Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 1, 2002
Poetic Justice is a clever idea for a benefit if there ever was one: Law enforcement agencies donate items that have been seized in drug raids, which then are auctioned to raise money for Operation PAR, a drug and mental health services organization.
This year's gala, held Friday evening at the Feather Sound Country Club, featured some cars and lots of jewelry, including several confiscated Tiffany watches and a necklace created from yellow gold and precious and semiprecious stones by designer Owen Sweet.
Cheryl LaMar was chairwoman of the event and introduced me to daughter Emily.
Dick Minck, famous for hand-painting tuxedo shirts and his own jewelry designs, wore a Corum watch whose face resembles the grille of a Rolls-Royce. He generally limits wearing it to when he drives his matching automobile, but he said he and his wife, Helen, were running a tad late and rode with friends.
Poetic Justice is the brainchild of Mary Critchfield, who attended with husband Jack. Also in the crowd were Shirley Coletti, president and founder of Operation PAR; Bill and Sally Habermeyer; Karol Bullard; Pinellas-Pasco public defender Bob and Kay Dillinger; Kimberly Lovato; Carole Merritt; Anthony Battaglia; Donna Tyler and Tim Main; County Commissioner Susan Latvala; and Drs. Michael and Mary Sheehan.
Underwriters for the event were Bank of America, Florida Power, Publix Supermarket Charities and Raymond James Financial.
The Friday moon was not quite full, but it loomed large over the Lyceum in St. Petersburg, site of a Friends of R'Club fundraiser. As patrons tucked into their dinner, catered by the Wine Cellar, Margo Morrison and Keith O'Leary of Murder Mystery Weekend Inc. began to work their magic on the crowd, setting the stage for a whodunit that involved guests as well as professional actors.
As I arrived, I met Connie Cox, Leedrilla Jenkins and Liz Wutschel, who feigned shock that she had been implicated in the crime. Inside, I watched as detectives tried to link a bag of fish heads sent as a warning to some tortured soul; the lyrics to New York, New York; and Kim Mooney's pet parakeet, Francis Sinatra.
Chairwomen for the event, which raised about $5,000, were Betty Woods, Angela Ducos, Linda Armstrong and Barbara Guarino. R'Club provides child care before and after school hours in the bay area.
Several times, Thomas Wilkins, resident conductor of the Florida Orchestra, has made end-of-the-year appearances to conduct the chamber string orchestra at Perkins Elementary School in St. Petersburg.
Musicianship runs in the family: His wife, Sheri Lee, a violinist, often is accompanist for the orchestra. They have twin daughters: Nicole plays harp in the orchestra, and Erica is a flutist with the school band.
Saturday night, the orchestra paid tribute to Wilkins, who soon will be resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
The chamber strings, fourth- and fifth-graders who have extensive musical training, played to a sold-out house of 225 in the school's Al Downing Theater, said conductor Steven Vutsinas, who is better known on campus as "Mr. V."
When Wilkins stepped up to conduct, magnet coordinator Pat Archibald said, "The children were in rapt attention." In an especially moving moment, he motioned to Nicole, who played the very last note of the arpeggio at the end of Ashokan Farewell (perhaps better known as the theme from Ken Burns' Civil War series).
Ten members of the school's alumni orchestra brought instruments and played along on The Orange Blossom Special, and they performed Butterfly Kisses in ceremonies afterward. The evening ended with an outdoor reception honoring the Wilkinses, underneath the oaks.
Medallion Gala made its debut Saturday night at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club on the eve of the annual St. Anthony's Triathlon.
Co-chairwomen Barbara Kyes and Joan Putrino filled the hotel's grand ballroom without sending a single invitation to the event, a fundraiser for St. Anthony's Health Care Mammography Center.
Tables were covered in black and held graceful arrangements of calla lilies. I saw a balloon bouquet bobbling atop one of the gold bamboo chairs and sought out its recipient, Sue Heron, who was to participate in the race for the first time on Sunday. Dr. Frank and Carolyn Franzese, table hosts for Heron and her husband, Dr. Sean Heron, had ordered them.
Ford Kyes, St. Anthony's chief operating officer and president, mingled near the silent auction tables with his mother-in-law, Gladys Cross, from Altoona, Pa., and newlyweds Kim and Jim Trango (the bride is the Kyes' daughter), who were married three days earlier at Redington Beach. Joining the family was Juliet Kyes, with Shawn Baumgartner.
In the crowd were Dr. Kern and Twila Davis, Dr. Dave and Fran Davis, Dr. Norval Marr and Ardith Rutland, Bill and Rhea McQueen, Dr. Mike and Jennifer Reilly, Angi Jennings, Diane Overton, and Dr. Richard and Kathy Karl.
WTVT-Ch. 13 Good Day Tampa Bay reporter Russell Rhodes was master of ceremonies. The Ten O'Clock Band, in which some physicians moonlight, played swing tunes.
The Pastabilities event for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and Florida Craftsmen was lively when I stopped by the historic Tramor Cafeteria in downtown St. Petersburg.
The building is much more sedate on weekdays, when it is used as the St. Petersburg Times' corporate cafeteria. The joint was jumping Saturday night, and crowded, too.
Participating in the festivities were Kari Mainelli, Joe and Diane Foley, Bob and Betty Willis, Joe and Joanne Fleece, Jack and Mary Jane Cartier, Sally Bedrosian, Bill and Anthea Penrose, Michele Tuegel, Amy Stiff, Alizza Punzalan and Kevin and Cynda Mort. I visited briefly with Lynn Medford, an assigning editor in the Washington Post's Style section, and her fiance, Jeff Leen, who is the Post's investigative editor and last year had a hand in the paper's winning a Pulitzer for investigative reporting.
Each patron received pottery handmade by artists from throughout the state and partook of pasta, salad, dessert and coffees from bay area restaurants. Bobby Rich from WMIX-FM was emcee.
-- Mary Jane Park can be reached at (727) 893-8267; fax (727) 893-8675; e-mail park@sptimes.com; or P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.