Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Support overflows ex-mayor's mailbox

Friends of John Doglione, 73, asked well-wishers to send cards or letters to the ailing former mayor. He has received hundreds.

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published October 13, 2006

DUNEDIN - As former Mayor John Doglione receives hospice care for an advanced case of lung cancer, hundreds of cards and letters of support have arrived at his house.

Doglione's friends began the mailing campaign weeks ago to pay tribute to a man they love and admire without infringing on his privacy.

The family had requested cards rather than personal visits or phone calls.

"It really expresses the recognition of the dedication he gave to the city," said Ken Reinhold, who recently stepped down as immediate past president of the Dunedin Fine Art Center. "John has always been a person that has had the city and public service at the top of his priorities."

Doglione, 73, announced in November that he would not seek re-election after three years as Dunedin's mayor and 12 years before that as a city commissioner.

Friends say he had planned to spend time with his wife, Lianne, 72, perhaps buy an RV and travel when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He does not smoke.

Lynn Wargo, president and chief executive officer of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, said she is not surprised by the outpouring.

"We are thanking John for what he has contributed throughout the years," she said. "He has had an Air Force career, he is a pilot and was an elected official. Friends just wanted to say thank you."

In recent days, a granddaughter had been sitting with him, reading the cards and letters to him, Reinhold said.

Bill Francisco, a friend who worked on Doglione's mayoral campaign, has known Doglione since he retired to Dunedin.

He said the former mayor is one of the most unselfish individuals he's ever known.

"He never complains," said Francisco, former chairman of the Dunedin chamber. "He is kind of a classic John Wayne guy ... God, country and apple pie. And that's not fake, that's him."

Next week, the Dunedin City Commission will consider naming a $2,000 scholarship after Doglione.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or 727 445-4153.

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 22:32:47]