07/29/2021 ISSUE 30

Vero Beach Bridge Center open
after 16 months. P13
New online option

for Vero football fans. P12
Not enough skilled nursing
facility staff here vaccinated. P10

For breaking news visit

MY VERO ‘Younger, sicker’
COVID-19 patients
BY RAY MCNULTY pack Vero hospital

Tom Fish marks 30 years
as Windsor tennis director

Even in Vero Beach, where BY MICHELLE GENZ
tennis directors tend to stay Staff Writer
at their clubs longer than their

peers in other places, Tom Cleveland Clinic Indian

Fish’s 30 years at Windsor is River Hospital reported the

something to celebrate. highest number of COVID-19

And he plans to. inpatients it has seen to date

“We’re going to have a dinner in the pandemic, with 50 pa-

with my tennis staff friends,” tients hospitalized in its fifth-

Fish said last week as his Aug. 1 floor COVID wing and in a

anniversary approached. dedicated intensive care unit.

You’ll notice he used the Around 90 percent of those

word “friends” to describe his patients – 45 people – are un-

on-court assistants and ten- vaccinated, according to the

nis shop attendants – because hospital’s president, Dr. Greg

that’s how Fish sees everyone Rosencrance, who sent out a

at Windsor, where he’s never letter informing community

been merely an employee. partners of the extraordinarily
Fish, who will turn 69 on
fast-arising surge that has re-
Indian River Shores estate sells for $22 million sight unseenSept. 1, is a beloved member sulted in “exponentially” high-

of the Windsor family created er hospitalizations in less than

by the island community’s BY STEVEN M. THOMAS estate for a cool $22 million to paid in 2017 – purchased the a month.
founder, Canadian billionaire Staff Writer a California businessman pur- estate without ever viewing it “Those unvaccinated pa-

W. Galen Weston, who hired chasing it as a vacation spot. in person within a day or two tients are younger and sicker

him during the summer of Famed money manager Den- The out-of-town buyer – of seeing an online link sent patients than what we saw

1991 to oversee the construc- nis Stattman demonstrated his who paid $12 million more to him by his agent, Susan during previous surges, and

tion of the 470-acre enclave’s Midas touch last week when for the oceanfront property at Rane of Keller Williams. many require intensive oxy-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 he sold his Indian River Shores 10 Ocean Lane than Stattman The sale continues a trend gen therapy,” he said.

of dramatically rising ocean- Equally alarming is the in-

Island hotels agree: ‘Things front prices on Vero’s barrier ference that of those 50 peo-
couldn’t be going any better!’
island, as wealthy buyers from ple admitted to the hospital,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF Driver in fatal A1A crash behind bars
Staff Writer
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 BY LISA ZAHNER his dog while they were walk-
After a scary shortage of guests dur- PHOTO BY BRENDA AHEARN Staff Writer ing along A1A, has been arrest-
ing the pandemic summer of 2020, ed and is being held without
island hotels are back on track, fuller Jamie Jarvonte Williams, bond in the St. Lucie County
in some cases than they have ever the apparent driver who on Jail for violating his probation
Memorial Day ran down and in a 2018 felony case.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 killed South Beach resident
Michael Gianfrancesco and According to St. Lucie Coun-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

July 29, 2021 Volume 14, Issue 30 Newsstand Price $1.00 Dr. Dennis Saver:
a ‘champion’ for
News 1-14 Editorial 28 People 15-22 TO ADVERTISE CALL the vulnerable. P8
Arts 37-40 Games 31-33 Pets 56 772-559-4187
Books 30 Health 41-47 Real Estate 59-68
Dining 52-55 Insight 23-36 Style 48-51 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

© 2021 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero members were there for us,” Fish said.
“I owe them a lot for that because, with-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 out their help, I don’t know if Mardy
would’ve made it.”
tennis complex and then run it.
Little did he know at the time that With their help, Fish’s son played his
way onto the ATP Tour and into the top-
Weston, who was 80 when he died in 10 in the world rankings before retiring
April, had handed him what would in 2015, having reached the quarterfi-
become one of the best teaching-pro nals of the Australian Open,Wimbledon
jobs in America. and U.S. Open.

“The courts weren’t built yet,” Fish He was the silver medalist at the
recalled. “All we had was a trailer and a 2004 Summer Olympics and currently
plan. I think there were only six houses serves as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup
built. But it turned out to be the op- team. In 2007, he created the Mardy
portunity of a lifetime. Fish Children’s Foundation to provide
fitness and nutrition programs for un-
“Getting this job was a blessing.” derserved local youths.
Fish confessed that, when he ac-
cepted the position, he didn’t under- The elder Fish has managed or over-
stand Weston’s village-by-the-sea vi- seen the foundation’s operations – in-
sion for Windsor, which has achieved cluding an annual men’s minor-league
international acclaim and attracted pro tennis tournament – since its in-
politicians, celebrities, dignitaries and ception.
even royalty – as much for its security
and discretion as its distinguished ar- PHOTO BY BRENDA AHEARN
chitecture and luxurious amenities.
“I knew it was going to be something Tom Fish, Windsor’s Director of Tennis.
special with the golf course and polo,
but I didn’t really get the village con- “I’m still very active with the foun-
cept,” he said. “At that point, though, it dation,” Fish said. “It’s a lot of work,
didn’t really matter.” especially the fundraising with our
He needed the job. golf outing and tennis tournament,
Fish, who previously worked at but we’re trying to do something posi-
John’s Island, Riomar and Grand Har- tive for the kids in our community.”
bor, was the tennis director at the Or-
chid Island Golf & Beach Club, which His day job, though, is at Windsor,
was failing financially – so much so where the once-fledgling community
that the ownership closed both the has grown to 350 homes – as well as
golf course and tennis courts, putting a village store, post office, real-estate
him and other employees out of work. office, amphitheater, town hall, gal-
Fish and his wife, Sally, had a mort- lery, croquet lawn and popular tennis
gage to pay on their Central Beach complex.
home and were raising two children at
the time – 9-year-old son, Mardy, and That popularity means Fish and his
8-year-old daughter, Meredith. staff are not only teaching, especially
“It was a little scary for a while,” Fish during the busy winter season, but
said. “I had to do something.” also organizing round-robin events
He called Windsor. and other tennis activities.
“I had helped build the courts at
Grand Harbor and Orchid Island, so I “Windsor has a great golf course,
thought that might give me an in with and golf has become very popular,”
Windsor, because they were getting Fish said. “But tennis is a big deal here,
ready to build their courts,” Fish said. and we have a lot of programs.”
“I asked if they were close to hiring
someone for their tennis job, and they During non-COVID off-seasons, in
said they were.” fact, members often welcomed Fish
Shortly afterward, Weston invited to their summer homes to teach, orga-
him to lunch. nize tennis events or simply play with
“It didn’t feel like a job interview, but them. His business trips have taken
that’s what it turned into,” Fish said. him to Canada, England and Greece.
“We had a nice chat over some really
good food, and he hired me. That one More than once, Weston and his
lunch changed the path of my life and, wife, Hilary, invited Fish to play tennis
really, my family’s lives, too.” with them on the grass courts of Fort
He described Weston as a “great Belvedere, their 100-acre estate best
boss, wise mentor and wonderful known as the one-time home of King
man,” but Windsor’s founder also was Edward VIII. They also brought Fish to
a generous benefactor who, along with Wimbledon with them.
others in the posh community, con-
tributed much of the money Fish’s son
needed to launch his tennis career.
“Developing a world-class tennis
player is expensive, and the Windsor

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 3

NEWS

“Not a bad way to make a living,” said Island hotels “Things couldn’t be going any bet- there were weeks when only one room
Fish, a Minnesota native who moved to ter,” said Boris Gonzalez, Caribbean was rented, and she would offer pack-
Vero Beach in 1986, when he became CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Court Boutique Hotel owner. “We’re ages to attract guests. This year, guests
an assistant pro at John’s Island, hired busier than ever. We’ve had the best are even booking during September
by longtime local tennis director Mike been at this time of year and booked April, May, June and July since 2007.” and October – peak hurricane months.
Rahaley. well into the future.
“We’re sold out through August,” “We have several family reunions in
Fish said he was working a sum- The big resort hotels are thriving, reported South Beach Place manager September, weddings in October, and
mer gig at a club in the North Carolina and small hotels are packed, accord- Nikki Barroso. “Our high season is al- November is almost sold out as well.
mountains when a few of the mem- ing to multiple interviews conducted ready sold out too.” People are coming and staying longer.
bers told him they belonged to John’s last week by Vero Beach 32963.
Island and spoke to Rahaley on his Barroso said that in prior summers, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
behalf.

There was no way he could turn
down the job – for more reasons than
one.

“My wife made me move,” Fish
said. “I was a happy Minnesotan. I
didn’t know any better; I didn’t know
this existed. But Sally grew up in Cali-
fornia, where the winters aren’t near-
ly as cold as they are in Minnesota,
and she said, ‘We’ve got to get out of
here.’

“So, I took the job at John’s Island,
and I learned a ton from Mike about
running a club,” he added. “I certain-
ly wouldn’t have been as successful
without Mike’s help.”

Five years later, he was at Windsor,
where he’s now the reigning dean of
local tennis directors.

In recent years, Fish has made some
concessions to age, limiting his time
on the court to six hours a day – at his
wife’s request – and allowing his assis-
tants to do more. But he’s not ready to
retire.

“I think more about slowing down,
but not stopping,” said Fish, who, like
many tennis pros, is an avid golfer in
his spare time. “I get so much pleasure
out of what I do. People come to me
to have fun. I’d like to continue teach-
ing.”

He’d also like to start playing ten-
nis competitively again in age-group
tournaments, and participate in more
local-pro exhibitions, most of which
were canceled last winter because of
the COVID pandemic.

“It’s fun to compete,” Fish said. “Next
year, I’ll be 70, so I’ll be the baby in the
70-and-over division. That’s a bigger
advantage as you get older.”

Fish doesn’t know how long he’ll con-
tinue to work, or how long Windsor will
want him to stay on board, but his son
is now a member – even though he lives
in Los Angeles.

“Windsor has been a very special
place for our family,” Mardy Fish said.
“Not only did Mr. Weston give my fa-
ther the best teaching job in the coun-
try, but they also welcomed our entire
family with open arms.

“I learned how to play tennis and
golf there and met members that we
will be friends with for life,” he added.
“Never once has it felt like we were
workers there. Just part of a family.”

Even in Vero Beach, that’s something
to celebrate. 

4 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Island hotels is phenomenal for the off-season,” Clon- This summer, guests are coming The two timeshare hotels on Ocean
inger said. “We’re basically sold out every “from all over the U.S.,” said Zachari- Drive – Driftwood Inn and The Reef –
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 weekend, and we are in the 90th percen- asz. “They just want to be on the beach. can hardly keep up with their guests.
tile occupancy during the week. Business They don’t care about the room; they Timeshare owners are using their
They just want to come to the beach has been much busier than expected.” want the beach. They’ve been stuck in “weeks” in record numbers, whereas
and relax,” said Barroso. the house for so long.” last year and even into 2021, most
Prestige Hotel, also in South Beach, were putting their time slots up for
Jeff Cloninger joined the ranks of is- was one of the hardest hit during the Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel and Spa rent instead of using them.
land hotel owners with the purchase of pandemic due to its traditional reli- general manager Awet Sium said he is
the Seaspray Inn on Ocean Drive this ance on overseas visitors, but it is fully surpassing pre-pandemic numbers at Not so now, said The Reef Ocean Re-
past April. The Palm Beach real estate booked this month. his hotel, where rooms are $400 or more sort general manager Debbie Hughes.
broker has been pleasantly surprised a night. “We’re doing better than last “Sales are up, rentals are up, and peo-
to find the inn too busy for him to pro- In past years, more than 60 percent year and the year before, with this year ple are positive. We’re doing fantastic
ceed with planned renovations. of the hotel’s guests came from Germa- looking like it might be our best ever.” with the rentals.”
ny and France, and travel restrictions
“We have not dipped below 90 per- brought those bookings to a standstill Sium added that guests are begin- Driftwood Resort owner relations
cent occupancy since the day I bought during much of 2020, according to ning to book further out, too, even into manager Zach Zebrowski said “we’re
it, and that’s including weekdays, which general manager Edyta Zachariasz. Christmastime. having a great year. Our owners are
using their units at a higher rate than
At Costa d’Este, general manager normal, so we have very little rental
Chad Olson said he’s seeing similar available. It seems like it has never
summer traffic. Most of his guests trav- ended this summer.”
el within Florida, with people booking
earlier than they did last year. Eager to secure lodging, Zebrowski
said callers inquiring about availability
“Our pace in September, October don’t ask for discounts as they have in
and November is up compared to what the past during the summer months.
it normally is,” Olson said. “We’re see- “They are happy to scoop up whatever
ing a lot of the corporate groups that rooms are available” at the going rate.
have been on hold booking during
that time period, which is unusual.” Government statistics back up what
hotel owners and managers say, with
Another trend showing things are the county’s June Tourist Tax report
returning to normal, he says, is the showing revenues have increased by
return of room service revenue to 29.8 percent over last year at this time,
pre-pandemic levels. “Last year at this putting them above projections for the
time, room service was up 300 per- year.
cent,” said Olson, with guests staying
put at the hotel instead of venturing The main areas of concern for ho-
out to dine. tels right now, industrywide, continue
to be difficulty finding enough quali-
This summer, guests feel confident fied workers and dealing with supply
enough to leave the hotel to visit is- shortages and delays. 
land restaurants and shops.

Estate sold for $22 million million in Palm Beach so far this year,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 including another exceeding $100 mil-
lion, according to the Wall Street Jour-
South Florida, the Northeast, Califor- nal.
nia and other locales jet into town
to purchase world-class waterfront If a buyer in California searches for
homes that would cost much more in luxury homes in a certain price range
the places they come from. on the east coast of Florida, he or she
sees those Palm Beach palaces right
“We had more showings of this alongside Vero properties of similar
house than any other ultra-luxury caliber that cost much less.
property we have ever listed,” says
Premier Estate Properties broker asso- That was the case with the buyer
ciate Cindy O’Dare, who with her part- in the $22 million sale, according to
ner Richard Boga represented Statt- Rane.
man. “From the moment we put the
listing in the MLS in April and started “He was looking in the Palm Beach
our ad campaigns, there was tremen- area and was aware of prices there. At
dous interest and we ended up with least partly because of that, he saw real
multiple offers.” value in the Vero property,” says Rane,
one of five founding agents at Keller
The home’s $22 million price tag – Williams Luxury Group on the island.
the second-highest island real estate
sale in history – seems staggering by He saw value in Vero Beach, too. “He
some measures, but O’Dare says it’s had never been here, but I am good
a bargain compared to what similar at selling Vero, helping people un-
homes are going for just 80 miles to derstand how special it is, and he got
the south in Palm Beach. that,” says Rane.

There, a house the same size as “When I first showed him the house,
10 Ocean Lane that sits on a slightly he loved it and said he would fly in lat-
smaller piece of land sold for $127 er in the week to look at it. That same
million earlier this year. And that was day, he called back and said he’d de-
just one of the 35 home sales over $30 cided he didn’t need to see the house
and wanted to go ahead with the pur-
chase immediately.

“He is very savvy and knows how

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 5

NEWS

tight the market is and didn’t want to frontage. (The $127 million Palm Beach additional high-end features and fin- dens, and vibrant views. The Mediter-
lose the house,” Rane said. house is 13,300 square feet on a 2.25- ishes. ranean-inspired estate boasts the best
acre parcel.) of indoor/outdoor living with expan-
Built by Cal Builders in 2009 for Wil- When Concierge Auctions sold the sive lanais, walls of windows, and an
liam Sanger, former CEO of Envision The Vero house comes with six bed- house in 2017, it described the prop- airy interior designed by Architectural
Healthcare, and his wife, Janice, the rooms, 10 bathrooms, four fireplaces, erty as “a rare find ... this oceanfront Digest award-winning Marc-Michaels
13,514-square-foot house sits on a 2.36- a two-story den/library, an oceanfront estate is seemingly worlds away with
acre site with 216 lineal feet of ocean infinity pool and an extensive suite of picturesque palms, grandiose gar- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Estate sold for $22 million in 2017, the same year he bought 10
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 Ocean Lane.

Interior Design. From the coffered and When he was ready to sell in April,
tray ceilings and mosaic-inlaid trav- Stattman listed the house with O’Dare
ertine marble floors to the two-story and Boga for $24.9 million, triggering
mahogany library and acoustically the land rush of interest and offers
designed theater, no detail has been O’Dare describes.
forgotten.”
Kane’s California client fell in love
Even with that description, the with the property via the Internet and
house fetched a mere $9 million at made an offer that led to what Kane
auction, with Stattman the winning calls the “smoothest transaction I have
bidder. ever been involved in.

“Including the 12 percent buyers “Everything came together almost
premium and other costs, he actually effortlessly,” she says. “Everyone was
paid right at $10 million,” says Boga. amiable and easy to get along with. It
was wonderful.”
For that price, Stattman got the luxe
mansion on its 1.18-acre lot along Kane declined to identify her client
with an identical adjoining lot laid out but says he has “an extremely success-
as a garden. ful business” and numerous homes.

O’Dare says Stattman, who owns The biggest project on his plate
several homes, has lived in the house right now is launching a philanthropic
much of the time since buying it, enterprise to upgrade educational
though county records show he did opportunities across the U.S. with a
not get a homestead exemption. She special focus on struggling school dis-
says he sank a couple million dollars tricts, according to Kane.
into extensive upgrades after the pur-
chase, redoing much of the house, in- She says the Vero house will not be
cluding kitchen, bathrooms, fireplaces his residence but rather a vacation
and landscaping. getaway spot.

Factor in those renovations and As far as she knows, he doesn’t plan
carrying costs over 4 ½ years and the to build on the extra lot.
former Blackrock executive cleared
something like $10 million in the deal, “This was my biggest transac-
better than 20 percent a year on his in- tion ever,” Kane says. “My father who
vestment. passed away recently was a real estate
agent and I tell people he must have
That’s an even stronger return than orchestrated the deal from above!”
the exceptional results he achieved
as Senior Portfolio Manager of the O’Dare and Boga closed a $25 mil-
$50-billion-plus Blackrock Global Al- lion transaction on the island last
location Fund, which he co-founded summer, so this was not their biggest
at Merrill Lynch in 1989, and where he deal, but it contributed handsomely to
was lead portfolio manager for more their yearly sales total, which has now
than 20 years before his retirement exceeded $180 million according to
Boga. That year-to-date number sur-
passes the partners’ top whole-year
sales total of $168 million, which they
achieved in 2015. 

Fatal A1A crash not provide a true and truthful report
to his probation officer since he failed
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to disclose the May 31 crash-scene
contact with law enforcement on his
ty court records, an Indian River County monthly probation check-in form
Sheriff’s deputy contactedWilliams’ pro- filed on June 7.
bation officer on June 22 – three weeks
after the crash, and five days after a Vero Court records show he left that an-
Beach 32963 article stated that Williams swer space blank. Williams denies both
had been released by the Florida High- allegations, according to a pleading
way Patrol even though he was on pro- filed by his public defender on July 9.
bation and not supposed to be in Indian
River County on May 31 when Gianfran- Interestingly, one of the answers Wil-
cesco was struck near The Dunes com- liams did fill in on the form was in the
munity where he lived. “Action steps I took last month” portion
where he answered,“Do the right thing.”
A warrant was obtained on July 2 and As part of his probation goals, Williams
28-year-old Williams was booked into wrote that he wants to get a good job
the county jail just after midnight on July and buy a house before he is 35.
6. He is being held without bond while
awaiting a violation of probation hear- One question asked, “Do you have a
ing before Judge Lawrence Mirman. problem or concern you would like to
discuss with your probation officer?”
The Florida Department of Correc- Williams answered “No.”
tions has alleged that Williams left St.
Lucie County without the consent of Assistant State Attorney Bill Long
his probation officer, and that he did confirmed last week that State Attor-
ney Tom Bakkedahl’s office is working

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8



8 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Fatal A1A crash could not give an estimate in weeks or ed felon deputies reported was riding tion court process in general, Long
months. He said he’s been updating the in the back seat of the car, and the said the judge will consider the totality
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Gianfrancesco family on the progress reckless caravan of vehicles Williams of the facts of the case when determin-
of the case – including the violation of was traveling in being clocked at 108 ing what sentence would be imposed
on developing a case around the fatal probation charges lodged against Wil- miles per hour northbound on A1A, should Williams be determined by the
events of May 31 with several differ- liams in St. Lucie County by the Florida Long said it’s possible the charges court to have violated his probation
ent agencies, but FHP is still the lead Department of Corrections. could be expanded to include more from the 2018 felony conviction.
agency on the vehicular homicide. The ways that Williams violated his proba-
violation of probation case in St. Lucie Though it will take time for the ve- tion, based upon the outcome of the The original charges Williams was
County runs on a parallel course with hicular homicide investigation to investigation. facing in 2018 were carrying a con-
the FHP investigation. wrap up, there are a few other aspects cealed firearm, attempted tamper-
of the case that might cause Williams The Florida Department of Correc- ing with evidence and resisting arrest
Long said he expects the investiga- some more immediate trouble. When tions would need to amend the viola- without violence. He had served 10
tion to move forward toward prosecu- asked about the firearm and drugs tion of probation warrant, Long said. months of a 24-month probation at
tion “in not too much time” but he found on the scene, plus the convict- the time of the fatal crash. 
Describing the violation of proba-

Dr. Dennis Saver, ‘champion’ for the vulnerable, dies at 68

BY MARY SCHENKEL to be the force behind We Care, the opened the We Care Clinic in a wing reporter, “We Care is run entirely by
Staff Writer healthcare nonprofit he was instru- of the Gifford Health Center that is goodwill. Our goal is to have our volun-
mental in founding 30 years ago. staffed with a full-time primary care teer specialists feel so good and get so
Dr. Dennis Saver, described by col- physician and support staff. much pleasure out of helping people
leagues, patients and medical students Under Saver’s unwavering and com- that they want to do it again and again.”
he mentored as the quintessential old- passionate guidance, We Care grew to Saver also served as president of the
fashioned family physician, passed provide medical treatments valued at We Care Foundation of Indian River It was a philosophy he personally
away Wednesday, July 21 at age 68. more than $1 million annually to in- County, which raises funds to pur- embraced throughout an illustrious
digent and uninsured residents of our chase medical supplies and equip- career that began as a 1977 graduate of
Saver moved to Vero Beach in 1990 community, through its volunteer net- ment their patients could not other- the Medical College of Pennsylvania,
and in 1994 was a founder of Primary work of physicians and other health wise afford. and a residency at the University of
Care of the Treasure Coast, from which care professionals. Florida Family Practice in Gainesville.
he retired in September 2019. Even af- In a recent Vero Beach 32963 health
ter retirement, however, he continued In December 2015, with the support feature about the program’s offer of Early in his career, his humanistic
of the community, the organization free cataract surgeries, Saver told our approach to medicine took him to the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 9

NEWS

poverty-stricken, rural Appalachian at that We Care Clinic as a volunteer,”
town of Newburg, West Virginia, where said McCrystal.
he served for 10 years as a full-spec-
trum family care physician. Dr. Nancy Baker, a We Care volun-
teer for nearly 20 years, said Saver was
Cardiologist Dr. Arley Peter, Indian her mentor, friend and personal family
River County Medical Society presi- physician. She and husband Dr. Fred-
dent and We Care vice president, said erick (Rick) Baker met Saver during
helping people was more than a call- their residencies and were colleagues
ing for Saver; it was a passion. of his at Primary Care.

“Truly, I think he’s probably the most Among numerous other awards and
remarkable person in terms of teach- honors, Saver was named Family Doc-
ing us how to give back; how to get to- tor of the Year by the Florida Academy
gether as a group of doctors to make of Physicians and the American Acad-
this a better place by doing this extra emy of Family Physicians.
duty,” said Peter.
“That’s doctor of the year for the
“He was an outstanding person and whole country; for all of America,” Bak-
a very good man. He was very intense, er emphasized.
very passionate and served the most
vulnerable patients. He interacted As a Clinical Professor of Family Med-
with everyone – with the media, the icine at Florida State University College
hospital, local government, the health of Medicine, Saver was inducted into
department. He really pushed in all di- the Gold Medicine Humanism Society,
rections to accomplish the single goal which Baker said is the school’s high-
of making sure our vulnerable popula- est honor. She is working to establish a
tion gets health care,” Peter added. scholarship in his name.

As longtime leaders in the medical Affectionately saying he could be “a
community, Ann Marie McCrystal said little bit goofy,” Baker said he festooned
she and husband Dr. Hugh McCrystal his stethoscope with little stuffed ani-
frequently interacted with Saver. mals, wore attention-grabbing ties and
had a great sense of humor.
“Even in our community, which is
so philanthropic and very wealthy, he She added that whether treating ba-
saw that there was a need that some bies or centenarians, his focus was al-
people didn't even realize existed. He ways on what was best for the patient.
took it upon himself to make a differ- “He was just always real and down to
ence. Dennis Saver went that extra earth. Patients loved him.”
mile for all patients in the community;
he really did,” said McCrystal. Diana Stark, a longtime We Care
supporter and a patient of Saver’s, said
“He was not only a wonderful phy- she had experienced his devotion to
sician, but he understood that health- care firsthand.
care belonged to everyone, regardless
of their ability to afford it. He was a “Both of my dear late husbands, Al
champion among physicians and a Osbahr and Dick Stark, and I were as-
champion for the vulnerable popula- tounded by his commitment to all hu-
tion; he was a champion for people,” manity,” she said, recalling Saver mak-
she added. ing numerous house calls – a rarity in
today’s world – to treat Osbahr when
She recalled that in 1992, the hos- he became critically ill.
pital district had just purchased a
mobile clinic to bring healthcare to “Nobody was doing that; it was just
underserved areas of the county, but unbelievable,” she said. “After I mar-
Saver requested that its first run be ried Dick Stark, I described Dr. Saver
elsewhere. Hurricane Andrew had just as the angel that came to our home.”
devastated Homestead and people
were desperate for assistance. Saver Dick Stark was another passionate
wanted to gather a group of physi- advocate for the less fortunate, and
cians and nurses and take the new Diana Stark said he soon lent his sub-
mobile clinic to Homestead. stantial support to We Care, but – astute
attorney that he was – only after coun-
“And indeed, that's what he did. He seling that it be established as a 501(c)3
devoted his whole life to patient care; nonprofit, advice that Saver followed.
not only his individual patients, but
patients who could not afford care. Stark fondly recalled Saver at the We
Even in retirement, probably know- Care Mardi Gras fundraisers, emcee-
ing what his prognosis was, he worked ing the festivities surrounded by long-
legged samba dancers, adding: “He was
always embarrassed, but he was putting
himself out there for the cause.” 

COVID-19 hospitalizations It is the highest number of hospital-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 izations since the first COVID-19 cas-
es were confirmed in Vero 16 months
around 10 percent, or five patients, ago, Rosencrance said.
are so-called “breakthrough” cases in
people who have been at least partial- Compounding the problem is that
ly vaccinated. non-COVID patients are also showing
up in high numbers, both in the in-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

10 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

COVID-19 hospitalizations At the end of his grim missive, Ros-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 encrance reiterated the underlying
cause of the surge – the county’s low
patient setting and in the emergency vaccination rates. Only 51 percent of
department. “We are closely monitor- the county’s residents are fully vacci-
ing our bed capacity levels across our nated, though another 11 percent are
hospitals,” he said. partially vaccinated. Of the popula-
tion over 12 years of age, 56.9 percent
The CDC showed a staggering leap are fully vaccinated.
in positivity to more than 15 percent
last week, and a corresponding dip in CVS, Walgreens and Publix all offer
COVID-19 testing. the vaccine, which is free no matter
where you get it.
Along with being much more con-
tagious, the new delta variant is also Vaccines are also available at morn-
proving to present more quickly after ing and afternoon walk-in clinics two
exposure and with different symp- days a week at the county’s Health De-
toms from the original strain. Delta partment. In addition, the department
tends to resemble the common cold, has scheduled a free vaccine clinic at
experts say, with headache, runny the Salvation Army on Fifth Street SW
nose, sore throat – ailments that Saturday, July 29, from 11 a.m. to 1:30
might not provoke a person to go to p.m.
CVS for a COVID test.
Treasure Coast Community Health
Only with more testing will the gives vaccines at United Against Pov-
county get a clearer picture of how fast erty, better known as the UP center,
the virus is spreading. Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. 

Not enough staff members in skilled nursing
facilities here vaccinated against COVID-19

BY MICHELLE GENZ ties, schools and prisons – three po-
tential hotbeds of contagion.
Staff Writer
Unfortunately, the federal report
One year ago, when Sea Breeze nurs- does not include data about cases in
ing home had nearly 60 cases of CO- assisted living facilities, making the
VID-19, Laura Graves was desperate to gap in COVID information even larger.
transfer her chronically ill mother out
of there. But before she could, her mom Consulate’s local and corporate
too tested positive. Unlike eight others management did not respond to mul-
at Sea Breeze who died, Graves’ mom tiple requests for information.
had few symptoms and recovered.
If the federal figures are correct, Con-
Today, Graves gets to visit her mom – sulate, where 27 people died out of the
masked and in a special visiting room 180 people infected with the coronavi-
– at Consulate Healthcare, where her rus over the course of the pandemic,
mother moved last April. She is happi- has by far the lowest staff vaccination
er, Graves said, and getting good care. rate in the county.
As for COVID-19, Graves is convinced
that her mom’s infection gave her last- Three other facilities have staff rates
ing immunity. in the 60-percent range – Florida Bap-
tist, Willowbrooke Court at Indian River
That would be fortunate for her. But Estates, and Palm Garden, according
it doesn’t help the rest of Consulate’s to the report. A Willowbrooke spokes-
unvaccinated residents – a number person said vaccinations there now are
that is nearly half its current census. over 70 percent.
According to federal data from mid-Ju-
ly, at Consulate, only 56 percent of resi- Staff vaccination rates at two other
dents have been fully vaccinated and nursing homes – Sea Breeze and Orchid
only two out of every 15 staff members. Cove, formerly Grace Rehab – were only
around 28 percent, though Orchid Cove
The data comes from a federal CMS has a high percentage of vaccinated
database that began publishing bi- patients – 98 percent, the same as Wil-
weekly nursing home COVID data last lowbrooke. Florida Baptist reported 100
month. percent vaccination of its residents.

That new federal report is a much- And the one skilled nursing facility
needed source of information. Just as within a hospital – Steward Sebastian
the delta variant whips the still widely River Medical Center’s transitional care
unvaccinated Indian River County unit – showed a staff vaccination rate
into a fearful frenzy again, the state of of 44 percent.
Florida has stopped publishing counts
of COVID-19 in long-term care facili- Those numbers combined brought
the average staff vaccination rate
among Indian River County’s seven

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 11

NEWS

skilled nursing facilities to 42 per- – which we had already done, and
cent, the same abysmal rate as the then some.”
Florida average. That mid-July state-
wide rate, publicized last week by Pierone said his clinics have not
AARP, was nudging out Louisiana and mandated vaccination, either, though
Mississippi for worst in the nation. staff members continue to be vacci-
nated. The rate is up from the 60 per-
Skilled nursing centers share in part cent in March, he said; another 20 per-
the same labor pool as clinics and hos- cent of staffers have recovered from
pitals. That pool of workers has been COVID-19 infections, imparting some
drying up since the pandemic. As a re- degree of immunity.
sult, one of the biggest concerns sur-
rounding the notion of a vaccine man- “One of our highest priorities is to
date is the fear of workers leaving. achieve 100 percent staff vaccina-
tion and/or immunity rates,” Pierone
“There is no doubt that unvacci- said. “It remains a work in progress. I
nated staff at assisted living, nursing do believe that when the vaccines re-
home, and medical facilities pose a ceive full FDA approval – soon, hope-
risk to residents and patients,” said fully – that more medical facilities will
Dr. Gerald Pierone, founder of Whole phase in mandatory staff vaccination
Family Health Clinics and an infec- requirements.”
tious disease specialist. “The dilemma
of many facilities is that staffing will That approval, when it comes, will
likely suffer if vaccines are mandated.” trigger mandatory vaccination policies
in dozens of hospital systems that have
And inadequate staffing poses its already committed to a mandate once
own risks, he continued. “I don’t know a COVID-19 vaccine wins approval.
which is worse, inadequately staffed
facilities or unvaccinated staff.” Others have already put in place
such a policy. Last week, the Ameri-
Graves, like her mother in Consul- can Hospital Association came out
ate, is not vaccinated. Neither are her strongly in support of health systems
seven children, the two youngest of mandating vaccination, as the list of
whom regularly visit their grandmoth- hospitals with mandates grew to 50,
er – they all put on masks and meet in including Mass General Brigham with
a designated visitation room. 80,000 employees, and Banner Health,
with 52,000. Also on the list are pres-
Graves believes it is her mother’s tigious academic hospital systems in-
choice whether to be vaccinated and cluding Yale, Wake Forest, Duke, UNC
boost whatever immunity her infec- and University of Chicago.
tion imparted last summer, as the
CDC recommends. Cleveland Clinic has not yet im-
posed a mandate.
She also believes it should be the
choice of staff whether to get vacci- As for assisted living facilities, at
nated. She understands that other res- least one large community, the Isles
idents may be at risk, but she believes of Vero, is requiring vaccination of all
imposing a vaccine mandate, even if new employees as well as new resi-
only on new hires, would invalidate an dents, according to Wayne Chapman,
employee’s right to a choice. director of nursing. “We’re at 100 per-
cent vaccination of our residents,” he
There is hardly time to debate, it said. The rate of staff vaccinations was
seems. Things are changing rapidly. not available, he said.
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospi-
tal had just begun allowing its handful At the end of May, the state released
of COVID-19 patients to have visitors its last published reports of COVID
July 1, as COVID-related hospitaliza- deaths in long-term care. As if tying a
tions were in decline. Two weeks later, black ribbon of mourning around the
on July 16, that policy was rescinded. pandemic, it showed a seemingly final
COVID-positive patients can no longer tally of 81 deaths in the county’s nurs-
have visitors, and visitors to other pa- ing homes due to COVID-19.
tients are now limited to two people.
Three of those deaths were among
A week ago, Treasure Coast Commu- staff members.
nity Health’s low-cost clinics began re-
quiring masks again after dropping the Another 39 died in assisted living
rule in mid-May. Masks are required of facilities, including 10 at The Brennity,
patients, visitors and staff regardless and seven each at Rosewood and Har-
of vaccination status at all eight of the bor Chase.
system’s clinics.
Last month, Florida became the first
TCCH offers the vaccine to employ- state in the nation to abandon daily
ees, but there is no vaccine mandate, COVID reporting.
said Vicki Soule, the system’s CEO.
State-run testing and vaccination
“The new variants are more con- sites have also been closed. Those ser-
tagious than the original strain and vices are now left to individual coun-
none of the vaccines is 100 percent,” ties, along with private physicians and
said Soule. “OSHA (the federal Occu- pharmacies. Last week, the only vac-
pational Safety and Health Adminis- cination site listed on the Indian River
tration) has new temporary emergen- County website is July 29 at the Salva-
cy requirements to protect employees tion Army center.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

12 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero Beach High football fans have new online viewing option

BY RAY MCNULTY Instead, the newly created Vero Na- headed by play-by-play announcer games, home and away. Subscribers
Staff Writer tion Network – a partnership between Paul Tipton and longtime football an- also will get access to two junior var-
the school’s athletic department and alyst Gary Parris. sity and two freshman games.
Vero Beach High School football fans Christian FM, the local radio station
who can’t get to the Citrus Bowl – or sim- that broadcasts the Fighting Indians’ According to Vero Beach Football Jankowski said fans who purchase
ply prefer the convenience of watching games – will offer the telecasts on a Coach and Athletic Director Lenny their season passes by Aug. 15 will pay
from their living rooms – will be able to pay-per-view basis. Jankowski, subscribers can buy access the “early bird price” of only $100.
access live-stream telecasts of the Fight- to individual games for $15 apiece or
ing Indians’ home games this season. The live stream will be produced purchase a season pass for $125. By comparison, tickets to attend Ve-
by Florida-based QwikCut Video & ro’s football games at the Citrus Bowl
But not on YouTube as in the past. Analytics with audio provided by the The season pass includes all seven sell for $6 (visitors side) and $8 (home
And not for free. Christian FM radio broadcast team, of the team’s home games, including side), or $56 for a season pass.
one preseason contest, and all playoff
“We still prefer to have our fans in the
stands on Friday nights,” said Jankows-
ki, whose teams are perennial playoff
contenders and usually rank among the
state’s best. “We want that crowd sup-
port and that big-game atmosphere.
It’s a big part of what makes Vero Beach
football and the Citrus Bowl so special.

“But I also want to provide our fans
with an option – especially those peo-
ple who might be out of town or, for
whatever reasons, can’t come to the
games,” he added. “That’s why we ini-
tially put the games on YouTube.”

The free live-stream telecasts on You-
Tube attracted many viewers, peaking
last year when COVID-19 arrived, and
pandemic-prompted social-distancing
requirements limited game-day seating
at the Citrus Bowl to 1,000 spectators.

Fans who couldn’t attend the games
flocked to online venue. Some were
having YouTube watch parties at local
restaurants or in their homes.

“We were excited that people want-
ed to watch on YouTube during a pan-
demic year, but we weren’t benefiting
at all from that,” Jankowski said. “Not
only was there limited crowd support
at the stadium, but we weren’t gener-
ating much revenue from ticket sales.

“Under normal circumstances, it’s
not uncommon for us to have a $20,000
gate,” he added. “But we were limited
to 1,000 seats and, because people
were worried about COVID, there were
games where we didn’t even get that.”

In fact, Jankowski said revenues
from ticket sales and booster-club
fundraising efforts were down 50 per-
cent last year – a costly shortfall that
hurt the school’s other 50-plus varsity
and sub-varsity athletic programs.

“We have one program that turns
a profit, and that money goes into a
general athletics account,” Jankowski
said. “We use the revenue generated by
football to help our other programs.”

Jankowski plans to do the same with
the telecast revenues.

The school will receive 70 percent of
the proceeds, while QwikCut gets the
other 30 percent. Christian FM will
continue to rely on its radio-broadcast
sponsors to cover its costs.

Fans wanting to subscribe may do
so at qwikcut.com. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 13

NEWS

Vero Beach Bridge Center again open for face-to-face card games

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI portunity to play twice a week face-to- big thing. We were able to serve more “This little community served a whole
face with their friends at the cozy card people this way, so that was a plus.” lot of bridge players,” Glassmeyer said.
Staff Writer tables in the expansive bridge center. “A lot of people have moved here for
The bridge club closed down Mon- bridge.When they retire, they’re looking
The Vero Beach Bridge Center, one of “It was exhilarating because we sur- day, March 16, 2020 in accordance for small towns with a lot of bridge and
the top duplicate bridge clubs in North vived the pandemic and we were here,” with a state order shutting down non- they come here.”
America, reopened July 5 with gala In- said Karen Adelman, a senior citizen essential activities but managed to
dependence Day-themed festivities af- who first learned bridge at age 11. get games up and running online two The club purchased the former bowl-
ter a 16-month pandemic hiatus. weeks later on Monday, March 30. ing alley at the intersection of Old Dixie
“I thought it was fabulous because I Highway and 14th Avenue in 1995 and
The bridge club’s directors decided wanted to see all my friends,” said Bobbi “Based on our [older] population and converted it into a two-floor bridge club
to require players to be vaccinated Maffei, who has been playing bridge for so many health concerns, we wanted to with wall-to-wall tables, Glassmeyer said.
against the virus in order to partici- 10 years. “It’s the social aspect for me.” keep our players safe and not put them
pate in face-to-face games on Monday at risk,” Portell said of the 16-month, live- “Pre-pandemic, both of these floors
and Friday afternoons, basing the de- Vero Beach Bridge Club. PHOTO BY BRENDA AHEARN play hiatus. “We wanted to be cautious.” were filled,” Glassmeyer said. “This is
cision on a survey of the group’s 850 and was a big deal.”
members, said co-managers Jamie Jan Ruso, who has been playing bridge “Somehow we knew about this on-
Portell and Martha Glassmeyer. for 20 years, said the long layoff made the line platform,” Portell said. “We con- Current membership recently ticked
reopening seem“a little bit strange, but it tacted one of the officials through the up to 860, with some players coming
“That was one of the questions: was great to see everybody.” American Contract Bridge League. from as far away as Melbourne, Palm Bay,
‘Would you feel safe returning to play Since we are a large known entity, they Port St. Lucie and Stuart, the co-manag-
if everyone were vaccinated?’” Portell The bridge club’s players and man- were willing to work with us to get it up ers said.The club’s goal is to return to pre-
said. “The majority did not want to play agers monitor the progress of the pan- and running so we were among the first pandemic membership levels.
if masks were required, but the majority demic and are concerned about the clubs to be able to hold our own online
were fine with requiring vaccination.” recent increase in COVID-19 cases, but games with our membership playing in “We serve a largely older clientele,”
currently plan to continue the face-to- these games specific to us.” Glassmeyer said. “I’d say most of our
A new state law bars the nonprofit face games at 1 p.m. every Monday and membership does have an underlying
group from requiring proof of vaccina- Friday, Portell and Glassmeyer said. Founded in 1959, the Vero Beach condition, so people are hesitant.
tion, so the honor system is in effect, Duplicate Bridge Club had approxi-
Portell said. The club holds online bridge games mately 1,200 members before the pan- “A lot depends on the ‘D’ variant
every day of the week, with games at demic, making it the fourth largest or- and whatever comes after that,” Glass-
A summertime record of more than 10:15 a.m., Monday through Satur- ganization in the American Contract meyer said. “This situation is fluid, ev-
100 people attended the grand re- day, and at 1 p.m., Sunday, Tuesday, Bridge League, Glassmeyer said. ery time the news takes a turn. We’re
opening, even though many members Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. in daily contact with the board.” 
had returned to their summer homes,
Glassmeyer said. “The open game is larger in person
here than our open game online had
“We wanted to make it festive,” Por- become,” Glassmeyer said. “So, that’s a
tell said. “It’s been 16 and a half months
since we’ve been open and had seen
most of these people. We see them on-
line, but not really.”

The Vero Beach Bridge Center, 1520
14th Ave., just south of downtown, at-
tracted 48 players, with two sets of part-
ners sitting at 12 tables, for the face-to-
face games this past Friday afternoon.

Several players said they enjoyed the
reopening and are grateful for the op-

Skilled nursing facility staff VID-19, sees the campaign to get ev-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 erybody vaccinated who can be vac-
cinated as a matter of positive change.
“Sadly, we haven’t seen an increase “We’re excited about it,” said director
in demand for the covid shots, with of guest services Lilliana Meadow.
one exception – a grassroots effort
is beginning again in Gifford,” said “We’d like to open up as a community
Soule. Treasure Coast Community vaccination center,” said Robert Reed,
Health runs the Gifford Health Center. director of nursing at Palm Garden and
an ardent backer of vaccination.
Soule said that lately the TCCH
branch at the United Against Poverty Last November, Reed went through
center has been vaccinating 10 to 20 a bad case of COVID-19 that landed
people a week. CVS, Walgreens and him in the ER three times, caused him
Publix continue to offer the COVID to develop diabetes and left him with a
vaccine. And the health department lung condition.
holds walk-in clinics twice a week.
As soon as the vaccine became avail-
One vaccination success story able, he got in line. “If I could get vacci-
marks a change of direction for a care nated again, I would,” he said.
center that suffered high COVID-19
losses last year. Palm Garden, where “Do we want sick staff? Do we want
120 people suffered through CO- sick residents? No, we do not. If you’re
the state with the highest rate of new
cases in the country, if we have an ex-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Skilled nursing facility staff volves regular rounding with residents, [the importance of being vaccinated].” “When you’re constantly encour-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 and that the education of staff is con- Reed, who puts his staff’s vaccina- aged, not hounded and forced to, it
stant. “We have morning meetings, becomes a very positive thing,” Reed
plosion in this county, you have to stay evening meetings, town halls. tion rate closer to 80 percent than the said. “It’s almost become like a fun
on top of it.” 59 percent reported by CMS, said the challenge to get that accomplished.
“We are constantly handing out in- motivation to raise the vaccination It’s not a heavy weight that you’re
Reed said the facility’s campaign in- formation to families. We want every- rate “comes down from a positive cor- bearing.” 
one in the community to know about porate leadership and CEO.”

Greta Pierpont

Greta Pierpont passed away on Monday, July 5th, 2021, at her home in Vero Beach, Florida after battling
cancer. Greta died in peace on her own terms with bravery and dignity surrounded by her daughter Eve
and several of her siblings. Greta was a great mother, wife, sister, aunt, friend, businesswoman, colleague,
and a genuinely good person with a big heart.
Greta was born in Newark, New Jersey on January 9th, 1958. She was the daughter of Rudolph Joseph
Muller and Helen Ann Goceljak Muller. She was raised in New Jersey until the age of 10 when her family
moved to Syracuse, New York where she lived until she graduated from Nottingham High School in 1976.
Greta moved to Florida when she was 19 and spent the rest of her life in the Sunshine state. She lived in
Fort Lauderdale from 1977 to 1985 and then moved to Vero Beach where she bought her first home in
1987. She married Robert S. Pierpont in 1994 and together they had their daughter Eve in 1997. Greta
lived in Vero Beach for 35 years becoming a long-standing member of a community that she dearly loved.
Greta was fun loving and lit up a room with her smile. She was smart, conscientious, and possessed a work
ethic second to none. Greta began her career in her early 20’s managing a GNC vitamin store for 5 years. She became interested in real estate and
discovered she had a knack for the residential mortgage business which became her lifelong career. She was a Senior Loan Officer for many years for
Florida Federal Savings Bank, Margaretten, Chase Bank and most recently Academy Mortgage, and often achieved Leaders Club status for her sales
efforts. Over her lifetime, Greta literally helped thousands of people obtain mortgages and was particularly proud when she helped those who were
buying their first home. She loved to read the many beautiful thank you notes she received for helping people realize their dream.
Greta loved to explore and she traveled to many different places around the country and abroad. She was fond of taking short road trips to the Florida
Keys. She traveled to France and Germany for her honeymoon. In recent years, she always looked forward to her annual Leaders Club trips with
her Academy Mortgage colleagues and had great memories visiting places such as Maui and Kauai, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Cancun and Cabo. She also
enjoyed traveling around the country to visit her siblings, nephews and nieces in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Texas, Syracuse, East Hampton and
New Jersey. Greta was always considered the “fun aunt”.
Greta enjoyed entertaining others and her home was always a location for dinners and parties where everyone was welcome. You could always find
a seat at the table, she never turned anyone away. Greta was very kind, generous and forgiving and embraced God’s commandment to “Love Thy
Neighbor”. She helped family members and friends in need, whether they needed financial or medical help or simply a safe place to stay for a while.
Greta loved theatre and often attended shows at the Riverside Theater. She also enjoyed music and would often go to local places in Vero Beach on
a Sunday afternoon to hear the live band and relax in the sun. She even got interested in the big music festivals and one of her fondest memories
was attending Lollapalooza in Chicago with her daughter Eve. Greta enjoyed watching many sports, with football and horse racing being her two
favorites. She was a lifelong fan of the Miami Dolphins and went to many games. In recent years, she became a fan of the Crimson Tide visiting her
niece every year in Tuscaloosa for a tailgate and football game.
Greta was very fond of animals and raised many dogs throughout her life. Smoky, Jasmine, Billy, Zorro and Easton in Vero Beach, as well as several
favorite chows she had in Fort Lauderdale, including Cheech & Chong, were all loved by Greta.
Greta is survived by her only daughter Eve Pierpont, her four sisters, three brothers and several nieces and nephews, Karen Muller (Al Hansen and
Eric, Scott and Kirsten), Veronica Muller, Trudi Muller (Allan Paul and Alexander), Rudy Muller (Andrea and Natalie and Nicky), Greg Muller (Patti
and Anna, Christian and Rudy T), John Muller (Matthew) and Mary Conners (John and Jake and Casey).
Greta was predeceased by her husband Robert S. Pierpont (March 2021).
The family will not be holding any calling hours.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held in Vero Beach, Florida on Saturday, August 7th at 3:30pm at First Presbyterian Church, 520
Royal Palm Boulevard. For those unable to attend the service in person, there will be a live stream on the church website at www.firstpresvero.org
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Greta’s memory to the Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County at www.hsvb.org
or the VNA & Hospice Foundation of the Treasure Coast at www.vnatc.org
Arrangements are under the direction of Strunk Funeral Home and Crematory, Vero Beach.
An online guestbook is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com

Ella, Cannon and Kelly Eacker.

NEST CASE SCENARIO:
COASTAL CONNECTIONS
TURTLE DIG A SUCCESS

16 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Nest case scenario: Coastal Connections Turtle Dig a success

Ryan and JoAnn Merklinghaus. Kendra Cope.

Stacy Setzer shows off a turtle hatchling. Wendy Starnes and Lisa Moreland. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Lily Descalso.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF surrounding the marked nest, before been “adopted,” said Cope. Adopters ing a home for other animals, feeding
carefully digging down to count the receive educational updates on the fish, keeping coral reefs and seagrass
Staff Writer number of eggs in the clutch, both stages of their nest’s development, beds clean and managed; they man-
hatched and unhatched. including the types of environmen- age other ecosystems.”
Sea turtle enthusiasts were re- tal influences, such as water temper-
ally diggin’ the Coastal Connections The evaluation complete, Cope ature, that could affect their nest’s She stressed that the removal and
Turtle Dig last Wednesday morn- happily reported that 109 eggs had hatchling success rate. They’re also reduction of plastic debris, and elim-
ing, getting a close look at a recently been found, approximately the av- given a front row seat during the dig inating artificial lighting along the
hatched loggerhead sea turtle nest. erage number of eggs laid by log- along with an informational adop- beaches during turtle season are es-
Coastal Connections conducts these gerheads. Of those 109 eggs, 106 had tion packet with the nest’s results. sential to ensure sea turtle survival.
free public nest excavation and eval- hatched and there were no hatchlings Once these tiny hatchlings leave the
uation experiences three days after left behind, an excellent outcome. “It helps them to connect in a dif- nest, they begin a perilous 20-year
hatchlings begin their crawl to the ferent way; to be a part of that con- journey to adulthood, before return-
surface, generally about 60 days after Giving them the ultimate ooh and servation process,” noted Cope. ing to lay their nests on the local
the nest was laid. ahh moment, one of the county’s beaches where they were hatched.
sea turtle surveyors brought over six Through conservation efforts and
There are currently 27 nests hatchlings he had found in a nest ear- education, sea turtle conservation- Coastal Connections helps to pro-
marked for educational purposes in lier that morning, which attendees ists have observed a notable rise in tect coastal habitats by educating and
the area, with the remainder moni- admired before they were released the number of nests laid each year, connecting people to the environ-
tored but left unmarked. Early each into the ocean – a rare treat indeed. including some 6,000 nests on In- ment. This year, its volunteers have
morning, members of the Indian Riv- dian River County beaches annually. participated in six coastal cleanups,
er County Coastal Engineering Divi- Each of the 27 education nests has Considered a keystone species, sea removing 1,383 pounds of debris,
sion, Coastal Connections and other turtles help keep beaches healthy. and during turtle digs have rescued
volunteers note the locations and 43 hatchlings.
types of nests laid during the night “Sea turtles are such an eco-
along our beaches. Nesting season logically important animal to keep From noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 25, Coast-
runs March 1 to Oct. 31, and thus far, around,” said Cope. al Connections is teaming up with
4,407 loggerheads, 598 green turtles Walking Tree Brewery to host a Green
and 23 leatherbacks have nested lo- “We have three different species Grand Prix – a recycled soapbox der-
cally. that utilize our beaches for nesting. by car race aimed at promoting litter
Each of them makes a lot of nests on reduction through recycling.
Kendra Cope, Coastal Connec- this beach, which helps fertilize our
tions founding director, explained to dunes, keeping our beaches healthy. To register for a free Turtle Dig or
the crowd of more than 60 onlookers This helps grasses grow on the dunes Turtle Nesting Walk, or for more in-
that her volunteers would measure that protect all of our upland devel- formation, visit coastal-connections.
changes in the height of the sand opment. When they are in the water, org. 
they are mixing nutrients and creat-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 17

PEOPLE

Elliot, Lily and Asher Descalso (front); Anita Rimkus and Amanda Di Perna. Cyrus, Camilla, Xavier and James Chelberg.
Jesse, Jay and Kim Descalso (back).

Alexis, Kim, Alana and Luca Paul.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Teens’ success speaks to impact of Vero Beach Rowing

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Vero Beach Rowing participants celebrate after returning from the Florida State Rowing Association Sculling Championships.
Staff Writer

Vero Beach Rowing kept up the
pace throughout the pandemic,
never letting it keep their rowers
from powering toward the finish
line.

Most recently, co-captains Zadie
Diniz and Liliana Elliott earned
a gold medal at the U.S. Row-
ing Southeast Region Youth Row-
ing Championships in Oak Ridge,
Tenn. A few weeks later, the pair of
15-year-olds, who had just finished
their freshman year at Vero Beach
High School, finished seventh over-
all in the 2,000-meter U17 double
event at the U.S. Rowing Youth Na-
tional Championships in Sarasota.

“This was a fabulous showing for
a year of being hunkered down, dis-
tanced, and put in boats that weren’t
team boats. They hadn’t been row-
ing together, and they didn’t have
their blade work together,” said
Shotsi Lajoie, VBR president. “The
kids did well. They developed them-

selves through COVID. They stuck to could get them back out on the water
it.” again last year was amazing,” said
Lajoie.
Additionally, Indian River Charter
High School graduate Joshua Na- Rowers returned to the water in
varro received a collegiate rowing June 2020, just in time for the sum-
scholarship from Florida Institute mer camps. To keep them safe, VBR
of Technology, and Vero Beach High more than doubled the number of
School graduate Nick O’Neill was of- single boats, enabling them to row
fered one from La Salle University. as singles rather than as doubles,
quads or eights.
COVID-19 reached our shores
shortly after the nonprofit celebrat- Colgan said the silver lining in
ed the opening of its Toffey Rowing rowing as a single was that it more
Center, but even during the stay-at- clearly demonstrated to them the
home order, there was no rest for the technical abilities needed to move
rowers. Not wanting crew members the boat.
to become couch potatoes, Brian
Colgan, VBR director of rowing, sent “Our novices are looking better
them home with ergometers, aka than any novice team we’ve ever
“ergs,” which measure physical ex- had, just because they started out
ercise. rowing in singles and got a better
grasp of basics,” said Colgan.
“For the first three months after
the shutdown, I posted suggested “In a single, you can hone what
workouts, including erging, run- you need to do technically, so you
ning, biking and cross-training. We can figure out what you can do bet-
had team meetings on Zoom and set ter. So when you go into those big
goals,” recalled Colgan. boats, you really know how to row,”
said Navarro in agreement.
The VBR team participated in
the Concept2 World Erg Challenge “Focusing on technique instead of
and, despite entering the competi- trying to force it is really important
tion late, were named one of the top in this sport. We try and make our
10 clubs in Florida for total meters. strokes as efficient as possible, and
They also put several wins under it’s paid off,” added Diniz.
their belts as participants in the vir-
tual Southeast Regional Erg Regatta. They have since returned to reg-
ular use of their full contingent of
“The creative pieces that hap- boats.
pened with the coaching staff to
keep these kids engaged until they As of Aug. 1, Paul Mokha will take
over as director of rowing, replacing
Colgan, who is retiring after having

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 19

PEOPLE

Nick O’Neill and Josh Navarro. Shotsi Lajoie and Megan Kuehm. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

Zadie Diniz and Liliana Elliott.

Zadie Diniz and Liliana Elliott.

led the club for the past three years. low the credo: “Row good, row fast,
During his tenure, the state-of-the- row hard, and you’ll succeed.”
art boathouse was constructed, the
VBR fleet has more than doubled They represent students through-
in size, and VBR junior teams have out the county with the exception
won state, regional and champion- of Sebastian River High School, the
ship medals. first rowing team in the county,
which has maintained its own inde-
Mokha was a coxswain for the pendent, award-winning scholastic
U.S. National Team, competing team.
three times at the World Champi-
onships, and has a storied 30-year VBR is also open to adult row-
career as an international and elite ers of all levels, including novices.
rowing coach. Memberships include full use of the
facilities and equipment on a year-
VBR has grown to encompass mid- round basis.
dle and high school students who at-
tend public and private schools or For more information, visit vero-
who are home schooled. Teams fol- beachrowing.org. 

20 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Outta site! Events find new homes at versatile venues

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF PHOTOS: BRENDA AHERN space located along the Indian River year than in the past. Primarily a wed-
Staff Writer Lagoon, opened about eight months ding venue since opening five years
PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 ago. Owner Pamela Sommers says they ago, they have also hosted events for
As the country continues its move to- had begun work on the venue before H.A.L.O., the Buggy Bunch and the
ward business as usual, local nonprof- have become more popular throughout the pandemic, and the timing was for- Education Foundation of Indian River
its are getting ready to once again host the pandemic, offering intimate set- tuitous for them. County.
the galas and other fundraising events tings, where guests and family mem-
that will enable them to continue the bers feel more comfortable. “We are really surprised at how “Being an outdoor venue able to hold
valuable work of assisting Indian River many people were still moving forward up to 200 people, we were one of the few
County residents. When members of the Hibiscus Chil- with planning events,” says Sommers. places that was still going during the
dren’s Center Guild were planning their “We’ve had a handful of weddings, pandemic,” said Merrill.
Over the past year and a half, many annual December gala, the club venue graduation parties and anniversaries,”
organizations held virtual fundrais- they normally use was unavailable, so with an increasing number of calls for Charlotte Tripson, Waldo’s Secret
ing events via Zoom, but are now busy they instead chose Bellewood Planta- other types of events. Garden owner and operator, says they
planning fall and early winter events, tion. The property was converted from opened the century-old family proper-
only to discover that the pool of avail- a family homestead into a wedding and Adjacent to the Indian River Land ty as a wedding and event venue about
able venues has somewhat diminished. event venue in 2015. Trust’s Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail, 10 years ago.
the venue was chosen by Ballet Vero
Most of the local country clubs have “The new norm is that you have to Beach as the ideal location to perform Since the pandemic, Tripson says,
cut back on opening their facilities to think outside the box,” says Diane Wil- an abridged version of the “Nutcracker “we’ve been getting tons of inqui-
non-member events due to a variety of helm, Hibiscus gala co-chair. on the Indian River Lagoon” this com- ries from nonprofits. Before, people
issues, including membership booms, ing December, says Adam Schnell, BVB thought of us only as a place for wed-
staffing difficulties, event backlogs The Tree House, an outdoor event artistic director/CEO. dings and bridal showers, engagements
needing to be rescheduled and in- and rehearsal dinners.”
creased costs. “We just weren’t sure what Decem-
ber was going to be like, and we didn’t The Heritage Center has long been
On the other hand, several event ven- want to hop right back into the full pro- used as an event venue, and recent fun-
ues which have primarily been used for duction in the theater,” he explains. draisers have used its indoor/outdoor
weddings are reaping the benefits of space to great success, says Heather
the limited club space, and are seeing Magnolia Manor owner Linda Mer- Stapleton, executive director, adding
an increase in traffic. Outdoor venues rill says they’ve had more inquiries for that the venue already has bookings in
nonprofit and corporate events this October, November and February. 

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22 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

WALDO’S SECRET GARDEN

MAGNOLIA MANOR



One day last year, Storm Kahealani when it moved to Florida from Wash- Started in the 1950s, Golden Gate is tional Preserve, and the Florida Pan-
and his sister Meadow were playing ington state two months earlier. The part suburb, part Wild West. On one ther National Wildlife Refuge.
outside when they came running into family settled on 2 1/2 acres of slash side lies Naples, a Gulf Coast city of
the house screaming hysterically. “A pine, sabal palm, and palmetto scrub in sand beaches, seafront mansions, and With mile after mile of widely spaced
panther got Daisy!” Meadow cried as a sprawling semirural housing develop- luxury hotels. On the other side is the houses, dead-end roads, drainage ca-
her brother sobbed uncontrollably. ment on the outskirts of Naples, Florida, largest expanse of wilderness east of nals, and more woods and scrub than
called Golden Gate Estates. There was the Mississippi River, including Ever- manicured lawn, Golden Gate is a bea-
Daisy was a goat. She was one of three a fenced-in backyard for the goats. glades National Park, Big Cypress Na- con for migrants who stream into Flor-
dwarf Nubians the family had brought ida, young families and graying retirees

alike, all looking for a small patch of par- “It was emotionally exhausting.” The development is crowding the
adise. It was perfect for goats, too. – Christy Kahealani, a resident of panthers, fragmenting their habitat,
the Golden Gate Estates housing and putting more cars on the road –
Perfect, that is, except for the pan- development in Naples, Florida, the biggest killers of the wild cats.
thers. One of them had leapt the 4-foot holding up a panther photo taken
chain-link fence into the backyard, by a motion-sensor camera set up Can they survive? Can Floridians
grabbed Daisy, and dragged her to- by state biologists. A panther learn to live with them?
ward the palms and underbrush be- killed one of the family’s goats.
yond. But a hoof got caught in the The Kahealani family has certainly
fence; the panther had to abandon the State biologists tag and examine tried. After Daisy died, local wildlife
animal and flee. Storm’s elder sister, a panther captured on the Big Cy- officials descended on the little home-
Oceane, carried Daisy back into the press Seminole Indian Reservation. stead to investigate the loss and in-
yard, where she died. struct the family how to avoid anoth-
er. Conservation groups helped build
“It was emotionally exhausting,” a sturdy chain-link pen to protect the
says Christy Kahealani, the children’s two remaining goats, part of a local
mother. program to encourage coexistence
with panthers and other carnivores.
It was not a rare encounter. Panthers
have become frequent visitors in Gold- Meanwhile, state and federal agen-
en Gate Estates, drawn by the “hobby cies and conservation groups are pro-
livestock” – goats, donkeys, mini hors- tecting important wildlife habitat by
es, and other animals – that many resi- buying conservation easements from
dents keep. Along Collier Boulevard, private landowners. The state high-
a six-lane avenue separating Golden way department is building wildlife
Gate from the rest of Naples, bright crossings. And support is growing for
yellow signs warn drivers to watch out a statewide plan to protect the long
for panthers, a reminder of their grow- wildlife corridors that still provide a
ing presence. link between the Everglades and the
big natural areas of northern Florida.
Florida panthers are back. Their
hunting forays into Golden Gate back- On July 1, the Florida Wildlife Cor-
yards are just one sign of a remarkable ridor Act went into effect, which pro-
recovery that began almost three de- vides $300 million for land acquisi-
cades ago, when the animal’s popula- tion and preservation to bolster the
tion had dwindled to perhaps 30 and network. The measure was approved
was on the verge of disappearance. unanimously by the state Legislature.

Today biologists estimate their For the panthers it’s become a race
numbers at 120 to 230. Increasingly, between growth and conservation – a
they roam west into Naples and its contest between developers and Flor-
suburbs and north, into the farmland, ida’s influential environmental com-
citrus groves, and ranches that extend munity, the many groups and indi-
up the middle of the state toward Or- viduals who want to defend the state’s
lando. rich natural legacy of which panthers
are a premier example. The panthers
And yet their recovery is far from are adaptable. But for now, the devel-
assured. With 21.5 million residents, opers may be winning.
Florida is the third most populous
state in the country and one of the “It’s death by a thousand cuts,” says
fastest growing. Houses are going up Dave Onorato, lead research biolo-
quickly in Golden Gate Estates, while gist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife
gated subdivisions, golf-course com-
munities, retirement colonies, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
whole towns are springing up in the
Florida interior.

“I want to show my grandkids
panthers, not just pictures of pan-
thers.” – Cary Lightsey, a rancher
in central Florida who welcomes
panthers on his property and
wants to save ranchland from
development

26 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 INSIGHT COVER STORY Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Below: Calvin Joiner (left) and
Wesley O’Conner of Defenders
Conservation Commission, the state This panther is growing up at White of Wildlife build a panther-proof
agency responsible for managing the Oak Conservation, an animal reha- pen in Mr. Joiner’s backyard. A
panthers. “Not one of those devel- bilitation facility in Yulee, Florida, panther killed one of his family’s
opments is going to push them over after its mother was euthanized for donkeys, so they took advantage
the edge. But as more and more time health reasons. of a program that helps residents
passes and more of these develop- install enclosures.
ments get approved, there’s less and Below: “If I felt I was adequately
less habitat available for panthers.” compensated for business time, but it has not guaranteed recov-
losses, it would be a lot easier to ery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This is a story not of Florida’s sun- accept the panther issue.” – Liesa says panthers may be taken off the en-
drenched coasts but its wild, mosqui- Priddy, a rancher in south-central dangered species list only when three
to-infested interior, a place of sub- Florida who estimates she loses different populations are established.
tropical swamps, saw-grass marshes, 10% of her calves each year to The idea is that distinct but connected
wet prairies, and pine flatlands; of panthers. populations will ensure enough ge-
alligators, deer, hundreds of different netic diversity to enable the panthers
kinds of birds – and alien species like to survive indefinitely.
feral pigs and Burmese pythons. It’s
also a place of citrus orchards, ranch- But it’s unlikely to happen soon. The
es, tomato and sugar cane fields, and only breeding population of panthers
increasingly, housing projects that is in South Florida. Biologists have
rise quickly on fields too flat to slow identified areas in northern Florida
the bulldozer’s crawl. and neighboring states large enough
to support other populations. But re-
That’s Florida. It’s long been a mag- introducing a major predator is con-
net for developers, beginning with tentious, and there is no plan to do it
the promoters who drained the Ever- with panthers.
glades to turn it into farmland. They
straightened rivers, dug canals, emp- Still, the big cats don’t seem to be
tied swamps, and shrank the Ever- waiting. Young males often wander
glades system, which once covered
the whole of South Florida, to half its
original size. Efforts are underway in
many places to undo this damage. The
future of the panther is tied up with
these, too.

“It’s basically a symbol of wilder-
ness,” says Robert Frakes, a leading
panther biologist. “If you have large
areas that are wild enough to support
panthers, all the species who depend
on that ecosystem are also protected.”

Floridians love panthers. In 1982,
school children voted the panther the
state animal, picking it over the di-
minutive Key deer and the fat but lov-
able manatee. That was also the year
that Thomas Trotta, an engineer from
Miami, saw his first panther, in Ever-
glades National Park. Mr. Trotta, who
later became president of the Friends
of the Florida Panther Refuge, says he’s
seen panthers 50 times since then.

The panther is a subspecies of
mountain lion, an animal that once
ranged across North America and sur-
vives in the thousands out West. Pan-
thers roamed the whole Southeast,
but by the middle of the 20th century
hunting and habitat loss had reduced
them to a tiny remnant in the Ever-
glades.

In 1967, they were among the first
endangered animals to receive federal
protection. By then the problem was
more than low numbers. Inbreeding
had weakened the population and
inhibited reproduction. The panthers
had grown gaunt; their tails were
crooked. In 1995 biologists released
eight Texas pumas, close cousins to
the panther, in South Florida in an ef-
fort to introduce genetic diversity into
the panther population. It worked.

A broader gene pool has bought

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

far in search of new territory – Florida 20 years ago, we would see them on the Others have pushed back, alarmed by Corridor. Promoted by the Florida
panthers have been found in Georgia. edges,” Mr. Priddy says. “Over time, as large-scale development so close to Wildlife Corridor Coalition, it’s a plan
But recently, biologists have detected their numbers exploded, we see them the heart of panther country. to carefully identify wildlife corridors
females with kittens north of Florida’s everywhere.” and arrange legal protection for them.
Caloosahatchee River, where they What worries conservationists most In many places the corridors are am-
have not been seen since 1973. This Living with panthers isn’t easy. Ms. is not any development or highway ple, but in some places, such as central
has raised hopes that the panthers Priddy thinks there are too many of but the incremental losses that eat Florida, they grow narrow and tenu-
may be dispersing on their own. them. Not far away, a series of proj- away at the “connectivity” of the land- ous. If the corridors can be protected,
ects is underway that will test whether scape. Panthers require enormous ter- the panthers might eventually migrate
José “Nacho” Benitez, a ranch hand development in rural Florida can be ritory – a single male ranges an aver- north and establish new populations
in central Florida, says he saw some. done in a way that accommodates age of 200 square miles – and being on their own.
Mr. Benitez works on the Tiger Lake panthers and other wildlife. able to travel long distances, around
Ranch, just south of Orlando. One cities and towns, farms and housing Jason Lauritsen, the coalition’s ex-
morning two summers ago, he went Big Collier County landowners want projects, is crucial to their recovery. ecutive director, hopes the state Leg-
out to turn off an irrigation pump in a to build three villages just north of islature’s recent endorsement will gen-
small orange grove. the Florida panther refuge, creating This problem has inspired one of erate new support for corridors across
the equivalent of a new town of 8,000 the more ambitious undertakings in the state. 
As he walked down a sandy track, houses on existing agricultural fields. the state, called the Florida Wildlife
Mr. Benitez saw a long-tailed cat in
the distance. Sometimes people mis-
take bobcats for panthers, but the tail
gave it away. The panther disappeared
into the brush. Another followed,
bounding across the track.

“They say not many people see one
around here,” Mr. Benitez says. “That
was neat.”

Mr. Benitz’s experience is consis-
tent with verified sightings in other
parts of central Florida. These not
only suggest that panthers are moving
north, but also demonstrate the im-
portance of ranchland to their long-
term recovery.

The many landscapes of the Tiger
Lake Ranch tell why. A Florida ranch
is not the grassy vista of the Western
imagination but usually a mix of open
space, trees, and underbrush. There
are pastures but also cypress groves,
oak hammocks, and pine flatwoods.

The vegetation makes good habi-
tat for deer, wild pigs, and other ani-
mals that the panthers prey upon.
Not all ranchers welcome panthers –
they also kill calves – but many want
ranchland preserved and are glad to
join forces with conservationists.

“If you’re a true rancher, a true con-
servationist, you’re going to love your
land and want to preserve it forever,”
says Cary Lightsey, Mr. Benitez’s boss.

Mr. Lightsey says he welcomes pan-
thers. “I want to show my grandkids
panthers, not just pictures of pan-
thers,” he says.

Other ranchers are less enthusias-
tic. In panther country farther south,
calf kills have become a real problem.
And probably no operation is deeper
in panther country than the JB Ranch,
owned and run by Liesa Priddy and
her husband, Russell. “We’re ground
zero for the panther,” Ms. Priddy says.

The Priddy ranch covers more than
9,000 acres – almost 20 square miles
– just north of the Big Cypress Nation-
al Preserve. The Priddys raise cows,
lease land for limestone mining, and
rent to farmers. The Priddy ranch
abounds with life, including deer, tur-
keys, sandhill cranes, alligators – and
increasingly, panthers.

“When we first started seeing them,

28 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

BY DAVID IGNATIUS | WASHINGTON POST old “ideological quarrel” has been replaced by “a new The Russian-Chinese strategy for Internet control
model of Russian-Chinese relations.” was outlined in unusual detail in a July 12 article by
At the very moment that Russia and China are fac- Russian official Olga Melnikova, a director of the De-
ing more pressure from Western governments to stop The Moscow-Beijing Internet alliance should raise partment of International Information Security of
malicious cyberattacks, they’ve announced a pact to eyebrows because it comes at a time when U.S. intel- the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry. It appeared in
work together for new rules to control cyberspace. ligence agencies are discovering new evidence that the Russian journal International Affairs.
Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies are either
In the annals of diplomatic hypocrisy, this new directing or condoning use of ransomware and other “Currently, the Internet is virtually a monopoly con-
accord is a stunner, even by Russian and Chinese malicious cyberattacks against Western companies. trolled by the U.S. administration,” Melnikova argued,
standards. It promotes a new Russian plan for inter- in an English translation of the article. She attacked
national governance of the global Internet, even as it The latest revelation of such meddling was last ICANN, the panel of engineers and technologists es-
stresses the right of Russia, China and other authori- week’s disclosure by the Biden administration that tablished in 1998. Melnikova argued that ICANN “is
tarian states “to regulate the national segment of the China’s spy agency, the Ministry of State Security, accountable to the global multi-stakeholder commu-
Internet” to edit and censor what their people can see. “uses criminal contract hackers to conduct unsanc- nity, that is, to no one, and is in fact still controlled by
tioned cyber operations globally,” including a hack the U.S. administration.”
The June 28 Russia-China accord was revealed in of Microsoft’s Exchange suite used by “tens of thou-
a little-noticed posting the next day by the Chinese sands of systems around the world.” A senior admin- ICANN has disputed this claim, insisting that since
embassy in Moscow, which was sent to me by a Eu- istration official said these Chinese operations exceed it ended a contract with the Commerce Department
ropean Internet activist. It amounts to a manifesto even Russian “moonlighting” between its intelligence in 2016, the organization has been entirely indepen-
for joint Internet control through capture of existing services and criminal hackers. dent of any government.
United Nations-sponsored organizations, such as
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Even as Russian and Chinese intelligence opera- Melnikova argued that to replace U.S. control, “the
tives escalate their attacks on the West, the two gov- best option would be to delegate Internet governance
“The parties emphasize the unity of positions on ernments are trying to claim the high road as In- prerogatives to the ITU.” But she complained that by
the management of the Internet,” says a translated ternet cops – and denouncing Western technology supporting their own candidate, ITU department di-
version of the pact, explaining that “Russia and China companies as dangerous monopolists. The Russians rector Doreen Bogdan-Martin, against a Russian nom-
note the need to strengthen the role of the Interna- and Chinese are also working to topple the existing inee, “the Americans are striving to take control over
tional Telecommunication Union and the represen- Internet governance structure, in which a nonprofit the activities of the ITU.” Washington strives “to retain
tation of the two countries in its governing bodies.” group called ICANN coordinates the domain name the possibility of technological dominance and a de
system. The Russians and Chinese want to replace it facto monopoly in Internet governance,” she wrote.
This expansion to cyberspace of an existing treaty with an ITU-run system that they can dominate.
on “good neighborliness, friendship and coopera- The Internet is the high ground of the 21st centu-
tion” is a sign of what Biden administration officials ry, in terms of economic, political and even military
tell me is a deepening strategic alignment between power. But however advanced the technology, the
Moscow and Beijing. To formalize the agreement, battle for control is trench warfare, fought in obscure
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held a joint meetings and forums and standard-setting bodies.
teleconference last month, according to a story by
the Russian news agency Novosti. “We’re very, very actively engaged on this front,” Secre-
tary of State Antony Blinken told me in an email in May.
Russia’s alignment with China on cyber issues
dampens whatever hope the Biden administration The Russians and Chinese have now formed an al-
might have had that it could split the two countries. liance for control. It’s encouraging that the United
Such a wedge developed in the 1970s, because of States and its allies in the world’s techno-democra-
Chinese resentment of diktats from the old Soviet cies are at last fighting back. 
Union. But the Novosti commentary noted that this
This column does not necessarily reflect the views
of Vero Beach 32963.

During the coronavirus crisis, our Pelican Plaza office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 29

INSIGHT OPINION

Mary Andrews' European cruises are We would probably try to take the Alitalia says it refunded your travel its own refund rules on the ticket. And
canceled during the pandemic. But the same trip again next year, but we have agency directly. So you began asking it would not refund the ticket – only
refund for her airfare is still missing. no firm dates and no knowledge that your agency for the money. Based on provide a ticket credit.
Will she ever get her money back? the trips will be the same. I've spoken the email thread that you shared with
with Alitalia, and a representative told me, your agent did not respond. I know, it's frustrating.
QUESTION: me I'm due a full refund of $6,056. Your case raises the question: How
I think it's important to note that long is too long for a pandemic airfare
I had two cruises booked in Europe I need my travel agent to help me, you are a retired travel agent yourself, refund? That's something a lot of my
for last spring. Both were canceled but he won't. I've sent him numerous so you know the system. And unfortu- readers have struggled with since last
during the pandemic. We had nonre- emails, but he isn't responding. It's nately, the system was breaking down year. Certainly, five months is way too
fundable tickets on Alitalia to Rome been five months since my cancella- as your colleagues struggled under long. During normal times you should
and KLM from Amsterdam to Wash- tion. Can you help me get a refund? the weight of thousands of refund re- get your refund within two weeks. If it's
ington, D.C., which we purchased quests. a once-in-a-century pandemic, then
through Cook Travel. ANSWER: you definitely should give airlines a
There's one more twist: Although little more time. A month, maybe two.
If your airline canceled your flights, you were entitled to a full refund as far But not five. Never five.
you should receive a quick refund. But as Alitalia was concerned, your ticket Your agency should have responded
that didn't happen. Instead, you wait- said otherwise. It was a consolidator faster, confirming that it had received
ed months for your airline and agent to fare, purchased in bulk by your travel your money from Alitalia and that you
help you, and they didn't. agency. And the travel agency imposed were due a voucher, not a refund. But
as a retired travel agent, you should
have also known that you were buying
a restrictive consolidator fare.
I contacted Cook Travel on your be-
half. It reached out to you and sent you
the vouchers. 

Get help with any consumer prob-
lem by contacting Christopher Elliott at
http://www.elliott.org/help

30 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Tree-huggers will feel vindicated by Peter Wohl- THE HEARTBEAT OF TREES that their brains are powerful but that their senses
leben’s latest book, “The Heartbeat of Trees.” are weak. Dogs, we are told, have more discerning
EMBRACING OUR ANCIENT BOND WITH FORESTS AND NATURE senses of smell and hearing than we do, and birds
Far from the solitary giants we imagine them to TRANSLATED BY JANE BILLINGHURST | GREYSTONE. 258 PP. $26.95 of prey can see a rodent scurrying in the grass from
be, trees are highly social creatures that commu- hundreds of feet away.
nicate chemically and electromagnetically with REVIEW BY RICHARD SCHIFFMAN, THE WASHINGTON POST
their neighbors, warn one another of dangers, True enough, the author says. But people can
and share resources through the tangled network apart from – the living world. do things that other creatures cannot. Unlike dogs
of their root tips underground, as Wohlleben re- “The ancient tie that binds us to nature is not and and dolphins, for example, we can see the color
vealed in his earlier bestseller, “The Hidden Life green, a boon when wandering through the forest
of Trees.” That book was sometimes shelved in the never has been severed,” Wohlleben insists, though or looking for berries and plants to eat. While dogs
fiction section of bookstores because it was chock we have temporarily lost sight of that bond as a re- can track the scents of prey animals in the woods,
full of mind-bending revelations suggesting that sult of our modern mania to dominate nature and humans outperform canines in smelling ripe fruit,
trees are sentient beings that are fully aware of and exploit it. and we can sniff out testosterone and DNA in po-
responsive to the world around them. tential mates to help us choose the right match.
The good news is that we can recover our feeling
The latest volume follows a similar pattern. Tree of being connected to trees – and to the rest of the The point Wohlleben is making is that we are
leaves, we read, possess transparent lens-like cu- natural world – if we fully awaken our senses. For fully equipped to flourish in nature because we are
ticles that may function as primitive eyes. Trees starters, we’ll need to look up from our cellphones nature. Our evolutionary history, no less than that
can “hear” water flowing deep within the ground now and again and spend more time in the woods, of trees, has fitted humans to live in forests, grass-
and angle their roots to retrieve it. And they even where our latent abilities to fully hear, feel, smell lands and other wild places. That is why a walk in
display something resembling a heartbeat as they and see the fine details of the world will come alive. the woods lowers our blood pressure, brightens
pump their sap at regular intervals, once every our mood and strengthens the functioning of our
three or four hours. Prepare to be surprised by your own capabili-
ties, Wohlleben writes. Humans sometimes think immune system. We feel at home there.
However differently we function, humans share Wohlleben cites research showing
much of our DNA and even our physiology, at least that even a dozen trees plant-
by analogy, with plants. Trees’ sensitive root tips, ed in a residential neighbor-
for example, function like neurons in a kind of hood can extend the life
vegetable brain, Wohlleben suggests. A far-fetched span of residents by more
idea, one might think, until the author reveals that than a year, compared
Charles Darwin postulated the very same thing in with individuals who
the mid-19th century. dwell on treeless streets.
“The Heartbeat of Trees”
Are plants conscious? The author is coyly non- comprises 31 short chap-
committal. He quotes German biologist Frantisek ters that take us on a whirl-
Baluska in a New York Times interview: “No one can wind tour, including a trip to the
answer this because you cannot ask [the plants].”
world’s oldest tree in Sweden and its
Nevertheless, the circumstantial evidence provid- largest temperate rainforest in British Columbia, as
ed in the book is intriguing. Trees possess memory, well as visits with leading tree scientists and assort-
Wohlleben tells us, and can pass those memories ed forest activists.
on epigenetically to their offspring. Moreover, their
activities can be suppressed by the same anesthet- The wide range of the subjects he tackles and
ics that are used on people. And – tree-huggers take the meandering, unfocused style of the writing can
note – trees appear to use a voltage-based signaling be irritating. There is enough to whet our curios-
system that is similar to animal nervous systems. So ity here but not to satisfy it. For those looking for
while they won’t exactly feel your embrace through more scientific meat on the bone, ecologist Suzanne
the dead carapace of their bark, they might sense Simard’s recently published “Finding the Mother
you as an electrical presence lurking restlessly at Tree” may be a better option.
their periphery.
Wohlleben is like a knowledgeable uncle who
The author’s aim in the current volume, however, takes you in hand and talks your ear off about what-
is less to dazzle us with odd speculations like these ever he’s thinking at the moment. “The Heartbeat
than to convince us that trees are more like us than of Trees” is less a well-organized book than a some-
we had imagined. Humans are destroying forests times stumbling and circuitous ramble through the
because they lack empathy with their denizens, woods without any particular goal. You may not ar-
he says. To protect them, we first of all need to un- rive at any definite destination, but you’ve seen lots
derstand that we are integral parts of – rather than of interesting things along the way. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 31

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

ESTABLISH FIRST AND CASH SECOND 762

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist 83

H.L. Hunt, a Texas oil tycoon who had three wives and 15 children, said, “Decide what A K Q J 10 9
you want; decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go
to work.” WEST Q5
A 10 8 5 4 EAST
That is a reasonable plan for a bridge player, especially when in a no-trump contract. A96
72 93
Take this week’s deal, for example. How should South proceed in three no-trump after A 10 2
West leads a low spade? 7542

South might rebid two hearts. If he does, North could cue-bid two spades to ask South 863
to bid no-trump with a stopper or two in spades, or could rebid three diamonds.
K873
When in no-trump, always count your top tricks, your immediate winners. Here, South
has seven: one spade (given the first trick) and six diamonds. He needs two more tricks, SOUTH
which can come from the majors. However, it is vital to establish those winners now.
KQJ
At trick two, South should lead his heart king. If West plays low, declarer must lead a
spade to get his ninth trick in that suit. K Q J 10

It is an interesting exercise to lay this deal out on your table and see what happens if 54
South takes all of dummy’s diamond winners immediately.
J964
Finally, note that if the red suits were exchanged, giving North a solid six-card heart
suit, the bidding would probably end in four hearts after one diamond - (one spade) - Dealer: South; Vulnerable: East-West
two hearts - two no-trump - four hearts. But that contract has four losers: one spade,
one diamond and two clubs. With a solid minor, we always think about three no-trump. The Bidding:
Perhaps with a solid major and no singleton or void, it might be a good idea to aim
there also. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Clubs 1 Spades 2 Diamonds Pass
2 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass LEAD:
5 Spades

Kitchens

Established 18 Years in Indian River County

(772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com
3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960

32 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 22) ON PAGE 58

ACROSS DOWN
1 Knight’s title (3) 1 Bundle (5)
3 Moral offence (3) 2 Withdraw (7)
5 Seabirds (5) 3 Pierce; attempt (4)
8 Additional (5) 4 Male relative (6)
9 Atonement (7) 5 Card game (3,5)
10 Without charge (4) 6 Cloth made from flax (5)
11 Series (8) 7 Landscape (7)
13 Cargo thrown overboard(6) 12 Slipshod; unthinking (8)
14 Hire (6) 13 Bird of the crow family(7)
17 Young rooster (8) 15 Type of oil (7)
19 Rebuff (4) 16 Type of shed (4-2)
22 Cell (7) 18 Dance (5)
23 Open (5) 20 Swim (5)
24 Shawls (5) 21 Region (4)
25 Be in debt to (3)
The Telegraph 26 Chester’s river (3)

How to do Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
nine appear just once
in every column, row
and three-by-three
square.

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 33

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS Husbands author Jorge 48 Easy victory The Washington Post
1 One of 12 in a program 102 Word after E or Express 49 Small guitar, for short
5 Singer Zadora 104 Gobble, gobble, gobble? 54 Okinawa’s chief city HOT, HOT, HOT! By Merl Reagle
8 “___ Oz!” 106 Mary (Shelley) in Bride of 55 Thumbs down
11 Maugham’s Thompson 56 Land of secret bank accts. THE Art & Science
16 Marshmallow-on-a-stick Frankenstein 57 Elapsed quickly
107 Potok’s Asher 61 Chandler’s of Cosmetic Surgery
methodology? 108 Patty’s abductor
20 Barbecue host’s comment 111 B & B relative The Blue ___ SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
112 Franken or Jolson 62 Opium War port of China • Minimal Incision Lift for the
as he heads back to the 113 Campaign 65 Unload, as substandard
grill? 114 Start of an ad slogan that Face, Body, Neck & Brow
22 Get with the program goods • Breast Augmentations
23 Be a character ends with “but using mouth- 66 “___ didn’t!”
24 Oldsmobile precursor wash is less painful”? 67 Lamblike & Reductions
25 Fever cause 119 What unappreciated moms 68 Lose focus • Post Cancer Reconstructions
26 Sunup deity may be doing in the kitchen? 69 Saint with fire • Chemical Peels • Botox
27 Dad, to Danielle 120 Baker who sings 70 Some snakes • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
28 Common verb 121 Hog haven 71 “I’m ___ to meet you!” • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
29 See 29 Down 122 Start of many a sequel 74 Little guy • Skin Cancer Treatments
30 Fixes holes, in a way 123 Bones 75 Cursor-moving key
32 “___ directed” DOWN 76 Palindromic performance
(medicine instruction) 1 Second N.T. book
34 House sitter? 2 Other hair artist
35 Cake finishers 3 One way to head 77 Moo goo ___ pan
38 Ex-Congressman who 4 S.F. time zone 79 John Major’s john
knows what it’s like to be in 5 Slangy gun 80 Tax time: abbr.
the hot seat? 6 Technical sch. 81 Jug amt.
46 Tight as ___ 7 Woman’s secret, sometimes 83 “Live from N.Y.” show
50 Network from 8 “The Lady ___” 84 S. Vietnam’s
1995-2005 9 So long
51 Wipe clean 10 Observatory perch: abbr. first president,
52 Independence Day, e.g. 11 Sp. miss ___ Dinh Diem
53 Filmdom’s The Thing 12 “Without water” prefix 88 Kael book,
after the electricity hits him? 13 M over 2, plus 2 ___ at the Movies
(with The) 14 Secret 89 ___ toast
57 Cut of beef 15 Incite 90 Thimble Theater character
58 A sign of who you are 17 Ski lift seat 91 Resident of Mt. Vermin?
59 Flint org. 18 Hank and Tommy 95 Braking rockets
60 Morris or Stewart 19 “Disgusting!” 96 Reunion lady
of Arizona 20 Approach 97 Slangy doctrines
63 Thought process, perhaps 21 Leak sound 98 Day break
64 New book about how to 22 Quick 99 Eur. nation
compete with McDonald’s? 28 Pretty ___ picture 100 ___ toast
68 Maude star 29 With 29 Across, wok veggies 101 Birdlike
71 Former Asian alliance 31 In addition 102 North Dakota city
72 Nail site 33 Let in or let on 103 On the warpath
73 Two Gilligan’s Island 34 English integrity 104 Big name in daytime TV
castaways 35 Snug bug’s place 105 AARP, for one
75 “Glory ___ in the highest” 36 Meas. system that includes 109 Major Russian river
78 Like ballpark franks on an dynes and ergs 110 Peron’s place: abbr.
open fire? 37 Scratch (out), as a living 112 Chorus member
82 “Irene,” to “Ernie”: abbr. 39 Gold morsel 113 Six, si?
83 Pry 40 Spinning stat 115 Hit the slopes
85 Skater Babilonia 41 Hue holiday 116 Uncertain factors
86 Some hairdos 42 Wrath 117 “___ only a scratch”
87 Charity event involving 43 Hot Springs, Ark., attraction 118 Old Pontiac
lobsters? 44 Relations
92 ___ a sudden 45 “Disgusting!”
93 Saloon selection 46 Skin woe
94 Transit for Ellington 47 “___ the Romans ...”
99 Dona Flor and Her Two

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36 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

‘What should adults do when they don’t like their parents?’

BY CAROLYN HAX That means serving your conscience, which means
Washington Post knowing your values, which means answering big
questions I can’t answer for you. Such as:
Dear Carolyn:
What do any of us owe our parents for having us?
I don’t like my parents. Does that For meeting our physical needs? What about the
emotional ones?
make me a monster? They weren’t
Your parents “weren’t very loving or supportive.”
abusive but also weren’t very loving Would they agree? Have you talked? Have they apolo-
gized, or gotten defensive, or made you pay so dearly
or supportive, and in adulthood I in the past for speaking your mind that you’ve learned
not to try?
find I just … don’t like them. They
Do you know why they fell short – what their up-
came to visit me this week and I basically felt the whole bringings were like, what their circumstances were
during your childhood, what their relationship was
time, “I’m really looking forward to them leaving.” like?

What should adults do when they don’t like their Choose one word that best explains the “weren’t
very loving or supportive.” Selfish, limited, distracted,
parents? How much time am I obligated to spend with ill, whatever. Does that word make you more sympa-
thetic to them? Less? Same?
them? Should I be honest with them or just do my best ture, reciprocity, community, security, utility, respect,
sympathy – plus the commonalities I mentioned ear- What reasons can you think of for spending time
to smile politely, the way I would with a customer I lier, plus whatever else you can fit under the umbrella with them – or anyone – besides enjoying their com-
of shared history. Family members who might never pany? Is there something you’ll feel like a better per-
don’t particularly like? have chosen each other as friends can find emotional son for giving, better for receiving?
sustenance in familiarity alone.
– Monster? This is hardly a comprehensive list – feel free to cre-
Still, there are also no rules to say you have to, no ate your own – but make sure you wrap it up by imag-
Monster?: Liking one’s parents, or siblings, or kids “monster” jail you’ll get sent to. You’ve framed your ining a future where your actual/eventual kids don’t
even, is a weird expectation, when you think about it. question in terms of “should” and what you’re “obli- like you. How will you want them to handle it?
gated” to do, but family experiences are too variable
These are people of proximity, not choice. Maybe for there to be a single right approach. Kids have no Therapy can help if you can’t untie all the old knots
there’s a better-than-random chance of getting along obligation to stay connected, for an extreme example, on your own. Whatever you decide, it’s not about
because of shared environment, upbringing, experi- to parents who chose to harm them. meeting your parents’ or society’s demands; it’s about
ences, traits, in most cases genes – but it’s still at its making your own emotional sense. 
baseline a story of discrete individuals “assigned” to There is only what you need for your peace of mind.
live together before anyone really knows who anyone Which brings us to the under-loving, under-sup-
is. portive parents you don’t actually like. You must an-
swer to yourself on what “adults” – you – “should” do
Lest that sound cynical: A lot of us like our fami- about them.
lies anyway, or have come up with inspiring ways to
make it work regardless. Love, for example, which is
different from liking them. Also gratitude, duty, cul-

‘VERY LIBERATING’:
PAINTING GIVES VOICE
TO SINGER’S FEELINGS

38 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

‘Very liberating’: PaARinTSt&inTHgEATgRiEves
voice to singer’s feelings

Suzanne Clune.

PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES

BY PAM HARBAUGH | CORRESPONDENT much fun. I got so much response.”
Right from the start, says her husband
Although opera soprano Suzanne
Clune says she has been singing all her Werner Schmidt, it was apparent that she
life, it wasn’t until she turned 40 that she had “something.”
found her true voice.
He recalls that she would bring home
An energetic and enthusiastic wom- unfinished class projects on brown
an, Clune was teaching classical music wrapping paper, and he was captured by
at colleges near her home in Hudson their beauty. And, he says, in one notice-
Valley, New York, when she began pur- able way, she really stood out among her
suing a master’s degree at Columbia peers in group exhibitions.
University. Almost on a whim, she took
a painting class. “I had no inkling that While her classmates had painted
I could paint,” says Clune. small works of art, Clune preferred to go
large and bold.
“It just blossomed; it was so easy, so
“I was speechless,” says Schmidt.
“(She had) paintings up to the ceiling,

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 39

ARTS & THEATRE

huge paintings, 5 by 6 feet. Absolutely says. “I realized I was painting my brought Clune and Schmidt to Vero think if we move to Florida?”
beautiful.” feelings.” Beach last year. “Six weeks later, we were on the

The lid had been let off. Art seemed to While there is that “vital impulse” of At the start of COVID Schmidt says road. We didn’t know anybody (here).
pour out of her. Clune says she painted self-expression in classical singing, there she woke up in the middle of the night We rented a house sight unseen. That
every day, in the middle of the night are also many constraining demands, and said to him, “Werner, what do you is Suzanne.” 
and into the wee hours. Two years such as vocal technique and breath con-
zipped by, and she sold her first paint- trol, the orchestra and composer, words
ing to a collector. She recalls being both and phrasing and even costumes.
elated and in a state of disbelief.
Whereas with painting, Clune says,
That same year, her work caught the she can go as fast or slow as she wants.
attention of the National Association of She can curl up on a stool, go barefoot
Women Artists, which inducted her in and just be her true self.
2015 into the esteemed society.
And, she says, she can be “honest,”
The recognition seemed to come adding that the hardest part is knowing
from nowhere, Clune says. It catapult- when the painting is finished. “It’s more
ed not only her self-confidence, but turning myself inside out to show what’s
through the society her works gained in there,” Clune explains. “We’re all dark.
recognition by big-name Manhattan We’re the same. Being human and con-
museums including the Whitney Mu- necting with others requires openness.”
seum of American Art, the Museum of
Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the This feeling of openness was a long
Metropolitan Museum of Art. time coming for Clune, who shares
that she was “painfully shy” as a child
“I’m still very surprised, shocked,” and teenager. Music helped bring her
she says. “It was tremendous. They out of a protective shell, kept her con-
project (your art) onto a screen, they nected to society and gave her support.
name you and you get to come up and Encouraged by her grandmother, she
speak. That’s when I was really blown sang at church and in school and began
away. I was suddenly nervous. Now I taking lessons at age 7.
have to talk about art. Give me a piece
of music and I’ll sing it.” “It was a tool, a life raft,” she says.
Moreover, music opened the doors to
Grand gestures inhabit Clune’s paint- a much bigger world than that of a child-
ings. Just as with music, movement works hood spent in upstate New York, where
in concert with smart composition and she didn’t have access to high culture.
exciting color palettes. Since moving to As a result, she relied on her vocal teach-
Vero Beach in 2020, her works are already ers, who took her under their wings and
catching the eye of local collectors. introduced her to Manhattan and, more
importantly, to the opera.
“She’s a wonderful artist,” says part- “I was at the Met, and I saw Kathleen
time Vero Beach resident Jay Grutman, Battle sing Pamina from ‘The Magic
an art and antiques collector. “Her art- Flute,’” she says. “I was 17.”
work is very vibrant and really, at least But, despite decades of devotion to
what I’ve found, capture a person’s inner music, Clune discovered that paint-
thoughts, inner feelings. And she’s got a ing releases an even deeper, more
fantastic (singing) voice.” authentic voice. “It’s hard to be your
own thing, to find your own voice in
Scott Johnson, a local interior designer this narrow hallway,” she says. “For
and decorator, has also purchased some my painting, it’s really my feelings out
of her paintings and, says Johnson, “I will there, on the canvas. I almost feel like
probably buy more. I like to support local I’m moving the paintings, dancing. I’m
artists and I think she’s pretty stellar.” going like a bat out of hell. I’m on fire.”
Clune says she prefers working with
Of course, music has continued to be acrylics on stretched canvas, and will
an important part of Clune’s life, and she use brushes, her fingers, plastic scoops
still occasionally performs. Additionally, and various other items. But no music,
she and Schmidt run an online antiques she says, finding it too distracting.
business, Clune Art and Antiques Studio, “Usually I like it quiet. When I get stuck
which caters to clients the world over. sometimes, I turn on music. For the most
part I don’t like music when I’m creating.”
Intriguingly, for someone with a The same eagerness to follow her im-
deep background in classical music pulse that introduced her to art, also
and pedigreed antiques, it is through
abstract expressionism that she re-
veals her true self.

“It was very, very liberating,” Clune

40 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Downtown Friday Fest goes Bluegrass, Boots & BBQ

BY PAM HARBAUGH Tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude,”
Correspondent which comprises photographs, col-
lages, drawings and objects culled from
1 You’re invited to shine your boots the Tom Golden Collection at the Mu-
and dust off your hat and make it seum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa,
Calif. The Vero Beach Museum of Art is
to the first ever Blue Cypress Bluegrass, at 3001 Riverside Park Dr. For more in-
formation, call 772-231-0707 or visit VB-
Boots & BBQ at this Friday’s Main Museum.org.

Street Vero Beach Friday Fest. The Fri-

day Fests, which usually take place in

Historic Downtown Vero Beach from

6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the last Friday of 4 Take a swing at Big Shots Golf
on Wednesday when the Men-
the month, have been bringing in rock

groups. However, after some requests tal Health Association of Indian River

from the public, the MSVB decided to County celebrates its 63rd birthday. The

bring in the popular bluegrass group. party includes a birthday cake, heavy

And, the organization is adding three hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks and a fun

barbecue trucks just to go “whole hog” crack at golf games. Golf clubs and spe-

on the alliteration. “We kind of affiliat- cial golf balls with computer chips will

ed BBQ with boots and bluegrass,” said be provided. You’ll hit the ball into a real

Susan Gromis, the executive director range and a computer will track the ball.

of MSVB. “It’s something catchy.” The “You do not have to be a golfer,” said

live music will be set up at 14th Avenue It’s a very clean area, families are wel- Museum of Art. The museum, which MHA development director Amy Wag-
come. We watch the crowd closely to offers free admission on the last Sat-
and 21st Street. The entire event goes make sure there’s not too much alcohol urday of each month, will be open 10 ner. “It’s like a game. They put targets
being imbibed. Dogs are welcomed. It’s a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Currently, it has on
north and south one block. It attracts a fun evening and very well attended.” view “VBMA Glass Works,” a collection out there. It’s really cool. What’s great
Admission is free to the Blue Cypress of high-quality glass art which is in the
up to 1,200 people who like to stroll Bluegrass, Boots & BBQ, which again museum’s permanent collection and about it is you could be an avid golfer
will run 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more in- includes works by big names in glass art
among the crafters, vendors and non- formation, call 772-643-6782 or visit such including Dale Chihuly and Kar- or just be with your kids having fun.”
MainstreetVeroBeach.org.
profit tents, and enjoy food and drink en LaMonte; and “A Tickets are $50 per person. This is not a

in the open air. Main Street does the fundraiser for the MHA, instead, Wag-

beer concessions in conjunction with ner said, it’s something that helps raise

Walking Tree Brewery. There’s also awareness of the organization. “We

wine and sometimes mixed drinks, want everyone to know we’re here,” she

all available for purchase. And, know- said. “You can come in and talk to some-

ing that the end of July is typically hot 2 You might enjoy that barbecue one if you need to.” MHA is at 820 37th
so much that you want more.
and muggy, the Vero Heritage Center Place, Vero Beach. The birthday party

and Citrus Museum will be opening No worries, because this is the perfect runs 5:30 p.m. to 7:30

its doors to let people inside to dine in weekend for you. The Gifford Youth Or- p.m. Wednesday,

air-conditioned comfort. If you want to chestra will hold its Barbeque Festival Aug. 4 at Big Shots

eat your barbecue outdoors, then best from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Golf, 3456 U.S. 1,

bring a folding chair or get comfortable the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Vero Beach. To re-

with the idea of sitting on a curb. Gro- Walking Trail. The event includes mu- serve your spot

mis expects the cost of the barbecue sic, children’s activities and the chance at the party,

dinners to be around $10 or less. “It’s to help the great nonprofit organiza- call 772-569-

probably the hopping-est three hours tion. For more information, call 772- 9788 or visit

in Historic Downtown Vero Beach in 213-3007 or visit GYOTigers.org. MHAIRC.

the month,” Gromis said. “It’s free to org/mhae-

the public, which is great. On Friday 3 Take advantage of Free Admis- vents. 
sion Saturday to the Vero Beach
nights, everybody’s ready to cut loose.

ONCOLOGIST ‘OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
THE FUTURE OF CANCER THERAPY’

42 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Oncologist ‘optimistic about the future of cancer therapy’

BY KERRY FIRTH
Correspondent

Dr. Elizabeth Tan-Chiu has barely Dr. Elizabeth Tan-Chiu.
had time to unpack her bags but is al-
ready busy treating patients at Cleve- PHOTOS: KAILA JONES
land Clinic Indian River Hospital. The
board-certified oncologist moved to take years to show up, so screening is even if testing goes past age 65. them. However, African Americans
Vero Beach just last month to work at the most likely means of detection. People whose cervix has been re- and those that have a father or brother
the Scully-Welsh Cancer Center after who had prostate cancer before age 65
operating her own private practice While everyone is accessed individ- moved surgically for reasons not re- should discuss prostate cancer screen-
and research center in Plantation, ually, the American Cancer Society lated to cervical cancer or serious pre- ing with a doctor starting at age 45.
Florida, for 35 years. does have a set of general guidelines cancer should not be tested. People
to follow and discuss with your pri- who have been vaccinated against Lung cancer
“I was attracted to Vero because of mary care doctor. These recommen- HPV should still follow the screen- Lung cancer screening is recom-
the town’s low density and the op- dations are for people at average risk ing recommendations for their age mended for smokers and former
portunities presented to me by Cleve- for certain cancers. It’s a good idea to groups. smokers, according to the American
land Clinic,” Dr. Tan-Chiu said. “In let your doctor know about risk fac- Cancer Society: a yearly lung cancer
my private practice, I saw primarily tors, such as lifestyle behaviors and Breast cancer screening with a low dose CT scan
breast cancer patients, but here I will family history that may put you or Breast cancer screening is recom- (LDCT) for people 55-74 in fairly good
be treating cancer anywhere in the your loved one at higher risk. mended beginning at age 45, with the health who currently smoke or have
body.” option to begin at age 40. quit smoking in the past 15 years and
Cervical cancer Women 45-54 should get mammo- have a least a 30 pack-year smoking
Dr. Tan-Chiu has had a distin- According to the American Cancer grams every year. Women 55 and older history (a pack of cigarettes per day
guished career as a breast cancer and Society, cervical cancer screening is should switch to mammograms every per year; one pack a day for 30 years or
gynecological researcher, and has recommended for people with a cer- two years or continue yearly screen- two packs per day for 15 years would
been a surgical investigator for many vix beginning at age 25. ing. Screening should continue as long both be 30 pack years.).
trials working with pharmaceutical People between the ages of 25 and as a woman is in good health and is ex-
companies in developing new cancer 65 should get a primary HPV (hu- pected to live 10 years or more. Dr. Tan-Chiu earned her medical
treating drugs. man papillomavirus) test done every Colorectal cancer degree at Far Eastern University in Ma-
five years. If a primary HPV test is not Colorectal cancer screening is rec- nila and completed residency programs
“We cured a lot of cancer in 2021 available, a co-test (an HPV test with ommended for everyone beginning at at University of Philippines-Philippine
and there’s now a lot more cancer sur- a pap test) every three years or a pap age 45. General Hospital and University of
vivors than we used to have,” she said. test every three years are good op- This can be done either with a sensi- Massachusetts Health Care-Memorial.
“People are living longer with cancer tions. tive test that looks for signs of cancer in She completed her fellowship program
because of research and clinical trials People over 65 who have had regu- a person’s stool, or with an exam that in hematology and oncology at Uni-
moving drugs forward – yet patients lar cervical cancer tests in the past 10 looks at the colon and rectum. If you versity of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
are still dying from cancer, so there is years with normal results should not are in good health, you should contin- She is now accepting new patients at
more work to be done. be tested for cervical cancer. Once ue regular screening through age 75. Scully-Welsh Cancer Center at Cleve-
testing is stopped, it should not be Prostate cancer land Clinic Indian River Hospital lo-
“The most important thing anyone started again. However, those with a Starting at age 50, men should talk cated at 3555 10th Court in Vero Beach.
can do is to get cancer screenings be- history of a serious cervical pre-can- to a healthcare provider about the To schedule an appointment, call 772-
cause the earlier we catch the cancer, cer should continue to be tested for pros and cons of testing so they can 653-4673. 
the greater your chances of survival,” at least 25 years after that diagnosis, decide if testing is the right choice for
she said. “People delay screening be-
cause they don’t have insurance or are
under-insured and the screening can
be expensive. Your body is extremely
expensive to upkeep, more than that
of your roof and groceries sometimes.
But it’s your body and it’s your life.
What could be more important?

“The field of hematology and oncol-
ogy have new drugs, treatments and
therapies approved every month, and
there is no shortage of cutting-edge
research for every form of cancer,”
she continued. “Cancer is no longer a
death sentence, especially if detected
early. Chemotherapy and radiation
therapy are still cornerstone treat-
ments, but with more treatment op-
tions for the patient, there is every
reason to be optimistic about the fu-
ture of cancer therapy.”

Early warning signs may be un-
explained bleeding, unintentional
weight loss, lack for appetite, body
aches and changes in bowel habits.
Pay attention to any new symptoms
and seek medical care. Some cancers

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 43

HEALTH

Male menopause – andropause – is a real thing

BY FRED CICETTI ing. About 90 percent of ED is believed Depressed men can be irritable and helped some men, but TRT has risks,
to have medical origins such as drugs withdrawn. They often work too especially for men with prostate can-
Columnist taken to treat high blood pressure. much, drink to excess and try to get cer and heart disease.
thrills from taking risks. If you think
Question: My husband told me he Here are some recommendations to you might be depressed, get help. And TRT may not improve symp-
has no energy to do chores around the deal with andropause: toms. More studies need to be done to
house because he’s suffering from male  Regular exercise helps physically, determine the safety and efficacy of
menopause. He’s a very funny guy.  See your doctor for a check-up. mentally and emotionally. TRT.
Discuss symptoms, medications you
Your husband was obviously trying are taking, treatment options and life-  Eat a healthy diet. There are claims that herbal sup-
to yank your chain, but there’s some style changes. Testosterone replacement therapy plements can relieve symptoms, but
truth in his joking. Fatigue is a com- (TRT) is the primary treatment for none of these supplements has been
mon symptom of male menopause,  Many older men suffer from un- declining levels of testosterone, but proven to be safe and effective for age-
also known as andropause (andro diagnosed depression. Depression in it is enveloped in controversy. It has related low testosterone. 
means male). men can be more than feeling down.

Both andropause and male meno-
pause are used to describe decreas-
ing levels of the male hormone tes-
tosterone that come with aging. Most
men see testosterone levels drop as
they get older. Some have described
andropause as puberty in reverse.

Age-related decline in testosterone
levels is also called testosterone defi-
ciency, androgen decline in the aging
male (ADAM) or late onset hypogo-
nadism (LOH).

Andropause is different from the
menopause women experience. In
menopause, the production of female
hormone drops suddenly. In men,
there’s a gradual decline in hormone
levels.

When men reach about 40, testos-
terone levels usually begin to drop
about 1 percent a year. The reduction
is rarely noticeable in men younger
than 60. By the time men reach their
80s, about half have low testosterone.

Young men often have testosterone
levels exceeding 1,000 nanograms
per deciliter (ng/dl). The average tes-
tosterone level in 80-year-old men is
200 ng/dl.

Some men maintain normal tes-
tosterone levels into old age. And
there are men with low testosterone
levels who have no symptoms. The
only sure way to learn if you are low
on testosterone is by taking a blood
test.

The following are some symp-
toms of low testosterone: dimin-
ished sex drive, reduced muscle bulk
and strength, night sweats, infertil-
ity, fewer spontaneous erections, de-
pression, loss of body hair, swollen
breasts, palpitations, shrunken tes-
tes, height loss, fatigue, irritability,
reduced self-confidence, poor con-
centration, memory loss, sleep prob-
lems, increased body fat and anemia.

It is normal for erections to occur
less frequently in older men than in
younger men.

However, erectile dysfunction (ED)
is usually brought on by medical or
psychological causes, not simple ag-

44 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Wait … why do we procrastinate, and how can we stop?

BY ANGELA HAUPT Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psy- dency, but it’s not a funny topic.” crastination doesn’t discriminate
The Washington Post chology at DePaul University in Chica- Ferrari was speaking while on a based on gender, race or age; we’re all
go and author of “Still Procrastinating? susceptible. As he put it: “Everybody
If you’re reading this article instead – The No Regrets Guide to Getting It road trip with his wife, who chimed in procrastinates, but not everyone is a
of tackling one of the many projects Done,” has found that about 20 percent to say that she’s a procrastinator. Her procrastinator.” And contrary to pop-
you meant to do during the pandemic, of adults are chronic procrastinators. tendencies helped spur her husband’s ular belief, procrastinating has little
or before starting the report due to- research interests. He doesn’t procras- to do with laziness. It’s far more com-
morrow at work, or as an alternative to “That’s higher than depression, tinate – he has a 107-page résumé, he plicated, he said, than simply being a
changing your car’s year-old oil, feel no higher than phobia, higher than pan- said, because he gets things done – but matter of time management.
shame: This is a safe space, procrasti- ic attacks and alcoholism. And yet all he’s built a career around understand-
nators, and you’re among friends. of those are considered legitimate,” ing those who do. To understand what causes procras-
he said. “We try to trivialize this ten- tination (outside of conditions such as
Among his findings: Chronic pro-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 45

HEALTH

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disor- provokes significant anxiety, it’s often insomnia and digestive issues, and others down or be appalled by their
der, where executive functioning is- easiest to avoid it. they’re more susceptible to the flu own slowness. Sirois’ research indi-
sues might interfere with task comple- and colds. The association with health cates a connection between procras-
tion), it’s important to be clear about Another reason people procrasti- problems is best explained by stress, tinating and low levels of self-com-
what it is – and isn’t. Procrastination nate, Sirois said, is because of low self- but another factor is that procrastina- passion. To counter that, treat yourself
is different from delaying a task be- esteem. One might think: “I’m never tors often delay preventive treatment, with kindness and understanding.
cause you need to talk to someone who going to do this right,” or, “What will such as regular checkups. “Just sort of recognizing that, yeah,
isn’t available, or not getting around to my boss think if I screw up?” maybe I screwed up and maybe I could
reading a literary classic such as “Moby Research suggests that procrastina- have gotten started earlier, but I don’t
Dick.” Ferrari theorizes that there are three tion is associated with sleep problems, need to beat myself up,” she said. Tell
types of procrastinators: thrill-seek- such as shorter sleep duration and an yourself: “I’m not the first person to
Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psy- ers, who crave the rush of putting off increased risk of insomnia symptoms procrastinate, and I won’t be the last.”
chology at the University of Sheffield in tasks until the last minute and believe and daytime sleepiness. Lots of people
England, defines procrastination this they work best under pressure; avoid- engage in “revenge bedtime procras- Sirois is quick to note that self-com-
way: “The voluntary, unnecessary de- ers, who procrastinate to avoid being tination,” which describes a tendency passion doesn’t make people lazy. On
lay of an important task, despite know- judged for how they perform; and in- to push off sleep to make time for per- the contrary, “research has shown that
ing you’ll be worse off for doing so.” decisives, who have difficulty making sonal activities. it actually increases people’s motiva-
important or stressful decisions, often tion to improve themselves,” she said.
On its surface, procrastination is an because they’re ruminating over sev- Procrastinating is also linked to
irrational behavior, Sirois said: “Why eral choices. heart problems. Sirois led a 2015 study Ferrari offers a similar suggestion
would somebody put something off in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine to avoiders, who procrastinate for fear
to the last minute, and then they’re Whatever type of procrastinator you that found that people with heart dis- of being judged: Focus on doing your
stressed out of their mind, and they are, pushing off tasks over and over ease were more likely than healthy best, instead of getting caught in the
end up doing a poor job or less than again is a risk factor for poor men- people to self-identify as procrastina- trap of worrying about what others
optimal job on it? And then they feel tal and physical health, experts say. tors. According to the study, procras- think.
bad about it afterward, and it may even Chronic procrastinators have higher tinators with hypertension and heart
have implications for other people.” levels of stress and a greater number disease were less likely to take action to Attach meaning to the task. One of
of acute health problems than other cope with their illness, such as chang- the best ways to stop procrastinating,
The reason, she said, has to do with people, Sirois has found. ing their diet or exercising. Sirois said, is to find meaning in the
emotional self-regulation – and, in par- task in question. Write down why it’s
ticular, an inability to manage negative The mental health implications in- Experts say that by overcoming your important to you: It could be because
moods around a certain task. We usu- clude experiencing general psycho- tendency to stall, you can improve getting it done on time is helpful to
ally don’t procrastinate on fun things, logical distress and low life satisfaction your mental and physical well-being. other people, or because it will help
she said. We procrastinate on tasks we (particularly in regard to work and in- Here are some tips: you avoid negative repercussions, such
find “difficult, unpleasant, aversive come), as well as symptoms of depres- as a late fee or bad grade. Think about
or just plain boring or stressful.” If a sion and anxiety. Practice self-compassion. Procras- how completing it will be valuable to
task feels especially overwhelming or tinators are often hard on themselves.
Those who procrastinate are also They might feel guilty about letting CONTINUED ON PAGE 46
more likely to experience headaches,

46 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 HEALTH

your personal growth or happiness. do first. Some people want to get the added that, when back there and alphabetize my books
Doing so will help you feel more con- most unpleasant tasks out of the way, people build up to and dust them and maybe paint the
nected to the task and less likely to while others “psych themselves up by the most daunt- bookshelves,” she said, you are “pro-
procrastinate, Sirois said. doing smaller things,” said Gretchen ing task of the day, crasticlearing.”
Rubin, an author whose books include they might use
Start small. Ferrari likes to refer- “Better Than Before,” which dispenses other work as a Reward yourself. Many teachers
ence the expression, “Cannot see the advice on curbing procrastination. stall tactic. and parents use the Premack prin-
forest for the trees.” The problem of ciple, which essentially stipulates that
procrastinators is the opposite: All “As they accrue small, easy accom- Situate your- “something somebody wants to do be-
they can see is forest. And they be- plishments, they feel ready to do that self in a spot that’s comes the reward for something they
come so overwhelmed by the size of big one.” It’s a matter of personal pref- interruption-free. don’t want to do,” Ferrari said. If you
the forest (or project) that they’re par- erence and knowing yourself. But she This is particu- have 12 dirty dishes in your sink and
alyzed into inactivity. larly important your favorite TV show comes on in a
for demanding half-hour, make a deal with yourself:
“I tell them to cut down one tree at a tasks, Rubin said. You can only watch it if you do the
time,” he said. “You can’t do one tree? We get interrupted dishes first. The idea can be applied to
Give me three branches.” Once you’ve constantly: by our almost anything that you’re pushing
gotten started and made even a small phones, our fami- off, he said.
bit of progress on your task, there’s lies, howling dogs,
a good chance you’ll keep going, he the TV. But once Enlist external help. Decades ago,
said. you’re interrupted, professors would put a note about
she said, it’s much their projects on their office doors,
This can be particularly helpful to harder to resume and students could come by and hold
indecisive procrastinators, or “procs,” the task you finally them accountable, Ferrari said. It was
as Ferrari calls them. These people, started. called “public posting.” There’s an
who are often perfectionists, do best Be aware of the “procrasticlearing” easy way to continue this tradition:
when they split up a task into man- trap. Often, procrastinators are struck social media.
ageable parts, rather than feeling with the urge to tidy their space before
pressure to perform perfectly on a big, they start working on a task – as in, Post about your goals on Facebook
daunting project. “Oh, I can’t possibly focus until I clean or Twitter and ask your network to
up my office,” Rubin said. hold you accountable. If you want to
Another tip, he said, is to set dead- It’s one thing to spend 15 minutes go to a big concert, for example, “tell
lines for yourself for those small steps. straightening up the immediate area your friends, ‘I will not buy a ticket
If you’re someone who thrives under where you’re working. “But if I’m like, to Lizzo unless I do A, B and C, and
pressure, doing so can help replicate I need to go through all those shelves you’ve got to hold me accountable,’”
the adrenaline rush you get when you Ferrari suggested. “‘Don’t let me slide
wait until the last minute. by on this.’” 

Carefully choose which task you

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 47

HEALTH

Staying mentally active may
delay onset of Alzheimer’s

BY LINDA SEARING developing Alzheimer’s at age 89 for
The Washington Post those with the least amount of cog-
nitive activity.
Keeping your brain active later
in life may delay by as much as five Alzheimer’s, considered a de-
years the onset of Alzheimer’s dis- generative brain disease, affects
ease, the most common type of de- memory, thinking and behavior,
mentia. with symptoms eventually becom-
ing severe enough to interfere with
Research published in the journal once-routine daily tasks. Today,
Neurology found that cognitively about 6.2 million Americans 65 and
stimulating activities that involve older have the disease, two-thirds
seeking or processing information of them women, according to the
– such as reading books, magazines Alzheimer’s Association.
or newspapers, writing letters,
playing card games, board games That number is expected to reach
or checkers, and doing puzzles – nearly 13 million by 2050, unless
seemed to add dementia-free time ways are discovered to prevent,
to older people’s lives. cure or slow the disease.

The research involved 1,903 peo- The researchers found that nei-
ple (average age was 80), none of ther education nor cognitive activ-
whom had dementia at the start of ity early in life were associated with
the study and who were tracked and the age at which a person developed
tested for up to 22 years. Alzheimer’s. Rather, it’s what you
do later in life that seems to make a
In that time, 457 participants de- difference. And, as the lead author
veloped Alzheimer’s. That occurred of the story said, “It’s never too late
on average at age 94 for people who to start doing the kinds of inexpen-
did the most brain-stimulating ac- sive, accessible activities” tracked
tivities later in life, compared with in the study, “even in your 80s.” 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

How to dress for a heatwave in your 50s, 60s and beyond

BY LISA ARMSTRONG women regard mounting temperatures
The Telegraph with a degree of trepidation. It’s our up-
per arms you see. We hate them. We’re
Hot weather should be a joy to dress not crazy about our tummies either. As
for. Yet many women slightly dread it. for our thighs, knees … I worked with a
Unlike the men who take the first sign colleague who continued wearing thick
of a yellow orb in the sky as a cue to re- black opaque tights right through a
move all clothing from their top halves, 95-degree heatwave because she was so
regardless of the deleterious effects self-conscious about her legs.
that decision has on the rest of us, we
That’s an extreme case and hopefully
as brands (oh so slowly) wake up to the

positive impact on their sales of using percent. That doesn’t make anyone want
more relatable models, this will change. to rush out and buy summery, skin re-
It needs to – as you can see here, most of vealing clothes.
them still shoot on younger models. They
really need to address this – as quickly as More importantly, the Dove survey
they addressed the lack of ethnically di- also found that feeling bad about the
verse models. In 2016, Dove conducted way we looked generally made us less
a global survey of 10,600 women, aged confident about voicing opinions at
between 18 and 60, and discovered that work and so on. So this stuff is impor-
only 20 percent of us had positive body tant. And while diet and exercise play
images. In Japan it was even lower, at 8 a big part in how our bodies look and
work (and how we view them: exercise

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 49

generally promotes positivity), the T he most flattering kaftans to waft around in
right clothes can work wonders.
BY LISA ARMSTRONG on a more modest budget, Zara, Boden ments and guides. If the description
That doesn’t mean dressing yourself and LemLem all offer that hit of exoti- suggests that the style fits multiple
in clothes that conceal every last bit of The Telegraph cism you might want with fun but not sizes, then check the customer reviews
skin as if you’re a wife of Dracula. It’s gaudy patterns. before ordering.
hot. Enjoy it. There must be something Admittedly, the classic kaftan has
about your body you like. And if there very little on-the-hanger appeal. The The final tip I would offer is to mea- Buying bigger is, in this case, often
isn’t, you need to be kinder to yourself. cut, in its most basic form, is a large sure up – especially if shopping online. better. You never want a kaftan to be
This is when you zero on the more eso- rectangle with a slit for a neck hole – on Kaftans often come in one size. In the too tight; remember they’re designed to
teric bits of your body. Leave abs bar- the shop floor this can often translate first instance, look for exact measure- beat the heat, not add to it. 
ing to the teens (although J-Lo proves to being folded like a tablecloth, or sag-
you don’t need a concave stomach to ging from a rail like a floppy scarf.
look good in a crop top). Instead, track
down clothes that highlight your clavi- Its simplicity can make it one of the
cle, arches, wrists, or whatever else you hardest things to shop for. Plenty of
want people to notice. brands sell cheap and scratchy Poly-
ester chiffon styles (ironically the
So no, this isn’t a call to unearth sweatiest material to wear on a hot
your inner Cher – unless she’s keen to beach), or ones that are lazily made
emerge. It’s just about finding stylish with a single tack stitch either side
ways to keep cool. One bare expanse to define armholes. But a good kaf-
should do it, so choose your favorite tan will last years – decades even – in
feature. Shoulders are usually a safe your wardrobe and it is worth finding
bet – there’s not a lot that can sag or a timeless, cooling, flattering piece to
droop and peasant dresses or tops that turn to holiday after holiday.
can be worn on or off the shoulders is
a versatile option. Look for something It’s all about seeking something with
that works under a cardigan or jacket the right nips and tucks. The more
for when it gets cooler – in other words, shapeless a kaftan is, the more likely it
avoid bulky ruffles or puff sleeves. will read as ‘hospital gown’ rather than
‘poolside chic’ to passers-by.
Separates might seem too warm, es-
pecially around the waist line, but a When it comes to prints and colors,
gauzy linen shirt that can be worn loose I think there are two clear ways to go:
over a pair of floppy drawstring trousers clean seaside linens, or Princess Mar-
or skirt (no heavy waistbands) is a love- garet in Mustique. There is no middle
ly option and allows you to control the ground in Kaftan World. It’s an all or
amount of skin you show depending on nothing garment; anything that tries to
your oomph level on any given day. Just be both typically looks odd.
undo extra buttons. Shirts are great bi-
kini aids as well. In Camp A, Tory Burch is the leader
with dozens of navy and white, beige
If you’re self-conscious about your and white, or just pure white linen and
ankles, there are some lovely long pala- cotton coverups with discreet, quality
zzos around – wear them with chunky embellishments to consider.
flatworms to add height. (The more
robust the footwear, the slimmer your In Camp B, at the top of the rock is
legs will look in comparison.) Pucci’s Vortici-print silk-chiffon kaftan
which I can imagine Princess Margaret
There are some very pretty shorts out herself would have utterly approved of.
there as well – the ones with coordinat- For those who like the idea of wafting
ing tops look particularly chic on older through a resort in a bold print, but are
women who are happy with their legs.
I’ve never loved mine, poor things. But
that’s fine. I’m happy in cropped trou-
sers and floaty dresses and relaxed
about arms. They’re not perfect but
they’re fine, and that’s good enough.

Use layering pieces to direct the gaze
where you want it – a fluttery kimono
jacket or silky shirt dress that can be
worn open and slides off one shoulder
is a cool way to cover arms. Also indis-
pensable is a fine-gauge throw that you
can drape at will. Necklaces will take
care of crepey décolletages and scarves
can help. Thread one through your belt
loops to draw the eye from any bulges
around the waist area. A fabulous hat
will do the same service.

Friendly underwear is crucial. Choose
something with reasonable support
without uncomfortable underwires. Silk
or cotton camis are handy too for lay-
ing under blazers, sheer tops, or making
spindly strapped dresses wearable. 

50 Vero Beach 32963 / July 29, 2021 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

‘City’ chic: How Carrie Bradshaw’s style has evolved in her 50s

BY CAROLINE LEAPER As fictional characters go, “Sex And detail of her wardrobe, designed by Pa- tage finds, the quirky accessorizing
The Telegraph The City’s” Carrie Bradshaw is perhaps tricia Field and filled with designer la- and the originally layered silhouettes
the most lauded by fashion fans. Every bels, was picked over when the original are all still there – she hasn’t toned
show aired from 1998-2004. For many, things down in the slightest, which
the costumes are still a reference point has delighted fans. An Instagram ac-
two decades on. count @justlikethatcloset is already
identifying the brands in every single
Filming for a new spin-off series, new outfit.
“And Just Like That,” has begun in
New York, with actresses Sarah Jessi- If anything, the heels are higher.
ca Parker (Bradshaw), Cynthia Nixon Parker wore Celine’s ‘Melody’ Mary
(Miranda Hobbes) and Kristin Davis Janes in the first costumed image
(Charlotte York Goldenblatt) reunit- – a hefty platform that set the tone.
ing, and costume designer Molly Rog- And the beloved Fendi Baguette bags
ers has taken the reins from Field. which the character carried in her 30s
are also back, this time rendered in
Parker, now 56, leads the pack in purple sequins.
midlife, and early images from the
set reveal just how Carrie’s style has The designers who have lent outfits
evolved in the 20 years that have to be worn on the show so far span
passed. from established houses (Dior, Caro-
lina Herrera and Dries Van Noten) to
She may be older and wiser, but up-and-coming brands, showing that
she’s still fashion crazy. The eclectic shopping from a wide range of places
mix of designer trophy items and vin-