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Hometown Hernando

What's happening

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 20, 2005

HIGH FIVES

Jill V. Svoboda won a top prize in the 74th annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, the magazine announced in its November issue.

Svoboda, a resident of Bushnell and a member of the Brooksville Writers' Group, won second place in the memoir/personal essay category. Her winning essay, Of Mice and a Man, is the true story of how she and her husband, artist Albert J. Svoboda, met.

The winning entries in each of 10 categories were selected from 17,357 manuscripts.

Svoboda had a long career in Chicago as a writer and editor before moving to Florida with her husband in 2003. She also taught college writing and English literature courses at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She is a freelance writer and editor.

Brian Fisher, 19, was recently named principal trumpet in the University of South Florida Symphony Band. A trumpet performance major, Fisher was also the only sophomore invited to travel to Indiana for a weekend of private and group lessons with 88-year-old Bill Adam, a master trumpeter who taught at Indiana University for 52 years.

Fisher's training began at Powell Middle School under the direction of Kathy Thompson. He was captain of the Eagle Marching Brigade his senior year at Springstead High School under the direction of Richard Dasher.

Fisher also benefited from private lessons with Michael Tranchida, a Julliard graduate who often shares his talents in local ensembles.

Over the years, scholarship support from the Spring Hill and Brooksville music clubs, Stage West Community Playhouse, the Hernando Jazz Society and a number of other local organizations has enabled Fisher to focus on his music training and hone his talent.

Fisher is currently studying under Jay Coble, trumpet professor at USF. Like many of today's best known trumpet players, including Chris Bodie, Coble also studied under Bill Adam.

As a member of Buglers Across America, Fisher is qualified to play in honor of deceased veterans. He is also a member of the International Trumpet Guild.

Fisher, a 2004 graduate of Springstead, is the son of Eileen and Jim Fisher of Spring Hill, and the brother of Danielle and Jimmy Fisher, both students at the University of Central Florida.

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

The Arc Nature Coast had its annual camping trip Oct. 19-21 at Lakewood Retreat in south Hernando County.

About 30 overnight campers and 60 day campers attended the camp-out. Activities included tie-dyeing T-shirts donated by Joni Industries; hayrides sponsored by the DiRienzo family, Dr. Joseph Rosen and Dougherty and Associates LLC; a treasure hunt with prizes donated by Bank of America, Cortez Community Bank and Dairy Queen, and entertainer Cristi Vale.

Scholarships for campers were provided by: lawyer Kathleen Lonergan, Eva Bissell, Prudential Pro Realty, Dr. Rosen and the Day Law Office.

Oct. 20 was "Country and Western Day." Staff and volunteers from the Arc POSSE (Promoting Opportunities and Skills with Special Equestrians) program brought a horse and a mule to the grounds, where many customers rode for the first time.

Volunteers Brian Stewart, M.J. Westover, Patty Graves, Robin Fegan and Cathy Osborn assisted POSSE staff Theresa Smith and Carol Hughes with the riders.

Other activities during the day included lunch from Pit-Boss Bar-B-Q, beverages from Coca-Cola of Brooksville, and cakes from Publix at Seven Hills and Publix at Brooksville Square.

The highlight of the day came after lunch, when entertainment by "Elvis on Tour," featuring Kenn "E" Grube began.

The mission of the Arc Nature Coast is to provide individually tailored quality support for individuals with disabilities and their families in order to promote prosperous fulfilling lives in the community. For information, call 544-2322.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office recently received additional funds from the American Heart Association to purchase six more automated external defibrillators. The association's executive director, Cathy Gee, presented Sheriff Richard Nugent with a check for $11,418 in August. The new units will bring the sheriff's total to 12.

The Sheriff's Office is one of many law enforcement agencies across the nation using portable AEDs in patrol vehicles. One unit is assigned to the courthouse, one is in the Brooksville office, and Nugent's goal is to have a unit in each patrol vehicle.

According to the National Sheriffs Association, more than 450,000 people die each year in the United States from sudden cardiac arrest. Without early defibrillation, victims have only a 5 percent chance of survival. With rapid defibrillation, survival rates as high as 74 percent are possible.

VETERANS

On Oct. 15, U.S. Rep . Ginny Brown-Waite, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10209 and the Hernando County Veterans Roundtable sponsored a Vietnam 30th Anniversary Celebration to honor Vietnam War veterans. The celebration was at the VFW post on Spring Hill Drive.

In addition to the festivities, presentations and entertainment, Brown-Waite presented commemorative coins to Vietnam War veterans in celebration of the end of the Vietnam War.

The posting of colors was presented by the Springstead High School drummers, Rolling Thunder Chapter 7, Marine Corps League Detachments 1002 and 708, American Legion Post 186 and Ladies Auxiliary Unit 186, VFW Post 10209, Central High School Naval Junior ROTC and Hernando High School Junior ROTC.

The Vietnam War veterans honored during the event included: John Alonzo, Daniel Arnold, Michael Arnold, Albert Asbury, Thomas Austin, Edward Aviles, Richard Avis, Dennis Ballard, Henry Bancroft, John Bedzyk, Michael Belshaw, George Bennett Jr., Richard Beyerl, John Bloom, Donald Bouchard, Joseph Bovenzi, Jerome Brasch, James Brooks, Richard Brown, James Burke, Robert Carlson, Edward Carlton, John Cemonuk, William Collins, James Covell, Tom Crawford, Larry Crocker, Colie Crummie Jr.,

Everett Dagit, James Daugherty, Richard Davidson, Jeffrey Davis, David Dean, Bob Denham, Roland Desjardins, Paul Desrochers, Robert Diebel, David Dobson, John Doule, John Dubay, Ronald Dubay, John Dupont, John Dziegielewski, Terry Eckenrod, Vincent Eichberger, Paul Ellerbee, Ed Evers, Joseph Fickeria, Dennis Foley, Leslie Fuller,

Frank Geiger, Leroy Gilbert, Richard Golder, Robert Golding, Jose Gonsalves-Cardona, Stephen Gorey, Harold Graham, Joseph Grande, Richard Graves, Charles Greene, James Gregory, John Gulu, Fernando Gutierrez, Oscar Hansen, Thomas Harrison, James Henderson Sr., Charles Hinkle, Paul Howard, Martin Hunt, Audier Irizarry, Joseph Jennings, Thomas Johnson,

Jerome Kippenberger, Edward Knight Jr., Thomas LaBarr, Arthur LaBelle, Frank Lanieri, John Laycock, Robert Lazzell, George Lee, Mearl Letts Jr., Edwin Livingston, Richard Ludian, Stephen Luft, David Macci, David Mageau, Franklin Maner, Robert Manning, Paul Marker, Robert Marks, William Mason, Robert Mayberry, Thomas McMaken, William McDougall, Eddy Mehnert II, Jose Menendez, William Meyer, Joseph Monday, Albert Mott,

James O'Brien, Peter Ollivier, Donald Pace, Louis Palermo, Peter Paolillo, James Papaneri, Charles Peacock Jr., Christopher Pearce, William Penkava, Everett Peterson, Ronald Phillips, Ronald Pizzo, Robert Potter, Joseph Rabasca, James Ranson, Dale Rasmussen, Richard Rayfield, William Rees, Eugene Roberts, Pedro Rodriguez, Ralph Rodriguez, Fess Rose, Steve Rushing,

Hiram Santos, retired Lt. Col. William H. Schreiber, Harry Shattuck, John Shepherd, James Siegel, Donald Sloane, Edelmiro Soto, Robert Southard, Richard Spaulding, Brian Spence, Thomas Spence, John Spoerl, Gerald Stacy, Wayne Steffen, William Steinbeck, Larry Stewart, Edward Stock, Harry Sullivan, Steven Sylvester, James Taylor, William Vahoviak, Francis Viger III, William Webb, Francis Weber, Dale Whatley, William Whitmore, Gary Wieck, Francis Winchester, Donald Witt, Wayne Woodin, Henry Wright, Henry Yost, Michael Yost and Carlos Zena Jr.

[Last modified November 20, 2005, 00:54:20]