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When she enters a room, it erupts in laughter

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published July 14, 2006

Bunnie McCormack makes me laugh.

She makes everybody laugh. That's her mission.

The first time I saw her, she was hosting one of her laugh-out-loud sessions for the ladies' guild at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Port Richey, wearing a red clown nose. She seemed like she'd be a good story, but first I wanted to see her again.

On Thursday she walked through Catches Waterfront Grille in Port Richey just after noon. Many in the lunch crowd momentarily forgot their food as they gawked at her flaming pink faux velvet hat adorned with equally pink feathers. She was there to entertain members of the Community Service Council of West Pasco.

You get the sense that McCormack performs all the time, but she actually has a real job: media specialist at Chasco Middle School. But after hours, and with all her free time this summer, the 60-year-old with the spirit of someone half her age yes, laughter keeps her young seeks to spread the gospel of laughter.

Laughter is an attitude, she'll tell you. You hear her giggle, see her full cheeks and you know she was born for this role.

Hee, hee, hee, ho, ho, ho, ha, ha, ha. She tells Community Service Council members to laugh along and do the exercise, but soon they're on their own.

Laughter takes practice, but the effort is worth it. Laughter is infectious; it makes you feel good. We love to be around people who laugh a lot.

McCormack is a certified laughter leader, but I'd rather call her something else. She's more like a laugh instigator, but definitely not a comedian. No put-downs, no self-depreciating humor in her act. Laughter isn't genuine when it comes at someone's expense - even your own, she believes.

An educator with Pasco County schools for 24 years, McCormack has always been funny. She believes humor makes it easier for youngsters to learn. Her students will always remember her puppets.

She got into the laughter business seriously about five years ago. She was recovering from a busted knee for about a year. During that time, she'd lost her cheeriness; she was down in the dumps. That's when she read about the Laughter Clubs in Parade magazine. She felt the spark coming back immediately. She trained in Orlando for three days to become a certified laughter leader. She did advance work in Columbus, Ohio, months later.

She's been on the laughter circuit ever since. She'll make about a dozen laugh-out-loud presentations this summer. A cruise ship recruiter thinks she may even have the talent to take her show on the water.

Meanwhile, she's just trying to spread the word one laugh at a time. She talks about a laugh for every occasion: laughter for when you're attacked by fire ants; laughter for when you strike 300 while bowling. Laughter for a roller coaster ride - the sheer terror and exhilaration.

You can't think of problems, disagreements - or anything else, for that matter - when you're laughing, she said. So no need to be too serious. Go ahead and have yourself a good laugh. And if you need some help mustering up a healthy laugh, call McCormack. She'll show you how. She can be reached at (727) 848-1838.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at (813) 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 14, 2006, 08:36:16]