Amy Scherzer's Diary
By AMY SCHERZER Times Staff Writer
Published October 5, 2007
Ducks Unlimited
Save the ducks was the battle cry when 300 Ducks Unlimited supporters rallied at Higgins Hall on Sept. 27. The testosterone and noise level soared as the blue-jean and fowl print-shirt crowd wolfed down an Outback Steakhouse buffet, drank bottomless cups of beer for $10 and tried to win cool stuff.
Plus, each admission came with a DU membership and information about conserving waterfowl habitat in North America.
For $30, you got six chances to win a prize. And what great prizes. Tables were piled with every kind of hunting, fishing and camping gear. Silent auction tables held more guns and rods. Background checks and three-day waiting period required, of course.
The live auction offered trips for salmon fishing in Alaska, pheasant hunting in South Dakota and quail shooting at the Gilchrist Club, among others.
Scott Dutton, the only guy in the room wearing a tie, piled more cool stuff on the "Greenwing" table for kids under 17 to choose from. But they had the most fun betting on the duck walk. A duck padded around a cage lined with numbers sold for $10 each. Corey Keesler, 12, bet on the number where the duck chose to do his business. Now Corey's family owns a Mossberg Silver Reserve over-and-under 20-gauge shotgun.
Co-chairsMike GruendelandJack Nortonexpect to send more than $30,000 to national Ducks Unlimited from event proceeds.
USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy
University of South Florida president Judy Genshaftgushed (emcee Gayle Sierens said she oozed) with pride at the second USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy luncheon Monday at the Hyatt Regency Tampa.
With as much pride in academics as football, she welcomed more than 500 women, including many of the 33 founders of the group organized to empower women to get involved, network and mentor future philanthropists. She's also very proud that the luncheon raised more than $150,000.
Dr. Kay Glasser received the first USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Award for founding the Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center. Her "campus of caring" now offers almost 90 programs from more than a dozen nonprofit agencies, and since 2006, has partnered with USF's School of Social Work. The professor called the award "a shot in the arm to keep going and growing."
Guest speaker, CNN anchor Campbell Brown, formerly of NBC News, thanked her hosts for the USF Bulls onesie before speaking about pregnancy (a son is due in December), her 8 p.m. news program set to debut in February, and the wonderful diversity of presidential candidates.
Photo Mojo
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts had much to celebrate at Photo Mojo, the Sept. 27 auction party hosted by Neiman Marcus and organized by Carol Gaynor and Gregory Haney.
The 5-year-old museum just tripled the size of its exhibition space on Jackson Street, received its first major grant ($20,000), claimed its 500th member, and established an endowment program with Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
No wonder the 100-plus supporters were enjoying the wine tasting and an auction of nine Florida nature photographs, including Miller Creek by Carlton Ward Jr. whose project, Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture (LINC), shared the event's proceeds.
Ward has photographed more than 400 species of flora and fauna and will use LINC's share of the proceeds to help fund a conservation photography fellowship.
Cindy Flowers shared her story of how Chuck Levin came to open the museum. "We were in Carmel, Calif., and Chuck wanted to buy yet another piece of art," she said. "I told him we had no more room, and he should start a museum."
"Can we do it?" she recalled Levin asking her. "I told him we can do anything," she said.
Datebook
Sunday: Night of 1000 Dishes benefits Hadassah; the Children's Home and the Spring of Tampa Bay; food and wine tasting; auction of celebrity and children's plates; 4-9 p.m.; Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center; $65 in advance; $75 at the door; www.nightof1000dishes.com.
Wednesday: Red Cross Angels Silver Coffee; 11 a.m., home of Beverly Austin, $20 suggested donation; 254-6271.
Got gossip?
E-mail Amy Scherzer at scherzer@sptimes.com or call 226-3332. Party onlineFor more party pictures, visit blogs.tampabay.com/partytime