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Letters to the Editors'Webb's City' is fit for Broadway© St. Petersburg Times, published December 12, 2001 Once again, Webb's City: The Musical has taken this town by storm. Once again, we have watched the history of St. Petersburg and the character and history of the man Doc Webb wrapped into a musical. More than that, the production has an enduring quality that would stand in good stead with any other on Broadway. I have seen quite a few Broadway productions, and I have never seen any better than Webb's City. I want to call on the people and leaders of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to promote this play to Broadway or a similar venue in New York City. I further want to let people know that they can and should join the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and celebrate Tampa Bay's heritage through the support of the arts and arts organizations. That certainly includes this production and others that will be coming soon. Every one of us should be a member of this foundation, for $25 to $10,000. Webb's City can take you from ecstasy to tears in a matter of seconds. That is the mark of a very good writer, and the music and lyrics are so good that they can lift the spirits of the audience beyond the boundaries of this play. In my letter of July 2000, I gave strong kudos to Bill Leavengood, the author and director, and Lee Ahlin, the musical writer, who gave us a first-class production, but this time I also want to give special commendation to Diana Lucas Leavengood, who has become the general manager of the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation in downtown St. Petersburg. She has promoted and produced this production for the past year in a small office on Fifth Street N without much fanfare or recognition. I hope the people of St. Petersburg appreciate the work that these folks have done and the lessons that we have learned in this outstanding musical production.
Sunset Sam was a gift from GodSunset Sam was God's sunshine for us all, and his sun warmed many lives. From the first telephone report of his stranding by Bruce Hosking (then a Clearwater Sun newspaper reporter), we assumed he was dead. When we tried to pull Sunset Sam from the mud flats of Tampa Bay, we found him to be weakened but very much alive. At the time, how could I know he would make so many positive changes in the lives of animals and humans for so long a time? Sunset Sam was the first dolphin in Florida to survive a beaching, setting standards by which rehabilitated dolphins may be released. His contributions to science were numerous and significant. We are proud to have been a part of these gifts he left to the world. Sunset Sam learned to paint, and he really enjoyed it. His unique style appealed to many people, and his work is known throughout the world. The proceeds from his paintings help the Clearwater Marine Aquarium fund our operations and stranding program, but through the years, I gave many of his originals and reproductions to other charities to aid in their fundraising for their worthy programs assisting animals and humans. Sunset Sam was as colorful as his artwork. Sunset Sam's participation in the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's Full Circle Programs affected the lives of many disabled children. Anyone who has stood at the railing and watched a child work on his own challenges was in awe of the unconditional love displayed by both human and animal participants. I am proud to say I was Sunset Sam's first trainer, although I was primitive. Through the years he was honored to have many dedicated trainers/friends -- including Kathy Roberts, Donna Foley, Lisa Takaki, Nadine Keller, Terri Hepburn, Amy Baird, Janice Wilson, Joyce Decker, Dan Fontaine, Coni Romano, Angie Gabbert and Abby Brewer -- although I would venture to say these wonderful people would argue it was they who were honored. Since 1992, Melissa Koberna has been Sunset Sam's head trainer. She has created an unusual and dedicated top-notch staff that Clearwater Marine Aquarium is proud of. Melissa brought her own special gifts to share with Sunset Sam, and they were both enriched by their relationship. Reminiscing about Sunset Sam could not be complete without mentioning Dr. Bill Godston. Without Dr. Godston's medical expertise, Sunset Sam never would have survived past 1984, and we all would have lost 17 years of enlightenment and sunshine. Dr. Godston never has billed CMA for even one hour of his 17 years of dedicated service. Recently, Dr. Robin Moore has volunteered her valuable time in taking care of Sunset Sam and the many stranded animals we handle every day. Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers, staff and interns who all contributed toward Sunset Sam's quality of life. He recognized individuals and would greet those with whom he was most familiar; he knew you and he knew you cared. Sunset Sam was part of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's family. I feel the same pain I felt in 1993 when my dad died. Sunset Sam will be missed and we will grieve. His memory, and the gifts he gave the world and each individual who ever saw him, will outlive us all. He was a gift from God, and we are thankful for knowing him.
Why Old Northeast really sees redRe: Buses jar the Old Northeast into action, Dec. 5. I see that the Northshore Neighborhood Association is whining again. Now the buses that run through the neighborhood are too large and make too much noise. Why don't they just move out into the country where they won't have any city buses, won't need two-, three- and four-way stop signs or a very expensive roundabout that most people don't like and can't figure out when there is traffic at more than one of the entrances to the stupid thing. One of the major streets the buses run on is First Street N, and I have lived on it for the past 24 years. Until the stop signs were put up, I hardly ever heard those buses, and there has been no vibration in my old (1925) house from them. The problem we have now is the drag racing from stop sign to stop sign. Most of the time cars don't stop at the signs; they just slow a little. So far, the stop signs haven't done what they were intended to do because we still have a few speeders and now a whole lot of stop-sign violations. If you want to do some good for a change, do something about the idiots who drive the streets after 11 p.m. with their stereos turned up as loud as they can get them. I do get the vibrations from them as well as the noise.
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