Hometown

By Times Staff
Published August 22, 2007

High Fives

The Spring Hill Art League has named its Artists of the Month for August.

Muriel Prieto's oil paintings are on display at Cortez Community Bank, 12456 Spring Hill Drive, and at Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, 10005 Cortez Blvd., both in Spring Hill. Joe Galletta's photography is on display at the West Hernando/S.T. Foggia Branch Library on Blackbird Avenue in Spring Hill.

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The ninth annual International Submarine Races were June 25-29 in Bethesda, Md.

Speed awards were presented in several categories. In the one-person propeller race, the Sublime, created and manned by students from Springstead High School, took fourth place (4.835 knots). The Archimede 4 by Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal placed first (6.473 knots).

Springstead's team competes against other teams, including professional engineers and college students operating with much larger budgets. The team from Montreal, for instance, outspent Springstead by more than $155,000.

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On July 2, Jared Korn, 18, took the oath of office as a first-year cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

Korn began his four years at the smallest of the U.S. service academies with what is known as "swab summer." The seven-week training program provided the 274 new cadets with an intensive orientation to the physical and mental rigors of the academy and their futures as Coast Guard officers.

After four weeks, the "swabs" visited Mystic Seaport in their new uniforms to receive their 2011 class flag.

At the close of training and prior to the beginning of the fall semester, Korn, along with two companies of fellow cadets, will sail the tall ship, the Barque Eagle from Norfolk, Va. to New London, Conn., then receive their fourth-class cadet shoulder boards.

Korn plans to major in marine/environmental science or government. He is a 2007 Hernando High School graduate and the son of Bill and Elizabeth Korn of Brooksville.

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Larry and Jessie Chytka of Brooksville recently enjoyed having all six of their children and their families home for a visit.

Attending the reunion were their son Mark Chytka and his wife, Ann, and their son Dustin Chytka and his wife, Lisa, all from Rapid City, S.D.; daughter Rebecca Chytka Fields and her husband, Dan, and their daughters, Addie and Livie, from Highland, Ill.; daughter Leslie Chytka from Tallahassee; son Brian Chytka and his wife, Pam, from Brooksville; son Darren Chytka and his wife, Michelle, and their children Travis, Eric, Julia and Lily, all of Brooksville; and daughter Jana Chytka Cofer and her husband, Richard Cofer, of Brooksville.

On July 10, a cookout brought almost 40 family members and friends together. The grandchildren gave Grandma Jessie's tire swing, and front and back doors, a good workout.

The six cousins enjoyed playing together, going berry picking, fishing, swimming and horseback riding. The family even enjoyed one weekend with Dan Fields' brother, Mike Fields, and his wife, Carol, in Sarasota. On their return trip to Illinois, the Fields family spent a week at the Panama City beaches.

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Residents of the Wellington at Seven Hills in Spring Hill have been busy for the last six weeks mailing care boxes to service men and women in Iraq.

The "Support Our Troops Initiative" was organized by resident Barbara Cornell, whose son, Army Spc. Daniel Hennessy, was deployed in late April to Camp Taji.

Cornell found that there were many connections to the military in her community and opened up the endeavor to any resident who had children, grandchildren or spouses deployed overseas.

Through her contacts, she received a list of needed items, and the shopping began. Residents drop off purchases in bins that Cornell and her husband, John Cornell Jr., collect daily. Friends and neighbors help them box and mail the packages. Greeting cards, designed by a neighbor, one for each branch of the military, are placed in the clubhouse for residents to sign. Publix and the Best Western Resort Weeki Wachee have also made donations.

As the boxes began to arrive at their destinations, Cornell started receiving e-mails from the troops. One Army commander sent word that his unit would be "flying the flag" for the Wellington in appreciation of their good works. After riding aboard an Apache attack helicopter for a daily mission, the American flag would then be sent to Cornell, along with a certificate of appreciation from the unit.

Some help with postage was provided by Dee Mills of Masaryktown, who organized "Lea's Prayers and Postage" in honor of her son, Sgt. Lea Mills, who was killed in Iraq in April 2006. Currently, Mills has covered the postage for 30 boxes sent by the Wellington.

On July 10, a Support the Troops pizza dance fundraiser was held at the Wellington clubhouse, and raised additional funds for the program. To date, close to 140 boxes have been sent from residents of the Wellington.

Recreation and Sports

The eighth annual Jim Monk Scholarship Golf Tournament, which took place in April at Rivard Golf and Country Club, south of Brooksville, was a big success. On June 16, during a luncheon at Kally K's restaurant in Spring Hill, Jim and Edie Monk presented nine students with $500 scholarships.

The nine recipients included recent Springstead High School graduates Tiffany Brijbag, who will attend Pasco-Hernando Community College; David Roebuck, who will attend the University of Florida; Jacqueline Mason, who will attend the University of South Florida; and Elizabeth Barnum, who will attend UF.

Also honored were Nature Coast Technical High School graduate Sara Paradis, who will attend UF; Hernando High School graduates Kim Patel, who will attend UF, and Karen Harris who will attend Bethune-Cookman College; and Central High School graduates Jennifer Kunisch, who will attend the University of Miami, and Toeketra Haynes, who will attend the University of Miami.

The Monks thanked the doctors and medical staffs at Brooksville Regional and Spring Hill Regional hospitals for their contributions. Other supporters included Autoway Ford, Lincoln-Mercury of Brooksville, and the golfers who participated in the tournament.

Officers of the Jim Monk Scholarship committee include: Jim Monk, president; Edie Monk, secretary/treasurer; and committee members Sue Posey, John Posey, Freddy Rockwell and coach Thurman Chambers.

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[Last modified August 21, 2007, 20:40:15]