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What floats retirees' boat? Turning dream into reality

A group of men at Eckerd College hone a new craft - the good ship Don Brown.

By FRANKIE HOWLEY
Published March 12, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Don Brown's dream began with a promise to his friends.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "You guys provide the labor. I'll provide the material, and we'll build a boat."

And they did, after nine long years, to keep their promise to Brown.

The Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College's Applied Technology Interest Group dedicated the 23-foot electric boat Thursday to the late Don Brown during its first launch from the waterfront at Eckerd College.

Calling the boat the Don Brown was the only possible solution.

"Dedicating the boat to someone other than Don Brown was simply unthinkable," said Bob Stoffels, former electronics engineer, builder and ASPEC member.

During the opening ceremony, everyone cheered as his widow, Blanca Brown, christened the boat by smashing a champagne bottle on its stern.

"(Don) would have been so proud and happy. He always wanted to finish the project," Mrs. Brown said of her husband, who suffered complications from a cardiac transplant and died in 1998. "It was nice seeing so many men having a wonderful time together."

Starting promptly at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays, the 25 members of ASPEC would enjoy coffee and pastries and then at 10 begin work on the boat at the Lewis House on the campus. With an array of retired professionals, from pathologists to electrical engineers and physicists, everyone formed work groups.

"No one was assigned any tasks," Stoffels said. "It all fell into place. It was a teamwork project."

Despite slight alterations from the original plan of a steam-powered engine to electric, and limited working space, no task was unmanageable for the group.

Because of the generosity the group has received over the years, Mrs. Brown and her two sons have donated the Don Brown to Eckerd College's waterfront director, Bill Covert.

"It is something that I look forward to," he said of his new ownership. "The quality of the boat is amazing."

Mrs. Brown said that leaving her husband's last project behind will be sad but that she is pleased with their decision and happy that the name of the boat will remain the same.

"It will give me something to remember," she said.

She said she will also never forget the people who made it happen.

"I'm so thankful and glad for Karl (Sohlberg)," she said of the ASPEC team leader and former pathologist. "Karl had the inspiration to keep the project going."

With three projects behind them, including an ultralight plane, a sailboat and the Don Brown, ASPEC hopes to plan other endeavors. Though the members say they have enjoyed working on these projects, most agree that it wouldn't have been the same without Don Brown.

"He started it, laid it out, and we just carried on with the work he started," said Ray Cooper, ASPEC member and former physicist. "We've been carrying on with his momentum."

[Last modified March 12, 2006, 01:18:21]