All Children's chief gets big welcome

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 12, 2001

The Oct. 3 reception All Children's Hospital gave for Dr. Robert Christensen, the new chairman of the University of South Florida College of Medicine department of pediatrics and the hospital's physician in chief, turned out to be a double celebration. Not only was it a welcome, it was also a birthday celebration. The doctor turned 54.

Christensen came to the Tampa Bay area from the University of Florida, where he was associate chairman of the department of pediatrics and chief of the division of neonatology.

Christensen's wife, Wendy, missed the start of the party because of some babysitter problems. The Christensens have four children, ages 2 to 7. "Our two older boys attend John M. Sexton Elementary. . . . We liked the name," said Christensen. The school is named for ACH president J. Dennis Sexton's late dad, who was an educator. Sexton, his wife, Ginny, and his mother, Betty Sexton, were in the crowd.

Back from England in time for the reception were Dr. Robert Daugherty and Joy McCann Daugherty. Dr. Daugherty, dean of the University of South Florida's medical school, and the former Joy Culverhouse were married in California on July 6. Mrs. Daugherty is a longtime donor to USF's medical school, having given more than $15-million to the university since 1988.

Mrs. Daugherty was previously married to Tampa Bay Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse, who died in 1994.

Dr. Frank Diamond, pediatric endocrinologist at ACH and professor of pediatrics at USF, and lawyer wife Sandra made an early evening of the reception, as they were heading to the Southwest for a professional meeting the next day.

In the party crowd: Holland and Knight managing partner Don Mastry and wife Iris; HK lawyer Joe Fleece and Joanne; Mark and Maryanne Mahaffey; All Children's Health System Board chairwoman Thelma Rothman with former Mayor Corrine Freeman; USF's College of Marine Science acting dean Peter Betzer and USF St. Petersburg campus dean Bill Heller. Heller stopped by to meet the Christensens on his way to see the American Stage production of Spunk.

Joel Momberg, executive vice president of the ACH Foundation, and fiancee Debbie Hart were receiving congratulations. They will be married Dec. 21 and honeymoon in New York.

Tampa Bay connection

Erin Dilly, who stars as Nellie Forbush in the national tour of South Pacific, which opens the 2001-02 season at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, will have a chance to be with family during the show's run. Dilly will bunk with her grandmother Catherine Moeller in Clearwater.

"I'll be staying with Grandma because we don't get to see each other enough," said Dilly, originally from Michigan and now living in New York.

In 1998, Dilly starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast during its Tampa engagement. Her grandmother came to the show in a bus with 40 of her friends. "We had such a good time. . . . It's nice to be in a city where you have family," she said.

Dilly has another Tampa Bay connection. She and Patrick Wilson both made their professional debuts in a Pittsburgh production of The Music Man. Wilson, son of Channel 13 news anchor John Wilson and wife Mary K., has been appearing in the Broadway hit The Full Monty. He will soon be in a Rodgers and Hammerstein show, too, in the Broadway revival of Oklahoma, which is to open next year.

Season finale

For the Devil Rays' final game of the 2000-2001 season with the New York Yankees, Rays partner Vince Naimoli's wife, Lenda, and her twin, Glenda Young, chose identical patriotic outfits. The twins wore white sweaters with American flags on the front.

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