06/29/2017 ISSUE 26

My Vero: Special quality of life
in Vero seems secure. P8
Vero diversity in step
at Pride dance party. P12

Matilde Sorensen is amazing
No. 104 nationally in home sales. P10

Ousted Moorings School District
tennis pro focusing trying to hide
on fishing company huge legal bills

BY RAY MCNULTY Ousted Moorings tennis pro Robert Kowalczyk with a fishing rod that takes advantage of tennis racquet technology. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD BY KATHLEEN SLOAN
Staff Writer Staff Writer
Winger bid to take lead in electric talks short-circuited
All Robert Kowalczyk would Vero Beach 32963 has paid
say about his sudden depar- BY LISA ZAHNER ens to wreck the best finan- shot down last week without a $450 fee, waited three weeks,
ture earlier this month from Staff Writer cial deal the city has ever ne- even a vote. and still hasn’t got a detailed
The Moorings, where he had gotiated to sell Vero electric, accounting of the legal fees
spent the previous three years With Vero headed toward a controversial plan put forth Turns out Winger’s proposal the School District has paid
as the club's tennis director, is a lawsuit with the Orlando by Councilman Dick Winger “to designate a member of outside law firms in its many
that he wasn't expecting it. Utilities Commission over a to haggle with Florida Power Council to be responsible as and mostly futile court battles.
contract dispute that threat- & Light for more money was the point person to negotiate
"I'm not allowed to get But School Board Member
into it," said Kowalczyk, who CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Laura Zorc has waited longer.
spent two years as the club's
head tennis pro before being And while we still don’t
promoted to the director's know how outrageous these
job in 2014. fees are, an internal memo
Zorc obtained shows the
In fact, when contacted last School District has paid out
week, neither he nor Moor- more than $2.6 million – per-
ings General Manager Craig haps much more – over the
Lopes offered any details as past five years.
to why Kowalczyk no longer
works at the barrier island “We (the School Board) are
club near the south end of the never given detailed spending,
county. only subtotals. To get detailed
spending it takes asking mul-
"We're a private club, so tiple times to the point it feels
I can't discuss what hap- confrontational,” Zorc said.
pened," Lopes said, adding
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Island racing legend
St. Paul’s Church Redman inducted into
is expected to be British Hall of Fame
ready by October
BY RAY MCNULTY
BY RAY MCNULTY Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Even at age 80, after a life-
Pastor Jon Robbins said time of driving competitively at
Monday he’s hoping to hold white-knuckle speeds, Moor-
the first public services in the ings resident Brian Redman
new St. Paul’s Church, current- still gets a thrill of getting be-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

June 29, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 26 Newsstand Price $1.00 Father’s Day Car
Show: Drive down
News 1-10 Faith 60 Pets 59 TO ADVERTISE CALL memory lane. P20
Arts 23-28 Games 41-43 Real Estate 63-72 772-559-4187
Books 38-39 Health 45-48 Style 49-51
Dining 52 Insight 29-44 Wine 53 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 34 People 11-22 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2017 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Moorings tennis pro which has been posted on the United Having grown up in Vero Beach, formula and began selling the new-age
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 States Professional Tennis Associa- where he was among the nation's top fishing rods at local tackle shops and
tion's website, and they continue to junior tennis players and often en- through a website and social media.
that the club is owned by its members. come in from around the country. joyed fishing in the Indian River La-
And Moorings President Catherine Ro- goon, Kowalczyk began exploring the He changed the business' name from
sato did not respond to a phone mes- He said several local teaching pros possibility of applying the latest racket "Hooked Rods" to "ManOwar Fishing"
sage left at her home last weekend. have applied and, although he has no technology to inshore rod design. in 2016 and, after teaming with Spen-
specific timetable, he plans to fill the cer Reilly – his Vero Isles neighbor and
However, a club source speaking on position later this summer. His goal was to find a blend of car- a local charter-boat captain – opened
the condition of anonymity said Kow- bon fibers braided to create a light- the fledgling company's first store in
alczyk was forced to resign but will As for Kowalczyk, who said he weight, more responsive and more Vero Beach last summer.
continue to be paid at least through worked "60 to 70 hours" per week at durable rod that he said "will revolu-
July. The source did not know the rea- The Moorings, he now plans to devote tionize the fishing industry." Kowalczyk, 36, said he's now in the
son the club pushed him out. his time and energies to his budding process of moving the full-service
fishing business – a venture he started Kowalczyk said he "spent a lot of fishing store from the northwestern
Lopes said the club already had re- four years ago, when he fused his live- money on technology" and, after a year corner of Miracle Mile (next to Siam
ceived many applications for the job, lihood with his lifelong hobby and pi- of experimenting with different fibers Orchid Thai & Sushi Restaurant) to a
oneered a rackets-to-rods technology. and manufacturers, he found the right 10,000-square-foot building at 2360
U.S. 1, just north of the Royal Palm
Boulevard intersection.

He said he now runs the entire sales
operation, which he hopes to ex-
pand to include reels, hooks, terminal
tackle, hats and apparel. Reilly, mean-
while, specializes in charter-boat
fishing outings on which he markets
ManOwar rods by making them avail-
able to guests.

Kowalczyk said he already has sold
"thousands of rods," and now that he's
no longer working at The Moorings, the
fishing business will be his full-time
job. He said "as of right now" he has no
plans to return to teaching tennis.

"I'm focusing on my fishing busi-
ness," said Kowalczyk, a 1999 Vero
Beach High School graduate who
went on to play tennis at the Univer-
sity of California after becoming the
only player to win the national boys'
18-and-under clay-court champion-
ship twice. "I think there's a good fu-
ture in this, and I'm going to give it my
best shot."

Lopes, for one, said he's rooting for
him to succeed.

"Robert is a good guy," Lopes said.
"I've known him a long time and I like
him." 

School District legal bills
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“I have to become forceful in my
persistence. As the eyes and ears of the
taxpayers, it should not be so difficult
to see detailed expenditures.”

When Zorc was finally given a copy
of an internal memo showing the
school district spent $2.6 million on
legal fees over the past five years, the
record was noticeably incomplete.

The memo, prepared by chief finan-
cial officer Carter Morrison for School
District Superintendent Mark Rendell,
raises troubling questions.

First, does the incomplete record
mean that the school district’s head
of finance is not keeping a careful
watch on legal expenses and is actu-
ally unaware of some expenditures, or
does it indicate an attempt to conceal

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 3

NEWS

from the School Board the total cost of paid to Gould Cooksey Fennell, whose that Nathaniel “should be given a pat years, but his notations are not com-
fighting with the charter schools, un- attorney Jason Odom represented Ren- on the back, not a pink slip,” for subdu- prehensive and fees could be higher.
justly fired employees and others? dell in a case stemming from the firing ing a violent student.
of Sebastian River High School teacher Chief Financial Officer Morrison’s
Second, if the school district does Joe Nathaniel. That money went for Issuing Certificates of Participation incomplete memo and the district’s
have a running tally of legal expenses, naught after Administrative Law Judge and Tax Anticipation Notes – needed $450 charge for access to public re-
why is it charging this newspaper $450, John G. Van Laningham ruled in Na- when the district failed to manage its cords that should be readily available
supposedly to compile a detailed ac- thaniel’s favor in a scathing opinion that budget to meet year-round expenses – seem to show that the district either
count of those expenses? Is the school trashed every aspect of the district’s jus- have been expensive too. According to is not keeping track of its expenses,
district making it hard for the press to tification for firing the teacher, stating Morrison’s memo, about $120,000 was or is trying to conceal them from the
get the information because it does not paid to bond counsel over the last five School Board and the public. 
want the public to know how much has
been wasted on losing legal battles?

Morrison’s memo lists nine law firms
that in combination charged the district
approximately $500,000 a year for the
past five years, but it provides very little
information about what the fees were
for – and it is certain the list is incom-
plete and legal fees are much higher.

Zorc noted Husch Blackwell was
not among the firms mentioned in the
memo, even though School District
Superintendent Mark Rendell hired

NEWS ANALYSIS

the firm more than a year ago to help NEW LISTING
the district get relief from a desegrega-
tion order first imposed in 1967 and Exclusively John’s Island
modified in 1994.
Newly renovated, this exceptional 4BR/5.5BA home is sited on a .38± acre
Last spring, before Zorc became a bulkhead lot along a quiet cove of John’s Island Sound. Enjoy brilliant sunsets
member, the School Board decided to and water views from your private boat dock with convenient access to the Indian
file in federal court seeking credit for River. Custom millwork graces this 5,074± GSF retreat designed by Harry Howle
improved equality in its schools, and Architects featuring a gourmet island kitchen adjoining the family room, European
Husch Blackwell’s legal fees were close white oak floors, elegant master suite, pool, and easy access to the south gate.
to $300,000 by last fall – even though 421 Sabal Palm Lane : $3,975,000
that was just the pretrial phase.
three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
According to Morrison’s memo, Brown health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
Garganese Weiss & D’Agresta were paid
the most over the past five years – fees 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
totaling nearly $1.8 million since 2012 –
but that tally also is incomplete.

Suzanne D’Agresta has been the
school board’s attorney for three years
and it appears her base fee is about
$320,000 a year.

But on top of that base fee are costs
for representing the School Board
in the case brought by the five dis-
trict charter schools, ongoing for two
years. The charters sought an equal
share of property tax revenue and Cir-
cuit Court Judge Paul Kanarek recent-
ly ruled in the charters’ favor.

That means the district will now
have to pay the charters at least $2.55
million in addition to what it paid
Brown Garganese Weiss & D’Agresta
to handle the case – fees that are not
detailed in the memo.

D’Agresta also represents the board in
another charter school case. Before Zorc
was elected, the board denied Somerset
Charter Academy permission to open
an elementary and middle school in
the district and Somerset sued in a case
that is now pending before the Fourth
District Court of Appeals in West Palm
Beach. Legal fees expended on that case
are missing from the memo, too.

The memo does show nearly $100,000

4 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Winger bid rebuffed Fortunately for taxpayers and rate- Despite not getting a vote, Winger’s 2014. Prior city councils have made
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 payers, the city’s legal team swiftly scheme did not go unanswered last the system more valuable,” Winger
ruled out Winger’s plan, pointing out week, with Mayor Laura Moss and Vice said, making it sound like Vero had
and keep Council informed and gain that a council designate would consti- Mayor Harry Howle both taking seri- greatly enhanced its aging electric sys-
Council approval,” would have vio- tute a “board of one” which would be ous issue over what they viewed as an tem.
lated Florida’s open meeting or “Sun- subject to Florida’s Sunshine laws the effort to derail the sale totally.
shine” laws, raising questions about same as the City Council or any ap- In fact, while Vero minimized risk
where and from whom Winger gets his pointed board or commission. “I wonder if Mrs. (City Clerk Tammy) and future capital costs by shutter-
half-baked legal advice. Bursick could perhaps create a whole ing the Big Blue dinosaur on the river,
The idea is that an elected or ap- other agenda and then we’ll have the the balance of the millions spent in
Whoever advised him about his ill- pointed body covered by the open City Council agenda and then we’ll recent years was basic maintenance
fated proposal is either ignorant of meeting law cannot appoint one per- have Dick Winger’s hidden agenda of transmission and distribution in-
the law, or knows the law and wants son for the purposes of circumventing separate, so when he wants to do more frastructure – work that had been de-
to bog the sale down in lengthy and such law in order to govern in private. If things to delay and deflect and deny layed while the 2011 sale attempt lan-
expensive negotiations – or possibly a Winger’s idea was approved, negotiat- and stop and slow down the process, guished.
Sunshine law violation investigation. ing sessions would have to be formally we can put it on Dick Winger’s hidden
Either possibility is worrisome. and publicly announced, held in public agenda,” Howle said. Despite its shoddy legal premise and
with the public permitted to attend. utter failure to gain traction, Winger’s
Howle read from the legal opinion proposal dredged up the controversy
provided by the Carlton Fields law over his source of legal counsel.
firm, which represents Vero in the FPL
sale. “It would be much more time- The points in Winger’s memo la-
consuming and costly for the city ne- beled 3a through 3j under the heading
gotiations to be held in a public forum; “Authority to Negotiate” appear to be
it would also alter negotiating dynam- drafted by an attorney, then manually
ics,” Howle said, turning to Winger. copied and pasted into Winger’s docu-
“But you knew that already. ment. In fact, Winger did not even
bother to change the font on the past-
“These talking points really make ed passages from Times New Roman
me wonder why it is you’re asking for 12-point type to Arial 10.5-point type
this, aside from the fact that you want to match the body of his memo.
to slow things down, and I think I have
a reason,” Howle said. “Beneath all of When questioned in the past, Wing-
your rhetoric, you really don’t want er has acknowledged that he seeks
the full sale. You want to do everything outside legal advice on tricky city ma-
you can to slow it down or stop it.” neuvers, and has admitted consulting
with retired attorney George Christo-
City Manager Jim O’Connor has pher on electric matters.
been working directly with transac-
tional attorney Nat Doliner of Carl- He referred to Christopher – a long-
ton Fields and FPL’s attorneys on the time Riomar resident, controversial
sale. Moss has served as the council’s figure in local politics, and one of the
unofficial, behind-the-scenes liaison founders of the Indian River Neigh-
with FPL and the FMPA co-op since borhood Association – as a “brilliant
she was elected in November. Her role attorney.”
has provoked praise from supporters
of the sale and anger from critics com- In last fall’s election, the IRNA’s po-
plaining about lack of transparency litical action committee supported
and Moss’ efforts to “gag” the council candidates who opposed the three sit-
regarding what she describes as deli- ting council members now pushing to
cate negotiations. get Vero out of the electric business.
The IRNA also funded a special elec-
Vero’s lawyers have cautioned city tions advertising mailer disguised as a
officials that everything they say about news publication, resulting in at least
the sale, and the $50 million exit pen- one complaint being filed with the
alty contract dispute with Orlando Florida Department of State alleging
Utilities Commission, can be used elections law and campaign finance
against them in court. violations.

Nevertheless, Winger asked that the Moss is no friend of the IRNA. To
council designate one council mem- illustrate Winger’s allegiance to anti-
ber to negotiate the deal, calling the sale factions, Moss during the June 20
$185 million offer on the table “a good meeting played a video clip of Winger
starting point” and wielding old fear reading a letter on the dais during an
tactics over losing critical city services Aug. 18, 2015, council meeting, and
after the Vero electric cash cow is gone. then read portions of a Vero Beach
32963 investigation revealing that
“What I see is a process of accept- Christopher had written and emailed
ing a letter of intent without trying to talking points to Winger and that
get the money that our ratepayers, our Winger read Christopher’s words as
voters and our taxpayers are entitled his own during a public meeting. At
to,” Winger said at the June 20 council the time, then Councilwoman Pilar
meeting, adding that he feels he’s been Turner, seated next to Winger, saw the
kept in the dark since mid-May on email printout showing Christopher
what’s going on behind closed doors as the author.
with FPL and the city’s lawyers.
“It is a matter of public record, as
“We must negotiate a higher sales you just saw, that Mr. Winger speaks
price based upon the greater value of for special interests, not for the com-
the utility as compared to 2012 and munity. It is a matter of public record











10 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Matilde Sorensen amazing No.104 nationally in 2016 sales

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS list, an astonishing accomplishment Sorensen, who works out of her com- port staff,” and the level of service she
Staff Writer in such a tiny market. pany’s office on Cardinal Drive with provides to her clients.
a team that includes an executive as-
The exceptional nature of Vero’s is- Sorensen was No. 13 in Florida in sistant, a marketing director and a li- “I am very careful and caring when
land real estate market was highlight- sales and all of the agents who sold censed showing agent, says her success I am working with someone. Even if I
ed once again last week when island more came from much larger markets in 2016 came mainly in riverfront and know they are going to buy something,
broker Matilde Sorensen just missed – 10 from the Miami/Fort Lauderdale oceanfront home sales, typically the I don’t just want to make a sale. I want
being named one of the top 100 real area, one from Tampa/St. Petersburg highest-price properties on the island. to find them the exact right place. Selling
estate agents in the United States, with and one from Naples/Marco Island. real estate for me is a very personal ser-
$105,230,196 in sales in 2016. She says the success is due in large vice, because it is a very emotional thing.
Two of those markets have millions part “to discipline, a sense of humor It isn’t just buying or selling a house, it is
As it was, she came in at No. 104 in of people and even Naples/Marco has and a passion for real estate.” people’s lives and memories, and it is
sales volume on the Real Trends 1000 double the population of Vero’s barrier important to always remember that.”
island. She also cites her “exceptional sup-
That attitude and the encyclopedic
knowledge of island real estate she has
built up in more than three decades as
a Vero Beach agent and broker have
gained Matilde Sorensen a dedicated
clientele.

John Rutenis, formerly the president
of May Design and Construction, where
he designed 380 Macy’s stores and shop-
ping centers, and his wife Vida have
done 10 transactions with Sorensen.

“We met her when she sold our
condo in Sea Oaks 25 years ago and we
have always gone back to her,” Rutenis
says. “She is truly a professional who
doesn’t try to oversell and who is very
knowledgeable about her business.”

Sorensen handled 54 transactions
sides during the year, including 33 list-
ings and 21 sales, and estimates that
96 percent of those deals were on the
island. The bulk of her sales volume –
87 percent, amounting to $91,750,000
– came from transactions involving
properties worth $1 million or more.

Sales included the highest-price
property that changed hands during
the year, a 1.7-acre oceanfront estate at
2310 Ocean Dr. in Old Riomar, and the
three highest-price properties that sold
in Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club.

“She is a dealmaker,” says Sorensen’s
son, Dale Sorensen Jr., who manages
the family business, which was found-
ed on the island 40 years ago by Matil-
de and her husband Dale Sorensen Sr.

In the years since then Dale Sorensen
Real Estate has grown dramatically
and become the dominant brokerage
in Indian River County, with sales of
$652,605,000 in 2016, up from $617 mil-
lion in 2015.

Real Trends ranked the company
No. 404 in the country in sales volume
last year.

“I'm not sure any of us ever thought
that we would have national impact
from where my parents started and
where we have gone from the 1980s,
’90s and 2000s,” Dale Sorensen Jr. says.
“It was a truly historical year, consider-
ing that our county is not only small in
comparison to other markets but also
undervalued compared to the larger
markets.” 

UNITY, DIVERSITY IN STEP AT
VERO PRIDE DANCE PARTY

12 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

1 PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 2

VERO PRIDE CAPTIONS

1. Stephanie Hocke, Shelley Adelle and Katie
Gastley. 2. Chloe Cappelen, Harlequin Gerry,
Elizabeth Hollars and Zachery Groth. 3. Kathryn
Nevets. 4. Fiona Zimmerman, Louise Kennedy,
Phil Lavoie and Ivor Zimmerman 5. Tiffany
DeBruyn and Tessa Rey. 6. Jim Freitas. 7. Maria
Jimena Fernandez and Rachel Riley.

PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

4

35 6 7

Unity, diversity in step at Vero Pride dance party

BY MARY SCHENKEL ify these rights while building com- end even after the entertainment and “To all the people who say, ‘Wow,
Staff Writer mon ground and community.” They dancing, as many made their way you’re doing this in Vero?’ I have to
enlisted the support of event plan- over to Kilted Mermaid for an after- say, the response has been over-
Against the backdrop of increasing ner Karen Nemson and Indian River party. whelmingly supportive; we’ve had to
divisiveness in the world, Saturday Charter High School drama teacher turn away more than 100 people who
evening’s inaugural Vero Pride dance Michael Naffziger, and as sponsor- The group previously hosted events wanted tickets,” said Hocke. “It rep-
party at the Heritage Center was an ships poured in tickets quickly sold such as a March for Science on Earth resents a changing of the stigma.”
uplifting display of unity and diver- out. Day, and a Thank a Uniform grati-
sity. The all-inclusive sold-out crowd tude event at Walking Tree Brewery. “Part of the mission of A1A is to cre-
was a rainbow-hued demonstration Making a red-carpet entrance, ate events to bring people together
of the unconditional acceptance of guests had their pictures taken with “Because we had those successful who may or may not share the same
members of our local LGBTQ com- “Rocky Horror Picture Show” actors events, members of LGBTQ reached ideology,” Adelle explained. “Doing
munity. from the Charter High School, who out to see if we would be interested in events-based outreach is critical to
were also performing Sunday night hosting a Vero Pride event, because it create a space container for civic dis-
“This is going to openly acknowl- at the Majestic Theatre, and with the had never been done before in Vero course and conversation. The ulti-
edge the LGBTQ community here in evening’s flamboyant Key West drag Beach. We decided to host a dance mate point is to show progress and to
town and celebrate it,” said Stepha- performers, Jessica Deveraux & Com- party to pull people together in order show that everyone has a place here
nie Hocke, who hosted the event with pany. to cultivate an attitude of unity and in Vero Beach.”
Shelley Adelle and Katie Gastley. acceptance,” said Adelle. “We have
While Orlando’s DJ Kahn cranked a large LGBTQ community in Vero “The real headline is that despite
They are co-founders of A1A up the music inside, other guests Beach that are present but mostly what the majority might think in this
(Amendment One Activists), which made their way to the open bar on invisible. A1A felt like it was our re- community, there’s a large contrib-
through outreach events seeks “to the outdoor patio where Paella King sponsibility to bring supportive vis- uting and supportive presence for
create opportunities for citizens of Chefs whipped up aromatic paella in ibility to this marginalized portion of the LGBTQ community here in Vero
all stripes to come together and ed- three enormous pans. The fun didn’t our community.” Beach,” added Hocke. 



14 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 8 9 10

11 12 13

14 15 19

16 17 18 20

VERO PRIDE CAPTIONS 22

8. Gina Karshner and Debbi Arseneaux. 9. Justin
Barnett with his Justin Salon staff. 10. Karen
Nemson and Michael Naffziger. 11. Katie O’Dare.
12. Maria Sommers and Andrew Currie. 13. Kevin
Bolivar, Richard Giessert and John Forester.
14. Lena Cano, Dee Shaw and Chrissy Piatkowski.
15. Tom and Cara Fischer with Maria and Rick
Springer. 16. Entertainers Jessica Deveraux and
Kathryn Nevets. 17. Tom Fletcher, Tracy Golden
and Ryan Duncan. 18. Lindsay Primorac and Katie
Havriliak. 19. Durgaya Palmieri and Julia Huxtable.
20. Barry Waldrop and James Barbatelli. 21.
Darren Mossman, Sara Maria Molledo, Kristy
Tankersley, Satimayee Jaya and Dhumavati Jaya.

21 22. Lisa and Han Miao.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 15

PEOPLE

Vero’s amateur radio buffs ham it up for Field Day

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF wide have provided emergency as- ham radio. The club works under Corps during the Korean War, said
sistance support since the start of the Emergency Operations Center he was hooked at a young age. “My
Staff Writer the 20th century. The Vero Beach (EOC) to keep communication open dad was stationed in Alaska and re-
Amateur Radio Club was formed in between shelters and the EOC. layed messages to Korea. I remem-
The airwaves were abuzz with 1961, initially working with the Of- ber him talking to a guy in Russia
chatter last Saturday afternoon as fice of Civil Defense. They continue The local club assisted during using code and being amazed.”
members of the Vero Beach Amateur to offer support during crisis situ- Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and
Radio Club hosted their 2017 Field ations to the Emergency Manage- Wilma, and during Hurricane Mat- Earlier this year the VBARC
Day at the Del Mar Condominium ment Division of Indian River Coun- thew in 2016 supplied operators was awarded the designation as
Clubhouse, the culminating event ty and the American Red Cross. at 15 Indian River County shelters an American Radio Relay League
in celebration of national Amateur from the time they opened until the (ARRL) Special Services Club, rec-
Radio Week. When phones and cellphone tow- all clear was given. ognizing their high level of commu-
ers go down during storms, often nity support, training, demonstra-
After fueling up with a cookout, the only way to communicate is by Club President Eric Larabell, tions and technical projects.
more than 30 of the club’s 75 mem- whose father was in the Army Signal
bers took shifts “on the air” from A particularly active club, they
2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday. conduct many activities to keep
They were reaching out to more their skills fresh and interest peaked,
than 40,000 amateur radio opera- holding weekly get-togethers and
tors in all 50 U.S. states during the monthly outings. They conduct a
24-hour period, with a goal of mak- digital university to keep current on
ing as many contacts as possible. new technology and, as a service to
the community, its members pro-
“It’s a yearly activity through vide checkpoint communication
our parent organization, the ARRL during local 5K runs and walks.
(American Radio Relay League).
We try to get in contact with all 50 “This is not your grandfather’s
states. We only missed it by one ham radio,” said Bartoszewicz with
last year,” said Paul Bartoszewicz, a laugh. “It’s a hobby that we’re able
VBARC public information officer. to use to help others.”

The event also gives the “ham- The VBARC meets monthly every
mers” a chance to hone their skills. second Thursday at the Indian River
Using generators, operators dem- County Emergency Operations Cen-
onstrated digital, satellite and ter at 4225 43rd Ave. For more infor-
voice communications using emer- mation visit W4OT.com. 
gency stations set up much as they
would during emergency situations. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Guests were welcome to observe the
action, talk with the operators and
learn how to get the required FCC
radio license.

“We don’t plug into power; we use
generators. Hurricane season is here
and this gives us a chance to set up
our equipment, make sure it’s work-
ing properly and just have fun for 24
hours,” Bartoszewicz explained.

Amateur radio operators nation-

16 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Greg Nilsen, Dave Pascale and Gary Webster. Vero Beach Vice Mayor Harry Howle and Paul Bartoszewicz.
Dwight Baker, Jerry Lineback and Wayne Ledder.

Bob Torell and Eric Larabell. Billy Woody and Patty Davis.

Dr. George Mitchell and Jim Davis.

Rick Wykoff.

Gary Eastman assembles a hex beam antenna. Duane Duncan sends Morse code.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 17

PEOPLE

Bearing gifts, Little Birthday Angels spread joy to kids

lighting their first party candle, Hi- themes, including such past favorites
biscus volunteers had occasionally as Minions, the Olympics, pirates, Dr.
brought cakes and staff would set Seuss and ice cream.
aside extra donated Christmas gifts,
but they were generic in nature and “I have worked here for about 10
ran out long before the birthdays did. years and we have never had the hap-
piness that the Little Birthday Angels
“Birthdays are especially humiliat- spread. They average about 40 birth-
ing for the children here. They don’t days for us throughout the year and
have anything,” said volunteer coor- it makes a difference in the lives of
dinator Donna Clements, who was these children,” Clements shared.
at the front desk when the Pietsch
crew first visited almost three years Staff was so moved by what Little
ago. “They just have to take whatever Birthday Angels has done for the
comes in for donations. So for the Lit- children in their care that Hibiscus
tle Birthday Angels to get these kids named the nonprofit their 2016 Com-
what they want, that’s a big deal.” munity Organization Volunteer of
the Year.
Pietsch reached out to her home-
school association that first year us- Since that first year, the nonprofit
ing an email loop; each month send- has added others to their birthday
ing out a list of the children’s wishes. party calendar – the Hope for Fami-
Somehow they were able to obtain all lies Center, The Samaritan Center for
the gifts they needed, plus wrapping Homeless Families and SafeSpace,
paper, decorations and party sup- which provides shelter to battered
plies. women and their children.

With the help of about 50 volun- To date, the Little Birthday Angels
teers, the Angels bring all the es- have celebrated roughly 270 birth-
sentials for a festive party. Pietsch’s days, many of them for children who
mother is in charge of decorating and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Angel Pietsch with son Seth.

PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

Most people relish the one special Birthday Angels. The trio got the idea
day each year when they are the cen- after stopping by the Hibiscus Chil-
ter of attention, celebrated by family dren’s Village in Vero Beach one day
and friends with cake, presents and to donate a used game.
cards. And with today’s social media,
greetings, animated balloons and “I don’t know why, but I asked what
face-to-face messages now pour in they did for birthdays; it was some-
from well-wishers near and far. thing I had never thought of before.
The volunteer coordinator said that
But for those who have little to unfortunately, they didn’t have the
celebrate, such as the abused, ne- means to provide gifts for the chil-
glected and abandoned youth cared dren,” recalled Pietsch.
for by Hibiscus Children’s Center or
the children living in homeless shel- Prior to the Little Birthday Angels
ters whose families are just eking by,
birthdays slip past without any fan-
fare.

Enter Angel Pietsch, who with
sons Hunter and Seth founded Little

18 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 PEOPLE

had never previously received gifts or all the shelter’s children are invited to “The gifts may not be remembered operates on a $60,000 annual budget.
a birthday party or a cake with their eat cake, play games and take home a down the road but the fact that some- “My biggest fear is that we won’t be
name on it. Most had never even at- goody bag, something most Ameri- one tried to make their day special is able to bring the kids things they ask
tended a party for someone else, so can children take for granted. a big deal for them,” shared Pietsch. for.”
“For us, it’s about making them feel
honored and special.” Pietsch said a grandmother of chil-
dren living at SafeSpace thanked her
“I thought what they were doing for making her grandchild’s birthday
was absolutely and totally phenom- extra special. The grandmother said
enal, so I contacted Angel and I had that although the child is now only 3
her come to one of our staff meetings years old and may not remember it in
to talk about the Birthday Angels and the years to come, she certainly will.
how they got started,” recalled Renee
Bireley, program administrator at Another grandmother from Hope
the Samaritan Center. “This is some- for Families shared how nice it was
thing we wouldn’t be able to provide for her granddaughters to receive
for the children here. Sadly, many of something for their birthdays. New-
our kids may have never had a spe- ly living at the homeless shelter has
cial birthday party nor been able to been a traumatic event in their young
attend one because of their family fi- lives, and she appreciated that Little
nancial situation. It is such a gift that Birthday Angels had not only made
they provide.” their lives brighter but had taken the
time and effort to make the children
Pietsch said the community has feel special.
been very supportive. Students at
Indian River Academy and Imagine According to the 2016 Council on
held dime challenges to fill water Homelessness Department of Children
bottles with coins; the Oslo Middle and Families Annual Report, the Indi-
School National Honor Society host- an River County School District report-
ed a carnival and donated the pro- ed 366 homeless students in 2014-15.
ceeds; professional bakers donate
cakes; and children make cupcakes Pietsch hopes to eventually set up
with their mothers and bring them in a program where teachers and prin-
for the parties. cipals can give a “party in a bag” to
homeless children not living in a fa-
Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Com- cility that they can take with them
pany provides every birthday child to wherever they reside, and give
with a Bible devotional, others do- younger ones cupcakes so they can
nate stuffed animals and children celebrate with their classmates.
get an outfit donated by Kid’s Closet
Charities, Lily Pad and Casp Baby. In addition to donations for gift
purchases, the Angels need volun-
“Ours is not a big budget,” ex- teers and professional assistance
plained Pietsch of the volunteer- from a graphic designer, accountant
based nonprofit, which uses donated and lawyer.
space to store toys and supplies and
For more information visit Little-
BirthdayAngels.org. 



20 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Drive down memory lane at Father’s Day Car Show

Kelly Machado, Chris Lantz, Moe Machado, and Wes Lantz. Calvin Bethel II with son Calvin III. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF money for our veterans here in the
Staff Writer county,” said Craig Waskow, event
organizer and a past Vero Beach
Chevelles and Fairlanes and Elks Exalted Ruler. “Father’s Day is
Studebakers, oh my! Dads of all ages a guy’s day; fathers get to pick what
took a walk down memory lane at they want to do. It’s something
the seventh annual Father’s Day Car grandfathers can do with their sons
Show hosted last Sunday by the Vero and grandchildren.”
Beach Elks Lodge #1774.
More than 100 classic, antique and
“We figured it would be a fun collectible cars rolled in from all
way to get lodge attention and raise over the Treasure Coast, displaying

Geno DiPol. Carl and Kathy Casey.

Lynn and Joe Schlusberg with Roscoe. son and three grandchildren, Cindy
Rednouer explained that the car
everything from a 1927 Ford Speed- show is a Father’s Day tradition for
ster and a National Champion drag their family. Husband Chuck and
race car, to a 1966 Corvette Stingray son J. have attended car shows since
sitting alongside a 2013 Chevy Cor- J. was a little boy and they are now
vette. enjoying sharing the tradition with
J.’s children.
After taking a turn around the lot,
car enthusiasts tried their chance at “It’s what we drove when we were
raffle prizes, cooled off inside while teenagers. These cars take you
enjoying hotdogs, hamburgers and back,” shared Chuck, pointing out
pulled pork, and stopped at the ice his favorite car, a 1940 Ford. Son J.
cream truck for a frozen treat. disagreed, saying with a smile, “The
1967 Camaro is the best car there.”
Strolling about with her husband,
While each might have a different
favorite car, they were in agreement
that the car show was the only place
they want to be on this particular
day.

Neill Barr, a member of the Indi-
an River Region Automobile Club of
America, showed off his 1957 Nash
Metropolitan. Although he has only
had this car for three years, Barr said
this was his 33rd car show, adding,
“This is a great venue and an even
greater bunch of guys.”

Proceeds from the event help sup-
port the Elks Lodge Veterans Com-
mittee and the Vietnam Veterans of
Indian River County. “Everything
stays here in the county for veterans’
assistance,” said Waskow. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 21

PEOPLE

Jamie Baston and Carmen Wagner. Dan Rowlands with son Dustin. Kimberly and Mike Carrano.

Wayne Cooper.
Brandon Gordon and Mary Katherine Shiflett.

Candy and Joe Carrano.
Robert and Brenda Beasley.



MUSEUM’S GUNDERSON
EXHIBIT GOES ‘ABOVE’
AND BEYOND

24 Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Museum’s Gunderson exhibit goes ‘Above’ and beyond

BY ELLEN FISCHER limbs of their own volition. Gunderson of stuff. that contains shelving units full of an
Columnist has to do that for them before he snaps Just ask his wife of 13 years, Astrid de
the picture. estimated 10,000 toys, all neatly sorted
Parry.
She says that before she married into bins by color. He calls his bins the

An exhibition currently on display “This one right here is from Mon- Gunderson, she lived in a spartanly “palette” from which he selects the
furnished house with a four-car garage.
at the Vero Beach Museum of Art is to sters Inc.,” says Gunderson, as he The latter housed but one car – and hues he wants to predominate in any
“had a floor you could eat off.”
summer museum shows what the 700- points out a one-eyed green creature, given photo set-up.
Smiling, she says, “And now, I have
page novel is to the beach: It will keep 10 copies of which were used in one of just enough room to park my car.” Gunderson began his art career

you occupied when nothing much else the compositions. Gunderson’s collections include as a ceramic artist with an M.F.A.

is going on, and despite its size (50 color- “I can’t remember what his name is. vintage toys, Ameri- from the University of Wisconsin. An
can Indian handi-
ful art works), you can get through it in He’s a good guy. He’s kind of an alien.” crafts, folk art and early influence on Gunderson’s work
contemporary ce-
a flash. This Holmes Gallery pot-boiler There are also lots of superheroes, in- ramic art. was Clayton George Bailey, aka “Dr.

packs enough sizzle, And that’s just the George Gladstone,”
stuff he keeps at home.
pow and “gee whiz!” to a California Funk
A professor of art at Stet-
make you feel your va- son University in Deland for ceramist who first
more than 35 years, Gunderson
cation downtime was Assemblance. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD has a private studio on campus gained notice for his
well spent.
offbeat sculptures

“A View from and performance

Above: Dan Gunder- art in the late 1960s,

son” is a color photog- alongside the likes of

raphy show featuring Funk founding art-

kaleidoscopic still- ists Robert Arneson,

life arrangements William T. Wiley and

that visually pop from David Gilhooly.

their square black Gunderson landed

backgrounds. Seen a job in the art de-

from a distance, the partment at Stetson

compositions suggest just two years out of

fiery blooms on the graduate school, in

Fourth of July, a Ferris 1976. He has been

wheel’s spokes twin- there ever since,

kling at night, or a teaching classes in

cathedral’s illumined ceramics, drawing

rose window. and sculpture. As

Upon closer exami- the director of Stet-

nation, those orga- son’s Hand Art Cen-

nized dots and dashes ter from 1991 to 2012,

of glowing color re- he exercised his tal-

solve into gaudy toys ent for collecting by

that the artist pains- building a fine col-

takingly arranged for lection of contempo-

each photograph. It rary ceramics for the

requires up to a dozen museum.

or more individual As an artist,

Minions, Pinocchios, Gunderson has

Shreks, Baloos and evolved over the de-

Simbas – among other cades from making

familiar toys – to com- pedestal-dis-

pose one photo. played ce-

If you are old enough ramic

to remember the June

Taylor Dancers on the

Jackie Gleason variety

show (we are talking

the 1960s here), you

will remember the ka-

leidoscopic patterns,

videotaped from above, of the dancers cluding Captain America, Batman and

lying on the floor in a circle and moving Robin, Spiderman and The Hulk. To

their heads, arms and legs to create dif- fill in the gaps between the toys in his

ferent patterns. I was wowed by them compositions, Gunderson has recently

as a kid. And we only had a black-and- taken to using other novelty items – fake

white set. spiders, cockroaches, rats ¬– recreating

That’s the same principle behind art- them via the miracle of #D printing in

ist Dan Gunderson’s work. Of course, the quantities and sizes he needs for the

the toys he arranges in concentric composition at hand.

circles on a tabletop and photographs As you may have guessed by now,

from above can’t move their jointed Dan Gunderson is an avid collector

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 25

ARTS & THEATRE

Iconic fiddler Anger is fluent
in the language of music

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF tionally-recognized musicians teach-
Staff Writer ing and performing at Vero’s upcom-
ing Mike Block String Camp.
Music is a conversation that tran-
scends all languages, according to As Anger puts it, “Music is a story
Darol Anger, legendary fiddler, com- told in a language that doesn’t in-
poser, producer and educator – and volve words, although there might be
one of the best-known of a dozen na- words riding on top of the music.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

SIT. STAY. SAVE!

JULY 1ST • ONE DAY ONLY!

A collection of Dan Gunderson Images. JOIN US FOR OUR 17TH ANNUAL

sculptures, to installation artworks, to the objects,” de Parry declares. Biscuit Sale
his current series of color photos. “So Dan started to think, ‘Maybe I
Select a biscuit from our cookie jar
In the mid-1980s he created a series don’t need to do that. Maybe I can just and receive a surprise discount from
of sphere sculptures; simple orbs of assemble and reassemble and reas- 10-50% off your entire purchase!
hollow clay that Gunderson painted semble, and never use the toys up.’”
with glazes to suggest complex ar- THEL AUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM 2910 CARDINAL DR.
chitectural perspectives that negated And with that, Gunderson “kind of VERO BEACH, FL
the sphere’s round surfaces. fell into” arranging intact toys to be 7 72 . 2 3 4 . 6711
photographed and shown as prints,
Since that time, having enough of says de Parry.
the right elements on hand has been
key to Gunderson’s creativity. Gunderson agrees that his catch-
and-release technique “just came nat-
Around the turn of the millennium ural.”
he collected brooms. “And until you
get enough of them, you can’t really “Once I got enough of the toys I
do something with them.” started lining them up. I liked the rep-
etition, the toys lined up like rhythms
In 2004 Gunderson knew he had in music,” he says.
collected enough brooms to create a
sculpture from a section of downed You might ask yourself, why use
telephone pole. He drilled 365 even- toys? Why not arrange seashells or ci-
ly spaced holes into the pole for the cadas or steak knives into rhythmic
placement of as many red, green, blue compositions?
and yellow broom handles (sans the
bristled ends). The telephone pole, For Gunderson, it’s been “a very in-
which is held off the floor in a hori- teresting thing” to take someone else’s
zontal position by the leggy broom- creativity (those artists who originally
sticks, “looks like a wooly worm,” designed the characters the toys de-
Gunderson says. pict) and use them as a starting point
for his own art. Because most people
Gunderson next found that he had will already have a relationship with
collected enough injection-molded the cartoon figures he employs, they
happy-meal type toys (from flea mar- will be able to connect with an idea
kets, yard sales and resale shops) to that Gunderson has taken into the ab-
begin forming sculptures with them. stract realm.
He would drill and then skewer toys
onto metal rods, like beads on an “It’s a lot like a mandala, too,” he
abacus, before assembling the rods says.
into 10-foot-high stick figures or
house shapes. “A mandala does the same kind of
thing: When you are drawn into it into
According to his wife, this series it, you can lose yourself – your physical
took an emotional toll on Gunderson. self” in his photographs.

“It just broke his heart to destroy And that’s why “Dan Gunderson: A
View from Above” is just like that page-
turner you simply can’t put down. 

26 Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 ARTS & THEATRE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Britanny Haas.

Mike Block String Camp Students.

PHOTOS: MIKE BLOCK

Zach Brock.

Anger, an icon in the fiddle world, International Music Festival, the per- concerts given by the faculty and stu- Natalie Haas.
will be having “conversations” with formance dimension of the two-week dents. Both concerts, as well as the
his contemporaries in Vero Beach long Mike Block String Camp. Anger all-ages summer camp, take place at still play bluegrass. I didn’t grow up
next month during the Vero Beach will perform in the second of two free First Presbyterian Church. in New York City, but I could still play
jazz. I think a big part of what we are
Anger’s Republic of Strings and trying to do is expose people to all the
Turtle Island String Quartet are two different kinds of music that they can
of the best-known groups of the folk/ find themselves in.”
Americana genre. Anger has played
with contemporary bluegrass and “These camps aren’t new,” says An-
legendary folk musicians David Gris- ger. “Musicians have been getting to-
man, Bill Frisell, Bela Fleck and Edgar gether to jam for generations. It’s like
Meyer, among others. a big semi-functional family. And the
caliber of musicians, both profession-
Since 2010, the Mike Block String als, and students is beyond belief.”
Camp has evolved into an incuba-
tor teeming with talent and creativ- That is not an exaggeration, past
ity with a focus on the cultivation of audiences will attest. “You need to
music collaboration. An impressive play with people who are very inter-
lineup of world-class musicians from ested in what you have to say and will
around the country gathers in Vero say something extremely interesting
Beach each summer to work with stu- back to you,” says Anger. “This con-
dents during two weeks of intensive stant flow of ideas sparks thoughts
improvisational string playing and because you become more interesting
vocals. The staff jam sessions, a nat- if you’re with an interesting person.”
ural byproduct of the camp, evolved
into the annual Vero Beach Interna- America’s traditional music – more
tional Music Festival. than any other art of our culture – is
the one place this melting pot idea
If that sounds grand-scale, it is; works creating a miasma of cultural
Block, the camp’s creator, directs Yo- music, according to Anger. He first
yo Ma’s Silkroad Global Music Project. fell in love with music because of the

“We want people to make creative
decisions and find their own identity
in music,” says Block. “What we do at
camp is largely through collaboration
while drawing on existing musical
traditions of various kinds.

“At the end of it, we’re asking the stu-
dents to find their own creative voice.”

Block grew up playing classical
music and then discovered how much
fun it was to play music of all different
styles. “Even though I didn’t grow up
in the southern United States, I could

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 27

ARTS & THEATRE

Beatles and started playing guitar tivals. “For most musicians who trav- Coming Up: Not much going on?
when he was about 8 years old. One el to play a concert, it’s like you get Riverside says, ‘Come on down!’
day he saw a man playing violin in a fired every time you do a job. Then
restaurant and thought it looked like you get rehired at the next job,” says BY SAMANTHA BAITA
a lot more fun than the guitar. When Anger with a chuckle. Staff Writer
a friend gave a violin to his family,
Anger decided to give it a try. The festival includes five free pub- 1 Now that it’s officially summer,
lic performances at First Presbyte- can the doldrums be far behind?
At 14, Anger discovered much more rian and includes an award-winning
in the world of music. Living in the San lineup with champion fiddlers and Not to worry, though, because River-
Francisco Bay Area, he was exposed to musicians that have performed with
an exciting range of cultural events, greats like the late Jerry Garcia and side Theatre is continuing its very suc-
and while classical music was among Yo-Yo Ma.
the offerings, it was not to be his focus. cessful weekend Howl at the Moon,
“I was ruined from playing any kind The concerts all take place in First
of pure form by starting out with the Presbyterian’s music building, at 520 Comedy Zone and Live in the Loop Mike Block String Camp.
Beatles. They drew from everything.” Royal Palm Blvd., just off Indian River
Boulevard, south of the Barber Bridge. events. Next weekend, July 7-8, Ken Camp, will be presented at First Pres-
Anger attended college but dropped Suggested donations go toward the byterian Church, starting Wednes-
out to focus on his music. “It was right string camp scholarship fund. Gustafson and Rob Volpe will face off at day, July 5. According to the Festival
when bluegrass was big. I was very at- website, the Mike Block String Camp
tracted to the work of American vio-  July 5 at 7:30 p.m. Main Stage Riverside’s dueling pianos music par- invites world-class musicians from
linist Richard Greene and blues musi- Performances featuring Americana, around the country to Vero Beach to
cian Taj Mahal, all these people that Bluegrass, Brazilian, Celtic, Folk, ty, Howl at the Moon, an all-request, perform together in one-of-a-kind
were living in the area. I would go to Jazz, Pop, Rock and more with Mike collaborations. The Festival runs
concerts and hang out. I’d play these Block, Zach Brock, Hanneke Cassel, multi-genre, dueling piano, live enter- through July 14, and includes: an Art-
venues as opening acts.” Colin Cotter, Joe Craven, Brittany ist/Camp Faculty Concert Wednes-
Haas, Natalie Haas, Taylor Morris, tainment company that performs at day featuring folk, bluegrass, Celtic,
That’s the key for a budding musi- Lauren Rioux and Kai Welch. ($20 Americana, rock, jazz and more; a
cian, says Anger. “Go where the mu- suggested donation.) venues all over the country. Audiences Student Concert and Barn Dance
sicians are. If you’re living in Omaha, July 8, featuring the talented (mostly)
Nebraska, it will be difficult. You can  July 8 at 3 p.m. Student Concert are loving this no-set-agenda evening, young musicians of the Mike Block
always go back there and spread your & Barn Dance featuring participants String Camp; an Artist/Faculty Con-
music around. from the Mike Block String Camp. as they help pick the songs for a unique cert July 12; and faculty-led Advanced
($10 suggested donation). Student Band Concerts July 13 and
But you need to be in Nashville, experience every time. These guys 14. Donations of $10 for student con-
Boston or Austin. You need to go to  July 12 at 7:30 p.m. Main Stage certs and $20 for faculty concerts are
music camps. You don’t have to go to Performances featuring Americana, can do pretty much any tune you can appreciated and support the Mike
college to learn about music, but you Bluegrass, Brazilian, Celtic, Folk, Block String Camp Scholarship Fund.
do have to be where the people that Jazz, Pop, Rock, and more with Darol come up with. Miami-born Gustafson The camp is open to students all ages,
are studying music are. You need Anger, Mike Block, Hanneke Cassel, levels and stylistic backgrounds, who
that interaction.” Courtney Hartman, Greg Liszt, Kim- has been the company’s entertain- study under world-class musicians,
ber Ludiker and Joe Walsh. ($20 sug- learning traditions, developing im-
Anger has no shortage of work. gested donation). ment director, and, in addition to his
He’s an associate professor at Berk- CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
lee College of Music in Boston, the  July 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. Fea- prowess at the piano and on vocals, he
largest independent college of con- turing faculty-led advanced student
temporary music in the world. He bands. ($10 suggested donation). is also great on drum set, bass guitar,
also has his online fiddle school. And
he tours, especially in the summer To learn more about the performers, and acoustic and electric guitar. Enter-
when there are music camps and fes- visit VeroBeachInternationalMusic-
Festival.com.  tainer and event coordinator Volpe has

been playing Howl the Moon venues for

over four years, and is a regular at Jel-

lyrolls, one of the hottest nightspots in

the Orlando, at the Boardwalk Resort in

Walt Disney World. Howl at the Moon

show times are 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are $16-$22.

2 In its eighth year, the Vero
Beach International Music Fes-

tival, hosted by the Mike Block String

28 Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 ARTS & THEATRE

prov skills, and honing their craft for Janet Williams. – stand-up comedy. Since then, she’s at 7:30 p.m. Like the fruit salad of the
public performances. appeared in venues all over the state same name, the California rock band
years, had accumulated hundreds with her edgy, belly-laugh inducing Ambrosia, formed in 1970, blends dif-
of little scraps of paper with ideas routine. Tickets for Comedy Zone are ferent “shades, textures, colors and
scrawled on them. These turned out $16 and $18. Show times are 7:30 p.m. styles,” resulting in a style of music,
to be the start of a whole new career: and 9:30 p.m. according to Wikipedia, with a blues
After teaching criminal justice for 21
Amy Dingler. years, and following a difficult di- and R&B soul, as
vorce, she decided to go into comedy. well as “progres-
3 This Saturday, the Comedy Zone And she’s been in the biz for years The Copper Tones. sive, classical
headlines the Tennessee Tramp now. Her bawdy, audience-involved and world influ-
act is not for the faint-hearted. On ences.” Among
(aka Janet Williams) and Amy Din- the same bill, Amy Dingler is a for- their hits: “You’re
mer rodeo clown, bull fighter and the Only Wom-
gler. Williams is a middle-aged red- stunt person, who, according to the 4 There’s no charge to hang out an,” “The Biggest
Boca Black Box in Boca Raton, “de- and chill out at Riverside’s Live Part of Me” and
head from Naples, Florida, self-de- cided to try something a little riskier” “Holding on to
Yesterday.” Three
scribed “trailer trash, truck drivin,’ in the Loop. Just grab your lawn of the six current
band members
potty mouthed, unsophisticated di- chairs and enjoy the music. This Sat- are from the orig-
inal group. The
vorcee full of Southern sass!” In an urday it’s the Copper Tones, three band Firefall was
named by origi-
interview at a Chattanooga comedy guys and a girl from South Florida nal band member
Rick Roberts, af-
club, Comedy Catch, Williams said who play Roots music (American folk ter the Yosemite Firefall, a summer-
time tradition of dumping a cascade
she’d always made notes of things music), backing vocals with guitar, of flaming embers off Glacier Point in
California’s Yosemite National Park.
she thought were funny and, over the banjolele, upright bass, mandolin, Firefall has been performing for four
decades and is still going strong, ac-
drums, ukulele and dobro, creating, cumulating three Gold albums, two
Platinums and 11 top-of-the-chart
they say, “a favorable twist of soul, singles. Their biggest hits include
“You Are the Woman,” “Goodbye I
rock, Americana and more,” a style Love You,” “Cinderella” and “Just Re-
member I Love You.” Al Stewart is best
they have dubbed “Soulgrass.” Live known for his hit, the smooth and
slinky “Year of the Cat,” and scored
in the Loop outside concerts are free, platinum recognition for his album
of the same name and his follow-up
6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Happily, there are

always food and beverages available

‘Night of Romance with Ambrosia,
Firefall and Al Stewart.’

for purchase for these super summer album, Time Passages. According
happenings at Riverside. to Wikipedia, the Glasgow-born Brit
became known as part of the legend-
5 For a little nachtmusik of the ro- ary British Folk revival of the ’60s and
mantic kind on a summer’s eve- ’70s, merging folk-rock tunes with
stories of people and events from his-
ning, the King Center in Melbourne tory. After 40 years, he remains prom-
inent on the British music scene. 
offers “Night of Romance with Am-

brosia, Firefall and Al Stewart” Friday



30 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Interna- were ample data to support a cruise flexibility – something he’s worked to effect. I want people to see it and won-
tional’s five-star hotel brand, has an- venture. perfect over the course of 12 years. der how stunning it is on the inside.”
nounced plans to launch three small,
ultra-luxury ships with laid-back itin- One key statistic, he says, is that Fredrik Johansson, owner and execu- He thinks of the 623-foot vessels as
eraries and spacious, open-concept the cruise sector has expanded by an tive project director of Tillberg Design of hybrids between ultra-luxury small
design schemes that flip the tradition- average of 8.5 percent each year since Sweden, has designed quite a few ships. ships and yachts. If small cruisers carry
al cruise experience on its head. 1981. For all that rise in demand, there But the Ritz-Carlton project represents about 650 passengers, on average, and
have been few new ships on the ultra- the first time he’s designing a cruise a typical superyacht can hold a couple
The maiden vessel will pull out of premium spectrum. line’s maiden ship and creating design dozen, these are right in between, with
the shipyard late in 2019, with book- standards from scratch, “a ground- 298 passengers in 149 suites – compa-
ings opening next May – marking the This, combined with company-sup- breaking opportunity,” he says. “We’re rable only to Ponant’s 132-room ships.
first time that a hotel company hits plied data claiming that 400,000 Ritz- designing these ships to turn heads.”
the high seas. Carlton guests are cruisers, means Compared with Ponant, though,
there’s both a built-in customer base To that end, he drew inspiration Ritz-Carlton’s ships are about 200 feet
“You have to diversify your busi- and a solid marketing opportunity at from superyachts such as Azzam, longer, to accommodate enormous
ness,” Ritz-Carlton Chief Executive play. Eclipse, and Nauta – as well as Mase- staterooms and an abundance of
Hervé Humler told Bloomberg during rati cars – rather than from his com- dining options, amenities, and pub-
an exclusive preview. After successful So how will Humler compete with petitors. lic spaces – at least as many as what
expansions into branded residences established ultra-luxury players such you’d expect to find on a much-larger
and six-star resorts (which Ritz-Carl- as Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Silver- “We wanted a look that was very slen- 600-passenger ship. The end product
ton operates under its ultra-premium sea, and Regent Seven Seas? By build- der, long, and elegant,” said Johansson. will offer more choices, more places to
Reserve emblem), Humler says there ing the anti-cruise ship, he says – with “Most ships in port look the same – but hide away (both public and private),
an emphasis on space, privacy, and this won’t. I’m looking for the Maserati

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 31

THE SHIP’S DESIGN IS INSIGHT COVER STORY
A RADICAL DEPARTURE
FROM TRADITIONAL and the utmost flexibility in your day- small and intimate, perhaps seating Accommodations will be called
CRUISE SHIPS, INSIDE to-day schedule. only a couple of dozen passengers at suites, not staterooms, and all of them
AND OUT. SEEN HERE IN A a time, and all will be open around the will have verandas and above-aver-
RENDERING, ITS EXTERIOR Johansson is confident that these clock, without the assigned seats or age ceiling heights. Certain hallmarks
IS MEANT TO CAPTURE factors will put his ships in a class of prescribed dining times – or buffets – will be straight out the Ritz-Carlton
“THE MASERATI EFFECT,” their own. “We tried to design the ship so common in the cruise industry. design playbook. “It specifies all sorts
WHICH BEGS ONLOOKERS to be everything that a traditional, of details, from how big the writ-
TO SEE WHAT’S INSIDE. large cruise ship is not,” he said. “It’s a “Everything will be like a yacht expe- ing desks should be and how many
place where you go with no queues, no rience in that respect,” said Johansson. cushions should be on the beds,”
THE AS-YET-UNNAMED crowds, no disturbances – just a beau- “The service will appear from nowhere, said Johansson. Not all of them lend
RITZ-CARLTON YACHT IS tiful backdrop for beautiful people.” seamlessly, as opposed to traditional themselves to a cruise ship, though.
BEING PLANNED AS ONE show cooking that’s loud and noisy.” Double sinks? They’re a Ritz-Carlton
OF THREE SISTER SHIPS Due to fire and safety regulations, bathroom mandate – but they’d nev-
– THOUGH THE COLLEC- most cruise ships’ common spaces Other shared spaces will include a er been installed in a standard cruise
TION MAY EVENTUALLY stateroom before now.
EXPAND TO FIVE. A look at a rendering of the owners’ suite onboard Ritz-Carlton’s first ship.
Most small luxury ocean liners that
are subdivided and sectioned off, yacht-like marina platform, where glass are currently sailing – the Silversea
with walls dividing restaurants from doors open to a sweeping staircase that Muse, the Regent Explorer, Seabourn’s
bars and lounges and casinos. For the leads to a pool deck on the ship’s stern; Encore, Ponant’s Le Lyrial yacht, for
as-yet-unnamed Ritz-Carlton ships, it’ll be a place to have drinks and snacks instance – are being built as expedi-
Johansson is pioneering an open-con- or launch water toys such as kayaks tion ships or reconfigured to meet the
cept floor plan that will be “fluid and and paddleboards. There’ll also be a demand of a burgeoning adventure
transparent” and will “break down the massive, open-air penthouse space cruise sector. They’re largely head-
traditional boundaries between din- with a retractable roof and 270-degree ing to the polar regions of Antarctica
ing and drinking areas.” And no, there panoramic views of the sea: It’ll be an and Greenland and the Scandinavian
won’t be casinos. al fresco lounge by day and a nightclub fjords.
after sundown.
Dining and drinking venues will be So Ritz-Carlton saw an opening in
the market: small-ship cruising along
the Mediterranean, the Caribbean,
and New England. They’re classic des-
tinations that are popular with cruis-
ers – yet they’re almost exclusively ser-
viced by mega-ships that overwhelm
the regions’ biggest ports.

“I don’t want to stop in Marseilles –
it’s a huge commercial port. Instead I
can stop in St. Tropez,” he said, point-
ing to the type of small berths that his
ships will be able to slip into – and
that larger cruise ships cannot. “Com-
mercial boats cannot go to places like
Mykonos, to Portofino, to St. Barths,”
he added. But his are small enough to
manage it.

The first vessel will sail the Caribbe-

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

A rendering of the ship’s aft marina,
where guests can lie in the sun, order
drinks, or launch water toys.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 INSIGHT COVER STORY

The Marina Bar, a feature that will
appear throughout the Ritz-Carlton
Yacht Collection, is the type of space
you’d be hard pressed to find on other
cruise ships.

an, New England, and Europe starting Below, clockwise from left: 1. Verandahs in every room – including this Duplex Suite – mean you’ll be able to see the world’s
late 2019. In early 2021, a second ship prettiest ports from your own private balcony. 2. The sprawling owner’s suite will have wraparound panoramic windows and
will start sailing on similar routes. The a private plunge pool. 3. The all-suite ship will feature graciously sized staterooms with tall ceilings. 4. The “living room,” one
third ship, which comes online in early of many lounges and sitting areas that should lend the ships an intimate, high-design feel.
2022, will break from that pattern and
head toward the South Pacific. gling that they’ll have five restaurants booking pre- and post-hotel stays with from Marriott indicates that the yacht
for less than 300 people.” Ritz-Carltons in port cities. And more collection will have its own unique
Douglas Prothero, managing direc- than likely, Marriott Rewards will be loyalty program, the details of which
tor of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collec- From an industry perspective, a perk of sailing with the Ritz-Carlton are still being finalized. (Ritz-Carlton's
tion, says that the pace of the itiner- though, this will be the first time Yacht Collection. hotels have their own loyalty program,
aries is another differentiator: It’ll be guests can combine cruise and land too, but guests’ points are linked with
slower, with less time at sea and more vacations with a single operator, by Currently the official messaging their Marriott Rewards or Starwood
time to explore. “We’ll do four ports in Preferred Guest status.)
seven days, not seven ports in seven
days.” With each new destination, lo- According to Humler, though, “It
cal chefs, artists, dignitaries, and guest would be key to the success of the
lecturers will come aboard for a con- cruise line to extend the loyalty pro-
stantly rotating roster of talent and en- gram.” Doing so, he said, would help
tertainment options. the brand “understand what [guests]
like and what they want and cater an
Off-ship excursions will follow suit. experience.”
Although the partnerships have yet to
be cemented, onshore activities will Ritz-Carlton’s investment in the
likely be organized by the same high- yacht collection is undisclosed, and
end outfitters that luxury travelers much of it is financed by Oaktree Cap-
would call to organize a land vacation. ital, a global investment manager with
(Pricing will be announced at a later experience in the hospitality and mar-
date; itineraries will be “targeted at the itime sector. But there are indications –
1 percent of global travelers.”) based on Spanish shipyard reports that
match the first yacht’s description and
In many ways Ritz-Carlton is build- name Ritz-Carlton – that each vessel is
ing on existing trends rather than re- costing $200 million to build. And that
inventing the wheel – a majority of doesn’t include the cost of drawing top
luxury cruise companies, for instance,
are trending toward extending hours
in port and are bringing in guest lec-
turers from relevant destinations to
entertain their crowds.

But by enlisting unpaid consultants,
such as Valerie Wilson, whose name-
sake company is among the 30 largest
travel agencies in the U.S. and moves
more than $300 million in travel inven-
tory, they are ensuring that all the small
details will add up to something truly
unique. “Its suites will be larger than
anything its competitors can offer,”
said Wilson, “and it’s almost mind-bog-









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38 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

The plan was nothing if know, disingenuous – predic- Viet Cong alone, not the combined com- of his narrative. At times these individu-
not audacious. On Jan. 31, 1968, af- tions in earlier months that munist forces) totaled between 2,400 als evidently were able to recapitulate for
ter months of meticulous preparation, the war would soon be won. and 5,000, depending on which account him verbatim dialogue from half a cen-
North Vietnamese leaders launched a The heavy fighting inflamed one trusts. tury ago – either that, or Bowden has a
series of closely coordinated attacks American domestic opinion worryingly casual attitude toward the use
throughout South Vietnam, timed with Remains of two unidentified Ameri- of quotation marks. More broadly, the
the start of the Lunar New Year, or Tet and indirectly caused an cans killed during the 1968 Tet Offensive author’s minimalist approach to source
to the Vietnamese. Their aim: to deliver embattled President Lyndon are carried by a South Vietnamese honor citation makes it hard to know where he
a debilitating military blow to U.S. and Johnson to reject a further guard at Hue in 1974. The remains were gets a lot of his information. Many chap-
South Vietnamese forces and incite the increase in the U.S. troop to be flown to Thailand, where efforts ters have barely any endnotes.
southern populace to rise up and over- presence and to rule out would be made to identify the victims.
throw the Saigon-based government of (publicly at least) a run for As befitting a battle history of this kind,
Nguyen Van Thieu. For 2 1/2 years, large- A veteran journalist and the author the book has relatively little to say about
scale fighting had raged in Vietnam, and reelection. In May, peace of “Black Hawk Down,” a gripping ac- the broader political and military con-
Hanoi officials hoped in one bold cam- talks began in Paris. count of the brief and disastrous U.S. text in which the encounter in Hue oc-
paign to change the equation and secure military campaign in Somalia in 1993, curred. When Bowden does venture into
victory in the war. Small wonder that Tet Bowden opts here for the same narrative this terrain, he is not always sure-footed.
looms large in our col- approach that worked well in the earlier For him, as for many authors on the war,
The Tet Offensive did not succeed in lective understanding of book: a day-by-day, sometimes hour-by- a principal problem for the United States
this core objective: The general uprising the war or that it should hour, reconstruction of events. There is in Vietnam was that its leaders suppos-
did not occur, and the coordinated at- be the focus of Mark a potent immediacy to his narrative, an edly did not understand the environ-
tacks were beaten back by American and almost cinematic vividness, and the mo- ment they had entered, did not compre-
ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Bowden’s vivid and ab- mentum seldom flags, even over more hend the Vietnamese, did not appreciate
forces. But the endeavor nevertheless sorbing, if not entirely than 500 pages. Given especially the the nature of the task before them. He
represented a political victory for Ha- convincing, new book, “Hue 1968: A multiple armed forces involved in the approvingly quotes one American veter-
noi, as it called into question U.S. mili- Turning Point of the American War in battle and the sprawling cast of charac- an of the battle: “I do not think we really
tary leaders’ confident – and, as we now Vietnam.” Hue (pronounced Hway), ters, this is no small feat. understood much. … Our policy makers,
Vietnam’s cultural capital and its third- I do not think really had any grasp at all
largest city, was the setting for the most Not the least of the book’s virtues is on what was going to happen.”
ferocious battle during the offensive. Not its author’s staunch refusal to speak in
since the early days of the French strug- terms of heroes and villains, at least as far Color me skeptical. As Bowden’s own
gle against Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh, in as the fighters and their local command- evidence shows, senior U.S. officials
1946-47, had Vietnam seen this kind ers are concerned (the respective senior knew long before the Tet Offensive that
of urban warfare, as North Vietnam- civilian and military leaderships come the obstacles in the way of lasting suc-
ese army and Viet Cong troops went up in for harsher treatment, depicted as ar- cess in the war were formidable and
against American and ARVN units, often rogant and mostly out of touch). Both growing; many of them indeed knew it
block by block. sides, the author shows, were capable even before they initiated the air war and
By the time the battle ended, on Feb. of acts of courage and of ruthlessness; sent the first combat troops in early 1965.
25, the U.S./ARVN side had prevailed, neither had a monopoly on dedication Although largely ignorant of Vietnamese
but the city lay in ruins. Almost 6,000 or self-doubt. The Vietnamese, so often history and culture, they understood full
civilians had been killed in the fighting, cardboard figures in histories of the war, well that the odds were against them. 
not including several hundred South here emerge as flesh-and-blood players
Vietnamese civil servants who were exe- with their own hopes and ambitions and HUE 1968
cuted by communist soldiers. The Amer- fears – even if the ARVN mostly recedes A TURNING POINT OF THE
icans lost 250 Marines and soldiers, and from view as the story progresses. AMERICAN WAR IN VIETNAM
1,554 more were wounded. ARVN casu-
alties ran approximately twice as high. As he did in “Black Hawk Down,” BY MARK BOWDEN
Deaths incurred by what Bowden refers Bowden relies heavily on interviews to Atlantic. 610 pp. $30.
to as “The Front” (short for the National bring the events to life. The recollections Review by Fredrik Logevall, The Washington Post
Liberation Front, but confusing here in of Americans as well as Vietnamese form
that the NLF would typically refer to the a core part of his research and a core part

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 39

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, I suf- pothetical risks of vaccinating lion and 30 million of them may have re- the early 1960s, and the existing vaccines
fered through chicken pox and measles, children than about the risks ceived a dose contaminated by the SV40 for people bitten by infected animals
like millions of other American kids, and of leaving them unprotected. virus. Whether such exposure increased were dangerous or insufficient.
belonged to the first generation to receive It takes events such as the 2015 their likelihood of developing cancer re-
the brand-new polio vaccines in national measles outbreak among visi- mains uncertain. The Institute of Medi- At the time, government standards
campaigns. My parents had friends per- tors to Disneyland in California cine “concluded in 2002 that although on the ethics of human research were
manently paralyzed by polio; the mother or the recent emergence of the studies that followed vaccine recipients rudimentary to nonexistent. As Wad-
of a schoolmate gave birth to a baby who Zika virus – so dangerous to the over the decades provide no evidence of man describes, vaccines were tested in
was deaf, nearly blind and suffering a se- brain of a developing fetus – to increased cancer risk, these studies were circumstances shocking to a reader to-
vere intellectual disability from rubella remind us not to take our free- ‘sufficiently flawed’ that the question … day. Experimental vaccines were given
(“German measles”) contracted during dom from infectious diseases couldn’t be answered,” Wadman writes. to newborn or premature babies, to
pregnancy. for granted. prisoners, and to mentally or physically
Early vaccines against viral diseases disabled residents of institutions, often
Within a half-century, vaccines have In this meticulously re- were designed to stimulate the immune without the consent of patients or par-
made these and other once-common vi- searched history of the high- system by giving the recipient either a ents, and with minimal institutional over-
ral diseases so rare in the United States stakes race to develop effective dead or a weakened version of the virus sight. The first humans to receive a live
that doctors being trained today may vaccines against polio, rubella, they were meant to protect against. In polio vaccine, in 1950, were 20 intellectu-
never see cases of them, and some par- rabies and other viruses, sci- live-virus vaccines, choosing the right ally disabled children at Letchworth Vil-
ents worry more about the small or hy- ence writer and physician Mer- strength and strain of the virus was a lage, an institution in rural New York. Its
edith Wadman tells the story challenge. If it was too strong, the vac- director reportedly sought parental per-
of these near-miraculous cine might cause full-blown cases of the mission because, he said, “I realized we
medical achievements of the illness; if too weak, it might not produce would never get official permission from
post-World War II era. “The lasting immunity. Live-virus vaccines are the state.” Babies born to women impris-
Vaccine Race” also details the used today to protect against certain in- oned at Clinton State Farms in New Jersey
risks posed by some of the early fections, including measles, mumps, ru- were given an experimental polio vaccine
products – risks that arose, in bella and chicken pox. Newer vaccines over a five-year period in the late 1950s.
part, because to make the vac- against some other diseases are geneti- The prison’s popular female warden and
cines, researchers first had to cally engineered to contain only proteins medical director “were extremely helpful
invent techniques for growing from the coat of the virus. Thus, they can- in obtaining permission” from the moth-
viruses such as polio or rubella in living not cause the infection. ers, the researchers later noted.
cells, without knowing what other viruses
those host cells might harbor. Even when In the postwar decades, researchers At almost 400 pages of text plus abun-
a courageous government scientist, Ber- and drug companies competed intensely dant endnotes, this book is so rich in sci-
nice Eddy, and colleagues showed that to be the first to license vaccines against entific anecdotes, historical detail and
monkey cells used to produce the Salk certain diseases. The need was urgent. quirky characters that I can’t do it justice
polio vaccine and other vaccines con- Polio paralyzed an average of 15,000 in a short review. She conveys the era’s
tained a virus, SV40, that could cause Americans each year. Rubella epidem- no-holds-barred approach to science, as
malignant changes in human cells, gov- ics occurred every few years and were well as the altruism of individual scien-
ernment officials at first discounted the devastating for women infected during tists and doctors at a time when no one
evidence and allowed such vaccines to pregnancy: The nationwide epidemic had yet thought of patenting a gene or a
remain on the market. By 1963, when the of 1964-65 caused about 6,250 miscar- living cell. 
federal Division of Biologics Standards riages or stillbirths, 2,100 deaths among
began to require that polio vaccines be newborns, and 20,000 cases of congenital THE VACCINE RACE
free of SV40, 98 million Americans had birth defects. An additional 5,000 preg- SCIENCE, POLITICS, AND THE HUMAN
received the Salk vaccine, indisputably nant women obtained abortions after
preventing tens of thousands of cases of contracting rubella. Rabies, considered COSTS OF DEFEATING DISEASE
paralysis from polio. But between 10 mil- the most deadly of all infections in hu- BY MEREDITH WADMAN
mans, was on the rise in wild animals in Viking. 436 pp. $30.

Review by Susan Okie, The Washington Post

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46 Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

New top nurse is a ‘major’ addition at Indian River

BY TOM LLOYD down what I really wanted to do. So,
Staff Writer I volunteered at the previous hospital
to this one in the mid-1970s.”
When the Indian River Medical
Center started searching for a new “I had the opportunity to see what
chief nursing office, retired U.S. nurses did firsthand here in our com-
Army Major Linda Walton’s resume munity,” she says with a smile, “and
stood out. that really shaped my decision to
pursue this career path.”
Not only had Walton served her
country as the assistant chief nurs- Then, the former candy striper-
ing officer for the 21st combat sup- turned U.S. Army major-turned CNO
port hospital in Mosul, Iraq, she also unabashedly admits, “the opportu-
served at the U.S. Military Academy nity to return home where my fam-
at West Point as well as at hospitals ily lives and be able to serve in this
in Seoul, South Korea, Fort Hood, community is really quite an honor
Texas, and Fort Sill, Okla., during her for me.”
20-year army career. Most recently
she was chief nursing officer at South With roughly 680 nurses of vari-
Lake Hospital in Orlando. ous stripes – including 550 registered
nurses, 115 certified nursing assis-
On top of all that, Walton actually tants and 14 licensed practical nurses
began her medical career right here – already on staff at IRMC, Walton is
in Vero Beach, when she worked as now leading a battalion-sized team in
candy striper at the county hospital. potentially life-saving missions every
day, right in her own hometown.
“My nursing career,” Walton con-
firms, “really started at Indian River That might be quite a challenge
Memorial Hospital. I graduated from some folks, but this Operation Iraqi
high school here in Vero Beach and Freedom veteran doesn’t seem at all
while I was in high school, I was try- rattled by the prospect.
ing to figure out and kind of hone
And it appears Walton has al-
ready found a kind of kindred spirit

Chief Nursing Officer Linda Walton.

PHOTO: GORDON RADFORD

in IRMC’s chief medical office, Dr. “That really does take teamwork,”
Kathy Grichnik. Walton says.

“Kathy and I both approach what It also takes experience, and in
we do from the same central point,” Vero Beach, experience in geriatric
says Walton, “and that’s the patient. medicine is another definite plus.
At the end of the day, my responsibili-
ty, just like hers, is to keep the patient Walton has that, too.
safe. That’s really our ultimate goal.” After her military career, she be-
came the clinical nurse manager of
Still, no one rises to the rank of ma- medicine and geriatrics at the Uni-
jor without drive and ambition and versity of Wisconsin Hospital in Mad-
– even to the casual observer – Wal- ison, as well as its director of nursing
ton appears to have those qualities in services, chief nursing officer and
spades. vice president of patient care services
before returning home to Florida.
“We’re always looking for opportu- Acknowledging Vero’s “significant
nities where we might achieve cen- geriatric population,” Walton says
ters of excellence. We’ve [already] she is looking for opportunities to see
put a lot of focus and effort into those what she might be able to “infuse”
clinical areas that are important to into IRMC’s routines.
this community – like cancer care After just three months of the job,
and heart care – and we are working Walton has no doubts she made the
on an initiative now around orthope- right move – by not actually moving
dic care to look at the whole continu- at all – and signing on with IRMC as
um as we manage those patients that its new chief nursing officer. 
are having joint replacements.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 47

HEALTH

Itching for relief? Study sheds new light on hives

BY MARIA CANFIELD ing a trace, and is replaced with new an allergic reaction to certain foods
hives. While usually small, hives can – including nuts, chocolate, fish, to-
Correspondent join together to cover broad areas of matoes, eggs, fresh berries or milk.
skin. In addition to the often intense Vero’s Dr. Ottuso says other causes
Up to 20 percent of people suffer itch, hives can sometimes burn or of attacks are many and varied,
at least once from hives, and the in- sting. including allergens (pollen, dan-
tense itching caused by the condition der, insect stings), environmen-
sends many sufferers to the emergen- Hives are very common; one in five tal factors (heat, cold, sunlight,
cy room in search of relief. Once they people have at least one episode in exercise, emotional stress), and
get there, they are often treated with their lifetime. A single attack of hives almost any type of medication.
a prescription antihistamine and the is often due to a virus or an infection;
steroid prednisone. But a new study repeated attacks can be triggered by CONTINUED ON PAGE 48
of emergency room patients, recent-
ly published online in the Annals of
Emergency Medicine, asserts that
adding prednisone is no better than
an antihistamine alone in the treat-
ment of hives.

The finding is important because
prednisone is a powerful drug with a
long list of severe and even potential-
ly fatal side effects, including glau-
coma, cataracts, high blood pressure,
osteoporosis, suppressed adrenal
gland hormone production and in-
creased risk of infections, according
to Mayoclinic.org. The most severe
side effects occur with long-term use.

In the study, a follow-up assess-
ment two days after treatment found
62 percent of patients treated with a
combination of levocetirizine (a pre-
scription antihistamine) and predni-
sone had an “itch score” of zero; how-
ever, 76 percent of those who received
levocetirizine and a placebo achieved
the same zero itch score.

Additionally, the study showed
that the addition of prednisone to the
treatment did not help prevent a re-
currence of the hives, as 30 percent of
patients in the prednisone group re-
ported relapses, compared to 24 per-
cent in the placebo group.

Dr. Patrick Ottuso, M.D., a Vero
Beach dermatologist and fellow of the
American Academy of Dermatology,
is familiar with this study and others
that have preceded it. He says there
is some controversy in the medical
community about the role of pred-
nisone in the treatment of an acute
case of hives – the type of attack that
can precipitate a visit to the ER. Some
studies indicate that prednisone
can help boost the effect of antihis-
tamines; even those studies express
caution about the use of prednisone,
due to its many side effects.

In a fact probably known to very
few outside the healthcare profes-
sion, the medical name for hives is
urticarial. Sufferers know well that
hives are welts; pink swellings that
can appear on any part of the skin,
and even in the eyes or mouth. In an
outbreak, an individual hive lasts a
few hours, fades away without leav-

48 Vero Beach 32963 /June 29, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 HEALTH

Some people suffer from chronic meaning a cause cannot be deter- If no cause of CU can
urticarial (CU), which is when the mined. In many of these idiopathic
hives persist for a long period of time cases, the best guess is that the suf- be determined, treatment
or recur repeatedly over months or ferer’s immune system is overactive
years. Although hives are consid- – it is attacking normal tissues of the has traditionally con-
ered chronic if they last more than body, resulting in hives.
six weeks at a stretch, studies have sisted of antihistamines
shown that many people with the While the cause of CU is mysterious,
condition have hives for months or Dr. Ottuso says it’s still a good idea for and NSAIDs. In a newer
even years on end. a medical work-up to occur: a medical
history should be taken, along with a approach, an injectable
CU affects about 1 percent of the physical exam that includes blood and
population. Dr. Ottuso says the con- urine tests and a skin biopsy. This can drug called Xolair is some-
dition is exceedingly frustrating for show if any underlying medical issue
both the sufferer and their derma- is present which may be contributing times prescribed. Xolair is
tologist – in part because the vast to the hives – such as thyroid or liver
majority of cases are “idiopathic,” problems, sinusitis or skin conditions. a “monoclonal antibody,”

meaning that it is manu-

factured to mimic the nat-

ural antibodies found in

the human body.

There is agreement in

the medical community

that prednisone has no

place in treating CU. Dr.

Ottuso says, “The many

side effects of prednisone Dr. Patrick Ottuso.
are well known, and com-
PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE

monly include nausea,

vomiting, heartburn, trou-

ble sleeping, and excessive sweating.” gist or an allergist for a full evalu-

More serious side effects can also oc- ation. And if you are experiencing

cur, including those listed above and any swelling of the mouth, tongue

others such as muscle pain, irregular or throat, get to an ER or call 911, as

heartbeat, swelling of the hands and those reactions can interfere with

feet, and even seizures. And people your ability to breathe and could po-

with diabetes have to be particularly tentially be life-threatening.”

careful, as prednisone can cause a

spike in blood sugar. Dr. Ottuso’s practice is part of Vero

Dr. Ottuso’s words of advice: “If Beach Dermatology, located at 1955

you are having hive-like reactions 22nd Ave; the phone number is 772-

that occur often, see a dermatolo- 299-0085. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 49

Red, White and Blue for you: What to wear for the Fourth

Instead of reaching for that American flag bikini, get
inspired by street style to put together something festive
but not cheesy. Soak up the inspiration just in time for
your Fourth of July BBQ, beach day or backyard party.

50 Vero Beach 32963 / June 29, 2017 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

How to own your personal style at any age

BY CAROLINE LEAPER getting ready in the morning in a new
The Telegraph book, “The Art of Dressing: Ageless,
Timeless, Original Style,” in which
Most avid cyclists would recom- she also interviews 10 other women
mend donning a bright accessory or over 50 who she admires.
two before hitting the road, but for
66-year-old New Yorker Tziporah Sal- “I think women over a certain age
amon, a reflector strip just wasn’t go- are often ignored by the fashion in-
ing to cut it. dustry and when they don’t see them-
selves reflected in the magazines,
“The thing I love about biking is that they can think that style is frivolous,
the whole city sees my outfit,” says or something that they shouldn’t be
Tziporah, who has been showcasing interested in any more,” she says of
vivid ensembles on the back of her Bi- the reason she wanted to write the
anchi Milano bicycle since the 1980s. book.
“The garbage collectors honk their
horns, and I even met a dear friend These women are all so much more
when I was stopped at a light and she than their style – but having a look is
shouted, ‘I want to be you when I grow part of who they are
up!’”
“We think we should only be mak-
Tziporah may have always been ing time for the ‘grown-up’ things in
a traffic stopper, but in more recent our lives – children, grandchildren,
years she’s become something of a partners, career, the house. What I
street-style star too, attracting more hope you will see from the women in
than 24,000 followers on Instagram. this book, is that for them, great style
is the least of it. They are all so much
She’s modeled in a 2012 advertising more than their style, but having a
campaign for Lanvin, starred in the personal look is an important part of
2014 film “Advanced Style,” and has who they are too.”
now been asked by publisher Rizzoli
to document her unique approach to Tziporah has taught at styling
seminars since 2000, traveling to

A lot of people, by the time they reach my age, have a
wardrobe that already works – they might just need to

rethink how they’re putting it all together.
– Tziporah Salamon

California, Japan and Montenegro to learned about my own silhouette.
encourage her fashion-curious audi- Why do these black pants not go with
ences to start enjoying their clothes this black top if they’re both black?
again. Her main goal is to teach wom- It’s about proportion.”
en how to define what is “so them”
and ultimately to take the stress out In the book, Tziporah delivers
of shopping. these points via photos and illustra-
tions, as well as giving practical guid-
“We begin with the fact that you ance on how to work out what your
must know your body,” Tziporah ex- own signature styles should be.
plains. “I’ll start the class dressed in
three black outfits, to show what I’ve “Go into a store and try things on –
even if you don’t buy anything,” she