Every week we mail to every home and business on Sanibel and Captiva, subscribers throughout the United States and this week... Whoopi Goldberg Los Angeles, CA EXCLUSIVE "Ding" Darling Cartoon page 3 Courtesy of J.N. "Ding" Darling Foundation VOL 7, NO. 51 SANIBEL 8c CAPTIVA ISLANDS, FLORIDA JUNE 16,2000 JUNE SUNRISE/SUNSET: 16 06:36 20:22 17 06:36 20:22 18 06:36 20:22 19 06:36 20:22 20 06:37 20:23 2106:37 20:23 22 06:37 20:23 Junior Duck Stamp Winners Deputy Sheriff Joe Poppalardo, Sheriff John McDougall, Deputy Sheriff Alan Falde with daughters Crystal and Amber. Sheriffs7 Appreciation Day On Captiva by Brian Johnson verything was set. The food was Captiva, had to cut the festivities short ready, the guests were on hand. and rush to the scene of the crime. EThe celebration was about to A man had broken into a home on Sanibel School students who placed in the state-wide Junior Duck begin. Captiva and decided to live there while Stamp competition. Left to right: Evan Bogdon, sixth grade, That's when the call came in of a taking advantage of watersports on the (second place); Jane Pierce and Katherine Herman, third grade, burglary in progress on Captiva. Gulf. "He was from Tampa," said Deputy Sheriffs Joe Poppalardo and Poppalardo. "He camped out for a (honorable mentions). All winners now hang in the Center For Alan Falde, honored for their work on continued on page 5 Education at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Mayeron To Chair HULA-BA-LUAU Recipient of the Prestigious Connie he American Cancer Society pre- season; HULA-BA-LUAU, to benefit Mack III Humanitarian Award, ACS sents a dazzling night in the trop- the American Cancer Society. In Florida Division Board member. Tics with HULA-BA-LUAU on 1990, Victor founded the One and Victor's current involvement includes Saturday, July 8, at Sanibel Harbour Only Don Mayeron Golf Classic in member of the ACS Lee County Unit Resort & Spa. The evening features a memory of his father, Donald Board of Directors and chairman of buffet dinner, hula dancers, an incredi- Mayeron. Over the last ten years, the this year's HULA-BA-LUAU. ble fireknife dancer and a live and event raised over $350,000 for the Tickets to HULA-BA-LUAU are silent auction. fight against cancer. $125 per person, seating is limited. Victor W. Mayeron, part owner of Victor's past accomplishments This event is sponsored by the O'Brien the Mucky Duck Restaurant on Captiva include: President, Sanibel-Captiva Auto Team. Reservations are required. Island and owner of La Casita Mexican Chamber of Commerce, American For ticket information, call 936-1113, Restaurant in Fort Myers is chairing Cancer Society Income Development ext. the spectacular event of the summer Chairman. Volunteer of the Year, Victor Mayeron Page 2 Island Sun - June 16, 2000 Island Sun - June 16, 2000 Page 3 . Sanibel Historical Village and Museum her to the Historical Village and muse- on Sanibel during the grow- um to become part of its permanent ing up years, Genevieve The Woodrings collection. A black and white image of Cooper. Cooper's parents' Flora at age 20 is companion to a home still stands as center- "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Connection lora Sanibel Woodring, the first color photo taken 50 years later. Flora piece of Olde Sanibel, a clus- white child (as opposed to Native died in 1981. ter of upscale shops on FAmerican) bom on Sanibel, Flora and her siblings grew up in the Tarpon Bay Road. Bill And Jeanne Rankin ,, ' untitied arrived in January, 1889, just as her house overlooking Pine Island Sound By the time John Morris pioneer parents completed their large VJKA3* WE HWJE DONE TO THE NATURAL BEAUTIES and attended the first island school married Flora Sanibel OF OUR CAWD SCARE .• frame house on the 160 acre claim reached by treking through sand flats. Woodring, he had moved his that still bears their name: Woodring After her father died in 1900, her farming operation to Fort Point. mother turned the family home into a Myers where he also had a Samuel Barber Woodring was sta- boarding house which achieved local livery stable. Their home was tioned at Key West as a Union soldier fame for her cooking talents. on Monroe Street. He also during the Civil War and although he In 1911, Flora married John Morris had 20 acres of mango returned to his native Pennsylvania, and left Sanibel for Fort Myers; a few groves in south Fort Myers married and had three children, his years later her mother sold what along what is today called time in Florida teased at his memory. remained of the homestead and went John Morris Road. There is a Eventually Woodring, a blacksmith, to live with Flora and John. trailer park there north of moved his family south and landed on Morris had left Georgia in 1895, vic- McGregor Boulevard called Pine Island where the builder of a tim of the killing freeze that chased "The Groves" that boasts resort had advertised for help. He many farmers further south. He trav- mango trees sprinkled made all the decorative iron work for elled down the east coast of Florida throughout- still producing! the San Carlos Hotel, St. James City, stopping briefly at Miami which consist- Morris served as a Lee where his wife Anna also cooked for ed of only two or three houses, then on County Commissioner and the crew. around the Keys and up the west coast several years as chairman of That project completed, Woodring to Sanibel where he settled. He is the Commission. explored in his own sailboat while pick- known to have had two separate farms Genevieve Morris ing up work as an itinerant blacksmith here, one of which contained the only Grossman is a bubbly octoge- and both he and Anna were attracted fresh water well on the island. Primarily narian who recalls her to the area rimming a large cove rain water was collected in cisterns. father's livery stable as place punched into Sanibel's shoreline. He John first married a daughter of the where the hired man lifted Bill and Jeanne Rankin later named it Tarpon Bay.for obvious Genevieve Morris Grossman holds early portrait of Riddle family who farmed along Casa her onto horses for a slow her mother, Flora Sanibel Woodring Morris. To the reasons. In 1888, he filed his home- Ybel Road. She died four years later walk, as well as family picnics by Brian Johnson stead claim, brought in lumber for a right is Martha Grossman, Genevieve's daughter. and in 1911 he married Flora Sanibel to Fort Myers Beach which he Rankins arrived from Cleveland, Ohio with a plan. They knew they house and paved the way for little Woodring. They had three children: they called Crescent Beach in Flora. A fifth child, Harrison, came wanted to volunteer their time, but where? CROW? SCCF? The Sanibel Genevieve, John Jr. (Jack) and Robert. her childhood years. under Effie Winkler Henderson and Public Library? along five years later. played organ at the First Presbyterian T Genevieve Morris Grossman is the She remembers the old Gwynne Just last month, the daughter and They got their first not-so-subtle clue when they moved into their home across daughter who brought the portraits to Institute where she went to elementary Church. She still teaches piano and the road from Bowman's Beach. Flocks of tropical birds alighted in trees around granddaughters of Flora Sanibel the historical village. Interestingly she is school and then graduated from Fort organ at her home in St. Petersburg, Woodring presented two portraits of their house, which adjoined the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. named after her mother's best friend Myers High School. She studied music Continued on page 38 "There were an awful lot of birds coming into the jungle in our backyard," said Bill. "We got interested." "We had an interest in volunteering at an organization from the very begin- ning," said Jeanne. "We decided to pick 'Ding' Darling and we've been here ever Seven Day since." The Wildlife Society sure is glad they settled on the refuge. The Rankins have Weather Forecast become one of the super-couples at "Ding" Darling, a husband and wife team by Jim Clarke, Chief Meteorologist, NBC 2 that gives without reserve. Since signing up as volunteers in early 1993, the Date Temperature Rain Wind Gulf Rankins have put in big hours at the refuge: Jeanne has logged more than 5,000 "WHATNATURE' WILL V^ Low High (Chances) (Knots). Temp hours, Bill more than 3,500 hours. BO JO RESTORE-IT IF '' No woman can afford to miss this! :CIVEN A CHANCE. 16 74 90 50% SE 10-15 84 Their dedication has not escaped notice. In 1999 they both won a Regional Van Kampen Funds "Smart Women Finish RicliIM>> Director's Honor Award, given by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in recogni- Courtesy ol Ilie J.N. "Ding" Darling Foundation 17 75 90 50% SE10 84 tion of outstanding performance. They traveled to Tennessee with fellow winner n Financial Planning Seminar Gene Steele, the fundraising chairman for the Center for Education. C 4 T""*\ ' 9" Darling believed - and experience since proved - that nature by 18 75 92 40% SE 10 84 "That was a highlight," said Bill. "We went to Memphis and got a plaque and I 1 itself has remarkable healing powers. Once we stop actively destroying Start improving the quality of your financial life right away JL-^our resources, whether by pollution or over-utilization, those resources with seven simple steps.