Governor Charlie Christ's office announced last week that Harry E. Hobson, President/CEO, has been appointed to the Governor's Continuing Care Advisory Council.

Mr. Hobson met with the Governor and the other seven members of the Council this past Monday to discuss a variety of topics related to retirement communities at both the state and national level.

Mr. Hobson has held similar appointments in both Ohio and Virginia.

Readers of the Sarasota Magazine have voted Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay as the Best Retirement Community in Sarasota for 2008. Results were published in the May 2008 issue of the Sarasota Magazine, one of Sarasota’s premier publications.

This marks the 5th time that Plymouth Harbor has been nominated in the Best Retirement Community category.

Readers of the Sarasota Magazine, according to their staff, have been surveyed through this popular poll since 1991, which currently lists over 224 categories of what they consider the “best of Sarasota.”

“We would especially like to thank our residents for helping to make Plymouth Harbor Sarasota’s community of choice,” said Gordon Okawa, Director of Community Relations. “While this public recognition is long overdue it should give staff, residents and board members alike a vote of confidence that the people of Sarasota have finally come to realize what we’ve known all along!”

Harry E. Hobson, President/CEO of Plymouth Harbor recently announced its 2008 Officers of its Board of Trustees:

Chairperson, Roy E. Dean – a former 12^th Judicial Circuit Judge and currently with the Law Firm of Judd, Ulrich, Scarlett, Summonte and Dean, P.A; Vice Chair, W. Lawrence Ream – a retired New York Life Insurance Corporate Executive; Secretary, Norma Compton, Ph.D. – retired Dean of Purdue University; and Treasurer, Carla Plush Smith – a Florida Certified Public Accountant and Financial Planner.

Mr. Hobson also announced the recent appointment of three new directors to the Board of Trustees:

Lee Byron, a real estate agent with Michael Saunders; William R. Johnston, past president and COO of the New York Stock Exchange; and, Robert T. Mitchell, owner of Rowe-Mitchell Construction Company.

 

Two directors re-elected to the Board for another term are: Jody Hudgins, Executive Vice President of First National Bank of PA in Sarasota, the senior bank executive for FNB in Florida; and, Carla Plush Smith.

First Individual to Receive PLACA Lifetime Achievement Award for work with CARE

This recognition, awarded for the first time this year, was given to Plymouth Harbor resident, Mary Lindsey Elmendorf, Ph.D., Anthropologist, born in the United States in 1917, for her special dedication to water and sanitation projects in Latin America and throughout the world. Mary was the first Woman Director of CARE in Mexico and established one of the first creative, community-based, participative and sustainable water projects in the region.  In 1957, as Director, she developed a demonstration village well drilling program which received international recognition and continues to be used as a model for introducing sustainable water supply to communities. President Kennedy requested a case study of this project to support the Peace Corps, and asked Elmendorf to train the first Peace Corps volunteers for the Latin American region. These life-changing projects are part of Mary’s legacy. One of the communities in Mexico that benefited from the water project, honored Mary by re-naming their own town square, Plaza Mary Elmendorf”
As a volunteer with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Mary was aiding the survivors of the World War II in France when the first CARE packages were delivered to Le Havre, France. When the first CARE group arrived in Paris, Mary was in charge of obtaining their travel orders which had to be signed by General Eisenhower. For their post-war efforts, Mary, her fellow AFSC volunteers and the British Society of Friends were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.

Kay E. Glasser, Ph.D., co-founder of Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services of Sarasota, and resident of Plymouth Harbor, will be honored with the first University of Southern Florida's Women in Leadership & Philanthropy's WLP Award in recognition of her leadership and philanthropic commitment to empowering and improving the quality of life for women and families.

~Sarasota Herald Tribune

Plymouth Harbor will hold its 2007 Employee Celebration Day, August 29, where 94 employees will be acknowledged for their dedicated service to the residents.

"The entire staff will enjoy a day long celebration of their year round efforts. As part of this event, the residents have graciously offered the employees use of the Mayflower Dining Room for a barbeque buffet lunch," stated Tena Wilson, Director of Human Resources.

The Annual Employee Recognition Program will be held in the afternoon in Pilgrim Hall, where all residents are invited to attend. Harry Hobson, President/CEO of Plymouth Harbor, along with Bill Seiberling, President of the Residents' Association, will open the ceremony. A video montage called "Beautiful Faces Montage" produced by the Human Resources department will prelude the Years of Service recognitions and the naming of the 2007-08 Employee of the Year.

Plymouth Harbor is proud of its ability to retain its employees and maintain low turnover rates in a competitive workforce environment. It has built a community-wide reputation of valuing its employees throughout its 41-year history in the Sarasota region. The average years of service for the employees being recognized at this event is 14 years.

Through the generosity of the Mildred and Bernard Doyle Charitable Trust, $5,000 scholarships were recently awarded to Merry Etayo,Terrance Marshall and Crystal Chapman.

It was the wish of Mr. and Mrs. Doyle, former Plymouth Harbor residents that this scholarship provide the educational assistance to "a worthy and needy student of an employee of Plymouth Harbor" or "a worthy and needy employee seeking to increase their skills or to obtain a higher education." The Scholarship Selection Committee at Northern Trust Bank includes former Plymouth Harbor Executive Director, The Rev. Dr. Jack A. Smith.

Merry is the 19-year-old daughter of Sandy Etayo, senior accounting/Medicare billing clerk in the accounting department. Sandy has been with Plymouth Harbor for 24 years. Merry plans to study athletic training at Methodist University.

Eighteen-year-old Terrance Marshall has been a Plymouth Harbor dining room server since October 2004. He plans to earn an associate's degree at Manatee Community College before transferringto a state university. Terrance's goal is to become a pharmacist.

Crystal Chapman received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of South Florida in part through the support of a Doyle scholarship. Crystal is the daughter of Home Care CNA Bridget Chapman. Currently enrolled at USF, Crystal is pursuing her master's degree in nursing. When the scholarship committee became aware of Crystal's efforts and 4.0 GPA, they decided to continue their support. Crystal's goal is to become a family nurse practitioner.

Congratulations to each of these well-deserving individuals.

Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay resident Jeanne Metzner was among several talented local artists by the Florida West Coast Symphony to give a one-person show in Harmony Gallery located in the atrium of the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Hall, also known as Holley Hall.

Each artist selected a distinctive theme to represent the body of their work chosen for exhibition. Mrs. Metzner's Hieroglyphics are abstractions in oil that lend themselves to imaginative interpretation. Her collection will be on display from May 4 to May 31. All residents of Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay are invited to attend the Opening Reception at Holley Hallon Tuesday, May 8, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Joseph Rowen, a resident of Plymouth Harbor, has generously contributed $10,000 to establish the Dita G. Rowen Visual Arts Fund.

This fund is established in memory of his wife, the late Dita G. Rown, whose passion for creating unique visual artwork has been enjoyed by many residents, families, staff and guests of Plymouth Harbor. In addition, Mrs. Rowen taught and mentored many students including several Plymouth Harbor events.

The Dita G. Rowen Visual Arts Fund is to be used to support the visual arts programs and activities of Plymouth Harbor.

Harry E. Hobson, President/CEO of Plymouth Harbor recently announced its 2007 Officers of its Board of Trustees:

Chairperson, Roy E. Dean – a former 12^th Judicial Circuit Judge and currently with the Law Firm of Judd, Ulrich, Oravec, Wood and Dean, P.A; Vice Chair, W. Lawrence Ream – a retired New York Life Insurance Corporate Executive; Secretary, Norma Compton, Ph.D. – retired Dean of Purdue University; and Treasurer, Carla Plush Smith – a Florida Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Hobson also announced the recent appointment of two directors to the Board of Trustees:

John Cox, Owner/CEO of Halfacre Construction Company; and, Jody Hudgins, Executive Vice President of First National Bank of PA in Sarasota, the senior bank executive for FNB in Florida.