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Letter to the editor

She saw him and knew he was the one

By NOVA BEALL
Published July 3, 2007

John and Faith Roberge of Oldsmar recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends at their daughter's home in Oldsmar.

The couple was married on May 26 at Sacred Heart Church in Roslindale, Mass.

They met in hairdressing school 52 years ago and as Faith remembers, it was love at first sight.

"I looked across the street and knew that it was him, " she said.

The Roberges owned three beauty parlors in Brockton, Mass., and moved to Oldsmar in 1999.

Both are members of Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor.

They enjoy playing cards and sailing.

The couple has four children, six grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Couple kept hearing 'Happy Anniversary'

Donald and Helen Spicer were married June 13, 1942, in Detroit and recently celebrated 65 years of marriage with a catered dinner party June 13 at the Royal Palms retirement community, and were treated to a dinner with family the weekend before at a Largo restaurant.

Donald was a captain in the Army during World War II and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, he returned to Detroit where he and his father opened Spicer Builders.

Helen received a master's degree in library science from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The couple moved to Clearwater in 1959 and Helen worked for the Pinellas County school system until retirement.

The Spicers live at the Royal Palms of Largo and have a son, David Spicer of Jupiter, and three daughters, Laurel Grantham of Smithfield, N.C., Susan Haggitt of Clearwater, and Bonnie Fuller of Belleair, 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Civitan Club honors Clearwater officer

In celebration of Law Week, March 25-31, the Clearwater Civitan Club recognized a member of the Clearwater Police Department for excellent performance of police duty and service to the community.

Detective Michael Folk, a 10-year veteran of the Clearwater Police Department, has been a child exploitation and Internet crimes specialist for the past five years. He has made dozens of arrests of criminals preying on children and those who manufacture and distribute child pornography. His conviction rate is 100 percent.

Folk has spent more than 500 hours in training from specialized agencies across the country. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

She joins ranks of Free Style 8 skaters

In March, 14-year-old Alyssa Wilborn of Clearwater passed her Ice Skating Institute Free Style 8 test and joined only 12 other FS8 skaters in the state of Florida.

Alyssa, now 15, recently competed at the District 18 Championships in Fort Myers and received two first place and two second place standings in her events. She also passed her United States Figure Skating Association Junior Moves in the field test, making her one of the few skaters to continue testing and skating in both ISI and USFSA programs.

There are approximately 100, 000 active ISI figure skaters in the United States, and 450 female and 35 male FS8 skaters. The youngest active FS8 skater is 8.

Alyssa skates primarily at Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar. She maintains a 4.0 grade point average at Dunedin High School and is first chair trumpet in the school's marching and concert bands.

She is the daughter of Chris and Robin Wilborn, and granddaughter of Jack and Marianne Joyner, all of Clearwater.

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To submit items

Write to Nova Beall, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Fax to 727 445-4119 or e-mail sbeall@sptimes.com Good For You includes news of 50th wedding anniversaries, people celebrating their 100th birthday (or more) and young people's noteworthy achievements academically, in the arts or community service. For information or an anniversary form, call (727) 445-4221.

[Last modified July 3, 2007, 01:32:02]