.

“Just being here means so much. It’s our way of letting them know they are important and they are not forgotten.’’

The Santa Drill Team — a group of holiday Santa Clauses that honors veterans — added to the memories by displaying the flags from all military branches and the American flag on the rear of its truck.

“It’s more of an honor for us than it is for them,’’ said Pam Smith, of the Santa Drill Team. “It gives me goosebumps. We need to do more events like this. It’s so special and so meaningful. These veterans mean so much to our country, and we’re proud to honor them.’’

By Joey Johnston

Published November 18, 2020

Filed Under: Land O' Lakes News, Local News Tagged With: April Currie, Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Honor Flight of West Central Florida, Johanna Snee, Korean Conflict, MacDill Air Force Base, Mission Barbecue, Operation Patriot, Pam Smith, Pasco County Fire Department, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Rough Riders, Santa Drill Team, Sharon Richmond, Veterans Day

Families Will Soon Begin Moving Into Persimmon Park In Wesley Chapel

August 25, 2020 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Afrika and Dawvel Brooks researched just about every homebuilder in Tampa Bay before deciding ICI Homes was the best one for their family.

“We wanted the ability to move walls and customize our new home, and ICI Homes was the only builder to welcome structural changes, and to do so at an affordable cost,” said Afrika.

The Brooks family discovered ICI Homes in the Asturia community in Odessa, and learned that the builder had just opened a new community in Wesley Chapel called Persimmon Park.

“While we loved ICI Homes’ floor plans in Odessa, Wesley Chapel was a better location for my family,” said Afrika. “It is the middle of so many things — shopping, restaurants and entertainment, and also close to hospitals and health care services. Especially for our two teenage daughters, building our new home in Wesley Chapel was a huge draw.”

The Brooks family is one of the first homebuyers in the new Persimmon Park community in Wesley Chapel. Shown here are Afrika and Dawvel Brooks, and their 14-year-old daughter, Amaya. (Courtesy of Mercedes Brooks)

The Brooks family is one of the first to buy in Persimmon Park, which is located off Bruce B. Downs within the master-planned development of Wiregrass Ranch. The community is directly behind The Shops at Wiregrass and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, and across the street from a new $200 million hospital and health care complex being built by BayCare Health Systems.

“My husband and I both work in the health care field, so being so close to two hospitals is very attractive,” said Afrika, who recently retired from the U.S. Air Force. (Dawvel is still active duty and based at MacDill Air Force Base.)

The family choose the two-story Primrose floor plan, which, at over 2,400 square feet, is the largest home ICI Homes builds in Persimmon Park. All homes in the community have two-car garages in the rear, which are accessed by private alleyways and provide ample parking.

Afrika loves that the master suite in her new home is downstairs, as is a second bedroom and adjacent bath that is ideal for an office. Her girls’ bedrooms are upstairs with a shared bath, along with a large game room.

“Because ICI Homes can make structural changes very affordably, we decided to add a studio/bonus room above our garage to give our family the additional space we desired,” said Afrika. “I’ve been told that our bonus room idea has worked out so well, that other buyers are adding it to their homes.”

The Brooks’ home is in the drywall stage of construction, and the family expects to move into their new home in November.

“The entire homebuilding experience with ICI Homes has been excellent,” said Afrika. “From our salesperson, Carmen Worrels, to the architects who added our bonus room, to our project manager and customer service team. Everyone has been so helpful, nice and responsive.”

“In addition to Persimmon Park’s desirable location, buyers are excited that the community’s amenities will be completed in late November,” adds Greg Jones, Tampa Division Manager for ICI Homes.

Amenities include a unique, T-shaped luxury pool with cabanas and grilling area. Coming soon are dog parks for small and large breeds, and trails that wind through the community and connect to the Wiregrass Ranch trail system.

In Persimmon Park’s first phase, ICI Homes is building 40 homes; at build out, 97 homes. Prices begin in the high $200s, and buyers can choose from two, one-story and four, two-story homes, with more plans coming soon. There are four inventory homes available for families needing to move quickly.

“Our cottage-style floor plans feel open and airy with lots of windows, and exemplify Florida’s casual lifestyle,” says Jones. “Our homes are designed for people wanting to simplify their life, who want less square footage to clean and maintain, yet want all the upscale finishes and details offered by ICI Homes.”

Jones adds that many builder upgrades are standard features for ICI Homes, including 6-foot windows, 8-foot doors and energy-efficient construction that boasts a 50-SEER rating. Persimmon Park offers low CDD fees at less than $2,000 a year, and its affordable HOA fee includes internet and cable television for just $90/month.

Families with school-age children are drawn to Persimmon Park because the community is zoned to the area’s highest-rated schools —Wiregrass Elementary, Dr. John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High.

ICI Homes is currently offering an exceptionally low interest rate of just 2.75% on 30-year mortgages, when using the builder’s preferred lenders. A lower interest rate increases a buyer’s spending power and allows them to more quickly build equity in their home.

Persimmon Park is the first Wesley Chapel community for ICI Homes, which is celebrating 40 years of business. Based in Daytona Beach, the company is family owned and managed, and is proud of its very personalized, no-pressure approach to sales.

Published August 26, 2020

Filed Under: Home Section Tagged With: AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, Afrika Brooks, Asturia, BayCare Health Systems, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Dawvel Brooks, Dr. John Long Middle, Greg Jones, ICI Homes, MacDill Air Force Base, Persimmon Park, The Shops at Wiregrass, U.S. Air Force, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Elementary, Wiregrass Ranch, Wiregrass Ranch High School

Local man is named minority business person of the year

May 2, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Brian Butler was the only employee of his company — Vistra Communications — when he launched the business out of his home in Lutz in 2007.

It wasn’t exactly the best time to launch an ambitious plan.

The real estate market crashed and the nation’s economy cratered.

Brian Butler, president and CEO of Vistra Communications, pitches in during laundry day. Vistra provides ongoing support to the Laundry Project, which helps families in need through providing laundry services, converting coin laundries into community centers of hope. (Courtesy of Vistra Communications)

“I started my business in the toughest economy we’d seen in 30 years,” he recalled.

There were days when he considered giving up.

But then, as now, the business leader said anyone starting a new venture needs to stick with it.

“You can’t afford to give up,” said Butler, who is president and chief executive officer of his company. “There are opportunities out there. You’ve just got to have a plan.”

Vistra Communications now has about 70 employees with offices in Lutz, Tampa, Miami and Washington D.C.

And, on May 4, Butler will receive the 2018 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minority Business Person of the Year — for the state of Florida and the South Florida District.

He is one of nine recipients who will be honored at a luncheon during the 31st annual Government Small Business Conference at the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore.

Butler began thinking like a business owner early on.

During his formative years, while growing up in Palm Beach County, he had newspaper routes — flinging newspapers onto lawns.

Even then, he flexed his organizational skills.

“I was business-oriented as an elementary school kid,” Butler said. “I hired two friends to fold, so I could deliver more newspapers.”

Brian Butler reads to children at Mort Elementary School. Butler serves as CEO Mentor for the Mort Elementary School principal through The Council for Educational Change.

He followed a straight path into a business career in marketing and communications.

After he graduated from high school, he attended Hampton University, a historically black college in Virginia that was founded in 1868 to give education to freed men.

He decided to attend the college after visiting a friend who was going to school there.

He knew immediately it was the place for him.

“The campus is just beautiful,” Butler said.

The opportunity to earn a college degree there “just resonated with me,” said Butler, who received a Bachelor of Science in marketing.

Butler received a three-year scholarship from the university’s R.O.T.C. program, and upon graduation was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He commanded combat troops in Kuwait during Desert Storm in 1990.

There were lessons learned from the military that translated to his values in running a company later.

“I’m focused on treating people right. And, I operate (my business) with values found in the community,” he said.

He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s in national security strategy from the National War College.

He stepped back into civilian life in 1988 and spent a year at the Washington D.C., powerhouse public relations and communications firm Fleishman & Hillard International Communications.

He put his uniform back on after that, and served as spokesman and chief of communications for the U.S. Army secretary. He was on the staff and communications team for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After 22 years of military service, he retired as a colonel in 2006.

However, retirement was more like a transition to a new beginning.

The next year, he founded Vistra Communications.

In the early days, Butler frequently worked with nonprofits.

Brian Butler spends some time with students at Mort Elementary School.

One of his first accounts was the private charter school, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School. The school was founded by former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.

Butler also won a contract with Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, providing communications and consulting services.

Vistra’s clients today include businesses in health care, information technology, transportation, airports, entertainment, sports, and local and federal government.

Over the years, Butler and Vistra have received many honors and awards.

Tampa Bay Business Journal ranked Vistra as the No. 1 public relations firm in 2016 and 2017. It was the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year in 2016, for 21-50 employees. Vistra also was singled out in 2016 as the SBA South Florida District Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.

Last year, Vistra acquired Tampa-based Marketing Associates USA. The Tampa company is now a division of Vistra.

A shared interest in Trinity Café brought Butler together with Jeff Darrey, president of Marketing Associates.

Darrey founded Trinity Café, a nonprofit restaurant that feeds the homeless.

Butler believes that community service is a basic foundation of a successful business. To that end, he serves on several boards and committees, including Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation, Minority Enterprise Development Corporation, Mort Elementary School Cabinet and Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. He also is a founding member of USO (United Services Organization) Tampa Bay.

Butler is especially proud of the Laundry Project, an effort of the Florida nonprofit Current Initiatives.

Volunteers come to area coin laundries in Tampa Bay and pay for laundry fees, help with laundry services and create a community day.

“It’s part of my foundation and part of our company,” Butler said. “It’s exciting to make a difference right at home.”

Published May 2, 2018

Filed Under: Local News, Lutz News, People Profiles Tagged With: Brian Butler, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School, Central Command, Central Michigan University, Current Initiatives, Derrick Brooks, Desert Storm, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Fleishman & Hillard International Communications, Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Hampton University, Jeff Darrey, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Laundry Project, Lutz, MacDill Air Force Base, Marketing Associates USA, Minority Enterprise Development Corporation, Mort Elementary School, National War College, ROTC, Tampa Bay Business Journal, Trinity Cafe, U.S. Army, USO Tampa Bay, Vistra Communications

MacDill AFB’s changing missions through 75 years

November 8, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

MacDill Air Force Base has been around for more than 75 years — with roles that have changed to correspond with evolving military needs.

Since it was established in 1941, MacDill Air Force has had a significant impact on Tampa Bay’s economy. It now employs 15,000 military personnel and 3,700 civilians, with an estimated annual economic impact of approximately $2.9 billion on the community. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay History Center)

The base now houses the 6th Air Mobility Wing, with operations primarily in aerial refueling mission and personnel transport.

Its purpose was quite different during World War II, however.

The Tampa Bay History Center, in partnership with the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, recently had a presentation documenting the history of MacDill Air Force Base.

The event was led by Clete Belsom, a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and a docent at the history center.

Belsom, who volunteers once a week at MacDill, detailed how the air force base has evolved over decades. He also described the important role the base has played in the area’s history and economy, during an hour-long interactive discussion.

This is a B-17 in flight. Between 1942 and 1945, the 91st Bombardment Group — which operated the B-17 Flying Fortress — flew 9,571 combat missions throughout Europe.

As war clouds gathered in the late 1930s, the United States War Department ordered the development of six new strategic bases nationwide.

Interestingly enough, Tampa was chosen over Arcadia for the country’s southeast base location.

“The War Department said, ‘Wait a minute, Arcadia’s so isolated. It doesn’t make sense.’ And, it really didn’t make sense,” Belsom said.

MacDill was originally established as Southeast Air Base in 1939.

It was later activated on April 16, 1941, dedicated after Col. Leslie MacDill, a pilot in the Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash in Washington D.C.

“He was an up-and-coming star and very, very well thought of; he would’ve done quite well,” Belsom said.

In its earliest years, MacDill Air Force Base’s mission was transitional training for the B-17 Flying Fortress. Those operations were led by Maj. Clarence Tinker, an Osage Indian who became the highest-ranking Native American in the military during World War II.

In its earliest years, MacDill’s mission was transitional training in the B-17 Flying Fortress.

Maj. Clarence Tinker, an Osage Indian — who went on to become the highest-ranking Native American in the military during World War II — led MacDill’s operations in the beginning.

“The B-17…carried all of the heavy bombing load that the U.S. did in Europe during World War II. They specialized in daytime precision bombing,” Belsom explained.

Between 1942 and 1945, the 91st Bombardment Group — which operated the B-17 Flying Fortress — flew 9,571 combat missions throughout Europe.

Of those missions, 197 airplanes were lost, 1,010 airmen were presumed killed or missing, and 960 crewmembers were taken as German prisoners of war.

During the Second World War, MacDill AFB had several support units, including the Women’s Army Corps that trained in photo labs and also served administrative roles.

MacDill also hosted a number of bomber aircraft during the war, including the B-17, B-26 Marauder and the B-29 Superfortress.

Servicemen were trained to be pilots, gunners, engineers, mechanics, radio operators, navigators and other roles.

MacDill also was home to other support units, including the Women’s Army Corps and an all-black aviation engineer unit.

It’s estimated that 100,000 crewmembers were trained at MacDill during World War II, with 15,000 stationed at the base at any given time.

At its apex, there also were 488 German POWs.

“How would you have liked to have been a German soldier…and you get sent to Florida? There was not a better outcome, I’m sure, that a POW could’ve had than these folks,” Belsom said.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, MacDill AFB served as a Tactical Air Command, stationing fighter wings like F-4s and F-16s up through the 1980s.

Additionally, 20,000 residents of Hillsborough County were engaged in the war effort, while thousands more served in defense jobs.

Another interesting fact: During 1942 —MacDill’s first full year of operation — there were 2,000 soldiers married in Hillsborough County.

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s MacDill trained crews for the B-29, B-50 and B-47—the first swept wing strategic bomber in inventory, Belsom explained.

The base later transitioned to Tactical Air Command, stationing fighter wings like F-4s and F-16s up through the 1980s, he said.

Belsom pointed out MacDill nearly closed in the early- to mid-1990s after the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission identified it on a list of bases to be closed after all its tactical fighters were relocated to a base in Arizona.

But, MacDill’s shutdown was averted because of the significance of U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command on foreign fighting activities, particularly the Middle East.

MacDill AFB had hosted a number of bomber aircraft by the end of World War II, including the B-17, B-26 Marauder and the B-29 Superfortress.

It didn’t hurt, either, that U.S. Reps. Sam Gibbons and Bill Young backed the air force base.

“They were very, very influential congressman, so I’m sure they played a part in arguing why MacDill made sense to maintain,” Belsom said.

Today, the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill performs air refueling, airlift, and contingency response missions for the U.S., and allied forces around the globe. It’s also home to the KC-135 Stratotanker and the Gulfstream C-37A executive transport jet.

MacDill, too, houses U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command.

The base’s establishment, meanwhile, has provided significant financial growth in the Tampa Bay community.

Currently employing 15,000 military personnel and 3,700 civilians, the base, which sits on nearly 6,000 acres, has an estimated annual economic impact of $2.9 billion on the region.

MacDill also has enhanced Tampa Bay’s culture, Belsom said.

“Much like the immigrants who came here to work in the cigar industry back in the late 1880s and the early 1900s, I think (MacDill) enriched the social climate of Tampa just by their presence, because they have a lot of folks who not just come here for two or three years, but then come back later and retire,” Belsom said.

Published November 8, 2017

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: 6th Air Mobility Wing, 91st Bombardment Group, Army Air Corps, Bill Young, Clarence Tinker, Clete Belsom, Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, Leslie MacDill, MacDill Air Force Base, Sam Gibbons, Southeast Air Base, Special Operations Command, Tactical Air Command, Tampa Bay History Center, U.S. Central Command, United States Air Force, United States War Department, Women's Army Corps, World War II

Local man receives French Legion of Honor medal

August 16, 2017 By B.C. Manion

There were times during World War II when Francis Xavier O’ Connell wasn’t sure he’d live to see another sunrise.

To this day, the 93-year-old feels certain it was his mother’s prayers that kept him alive during dangerous times on the battlefield and through his captivity as a prisoner of war.

He still has the rosary beads she gave him, and some of the letters she wrote to him during the war.

Francis Xavier O’ Connell had just graduated from high school when he enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. He was recently honored by the French government for his contributions during the war. (B.C. Manion)

Recently, he was inducted into the French Foreign Legion of Honor by the French government for his contributions during World War II.

The distinction is France’s way to express gratitude to American veterans who fought alongside France during the Second World War.

French Brig. Gen. Thierry Ducret presented the award to O’ Connell during a July 14 ceremony in St. Petersburg, said Carolyn Matthews, O’ Connell’s niece.

Ducret, France’s representative to MacDill Air Force Base’s Central Command International Coalition, was just one of several high-ranking military officers at the event, she said.

O’ Connell graduated from Brown University after his stint in the U.S. Army, and then rejoined in 1949, going on to have a lengthy military career.

The Lutz man was astounded when he heard the French government wanted to honor him.

Like so many others during World War II, O’ Connell joined the Army in 1943, right after graduating from high school in Cranston, Rhode Island.

It was the thing to do, said O’ Connell, the youngest in a family of six boys — four of whom served in the Army.

After enlisting, O’ Connell trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and then was shipped to Casablanca where he joined Company F in the 179th Infantry, the 45th Division.

From there, his division went by ship to Sicily to be part of an amphibious assault landing.

O’ Connell worked as a forward observer — scouting out enemy locations and reporting the targets he found.

After Sicily, the 45th Infantry moved into Salerno for another assault. His unit then was pulled offline briefly before heading to Anzio for another amphibious assault landing.

The Battle of Anzio was a bitter campaign — with fighting nearly all of the way to Rome.

Francis Xavier O’ Connell holds a medal he received as an expression of gratitude from the French government during a July 14 ceremony in St. Petersburg.

After a brief rest period, the unit was shipped to Southern France, where it went ashore at St. Tropez and fought its way inland to Meximieux.

In the heat of the battle, his unit relieved another forward observer group and got too far ahead of the battalion. They were captured.

Despite being a prisoner of war, O’ Connell considers himself fortunate. “Two-thirds of the regimen were killed,” he said, noting there are 1,800 in a regimen.

After he was captured, he and the other prisoners were moved in boxcars from Frankfurt Germany, over to Munich. And, while that was happening, he said, “our own (American) aircraft would bomb and strafe everywhere the Germans moved.”

They were taken to a prisoner of war camp in a town called Moosburg, about 40 some-odd miles north of Munich, he said.

In the morning, he and other prisoners would be trucked to Munich to fill in bomb craters in the railroads, he said.

The Germans would make sure the American prisoners saw the civilian casualties of war.

“They had their bodies lined up on either side of the street. Then they would march us through the streets to see them,” O’ Connell said.

He said he caught a lucky break when he and group of men were chosen to go to a work camp at Vilshofen, a small town in northern Germany, near the port town of Passau.

“We worked in a forest, cutting down trees,” O’ Connell said.

The prisoners slept on straw-lined mattresses in a barn, and there wasn’t much to eat.

“We ate boiled cabbage and potato dumplings. It was just two meals a day,” he said.

He was at the work camp for several months before the Germans forced the prisoners to begin marching toward Austria.

“They knew the Americans were coming,” O’ Connell said. “They were trying to clear us out of there and bring us somewhere else.”

They were liberated during that forced march.

“We were freed by the 16th armored division,” O’Connell said. “They were coming through southwest Germany.”

After being freed, O’ Connell and the other soldiers walked to Bremerhaven where they were processed at a tent city before catching a ship back to the United States.

At the time, O’ Connell weighed 80 pounds.

He was sent to a country club that had been converted to a medical facility, to recuperate. It was three months before the Army would allow his family to see him.

Reuniting with his mother is a moment that O’ Connell will never forget.

“You won’t believe how happy it was,” he said. “She almost fell over, when I put my arms around her.”

A plaque with this quotation hangs in Francis Xavier O’ Connell’s apartment in Lutz:
45th Infantry Division
“Whatever destiny may hold for our great country,
however long that great country’s military history may continue,
readers of the future will search long before finding a chapter
more brilliant than that written by the quill that was dipped in the blood of the Thunderbirds.”

Brig. Gen. H.J.D. Meyer, Dec. 7, 1945

Published August 16, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, Lutz News, People Profiles Tagged With: 179th Infantry 45th Division, Brown University, Carolyn Matthews, Central Command International Coalition, Fort Bragg, Francis Xavier O' Connell, French Foreign Legion of Honor, MacDill Air Force Base, Theirry Ducret, U.S. Army, World War II

Sharing the story of women’s progress

March 22, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Madonna Jervis Wise, a local author who writes primarily about history, has been making the rounds lately, talking about women in the work force and “East Pasco Women Who Rocked.”

Women played an important role in munitions factories during World War 1.
(Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

Her talks, which have been delivered at the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City, at the East Pasco Networking Group’s breakfast meeting and at the Zephyrhills Public Library, have traced the evolving role of women in society.

The essence of her presentation traces the progress that women have made since ancient times to the present.

First, she delivers an overview of women in history and then she focuses on the contributions of seven East Pasco women.

While delivering her talk at the East Pasco Networking Group, Wise said she keeps her mother and grandmother in mind.

Irene Davis Dobson was a founding member the Head Start Early Childhood program in Pasco County, and also active in programs aimed at creating awareness of contributions of African-Americans throughout Florida and across the country.

“My mother was Depression-era woman who worked most of her life. My grandmother was equally as industrious,” she said.

“As we go through the presentation, please stop and think about the women in your life.

“Right now, we have 72 million women in the American workforce. That’s 30 million more than 1984, and women roughly make up about 50 percent of the workforce,” she said.

Despite their large numbers in the work force, women still trail men in terms of pay, Wise noted. Women receive approximately 81 percent of what men are paid, she said. And, only 14 percent of the executive positions in Fortune 500 companies are held by women.

There has been progress, however, compared to opportunities for women in the past.

“Women weren’t allowed to participate in any capacity, throughout most of history —in terms of speaking, political involvement, certainly not leadership,” Wise said.

“In the American colonies, women didn’t own property and certainly didn’t vote,” she said.

“I do a lot of genealogy. Sometimes you don’t even find the woman’s first name in genealogy.”

Bernice Rooks was in the first class at the University of South Florida. She was student No. 18. After graduating, she taught for 29 years.

Census data from the 19th century shows blank spaces for occupations because women’s work was not recorded, Wise said.

Women’s role in the world of work has evolved over time, she said.

“By the 1820s, women were starting to go into the textile mills. Pay was about $3 a week.

By the early 19th century, women still were mostly involved in domestic services, laundry, cooking, cleaning, some teaching, nursing, she said.

But she noted, women’s opportunities have expanded significantly — even during her own lifetime.

“I remember when I was in school. They’d say, ‘Are you going to be a secretary, nurse or a teacher?’,” Wise said.

Madonna Jervis Wise has been giving talks about women’s progress at various venues during Women’s History Month.
(B.C. Manion)

Women now have more career choices. They can belong to civic clubs that once banned them. And, there are more opportunities in athletics and the military, Wise said.

For generations, East Pasco women have played pivotal roles in expanding opportunities for the entire community, Wise said. She singled out these seven:

• Irene Dobson: She came from a large family and picked cotton as a child. She taught school in Georgia and later in Dade City, and was a founding member the Head Start Early Childhood program in Pasco County. She has been very active in the community and has helped to organize African-American programs to teach new generations about the contributions of African Americans in Florida and across the country.

  • Bernice Rooks: Even at age 94, she remains active in the community. She was the valedictorian of the 1940 class at Zephyrhills High School. She worked at MacDill Air Force Base and was a school bus driver. When the University of South Florida opened in 1958, she enrolled, becoming student No. 18. She graduated and taught for 29 years. She is also known for the family business, the Crystal Springs Roller Skating Rink which opened in 1939 just before World War II. For 35 cents, you could skate all day.
  • Lorena Leatherman Neukom: Known as Neukie and her husband, Charles, opened the iconic Neukom’s Drug Store drugstore in 1921. The store closed in 2001. She was in charge of payroll, buying and keeping the books until she was 93. The drugstore was a popular place for politicians, snowbirds and local residents.
  • Rosemary Wallace Trottman: She was a widely known educator and researcher. She published “The History of Zephyrhills; 1821-1921.” She founded the Zephyrhills Historical Association. Her research revealed the effects of the railroad on the community and detailed the colonial years of East Pasco, in which the day-to-day activities of the settlers involved log-rolling, sugar-caning, subsistence farming and the beginning of unique institutions. Her father was a pioneer settler of Abbott Station.
  • Willa Rice: She has the distinction of being first and only female mayor of Zephyrhills. After being voted into office in 1958, she revamped the police department by firing two of the department’s five policemen and accepting the resignation of the police chief.
  • Margarita Romo: Her work to champion the causes of of farmworkers in Pasco County and around the state led to her being named to the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2012 & Hispanic Woman of the Year. She is founder of Farmers Self-Help, Inc., and has worked diligently for more than 40 years to help farmworkers help themselves.
  • Jean McClain Murphy: Most recently she was the 2017 Zephyrhills Founder’s Day Grand Marshal. She was an educator with Pasco County Schools. Known for her beautiful singing voice, she taught taught “Glee Club” at the high school level for six years. She remains the singing director at her Rotary Club, and has served as choir director for five different choral groups at the First Baptist Church in Zephyrhills.

Revised March 22, 2017

Filed Under: Top Story Tagged With: Abbott Station, Bernice Rooks, Crystal Springs Roller Skating Rink, Dade City, East Pasco Networking Group, Farmers Self-Help Inc., First Baptist Church Zephyrhills, Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame, Head Start Early Childhood, Irene Dobson, Jean McClain Murphy, Lorena Leatherman Nuekom, MacDill Air Force Base, Madonna Jervis Wise, Margarita Romo, Neukom's Drug Store, Pasco County Schools, Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, Rosemary Wallace Trottman, Rotary Club, University of South Florida, Willa Rice, World War II, Zephyrhills Founder's Day, Zephyrhills High School, Zephyrhills Historical Association, Zephyrhills Public Library

Veterans receive warm recognition at ceremony

November 16, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Veterans were recognized in a special way at the Veterans Day ceremony at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in San Antonio on Nov. 11.

More than a dozen surviving World War II veterans were recognized and celebrated at the ceremony.

“Veterans Day is something we don’t want to forget,” said John Benvengo, the ceremony’s organizer.

Congressman Gus Bilirakis addresses veterans and their families during a ceremony at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in San Antonio. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)
Congressman Gus Bilirakis addresses veterans and their families during a ceremony at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in San Antonio.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)

The event featured a number of speakers, including Brig. Gen. Sean Jenkins, who’s stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Speaking to an audience of more than 100 invited guests, Jenkins highlighted the importance of continually honoring “those who sacrifice their own lives for our country.”

He noted: “We must not forget the actions of those that have served. Their commitment to duty has made our nation safer in the world of new dangers. Their actions have also upheld the ideals of America’s founding.”

It’s equally imperative, Jenkins said, to honor the families and caregivers of veterans.

“Without them, there would be fewer veterans walking amongst us today,” Jenkins said, describing veterans as “the unknown heroes walking among us.”

Veterans serve as a symbol for “courage, decency and hope,” he added.

Jenkins also pointed to the importance of ensuring the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) “takes care of those that have served.”

More than dozen World War II veterans attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in San Antonio.
More than dozen World War II veterans attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in San Antonio.

“We’re losing too many heroes,” he said, “Not just because of age, but because of the loss of hope.”

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, another guest speaker, said his No. 1 priority is to assist veterans.

He criticized the VA, characterizing it as “confusing bureaucracy” that has a “general lack of communication and transparency.

“I believe this agency is in some serious need of culture change,” said Bilirakis, who serves as vice chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

He continued: “Our veterans have done their duty and kept their promise to protect our nation. It is now up to us to fulfill our promise to them and remain committed to honoring their service.”

Within the past three years, Bilirakis has introduced two pieces of legislation (COVER Act, PROMISE Act) to help veterans get better access to primary medical care and to address the prevalence of mental health issues amongst veterans. Both have since become laws.

“There is much more work to be done. Our congress must come together on these issues in a bipartisan fashion,” he said.

Bilirakis noted the next step in helping veterans is offering supplementary assistance through additional workforce, housing and education programs.

Said Bilirakis: “The military spends six to 12 months preparing soldiers for their assignments, and yet, we only spend three to five days to help them reintegrate into civilian life. That’s unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, the congressman commended veterans for their “altruism and patriotism.

“They’re very, very special people,” he said. “They represent the best of this great country.”
He added: “We would not be the nation we are today without those who served.”

The ceremony also featured comments from State Rep. Danny Burgess, R-San Antonio.

Burgess, who’s also a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate, said veterans “exemplify what service is all about.”

The state representative added that seeing veterans inspired him to join the military: “They are the reason that I decided to wear the uniform and serve.”

Published November 16, 2016

 

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Danny Burgess, Gus Bilirakis, John Benvengo, MacDill Air Force Base, San Antonio, Sean Jenkins, Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Trouble at the ‘library’

July 20, 2016 By B.C. Manion

There’s been some trouble at the library.

OK, this library isn’t a lending library, it’s a giving library.

Books for Troops promotes literacy by giving reading materials to soldiers, veterans and their families. It ships them to far-off places and delivers them to local nursing homes.

More requests for books by Terry Brooks come into Books for Troops than the organization is able to fulfill. (Photos courtesy of Books for Troops)
More requests for books by Terry Brooks come into Books for Troops than the organization is able to fulfill.
(Photos courtesy of Books for Troops)

But, it has run into a bit of a problem, according to Patricia Murphy, the organization’s executive director.

Lately, it hasn’t been able to fulfill all of the requests it has been receiving for science fiction titles. And, it’s not the first time it has encountered such a shortage.

So, if there are any readers out there who would like to help out, the organization is in particular need of books by Terry Brooks; the books that Game of Thrones are based on by George R. R. Martin; and, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Most of the requests that Books for Troops receives come from Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, but the organization ships reading materials around the world, and tries to fulfill the requests it receives, Murphy said, via email.

Besides shipping books overseas, it delivers locally to:

  • James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
  • Tampa Vets Center
  • VA Mental Health Outpatient Clinic
  • MacDill Air Force Base
  • C. W. Bill Young Veterans Hospital at Bay Pines
  • USO Welcome Center at Tampa International

Books for Troops began in May 2010, when Murphy was delivering magazines to the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa.

While there, Murphy was approached by a young man in a wheelchair, who was had lost his leg in the war. He was about 20.

He told her the magazines helped him “keep my mind off everything.”

bft logoAs they were chatting, he told Murphy he wished he had had an outlet, like reading, while deployed.

He wasn’t living on base when he was deployed. He was living in a tent, on the outskirts of a small village in Iraq.

The exchange moved Murphy so much that, as she stepped into the elevator, she burst into tears, she recounts.

When she got home, she decided to help meet that need, and that was the beginning of Books for Troops.

Since then, more than 30,000 books have been shipped to troops around the world, and more than 2,000 books have been delivered locally.

Anyone who would like to help is invited to donate books that are in good condition — in the kind of shape you’d want a book to be in if you received it as a gift.

The books can be dropped off, during business hours, to Simply Self Storage, 22831 Preakness Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, behind Sonic.

For more information, go to BooksForTroops.org.

Published July 20, 2016

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Afghanistan, Bay Pines, Books for Troops, C.W. Bill Young Veterans Hospital, Camp Leatherneck, Diana Gabaldon, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Land O' Lakes, MacDill Air Force Base, Patricia Murphy, Preakness Boulevard, Simply Self Storage, Sonic, Tampa International Airport, Tampa Vets Center, Terry Brooks, USO Welcome Center, VA Mental Health Outpatient Clinic

Spreading the word about Saint Leo

February 10, 2016 By B.C. Manion

William J. Lennox Jr., has been well-versed on the strengths of Saint Leo University for years.

Before assuming his current role on July 1, the retired U.S. Army three-star lieutenant general served on the school’s board of directors for nearly seven years.

But now, as Saint Leo’s president, Lennox is seeing the university from a new vantage point.

“When you’re on the board, you have the 60,000-foot view. And, I’m working my way down to the 6-foot view,” said Lennox, who was superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for five years.

Saint Leo University President William J. “Bill” Lennox Jr., former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said people have asked him how Saint Leo and West Point differ. He responds: ‘The similarities are more striking. The strong mission statement. The focus on teaching and small classes. The value system. The people.’ (Photos courtesy of Saint Leo Unversity)
Saint Leo University President William J. “Bill” Lennox Jr., former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said people have asked him how Saint Leo and West Point differ. He responds: ‘The similarities are more striking. The strong mission statement. The focus on teaching and small classes. The value system. The people.’
(Photos courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Now, Lennox, who prefers to be called Bill, said he sees firsthand both the strengths of Saint Leo’s people and of its mission. The focus on teaching, the small class size and the university’s clear set of values are key attributes, he added.

“You put that all together, you get quite a package,” Lennox said.

Given his background, the former military leader said: “People have asked me about the difference between West Point and Saint Leo.

“The similarities are more striking (than the differences). The strong mission statement. The focus on teaching and small classes. The value system. The people,” Lennox said.

Unlike West Point, however, Saint Leo’s story is not nearly as widely known.

“I think we’re the best-kept secret around here,” Lennox said.

He’s working to change that.

“We’re going to add a V.P., (vice president) for marketing. That is going to help us both with the targeted marketing, but also with the branding. I think a lot of people think we’re this sleepy little organization,” he said.

“Not many people understand that we’re the third-largest Catholic university,” he added.

With an enrollment of 16,000, the university has about 2,400 students at its campus in Saint Leo, and the rest take classes either online or in person at locations across seven states, in such cities as Atlanta and Savannah, and in the Tidewater area of Virginia, he said.

Saint Leo’s brand is very strong in the military, he noted. “People recognize Saint Leo and want to attend. And, I think that transfers out to the civilian populations in those areas, too.”

But, military cutbacks and security issues pose a challenge.

“Some of the posts are becoming very concerned about security. If you don’t have a military ID card, you might not be able to get on. So that cuts some of the civilians out and the young veterans, who may have only served three or four or five years, because they don’t get an ID card,” he said.

These members of the military walk across the campus of Saint Leo University in St. Leo. The university is widely known in military circles, but doesn’t enjoy the same familiarity in other circles, according to William J. “Bill” Lennox Jr., the university’s current president. ‘I think we’re the best-kept secret around here,’ he said. He wants to change that.
These members of the military walk across the campus of Saint Leo University in St. Leo. The university is widely known in military circles, but doesn’t enjoy the same familiarity in other circles, according to William J. “Bill” Lennox Jr., the university’s current president. ‘I think we’re the best-kept secret around here,’ he said. He wants to change that.

To address that issue, “we want to look at maybe a model like we have in Tampa, where we have a presence on MacDill (Air Force Base) and we have (a location in) Channelside,” he said.

The Channelside location has helped raise the university’s profile, he said.

Channelside is also situated in an area that Lennox expects to develop over the long-term.

“So, we’re well-positioned,” he said.

Besides raising awareness about the university’s existing footprint, Lennox wants to increase its responsiveness to student needs.

To that end, the university wants to offer students an opportunity to take classes face-to-face, take classes online, or do both, Lennox said.

“We want them to be able to go back and forth, very freely.

“We want to appeal to the student, and let the student be able to choose,” he said.

He also wants the university to foster stronger ties with corporations, enabling it to work out agreements to teach classes in corporate boardrooms or training rooms.

“Starbucks just signed with Arizona State University,” he said, and he doesn’t see why Saint Leo can’t work out similar arrangements.

“Why can’t we offer that as an advantage of coming to Tampa?” Lennox said.

He believes the university is quite capable of delivering such services.

“We’re pretty agile,” Lennox said.

“I’m tired of people asking me where Saint Leo is. I tell folks the answer is: We are where you want us to be,” he said.

He’s bullish on the university’s prospects, because he’s confident in what it has to offer.

“My take is that if you’ve got a great product and people want it out there, why not expand it? That’s what I’d like to do,” Lennox said.

Published February 10, 2016

Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Arizona State University, Channelside, MacDill Air Force Base, Saint Leo University, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, William Lennox Jr.

Mixed local reaction to new defense spending bill

December 4, 2014 By Michael Hinman

The U.S. House passed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act during a lame-duck session, but not all lawmakers are in support.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, said the bill presented a “troubling dilemma for me and my colleagues.”

“After speaking with local veterans and military leaders in my community, I cannot vote for reduced benefits and a reduction in a pay raise for our service members,” Ross said, in a statement. “There needs to be a proper balance of military compensation, training and equipment, but this NDAA does not meet that requirement.”

Instead, Ross said, it decreases the military pay raise Ross voted for earlier this year, and increases the cost of prescription drugs.

“We already ask our military to make incredible sacrifices for the security of our nation. We must look at other areas of the budget before we put more of a financial burden on our war heroes.”

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, however, highlighted the $7.7 billion that will go to MacDill Air Force Base. It also provides $26 million in additional funding for behavioral and psychological health programs and initiatives, specifically for special operations forces.

“We are concerned about higher suicide rates among special forces compared to (the) military overall,” the Tampa Democrat said in a statement. “Additional resources for behavioral and psychological health for special forces will build upon our community efforts to seek solutions in military and veterans suicides.”

The vote, which took place through a motion to concur on a amendment to H.R. 3979 written to address protections to volunteer firefighters and emergency responders. It passed 300-119, with 87 of the House’s 201 Democrats voting against it.

Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, the only other local Congressman in Washington, joined Castor in voting for the bill.

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: Dennis Ross, Gus Bilirakis, Kathy Castor, Lakeland, MacDill Air Force Base, National Defense Authorization Act, Palm Harbor, Tampa, U.S. House, Washington

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The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer an adult fizzy bath bomb craft, through curbside pickup only. The kit will include lavender Epsom salt, citric acid, a reusable mold, instructions and more. Pickup is from Jan. 25 through Jan. 30. Registration is required through the calendar feature on the library’s website, or by calling 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

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Mr. John from Bricks 4 Kidz will show participants how to become a Lego Master Builder with an online class that teaches various building methods and techniques. The program will be presented on Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m., for ages 5 to 12. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Lego building

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The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present Virtual STEM Studio: Crystal Snowflakes on Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. Learn how to create your own crystals with just saltwater. Follow along with the video on the Regency Park Library’s Facebook page. No library card is needed. … [Read More...] about 01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

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The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Into the Interstellar Unknown” on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Natalia Guerreo will present the latest news from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Guerrero works at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research on the MIT-led NASA TESS Mission. The program is for teens and adults. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

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The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host “Stroke of Genius” on Jan. 27. This virtual craft includes an instructional slide show on how to draw Zentangles. View the post, available all day, on the South Holiday Library’s Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Zentangles

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The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

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Don’t forget: This year’s Kumquat Festival is set for March 27

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